USA Hockey Select Camps

[123hockey]

Any word on district selections?

[Hux]

New England just had its Festival this past weekend and will announce the various players for the NDCs after Nationals. Massachusetts had their tryouts last weekend, and won't announce players until after their Festival, which is towards the end of next month.

[THE Icemom]

Rocky Mountain District doesn't even do their camp until around the first week of May. The Colorado state selection camp doesn't happen for another couple of weeks. Seems like they are always late.

[Black Bear]

New England just had its Festival this past weekend and will announce the various players for the NDCs after Nationals. Massachusetts had their tryouts last weekend, and won't announce players until after their Festival, which is towards the end of next month.

If NE will announce their player selections after Nationals, what happens then to NE players who, for whatever reason, could not attend NE Festival tryouts and may still be in the process of being evaluated in another District? Since no matter how well they might play in another District's Festival they can't represent that District, what then is the likelihood of gaining a spot in their home district when their evaluation won't be completed until as much as a month after the close of the NE Festival? Anyone been down that road before?

[Crazy Otto]

Atlantic District doesn't do festival/select camp tryouts until May.

[BKDad]

If NE will announce their player selections after Nationals, what happens then to NE players who, for whatever reason, could not attend NE Festival tryouts and may still be in the process of being evaluated in another District? Since no matter how well they might play in another District's Festival they can't represent that District, what then is the likelihood of gaining a spot in their home district when their evaluation won't be completed until as much as a month after the close of the NE Festival? Anyone been down that road before?
The way it has been explained to me, and could be way off base, is that players who audition outside their own districts are placed into the At-Large group which has a different set of criteria. Maybe somebody else could explain all that for you.

[hockeyedge]

New York completed the district evaluations last weekend and I have heard through the grapevine that the following players were selected:

U-16

(G) Chelsea Knapp - Lawrence Academy
(D) Jackie Greco - Buffalo
(F) Jill Cardella - Rochester
(F) Kelsey Welch - Buffalo
(D) Sienna Falino - Long Island
(D) Rebecca Rosen - Hotchkiss/Long Island
(D) Kristina Moss - Buffalo
(D) Heather Marrisson - Hotchkiss/Connecticut Stars
(F/D)? Shannon Flattery - Syracuse Stars

U-14

(G) Sue Allen - Rochester

[Black Bear]

The way it has been explained to me, and could be way off base, is that players who audition outside their own districts are placed into the At-Large group which has a different set of criteria. Maybe somebody else could explain all that for you.

Think I found the answer to my own question:

The directive given to the evaluator’s is to make their selections from the players that attend the Southeastern District Tryout. A player evaluated outside of the Southeastern District will only be considered for a position if in the opinion of the evaluators; the level of talent at the Southeastern District Tryout is not strong enough to fill the allocated positions from USA Hockey.

If there are no allocated positions available for players that were evaluated outside of the District, those player names will be submitted to USA Hockey for consideration in the National At-Large Pool. There are a very limited number of at-large spots available to the National Camps and Festivals and as such gives a player very little chance of being selected.

Just need to substitute New England for Southeastern and away we go. Guess I won't let my daughter read this until after she completes her other District Festival.

[notfromaroundhere]

Yes, that is the way it is handled.

Having been through the out-of-district tryout before, the chances of selection when evaluated out of district are slim and none unless your daughter's overwhelmingly good reputation preceeds her.

They want you to go to your district's evaluation. However, the districts schedule them at the most inopportune times. What is the point of a tryout in May when most of these kids have not been playing in more than a month?

Quite frankly all the districts should choose the same 2 weekends (during the season) and have players skate at 1 and/or both (depending upon non-hockey conflicts like SAT tests). This would eliminate the scheduling conflicts. If they happen to be closer to another district's tryout (kids at boarding school), they can be evaluated against that pool from that district and pulled if they are competitive with the best of that district. Slots for camp should be based upont the level of top quality kids who show up for your tryout, not the number of kids in your district.

Good luck to your daughter, Black Bear.

[brookyone]

http://www.minnesotahockey.org/

This site is supposed to provide a link to the list of players advancing thru the recently held phase 1 tryouts on to phase 2 in the Minnkota district...any day now. I'll be checking regularly.

[gotice]

New York completed the district evaluations last weekend and I have heard through the grapevine that the following players were selected:

U-16

(G) Chelsea Knapp - Lawrence Academy
(D) Jackie Greco - Buffalo
(F) Jill Cardella - Rochester
(F) Kelsey Welch - Buffalo
(D) Sienna Falino - Long Island
(D) Rebecca Rosen - Hotchkiss/Long Island
(D) Kristina Moss - Buffalo
(D) Heather Marrisson - Hotchkiss/Connecticut Stars
(F/D)? Shannon Flattery - Syracuse Stars

U-14

(G) Sue Allen - Rochester

What about 15U and the 17/18U divisions from NY?

[Black Bear]

Yes, that is the way it is handled.

Having been through the out-of-district tryout before, the chances of selection when evaluated out of district are slim and none unless your daughter's overwhelmingly good reputation preceeds her.

They want you to go to your district's evaluation. However, the districts schedule them at the most inopportune times. What is the point of a tryout in May when most of these kids have not been playing in more than a month?

Quite frankly all the districts should choose the same 2 weekends (during the season) and have players skate at 1 and/or both (depending upon non-hockey conflicts like SAT tests). This would eliminate the scheduling conflicts. If they happen to be closer to another district's tryout (kids at boarding school), they can be evaluated against that pool from that district and pulled if they are competitive with the best of that district. Slots for camp should be based upont the level of top quality kids who show up for your tryout, not the number of kids in your district.

