Dear Hockey Enthusiasts,

Tryouts for next year's teams will be held at the end of February at the Hotchkiss School Rink.  Any player interested in making a travel team is highly encouraged to attend the tryout session.  Travel teams at the Mite and Squirt levels are limited to a maximum of 13 skaters and two goalies.  Pee Wees, a maximum of 16 skaters, and Bantams a maximum of 18 skaters.  In the event that we have too many skaters for one "A" team but not enough for a "B" team, those players who do not make the "A" team can skate with the In House program.  We will make every effort to accommodate all those who tryout by manipulating the number of kids chosen at each level.
We will be holding tryouts for the following teams on the following dates:

Mite A
 BIRTH YEARS 1999  & 2000
Feb 28th, Hotchkiss Rink, 5:30-6:45PM (during in-house practice)
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Squirt A & B
 BIRTH YEARS 1997 & 1998
Feb 28th, Salisbury School,
(during squirt/mite practice)
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Pee Wee A & Pee Wee B
 BIRTH YEARS 1995 & 1996
Feb 28th, Hotckiss (during practice)
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Bantam A & Bantam B
 BIRTH YEARS 1993 & 1994
Feb 28th, Hotchkiss (during practice)
    
The players will be required to register at tryouts including a $50 registration fee.  This will be applied towards next year's registration and is non-refundable unless the child does not make a team.  Forms can be downloaded off of the web site.  We will still have registration in the Fall for Cubs and players who do not want to travel.

We have decided to hold tryouts in February for many reasons.  It allows us the ability to customize the scheduling by team ability, schedule for the correct number of teams, budget based on a firm number of players, pick coaches and managers per the roster, save money and travel time on the tryouts themselves, and start next year's season earlier with practices and or games if the coach desires.  In the past, getting the season started has been very congested with administrative duties, personnel assignments, and scheduling ice times around other activities. This causes a delay in information being made available which in turn causes frustration at all levels.  One other advantage to the players is that if a child is not happy with the situation he or she has been placed in they have the summer to pursue other options. 

Another change that we are pursuing is the establishment of a scheduling coordinator at each level.  This person will be responsible for confirming games, assessing the level of opponents as the season progresses and changing games if necessary per the correct procedure, and going to the scheduler's meeting in August to help with the initial scheduling process.

We are excited about these changes and hope they make for a more enjoyable experience for all of those who are involved with Salisbury Youth Hockey.
 The new In House program's debut  has been a major success and we look forward to that program getting stronger every year.   We are in the process of scheduling a year end tournament for the In House kids to be held at the end of February.  More information on this will come.

Q. My child was born in 1998, but has only been skating for one year. Can he/she still go to the tryouts for the travel teams?
A. Yes. Anyone can tryout with the birth year dates specified for that team level. We accept everyone for tryouts, but teams are picked based on skating ability.

Q. My child wants to skate in the in-house program next year. Do I have to register him/her now for next year’s season?
A. While you do not have to register now for next season’s in-house program, all early registrations are appreciated!