Tryout Information & Procedures

NRYHA and PCDC would like to provide answers to a lot of questions we receive regarding our hockey tryout process. When you are not directly involved, it can leave unanswered questions, and NRYHA would like to explain the process we have in place for selecting our youth teams for the season. We would like to bring transparency and education to our members as we look at creating a process to best support the team selections and development of our players. 

Our season will begin before we know it. Each player will be taking the ice to display their skills in what can be perceived as a competition against peers to secure a spot on an A, B or C level. As much fun as it can be to compete against peers, for some, the process can be stressful and emotional when one does not get the results they are expecting. Regardless of personal feelings, competing is what athletics is. The process of competing, winning, and losing is what builds character and teaches life lessons.

The tryout process is subjective. Regardless of the outcome it is up to us, parents, and members of the NRYHA community, to best set forth a proper vision for the New Richmond Youth Hockey Program. 

NRYHA is geared to provide every player with the opportunity to not only play hockey and enjoy the sport; but to learn and grow based on their skills. Kids grow, develop, and learn at different paces and we as an association support that. This tryout process is used to place members on a team that will enable the skater to develop their skills with other similarly skilled players. The policy also strives to assign teams to levels of play that will be competitive, as well as challenging for all team members. The parameters of this policy were assembled to provide a process to place players on teams with these goals in mind. 

Some players have good days; some have not so good days. Our tryout process is a multi-day evaluation of several hockey drills and scrimmages as well as on-ice behavior. Evaluation is the key word. The importance of your player being physically and mentally present for this evaluation is highly recommended. It provides a terrific opportunity to see players side-by-side and will offer the best evaluation result. 

On the days of tryouts, your player will be asked to show up with all their gear. Please make sure your player has a mouthguard and their own water bottle labeled with their name. There should be nothing to make them look any different than any other player trying out. This includes bright colored hockey tape or laces, decals on helmets, etc. We also ask that all gear is ready for each skater to take the ice. This includes hockey sticks taped, skate blades sharpened, etc. NRYHA will provide each player with a tryout jersey that is numbered to match the evaluator's sheets. The goal is to eliminate any favoritism or biases for considerations based on appearance. 

When you drop your player off, you are asked not to stay. Because this is a tryout evaluation, we want our players free of influence and/or distraction. Let your kids go through evaluations at their own pace. Some players take it very seriously, others do not. If your player needs help getting dressed, you can help them and then are asked to leave the rink. 

Who gets to stay? We ask that only the NRYHA approved evaluators, PCDC members, and on-ice tryout staff be in the rink at the time of evaluations. 

Who evaluates the players? Every tryout is not the same. For each level, there are at least four evaluators and anywhere from 1-2 coaches on the ice. The coaches who are on ice are not evaluators and will have no feedback or input on the tryout results. Outside evaluators are used as much as possible. The PCDC is focusing on trying to obtain outside evaluators (see criteria below for all the tryouts). Evaluators will remain at the same level for the duration of the evaluation.

How does NRYHA select evaluators? NRYHA seeks evaluators based on the following criteria (PRIORITY ORDER): 

1. Individuals who have previous coaching or playing experience outside the association
2. Current/past coaching staff from our New Richmond High School Hockey Program 
3. Individuals who have previous coaching or playing experience within the association, but their own children have aged out of the association.
4. Individuals who have previous coaching or playing experience within the association, but their own children’s level will not be evaluated.

Evaluators will not be provided with a copy of any player names prior, during, or after the tryout process. They will only have a roster of players that include their jersey numbers and colors. 

**NRYHA has approved the use of external evaluators for the 2026-2027 tryout process**

Each of the players and goalies who tryout will be scored in the following categories (not in order of importance): 

Players:

• Skating 
• Puck Handling 
• Shooting 
• Competitive Contact (Squirt-Peewee), Body Contact (Bantam
• Hockey IQ 
• 
  

Goalies: 

• Skating
• Positioning
• Saves/Rebound Control
• Hockey IQ

What does the NRYHA tryout process look like? Four evaluators will have the opportunity to evaluate your player over the course of two 90-minute sessions. They will score each skater on the skill categories listed above. During each tryout session, evaluators scores are tallied and averaged automatically utilizing Team Genius. The PCDC Chair and Co-Chair will review the evaluators scores to determine final calculations (averages) in all skill categories are accounted for (no player has a missed score for a category). 

