EVALUATION OBJECTIVES

SAMHA remains committed to supporting the following objectives throughout the evaluation process:

• • Provide an impartial, consistent and comprehensive evaluation of a player’s total hockey skills, resulting in the best chance to develop.
  • To form teams that maintain a skill balance where players can develop, participate and have fun playing hockey.
  • To develop an evaluation process that is transparent and trusted by players, parents, and coaches.
  • To provide coaches with the opportunity and flexibility to build a team based in part on their own coaching philosophy and knowledge of player skills and attitude.

TRANSPARENCY

SAMHA recognizes that the evaluation process is important to players, parents/guardians and the association. All efforts are made to ensure that the evaluation process allows a player to demonstrate their hockey abilities and skills. 

1. 1. Under no circumstance will a parent be permitted to evaluate their own child. All efforts will be made to avoid a parent evaluating in a division tier and/or position in which their evaluation score may influence the placement of their child.
   2. The SAMHA Player Evaluations and Selection Handbook will be posted on the Association website so that all parents and players are able to understand the evaluation process. The HOC VP, Evaluation Director and the Division Directors will be available to any parent who has a question about the evaluation process.
   3. All evaluation criteria will be given to each player after registration and be posted on the SAMHA website prior to the start of evaluations.
   4. For purposes of transparency, the results of Timed Skill Skate may be shared with individual registrants in the U9, U11 and U13 divisions.
   5. The Evaluations Committee is Chaired by the evaluations Director and consist of a minimum of one Executive Member of the Board, preferably the HOCVP, the Executive Director and one or two other members of the General Board. The Committee reports to the Board of Directors. Decisions must be made with majority consensus and include a minimum of three committee members.

Policy 1.0 - Player Selection and Team Formation

1.1 PLAYER EVALUATION PROCESS

• Players U9 -U18 – third-party evaluators evaluate players.
• Members involved in the evaluation process and draft process must sign a letter of confidentiality and a conflict of interest disclosure.
• It is the responsibility of the Evaluation Director and the HOC VP (or designate) to ensure that the Player Selection Process outlined in the Player Evaluation and Selection Handbook is followed.

1.2 ABSENT PLAYER PLACEMENT

Injured and absent players will be treated as fairly as possible. The Evaluation Committee will make decisions on the placement of absent players. All absent players are required to notify the association using the online form provided.

• Players absent from Timed Skill Skates will be placed in an evaluation group according to the level they played during the last season, prior coach feedback and where other similarly ranked players were grouped. The Evaluation Committee will have the final say on a player’s placement for evaluation scrimmages.
• Players absent from any single evaluation scrimmage will remain in the group they were in during the previous evaluation session.
• Players absent from more than one evaluation session could potentially be moved down a group from the group they were in during the previous evaluation session.
• Players who are injured before evaluations commence and, therefore, are not able to participate in the evaluation process will be placed on a team as determined by the Evaluation Committee. The Evaluation Committee will consider a number of factors, including the level that the player played in the previous season, prior season coach feedback, evaluation results from the previous season(s), and what team other similarly ranked players might be on. The decision of the Evaluation Committee will be final.
• Players who become injured or sick during the evaluation process will remain in the group they were in during the previous evaluation session.
• If a player misses an evaluation session due to a serious injury, they must provide SAMHA with a Physician's note stating the player is safe to return to play before participating in the next available session.
• There will be no subjective consideration given for poor performance due to illness or injury.
• SAMHA strongly recommends that no player participates in any part of the evaluation process while injured and/or sick. A Division Director or Evaluator has the discretion to remove a player from an evaluation skate if it is determined that the player is participating while sick and/or injured. SAMHA values the health and safety of all of its players, volunteers and members.
• Players who are absent from the entire evaluation process due to an excused absence, such as a tryout in the AA or AAA program, will be placed in a draft as determined by the Evaluations Committee. The Evaluations Committee will consider a number of factors, including the level that the player played in the previous season, prior season coach feedback, evaluation results from the previous season (s), and what draft other similarly ranked players might be in. The decision of the Evaluation Committee will be final.

1.3 PLAYER/GOALIES (U11)

• Consideration will be given to placing Player/Goalies on teams with other Player/Goalies.
• Each team will have a max of two goalies assigned. Ex. One Full-Time Goalie and one Player/Goalie, or two full-time goalies or two player/goalie goalies.
• Every attempt will be made to ensure a Player/Goalie is not the only goalie on the team.
• There will be an equal split at each position (‘goaltender’ and ‘skater’) for practices and scrimmages, as determined by the Head Coach.

1.4 TEAM FORMATION

It is the responsibility of the Evaluation Director, in conjunction with the HOC VP and Division Director, to ensure the teams selected at a given tier are selected fairly. The Division Director and the HOC VP may adjust the rosters of teams to ensure overall fairness in the process. If this is done, a panel including the Evaluation Director, Divisional Director, the HOC VP and the Executive Director must review and provide specific written reasons for the change. The decision of the panel will be final. 

