1. Squirts

2. Who Is Ready for some Hockey?
Welcome to the Squirt Season. We are excited for some hockey! The goal of this powerpoint is to help you and your player prepare for the upcoming season.
Outline:
Player and Parent Code of Conduct
Skill Development/Practice Structure
Scholastic Achievement
Tryouts

3. Parent/Player Code of Conduct
OMGHAs mission is to grow the love of the game through fun, building life skills and creating a great experience. OMGHA expects exceptional sportsmanship on and off the ice from both our players, parents and supporters. This includes behavior towards referees, coaches, teammates and opposing players and coaches. We have continued to refine our code of conduct to reinforce this expectation. We ask all OMGHA members and affiliates to represent OMGHA as a premier MN hockey association. Please take the time to review our updated code of conduct personally and with your player. Player Code of Conduct Link: Parent Code of Conduct Link:

4. Skill Development/Practice Structure
OMGHA’s focus is the skill development of our athletes. To achieve this focus, we want to provide as many opportunities to practice and develop skills as possible. This includes:
Maximized ice time – shared practices
Dryland facilties, regiman and resources (videos, practice plans, dangle academy)
External partnerships and training: BeFit, 3O3, External Skill Experts including goaltending
12 Skill practices per season per team from Skill Experts
Character and Mental Development through PCA, Scholastic Achievement and Inteligym

5. Scholastic Achievement
As part of OMGHAs commitment to develop our athletes’ character, the Scholastic Achievement Award program honors those OMGHA hockey players, 10U/Squirt level and above, that achieved a 3.0* or higher grade point average during the hockey season. All OMGHA hockey players who qualified, and their guests/parents, are invited to attend. Please take the time to review the link below with your player to learn more about the program. We would love to see all OMGHA players present.

6. Tryouts
Squirt Tryouts. Tryouts can be an uncertain and anxious time for you as players and families. You can eliminate some of that by simply knowing what to expect and being as ready as you will ever be. We’ll highlight some changes this year, along with key dates to be at the rink. You will find information on what to do before the tryout sessions, what the association is looking for during tryouts and what to expect once they are complete. Beyond that, remember to have fun. That is probably the only way to guarantee you will put your best skate forward this fall.

7. What to do: Before Tryouts During Tryouts After Tryouts
Pre-Tryout Clinics
Tryout Schedule
Tryout Process
During Tryouts
Tryout Evaluations
Team Selection
Team Structures
After Tryouts
Team Communication

8. Before Tryouts Pre-Tryout Clinics
OMGHA offers a pre-tryout clinic to all OMGHA skaters and goalies to help them prepare for tryouts and the upcoming season.
Drills similar to those used during tryouts will be reviewed and practiced on the final 2 days.
You must register with OMGHA and USA hockey to participate in the pre-tryout clinics
Attendance to the pre-tryout clinics is optional and your participation is not used in your evaluation in any way.
The Pre-Tryout Schedule can be found on OMGHA.COM using the following link:

9. Squirt Tryout Schedule
See Website for Tryout Schedule and group assignments

10. Tryout Process
Tryouts start with a pre-skate for skaters and goalies. In these pre-skates, the tryout drills will be reviewed and practiced with the players.
After pre-skates, you will be randomly assigned to initial skill sessions on day 1 and scrimmages on day 2.
Throughout Tryouts, each days player scores will have equal weighting.
The results from day 1 and day 2 will be used to group players for day 3. After day 3, you may move up or down between groups heading into day 4.
If after day 4, you rank in the top group of players, you will be invited to participate in the extended tryout.
Session assignments will be posted to the OMGHA website the night before each tryout day.
It is your responsibility to monitor the website and understand which session you must attend.
The final day of tryouts will not include every player. You will be notified in advance if you need to participate in this final day.

