Welcome to the 2023-24 AMHA team tryouts for the Aurora Tigers, U14 A Team!
I am David Grossi, your 2023 / 2024 U14 A Head Coach. Tryouts are approaching quickly, and I wish every skater the best of luck!
TRYOUT SCHEDULE:
• Tryout #1: Sat. May 6th, 2023 – ACC #1 – 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm
• Tryout #2: Tues. May 9th, 2023 – ACC #2 – 6:15 pm to 7:45 pm
• Tryout #3: Thur. May 11th, 2023 – ACC #2 - 7:30pm (Exhibition vs Newmarket)
TRYOUT PROCESS:
- You must pre-register your child online (AMHA Website) for the upcoming season & purchase a tryout passport. A passport is required to tryout, deadline to purchase a passport is Apr 27th, 2023
- Please read the terms and conditions when purchasing a passport. There are conditions associated with Body Contact selection and redirection specifics as part of the tryout process. Link to Details
- Confirm your child's passport number is listed on the U14 A webpage under the Tryout Players List (Note: this link will become available after AA tryouts, and your player’s number will appear here after the AA coach releases your child.)
- Please arrive at least 45 minutes before the tryout begins.
- When you arrive at the lobby of the ACC rink #2, please go to the AMHA table to sign-in and receive your child’s tryout jersey. THIS JERSEY MUST BE RETURNED AT THE END OF EACH TRYOUT. It does not go home.
- Full protective gear, including neck and mouth guards, will be mandatory – players missing equipment will NOT be allowed on the ice. Please also ensure your child brings a water bottle of their own, filled to avoid delay in preparing for ice time.
- You MUST attend the first tryout to be invited back to the second and third tryouts.
- There will be a team of independent evaluators who will be assisting us with assessing the players and separate evaluators for the Goalies. The AMHA will also assign a team of independent evaluators (Note: Please do NOT approach the evaluators during and after the tryout, as they have a job to do.)
- Communication of decisions will be posted via the same link as mentioned in point #2 after each tryout via the AMHA website on the U14A under Tryout List. Your child's passport submission ID number (Passport number) is the code that identifies your player on this list. Passport numbers appearing on the list after the noted times below are players invited back to subsequent tryouts.
- After the 1st tryout, results will be posted after 8 pm the same day.
- After the 2nd tryout, results will be posted after 6 pm the next day.
- After the 3rd tryout, results will be posted after 10 pm the same day.
There are no guaranteed positions other than my child and the child of my named staff member. There will NOT be any bubble calls for incumbent players; players are expected to perform at their best possible potential throughout every session. Some players (and/or their parents) may experience anxiety during this process. Please reinforce with your child that they perform at their best when feeling relaxed and confident. It is also essential for parents to help manage their child's expectations during this process.This process is designed tofairlypick the top 15 players and 2goalies based on objective criteria. Let’s all make the tryout process an enjoyable one!
TRYOUT EXPECTATIONS - The following is a list of what we are looking for during the tryouts:
- PRIMARY PLAYER SKILLS – Skating, Hockey Stop, Crossovers (backward/forward), Offensive Awareness, Defensive Awareness, Gap Control, Forecheck / Backcheck, ModerateSense of Hockey IQ, Angling, Timing and Body Checking are skills of focus this season!
- GOALIES SKILLS - Reflexes Vision, Butterfly Focus, Angles Character, Aggressiveness, Rebound Control
- OTHER EXPECTATIONS – Team Play, Character, Great Attitude, Leadership, Compete. Players must be able to tie their laces (helping hands will be around to re-tie loose lace-ups)
TEAM EXPECTATIONS:
Team Fees: There will be a financial commitment from each family. The estimated financial commitment will be approximately $2,500 to 3,000. This season the team will be travelling; hotel accommodations and meals will be separate from the team fees.
**** Sponsorship and fundraising are welcome to help reduce the cost per family. ****
Team Commitment: Time commitment will be required for each family. We will be on the ice 2 to 4 times per week with practices and games. It is expected that all players attend all practices and games. Family vacations or time away during March Break 2024 is not encouraged.
Tournaments: We will be attending 3 - 4 tournaments this season which have not been confirmed. One tournament will be a mandatory away tournament; the other 2 or 3 will be optional overnight stays as they will likely be long travel distances.
IT TAKES A VILLAGE! - We will be looking for the following parent positions:
- Team Manager
- Treasure
- 2 Assistant Coaches
- 1 Practice Coach
- 1 Team Trainer
- Home Ice Music Coordinator
- 2-3 Social / Tournament Coordinators
*** If your child makes the team, they MUST attend the Tigerware fitting on Wed, May 17th @ 7:30 pm ***
If you have any questions for me, please feel free to email me. If you have concerns, please follow the OMHA protocol of waiting 24 hours to contact the coach. Please get in touch with me via email after this time. If we receive an email before this time, we will respond when the 24-hour wait period has expired.
Thank you,
David Grossi | eMail: [email protected]