1.5 TEAM SIZE AND TIERING

The number of tiers and number of teams in each tier is regulated by the Alberta One Tiering Model as determined by Hockey Alberta. The number of teams and placement of teams for the league tiering round will be communicated to the parent group after the evaluation process and is subject to change based on registration numbers. The HOC VP and Executive Director determine the number of players on each team; their decision is final.

1.6 U11, U9 & U7

Player evaluations will be used for the purpose of forming teams. After evaluations, players will be ranked and placed on teams by laddering, with the goal of creating balanced teams within each age category and/or tier based on the players' individual skill sets. Directors may exchange players with other similarly skilled players to ensure a balanced distribution of coaches among teams at each age category.

U11 AA – The named Head Coach will select teams after the tryout process; if there are multiple teams, all teams will be drafted equally based on rank.

1.7 DRAFT PROCESS (U13-U18)

1. The Data Manager, in conjunction with the HOCVP and Evaluation Director, will provide a player evaluation list to the Divisional Director of their applicable division.
2. The Evaluation Director and Executive Director are responsible for scheduling the drafts; the HOCVP and Division Director coordinate with the selected coaches to ensure they understand the draft process and SAMHA policies.
3. At a minimum, three SAMHA representatives should be at all team formation drafts. This includes the Evaluation Director, Division Director, HOCVP and Executive Director (or designate)
4. In the case of teams being placed individually into a tier system, the teams will be selected sequentially. Should two or more teams be placed into a league or a division, they will be selected equally.
5. The player selection pool for U13, U15, and U18 will consist of, to a maximum, of 1.25 times the required skaters to form a team(s) for the tier.

For scenarios that arise that are not listed below, the 1.25 ratio is to be applied in a manner consistent with this policy.

• If 30 skaters are to be selected (2 teams), the player selection pool will be a maximum of 38 skaters.
• If 45 skaters are to be selected (3 teams), the player selection pool will be a maximum of 56 skaters.
• If 18 forwards are to be selected (2 teams), the player selection pool will be a maximum of 23 forwards.
• If 12 defencemen are to be selected (2 teams), the player selection pool will be a maximum of 15 defencemen.
• If 4 goalies are to be selected (2 teams), the player selection pool will be a maximum of 5 goalies. At the discretion of the Evaluation Committee, the goalie selection pool may be modified to include up to 1.5 of the available goalies.
• The first 1/3 of the number of skaters required to form teams at the tier being selected must be selected first based on the top-down numerical ranking of skater scores on the evaluation list; coaches must select these players.
• Any remaining players that are not selected will become “must picks” in the tier below.
• No player can drop more than one tier below with an evaluation ranking.

1.8 DRAFT RULES

• The selection of players by coaches will follow a “snake” style format.
• The order in which coaches will select a player will be determined by a random process (i.e. Coin flip).
• The last coach to pick in each round will be the first coach to pick in the next round. This will proceed until the teams are completed.
• If two teams are selected, and skaters and goalies are selected separately, the same coach shall not have the first choice in both skaters and goalies.
• If three teams are selected, and skaters and goalies are selected separately, the coach who selects first in skaters shall select last in goalies, and the coach who selects first in goalies shall select last in skaters.
• If three teams are being selected and forwards, defencemen, and goalies are being selected separately, each coach shall select first in one category, second in one category and last in one category.

COACH SELECTION

Prior to the selection process, each Head Coach will be able to designate one Assistant Coach. The player (child) of the Head Coach and the Assistant Coach must be on the list of players eligible to be selected at the tier being selected. The players are then automatically placed on the team as being selected in the position of their evaluation list ranking. The round the Coach’s player is drafted in will be determined by the player's rank.

PLACEMENT REQUEST

SAMHA will do our best to make accommodations for players and their families in U9, U7 and U5; however, we are unable to guarantee that we can fulfill all requests. The only exception is sibling requests, and these must be submitted prior to the start of the evaluations. Sibling placement requests may result in a lower-tier placement depending on evaluation results.

Please note the request must be reciprocated by the other family to be considered.

PLAYER EVALUATION APPEAL POLICY

An internal appeal mechanism is hereby established for the limited purpose of whether player selection was not made according to the rules or process.

Dissatisfaction with the selection of a Head Coach or assistant coach is not grounds for appeal.

Any appeal shall be made via email to the Evaluations Director. The Evaluations Committee shall evaluate whether the appellant has valid grounds for appeal. There is a $100 fee to initiate the appeal process; should the Committee determine that there are grounds for appeal, this amount is refunded. If no valid grounds for appeal exist, the Evaluation Director shall notify the appellant in writing that the appeal will not be heard. If valid grounds for appeal exist, the Evaluation Director shall then convene an appeal hearing before the Executive Board of Directors within 7 days. The appellant shall present evidence and testimony to the Board. Following testimony, the Executive Board of Directors shall close the hearing, begin deliberations and render a written decision via email within 24 hours.

An internal appeal mechanism is hereby established for the limited purpose of whether player selection was not made according to the rules or process.

Evaluation Appeal Form