Placement Criteria

Player Assessments (from the By-Laws)                                                                         

 

Preamble

The following criteria may be used by evaluators observing players for placement on various teams in the Lakes Region Youth Hockey Association.  The evaluation factors listed below have been divided into categories by checking and non-checking level.  A player may place onto the highest level team that a particular age group without being rated #1 player in all of the categories.   That particular player, however, may be more exceptional at another skill criterion than other players. 

  

Playing up or down in age group is discouraged except under special circumstances and with the approval of the LRYHA Board of Directors and the Player/Coach Development Coordinator. A parent or guardian must formally request, in writing, that their child play up or down and state the reasons for their request. The player will be evaluated based on the criteria below and must be a clear cut selection for the top level team in the upper age group in order to play up. Players considered to be “on the bubble” or not a clear cut choice for the upper most level team of that age group shall play in their appropriate age group. Players cannot play up or down just to accommodate car pooling or special requests for coaches.

 

Criteria

The below listed placement factors are meant to give parents and players an idea of what evaluators may be looking for:

 

MITES/SQUIRTS

• Overall skating ability both forwards and backwards;
• Overall stick handling ability;
• Puck protection;
• Pass making and pass receiving skill;
• Dekeing ability;
• Shooting skill, velocity and accuracy;
• Defensive awareness and ability to defend one on one;
• Forechecking skill and ability to angle;
• Backchecking skill and ability to angle;
• Appropriate aggressiveness towards loose pucks;
• Stick lift, stick press down and poke checking;
• Read and react skills;
• Awareness of offsides;
• Ability to play within the rules given the strategic situation on the ice (does the player take “dumb penalties” or necessary penalties?);

 

Goaltenders will be evaluated on basic fundamentals including:

• Skating ability
• Goal tending posture
• Angles
• Quickness
  • Down and up off the ice A
• Ability to stop pucks with
  • Body
  • Gloves
  • Pads
  • Stick
• Ability to cover loose pucks.

PEEWEE/BANTAM

• Overall skating ability both forwards and backwards;
• Overall stick handling ability;
• Puck protection;
• Pass making and pass receiving skill;
• Dekeing ability;
• Shooting skill, velocity and accuracy;
• Defensive awareness and ability to defend one on one; situational awareness, picking up your check;
• Forechecking skill and ability to angle; reading and reacting to playing partners in forechecking situations;
• Backchecking skill and ability to angle; picking up your check coming back into the defensive zone;
• Appropriate aggressiveness towards loose pucks;
• Stick lift, stick press down and poke checking;
• Read and react skills; defensive zone, offensive zone, neutral zone;
• Ability to play within the rules given the strategic situation on the ice (does the player take “dumb penalties” or necessary penalties?);
• Body checking skills including ability to give and receive a check;

 

Goaltenders will be evaluated on basic fundamentals including:

• Skating ability
• Goal tending posture
• Angles
• Quickness
  • Down and up off the ice A
• Ability to stop pucks with
  • Body
  • Gloves
  • Pads
  • Stick
• Ability to cover loose pucks.
• Rebound control
• Puck set-up skills on dump ins
• Communication regarding opponent fore checkers, icing calls etc.
  

                                
                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Placement Exceptions

LRYHA Policy Regarding Lower Level Eligible Players Playing at a Higher Age Classification

Over the period of its existence, Lakes Region Youth Hockey Association has promoted certain players to play in older age groups. The board has promoted these players on a case by case basis and will continue to do so.

The board has established the following written criteria that will be employed in determining whether a player is qualified to advance and play at a higher level of hockey.

The primary factor that will be considered by the board:

·         The player must possess the skill level and athletic ability to be equal to peers playing at the higher level. 

·         The secondary factors that the board will consider include:

o    A vast majority of the players from the applicant’s prior years’ team are moving to a new age classification leaving the player remaining behind without teammates of equal skill to play with.

o    The applicant moving up can help fill out a team with thin membership.

Parents wishing for their children to move up need to consider factors outlined above in making a written request of the board that their son or daughter be considered for early advancement. The board will make its decision based upon the player’s overall performance during the placement skate period while considering the factors listed above.