Important Information Regarding the 2023-2024 Season

2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, & 2016 Born Players

We hope everyone is having a great season and are excited to head into playoffs! It’s hard to believe, but planning for next season is well underway, and we have some important changes to share with you.

NEW 2023-2024 Season

We are introducing Timed Skill Skate assessments in March for all registered players. You can anticipate receiving an email before March 1st with an assigned skate time. Timed Skill Skates take place March 17-20.

Why are we making this change?  

Our current player evaluation process for players in U9, U11 and U13 involves two main assessments: a timed skill skate and a scrimmage assessment.

Timed Skill Skate: Places players into scrimmage assessment groups with players of similar skill.

Scrimmage: Players are assessed by third-party evaluators and then moved between assessment groups after every scrimmage.

Over the last couple of years, we have refined this process; however, we did notice that it is an extremely stressful time of the season for players, families, and volunteers in our association.

Hockey Canada and Hockey Alberta also recognize this is a busy time of the year for families. The Player Pathway recommends that players do not return to hockey activities until the week after school starts.

We strive to achieve this, but unfortunately, we cannot always support this timeline due to limited ice. So, we started to look at how we can help to improve our player's return to hockey in the fall and improve communication with families during this busy time of the year.

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FAQ

 

What is a Timed Skill Skate? 

The focus of this session is to measure each player's fundamental skills. Players will participate in various drills to test their skating speed, agility, edge control and puck handling. The group sizes will range between 20 - 30 players. Each player has two attempts to complete the drill; the best score from each respective drill will be used. The other scores will not be used for averaging purposes. Players will be scored based on the average of all the drills and grouped accordingly in their age category.

DRILLS 

30M Forward

 

30M Backward

 

Weave Agility

 

Transition Agility

 

Can I see my results?

Yes! We can share your results with you and include your 2022 fall assessments so you can see how your player has progressed this season. After the Timed Skill skate is over, please complete this form, and we will email you a copy of your results.

What if we are unable to make our assigned date?

We understand that some players have already made commitments to tournaments or have other activities on the scheduled dates. We are happy to move your assigned time to another available slot. Please complete this form. Change Request Form

I’m going to tryout for the Jr Raiders or U13 AA, do I still need to do a Timed Skill Skate?

Yes, all players are encouraged to participate. This data is captured year over year and helps to create a consistent record of your player's development.

What if my player's skill advances over the summer months? Can they be re-tiered?

Players will be moved between assessment groups after each scrimmage skate based on their evaluation.

Do goalies participate in Timed Skill Skates?

No, goalie evaluations will take place in late August.

2023-2024 Evaluation Schedule

Division Evaluation Scrimmage Start
U9 September 9th
U11 September 9th
U13 September 10th

*Goalie evaluation schedule to be released before July 1st

 

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