What happens when tryouts are done? Once the tryouts are complete and all scores are reviewed for accuracy at each level, PCDC Chair and Co-Chair will be joined by PCDC members who do not have kids at that particular level to do a final review to determine team placements, based on scores, for the season. 

Team Assembly: Each team must have a minimum of ten skaters and a goalie. NRYHA and PCDC’s goal is to field at least three teams at each level. If there are thirty skaters trying out at a level the top ten ranked players will be placed on the A team and continue through the next ten players on the B team and final ten players on the C team. In the case of more than thirty skaters trying out at a level the process is determined by finding a natural break in scores. A team cut off will be based on numbers and similar scores. An example would be the 10th ranked player has a score of 50.5, the 11th ranked player has a score of 50.25 and the 12th ranked player has a score of 47; that natural break would fall between the 11th and 12th ranked player to start the next team. The same method would be used if there were less than 30 players trying out at a level and the association would only field two teams. 

Goalies will be placed in order of their individual score and ranking (1st A, 2nd B, 3rd C). If there is a scenario where we have more goalies than teams, goalies will be placed with similar talent, with multiple goalies on a certain team, based on PCDC and coaching recommendations.

What if my player did not make the team they hoped for? If your player does not receive results that they had hoped for, we ask our parents to consider this an opportunity to teach and encourage your player to work hard, lead by example and be great teammates. 

The tryout process and team selection is a very subjective process. We believe the representation and process we have is the best choice for our program. 

Success and growth mean different things when it comes to youth sports. Too often we believe that if our player did not make the “A” team that they are a failure. That is simply not the case. Being a part of the top team can be a great individual achievement but is not always the best place for an individual’s growth and/or a good development situation for all kids. 

Our tryout process will never hinder selection of future NRYHA teams or New Richmond High School Program. We are a youth hockey association working to develop our young players to love the game of hockey and come back year after year. Our goal is to grow and support the success of skill development in New Richmond Youth Hockey Association. Together, we can encourage and support each other and share resources and knowledge for the better good of our program. 

**Team placement decisions are final and non-negotiable. The PCDC does not discuss, debate or make changes to team placement decisions made through the established team placement process**

• Tryout Evaluators are selected each year by PCDC. 

• PCDC provides a recommended list of evaluators to the Board of Directors for approval.

• PARENTS/GUARDIANS ARE NOT ALLOWED ANYWHERE IN THE RINK (including the lobby) during tryouts. Parents/guardians must drop their child at the rink and remain out of the building. 

• Approved evaluators, on-ice staff, and members of the PCDC will be present in the rink during tryouts.

• PCDC members will be assisting evaluators in coordinating the tryout process, but do not participate in the evaluations. 

• Evaluators are spread around the rink and capture evaluation data via Team Genius for each player.

• Once player evaluations are complete. The PCDC will meet to make team selections based on the data collected during the evaluation process. 

• During the tryout process, there can be NO COMMUNICATION between parents and the evaluators.

• Any necessary communication (i.e., illness, injury, or equipment problems) must be initiated by the player and/or parent via the PCDC Chair.

• Any attempt by a parent at “lobbying” their child during the tryout process will be reported by the evaluator or PCDC member being lobbied to the President. This action will be a violation of the Parent Code of Conduct. 

• All players should wear their tryout jerseys and NRYHA or neutral-colored socks. AAA hockey socks are not permitted. All AAA team stickers, or other summer league team stickers, must be removed from the player’s helmet prior to the tryout process.

• Any player unable to participate in tryouts due to injury or illness will be evaluated based on “body of work” (prior year performance and coaches’ recommendations, etc.).

• Team Genius data for your player is available upon a parent/guardian’s request after teams are rostered.



• Team placement decisions are final. The PCDC does not discuss, debate or make changes to team placement decisions made through the established team placement process.