Spring Placements

MONDAY MARCH 23 

Squirts (10U): 

• All Skaters and goalies attend at 6:20

Peewees (12U):

• Skaters with last name (A–L) 7:30–8:30 
• Skaters with last name (M–Z) 8:40–9:40
• Goalies should attend both sessions 7:30-9:40 

TUESDAY MARCH 24 

Peewees (12U):

• Skaters will be grouped. Watch your email to see if you skate at 5:10 or 6:20 
• Goalies should attend both sessions 5:10-7:20

Bantams (14U):

• All Skaters and Goalies attend at 7:30

WEDNESDAY MARCH 25 

Squirts (10U): 

• All Skaters and goalies attend at 6:20

Peewees (12U):

• Skaters will be grouped. Watch your email to see if you skate at 7:30 or 8:40 
• Goalies should attend both sessions 7:30-9:40 

THURSDAY MARCH 26 

Squirts (10U): 

• All Skaters and goalies attend at 6:20

Bantams (14U):

• All Skaters and Goalies attend at 7:30

FRIDAY MARCH 27

Bantams (14U):

• All Skaters and Goalies attend at 6:50

How Long Are Tryouts?

The tryout process for SYHC includes a minimum of three one-hour sessions for every player. Each session is designed to replicate a game-like environment, ensuring an authentic experience.

What Do I Need?

Players need all safety equipment and a water bottle. (The water fountain is across from the Restrooms.) Locker rooms will be available for players to dress at the rink.

Required Equipment

    •    Hockey skates

    •    Hockey stick

    •    Helmet with full cage (please remove your skater's name, or cover with tape)

    •    Mouthguard (recommended)

    •    Neck guard

    •    Shoulder pads

    •    Elbow pads

    •    Hockey gloves

    •    Hockey pants

    •    Athletic cup / pelvic protector

    •    Shin guards

    •    Hockey socks

    •    Hockey jersey

We will provide you with a new jersey to wear for tryouts. It will be how the independent evaluators ID the skaters. You are required to wear the jersey.

Players should arrive early enough to get dressed, take a minute to focus, and be ready to step on the ice at the start of their session.

What is the Evaluation?

The player's performance in these sessions will be graded on a numbered scale by a group of independent evaluators from five different high school programs in NEO. These evaluators are not affiliated with SYHC; they are completely independent and aren't current coaches or parents of players in the program. This setup is designed to eliminate any potential bias toward any one player. In fact, the grade sheets given to evaluators will not include players' names; only their assigned numbers.

Where Do We Go?

When you arrive at the rink, please check in at the tryout table. Each player will be assigned a jersey and directed to a locker room to get dressed.

Parents and spectators are not permitted in the locker rooms or on the rink level during tryout sessions. Parents are welcome to watch from the upstairs viewing area or from designated areas outside the rink doors. The view will be limited, so this might be a good time to grab a coffee and take a quick breather.

To provide anonymity and a fair evaluation process for all skaters, LiveBarn will be turned off during tryouts.

If you need to assist your player with tying skates, please do so on the ramp or in the lobby area. 

What Happens at Check-In?

Look for the check-in table and get in line!

Allow time for check-in; sometimes a line forms.

At check-in, players will receive a reversible, numbered practice jersey to wear throughout each session

Due to the demand in our 12u (2015 and 2014 birth year players) age group, the first day of tryouts will be split alphabetically. Players whose first letter of last name begins A-L are asked to attend from 7:30-8:30 Monday and players M-Z asked to attend 8:40-9:40 Monday. Goalies in this group are asked to attend both sessions. 

Once players have checked in, they should proceed to the locker room to get dressed. A SafeSport-certified team member will be present in each locker room and will let players know when it is time to head rink-side.

Once on the boards, a coach will organize the players into four groups. These groups are not ranked or listed in any particular order. Players will simply be color-coded to help our evaluators easily identify skaters during drills and scrimmages.

What Does Each Session Look Like?

Session 1

Skills and Drills!

The first 40 minutes of each player's session will consist of a circuit of 4 quarter ice stations. Each small area in the circuit has been designed to test different areas of the player's skill set. For example, Area One: hockey IQ and decision making, Area 2: body position/puck protection, Area 3: passing/ stickhandling, and Area 4: shooting. All of these drills will include elements to test skating and edgework, as skating is the foundation of any hockey movement. The final 20 minutes will consist of 2 full-ice drills designed to test the player in open-ice scenarios.

Goalies will be integrated into these drills on a rotation and should plan to attend ALL sessions for their respective age group. Goalies will also have an independent, professional, and unbiased goalie-specific evaluator.

At the end of each session, evaluation sheets will be collected and compiled into a cumulative score. These scores help our staff place players.

The schedule for the 12U sessions will be sent via email in the late evening of your player’s first tryout day.

Please note that these scores are among the many metrics our evaluators use. Evaluators consider overall performance, effort, game awareness, and coachability across the full tryout.

Session 2

Scrimmage! 

The format for Day 2 will be scrimmage-based. The goal of this session is to evaluate how players perform in a game-like environment, including teamwork, decision-making, positioning, and overall hockey IQ.

Players will rotate through shifts using a “next player up” line format to keep the pace of play moving and allow evaluators to see a variety of combinations on the ice.

As with Day 1, evaluators will grade players using a standardized scoring scale. These scores will be collected and compiled at the end of the session to help guide the next stage of the tryout process.

Later that evening, Peewee (12U) families will receive an email indicating which of the next day’s sessions their player should attend. The format will be similar to the previous day, with players assigned to specific sessions based on the evaluation process.

The only exception may occur on Day 3, when some players may be asked to attend both sessions. This allows evaluators additional opportunities to compare players as teams begin to take shape. We appreciate your flexibility on Day 3 as we work to place every player in the best environment for their development.

Session 3

Scrimmage! 

Day 3 will continue to focus on gameplay, with additional situational scenarios built into the session. Coaches will run power play and penalty kill situations to give evaluators a clearer picture of how players perform in specific game situations and to help confirm observations from the first two days of evaluations.

As noted previously, please keep your schedule flexible on Day 3. Some players may be released earlier once evaluators have had an equitable opportunity to watch them, while others may be asked to stay for or return to the second session as evaluators work through final metrics. This flexibility helps ensure every player is evaluated fairly and thoroughly before final placements are made.

What is Next?

Each player’s placement offer will be communicated via Crossbar email and will include a simple option to accept or decline the offer.

Please note that placements at this stage are not yet final. Team rosters will be finalized in the fall, providing an opportunity for some skaters to move up.

If you have questions or concerns about your player’s placement, please reach out. Our Hockey Director is available to meet with families to discuss the evaluation process, explain the reasoning behind the placement, and help outline a development plan for the summer.

Players will continue to be evaluated during preseason practices, and movement may still be considered before rosters are officially finalized. Our goal is to place every player in the best environment for their growth, development, and success.