Hello Everyone
My name is Steven Woods and I will be head coach for Novice DS this year. DS ice times are scheduled to minimize conflicts with Novice HL. There are no tryout fees associated with Novice DS!
Novice DS Tryouts will occur on the following dates -
Tryout 1: Monday December 5th, 5:00 pm Albert McCormick East
Tryout 2: Saturday December 10th, 5:30 pm Albert McCormick West
Tryout 3: Monday December 12th, 5:00 pm Albert McCormick East
Additional details about the tryout process may be found below ...
Novice DS Rep Team
2016-17 Try-outs
Welcome to the Novice DS Team tryouts.
Coaching Team
Head Coach: Steven Woods [email protected] txt: 519.591.2764
The rest of the Coaching Team will be chosen following player selection
Commitment and Expectations
Participation in the DS hockey program requires additional commitment, dedication and sacrifice on the part of coaches, players and families. There may be in excess of 25 ice times including games, tournaments (note tournament dates!!) and practices. We may have additional training or team-building opportunities from December thru March.
Please let the coaching staff know as soon as possible if you are not prepared as a player to make the commitment or as a parent to have your daughter play at the Novice DS level. If you are only at try-outs to get skating time please let us know. Any player not intending to play for the team will not be asked to return after the first tryout.
Try-Outs
During the tryout sessions, players will be evaluated on work ethic, hockey knowledge and team play and individual skills. We are looking for strong work commitment, team players, leadership, positive attitude, creativity and individuals with a well disciplined approach to the game. Non-parent evaluators will assist the coach with on-ice drills and with player evaluation.
Tryout 1: Monday December 5th, 5:00 pm Albert McCormick East
Tryout 2: Saturday December 10th, 5:30 pm Albert McCormick West
Tryout 3: Monday December 12th, 5:00 pm Albert McCormick East
After each tryout, we will be posting on the Ravens website (www.waterlooravens.com) jersey numbers of the players invited to continue in the tryout process. The jersey number worn by the player in the most recent try-out will be the number posted. As is the case for WGMHA rep teams we intend to select 17 (9 forwards, 6 defence and 2 goalies) if numbers permit.
We ask parents to be mindful and respectful of the always difficult task that the evaluators & coaching staff faces in selecting the final team.
If there is sufficient interest and numbers, we intend to invite up to an additional five (5) players to be Practice Players (PPs). PPs will be expected to attend all team practices and will be invited to play in games when team members are absent through illness or otherwise! We are looking at this as an opportunity to expand the DS program, and offer the experience to as many players as possible. PPs will pay $80 for the season to offset practice ice.
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Please arrive 30-45 minutes prior to ice time in order to register
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Players are to be dressed, ready to go on the ice 10 minutes before the scheduled ice time.
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Try-out jerseys are to be returned at the end of each try-out
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Please inform a member of the Coaching Team if your daughter is unable to attend a tryout or is withdrawing from the try-out process.
Regular Season
The DS program includes up to 8 exhibition games (4 home and 4 away) throughout the season, Dec to March. We will play in a tentative loop similar to previous years, to maximize the variety of opponents. The final schedule will be communicated to you as soon as it’s finalized, likely in mid December - and games will appear on the Ravens website when scheduled.
Tournaments
We are booked in the following Tournaments:
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Guelph Jan 7-8, 2017
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Leaside Mar 10-12, 2017
Team Fees
Successful players are responsible for paying the following: DS Fees and Team Fees. The DS ($165) Fees are set by the WGMHA. We expect the Team Fees to be approximately $200-250 per player. The full team budget will be reviewed at the Parent/Player meeting the week after try-outs. Details about the meeting will be provided after the second try-out.
Volunteers
It takes a lot of people to contribute to a successful hockey team and a successful season. We will be looking for volunteers to fill the following roles for the upcoming season. Trainer(s), Assistant Coach(es), Team Manager, Statistician, Parent Rep, Team Videographer and any other roles that will be needed. We will review the positions at the team meeting following the final selection of the team.
If you have any question, please feel free to speak with me (or email me), Laura Simon, Director House League at [email protected] or Susan Casserly, Director Coaching at [email protected], before or after the try-out sessions.
Best of luck to everyone in the try-out process!