Good luck to your daughter, Black Bear.

Thanks for the good luck wishes. I knew that it would be tough to try and earn a spot through another district but not as tough as it sounds like. It would have been nice had my daughter been "at large"ed into the NE Festival. She has earned a spot for three years and been All Camp the only time she went to the Regional Camp. Her reason for missing tryouts back in November was easily documentable but............them's the breaks. All she can do is play hard and hope for the best.

[oldfan]

http://www.minnesotahockey.org/

This site is supposed to provide a link to the list of players advancing thru the recently held phase 1 tryouts on to phase 2 in the Minnkota district...any day now. I'll be checking regularly.

The names are posted. Lots of good players listed.
Last years phase II tryouts were almost the quality of a D1 game, and I think this years will be too.

[brookyone]

Last years phase II tryouts were almost the quality of a D1 game, and I think this years will be too.
Not at all hard to believe after looking at the list of players. I have to find a way to sneak up to the Super Rink.

[Crazy Otto]

Yes, that is the way it is handled.

Having been through the out-of-district tryout before, the chances of selection when evaluated out of district are slim and none unless your daughter's overwhelmingly good reputation preceeds her.

They want you to go to your district's evaluation. However, the districts schedule them at the most inopportune times. What is the point of a tryout in May when most of these kids have not been playing in more than a month?

Quite frankly all the districts should choose the same 2 weekends (during the season) and have players skate at 1 and/or both (depending upon non-hockey conflicts like SAT tests). This would eliminate the scheduling conflicts. If they happen to be closer to another district's tryout (kids at boarding school), they can be evaluated against that pool from that district and pulled if they are competitive with the best of that district. Slots for camp should be based upont the level of top quality kids who show up for your tryout, not the number of kids in your district.

Good luck to your daughter, Black Bear.

My experience is limited to the Atlantic District but it always seemed to me the decisions of who would attend the Festival camps were made before a player even stepped on the ice. They had 80+ players on the ice at the same time and usually that meant each player only did a few drills and scrimmage shifts in each on-ice session. More than a few girls and their parents felt they didn't really get a decent look. Many girls who are not picked for the Festival camps go on to prove themselves at the D-1 and D-3 level. It's just a shame that USA Hockey doesn't provide a better tryout/evaluation .

[BKDad]

You ought to air your concerns to the USAHockey staff out in CO. They'll either tell you that you are just a whiny parent, or they will take note of what you say.

[THE Icemom]

BKDad: If your post was directed to me I wasn't being whiny. I was stating a fact. I really don't care, all of mine (boys and girl) are too old to participate.

[SAMMEE]

My only observation at this time is you cannot make everyone happy all the time. If you have tryouts during the season; people compalin the preppies cannot get home. If you have them after the season; someone complains that some people have not skated in a while. If you have them in a central location in the district - people will complain that the players who live closer have an advantage. It is a no win situation.

If a player is good enough they will be noticed. If they are on the bubble - it is luck of the draw - or when an evaluator watched you.

As a coach I voted against the extra year camps for girls because the overall numbers have not increased that much in most disticts and people start to feel they are entitled to go. Sometimes missing a year will make them work harder and appreciate attending the camps.

Good luck to everyone!!

[Hux]

My experience is limited to the Atlantic District but it always seemed to me the decisions of who would attend the Festival camps were made before a player even stepped on the ice. They had 80+ players on the ice at the same time and usually that meant each player only did a few drills and scrimmage shifts in each on-ice session. More than a few girls and their parents felt they didn't really get a decent look. Many girls who are not picked for the Festival camps go on to prove themselves at the D-1 and D-3 level. It's just a shame that USA Hockey doesn't provide a better tryout/evaluation .

Working on the planning of tryouts for the NECADP CODP clone I've been taking note of the various ways in which tryouts are run and evaluated. It is an imperfect science at best, and no matter how you slice it there will be people who are going home unhappy. Obviously 80 players on the ice is not in the best interest of the players, or the purpose of the NDCs themselves, and those 80 players should have been split into two, if not three groups.

Minnesota seems to have the tryout process wired, with an invitation only program and multiple days of drills, and game situations to evaluate players.
The downside is that by not having open tryouts, the uninvited player misses the opportunity to gauge themselves against their peers, and if they fall short, become motivated by the experience to improve.

[Hux]

My only observation at this time is you cannot make everyone happy all the time. If you have tryouts during the season; people compalin the preppies cannot get home. If you have them after the season; someone complains that some people have not skated in a while. If you have them in a central location in the district - people will complain that the players who live closer have an advantage. It is a no win situation.

If a player is good enough they will be noticed. If they are on the bubble - it is luck of the draw - or when an evaluator watched you.

As a coach I voted against the extra year camps for girls because the overall numbers have not increased that much in most disticts and people start to feel they are entitled to go. Sometimes missing a year will make them work harder and appreciate attending the camps.

Good luck to everyone!!

All to true.

I would disagree with your last point though. I think adding the camp for the 15s is a huge step forward. At that age the disparity in strength, maturity, game sense etc. is far more noticable than with the 17/18s, and the numbers are there to support a separate camp. Aside from the experience afforded these players, it also helps to curb some of the carping by parents who have been quite vocal over the years about that disparity and the resulting lack of 15s named to the NDCs.