11. Tryout Process
Practices/Skill Sessions: Tryouts will include Practice/Skill evaluation sessions. Your overall skill proficiency will be evaluated in a set of drills to focus on specific skills and tactics. Practice plans and specific drills will be posted to the tryout page in advance of practice sessions.
Scrimmages: Tryouts will include internal refereed scrimmage sessions that are either 3x3, 4x4 or 5x5.
External Scrimmages: Scrimmages vs an outside associations utilizing D3 referees may be scheduled as part of the Extended A Tryout Process in order to help make final player selection.

12. Tryout Process
During each tryout session, a panel of 4 independent evaluators will score you on a preset scale, following a common scoring structure.
Evaluators are chosen for their hockey knowledge, do not have a player participating within 2 years of this level and are trained on the process to consistently evaluate the participants.
Evaluators look for complete hockey players with strengths balanced across: Skills, Hockey Sense, and positive contribution to team play.
Scores from each evaluator are recorded, averaged and used for subsequent tier assignment and final team selection.
You are also evaluated for negative team contributions to play as well. Inappropriate conduct, penalties, poor effort, use of foul language on or off the ice, and play intended to injure will result in a decrease in scoring.
Keep in mind that scores from each session are added together to create a final score for final team selection. In addition, each player has the opportunity to move up or down based on each night’s performance. Therefore – each and every session matters.

13. Tryout Process
The flow chart below visually lays out the Squirt Tryout Process

14. Tryout Policy
If you are too sick or injured to participate in tryouts, your parent is responsible for contacting the Level Director BEFORE tryouts begin. See OMGHA handbook for Injury and Sickness policy A jersey with your tryout number will be provided to you when checking in for the first tryout. You will reference this number throughout tryouts to determine your players group assignment each night. THE TRYOUT JERSEY MUST BE TURNED IN ON THE LAST DAY OF TRYOUTS You should arrive minutes prior to your first tryout session and must be ready to get on the ice 15 minutes prior to start time. Please remove all helmet decals All skaters must wear OMGHA colors for all days of tryouts.

15. Team Selection
After all tryouts have been completed and evaluators scores finalized, team selection will occur. Based on expected registration numbers, we are planning for 11 teams at the Squirt level. For that number of teams we used parent feedback, last season competitive performance and coaches feedback to align on the following formation (Team formation is consistent with the Squirt team formation) 2 A teams (balanced) 3 B1 (balanced) 3 B2 (balanced) 3 C (balanced) Tryout Scores will be used to make the A, B1, B2 and C teams balanced Team selections will be made in accordance with OMGHA tryout policy and are final. After team selections are complete, you will be able to check the OMGHA website to find your team assignment for the season. You will also be contacted by coaches and/or managers providing information regarding team assignment and date of first practice or team meeting.

16. Questions/Concerns
Questions or concerns and the tryout process must go through a member of our travel committee (Level Directors or VP of traveling). Do not bring those questions or concerns to travel coaches or evaluators. The OMGHA Parent Code of Conduct applies to all tryout situations

17. Try-out Stress
OMGHA recognizes that tryouts can be a stressful time for both players and parents. Here are some helpful guidelines as you and your player prepare for tryouts.
Ask questions if you are unsure (i.e., tryout drills, tryout process, team formation, coach selection, etc.)
OMGHA follows the Positive Coach Alliance (PCA) program and strives to put our players in a safe, encouraging environment, so that they can be successful at any level of play.
PCA encourages parents to be “Second Goal” parents who concentrate on his/her child’s character development while letting athletes and coaches focus on the first goal of winning on the scoreboard.
Encourage each player to do the best they can and know that hockey is meant to be fun while learning valuable life lessons of hard work, team play, and sportsmanship.
Upon team placement be sure to praise your player for their effort and if your player is disappointed try not to place blame but rather use this as a learning opportunity for character development. A parents actions and words will have the biggest impact on how a child will react to adversity.
It is ok for parents and players to feel excited or upset about the tryout results but remember to keep everything in perspective. We are all here to support each other and enjoy the great game of hockey.

18. Thank you for participating in OMGHA and playing the great game of hockey. Our goal is to provide a great experience for all OMGHA players. Good luck in your upcoming season!