Hello and welcome to another season of Saskatoon Flyers hockey!! 

 

With the 2022-23 hockey season fast approaching, we want to ensure everyone is aware of what to expect within each division during what can be a very busy September. It is important to note that all information relating to anything Flyers over the course of the season, including evaluations, is posted on the Flyers website at www.saskatoonflyers.ca.

 

As part of Saskatoon Minor Hockey Association’s (SMHA) requirement to tier players, the Flyers zone will once again be conducting skills evaluations and games through to the end of September at various age levels. 

 

Our tryout procedures are outlined in the Policy Manual on the website.

 

Equipment Requirements

Please ensure that your child is wearing all required hockey equipment, and that it fits properly. In addition, the Flyers zone will continue to implement the following rules:

• All non-Flyers stickers must be removed from helmets
• Players are not permitted to wear any jerseys or socks that show affiliation to any non-SMHA or spring hockey teams.​
• Players with spring hockey identifiers such as logos or gear will not be permitted on the ice. Canlan 3 on 3 jerseys are permitted.

 

Skills Evaluations

Depending on your son/daughter’s age division and the position they play, skills evaluations will vary. Division Coordinators will communicate and post evaluation session groups on www.saskatoonflyers.ca. Please note that assigned times are not to be switched.

 

For timed skills evaluations, every player will complete each drill twice, with only the best time of the two being used. The total best time of all drills will determine player rankings. Should a player fall, time will continue to run, so please remind your Flyer the only option is to get back up and complete the drill.

 

The goaltender skills evaluation sessions will be conducted by an externally contracted goaltending company.

 

Tryout Games

Following the completion of the skills evaluation sessions, each division, excluding players in U7, will use games to finalize the evaluation process. To ensure impartiality in the evaluation process, all games will be evaluated by outside evaluators. Division Coordinators will communicate and post evaluation session groups on the Flyers website, so be sure to frequently check emails. Again, please note that assigned times will not be switched.

Please review the information below on each division’s game process.

 

Who will play in what game?

• Skills evaluations will provide the zone with player rankings in order to appropriately place players of similar skill level into their first game.
• Following the skills evaluations, all players begin games with a score or rank of zero (0). 
• After all players have played in their first game, the players are ranked once again, but only using the games scores. 
• At this point in the process, some players at all skill levels may be removed from the tryout game process, as only those bordering the bottom and top of the tier (the “bubble”) will continue to play in bubble games. 
• The approximate 30 players in each bubble game will once again have their scores reset to zero, and will play two games head to head against those with similar ranks to allow evaluators to see and score like vs. like in determining the appropriate tier for each player.
• Goalie assignments for games will be determined by the goaltender evaluators. Goalies will rotate half way through the game.
   

Game Format for U9, U11, U13 and U15:

• Every game will be allocated 45 minutes of ice
• 3 minute warm up
• 1 to 2 minutes warm up for mid-game goalie switch
• 40 minutes of playing time (straight time)
• Each shift will be ~1 minute 
• Players will change on the fly at the ~1 minute mark (buzzer)
• Play resumes immediately after the ~1 minute buzzer wherever the puck is left
• There are no face offs other than at the start of the game
• No icings
• Offside - whistle and offending team must clear blue line with possession going to defending team
• Goal or covered by goalie - offensive team must clear blue line with possession going to defending team

 

There will be instances where parents are unhappy with the placement of their child. Please observe the 24 hour cooling-off period before you reach out to the division coordinator. Our unbiased evaluation process uses contracted third-party evaluators. The purpose of tryouts and evaluations is to place kids in a tier or level where they can be successful. In some years, when division numbers fluctuate, the number of teams we field at a specific level varies. SMHA prescribes a grid that all zones must follow, so there are years where we may have fewer teams at one level than previously.

 

Team Formation

Based on the number of players registered in the Flyers zone for the 2021-22 season, and following the tryout process, teams will be created based on the following information.

   

Players and goalies having opted out of the evaluation process will be placed in the lowest tier within the division.

 

Where there are more Flyers goalies in a division than can be accommodated on Flyer teams, arrangements may  be made for placement in another zone at the appropriate tier. Similarly, in the event there are not enough goalies in a division, arrangements with another zone may be made for placement of an appropriately tiered goalie. The Flyers Goaltender Coordinator will facilitate this process and communicate with the parents of affected goalies and coaches.

 

Coach Selection and Draft Night

Following the completion of evaluations, the Flyers Executive will begin the process of selecting Head Coaches for the 2022-23 season. 

 

In order to complete this process, the following criteria is looked at for each coaching applicant within each division and tier:

• Has a coaching application been submitted on the Flyers website?
• Is the coaching applicant’s son/daughter in the tier coaches are being selected for?
• NOTE: Coaches are only selected to coach a tier in which their son/daughter has ranked at the completion of the tryout process.
• Does the coaching applicant have experience coaching hockey within the zone or elsewhere?
• Is the coaching applicant currently in good standing with SMHA and the zone based on prior coaching history including but not limited to parent and player feedback, current or previous suspensions, and coaching fines based on coaching certification requirements?
• Often there are more applicants than there are teams. If you are not chosen to be a head coach we encourage you to get involved with your team as an assistant coach. 

 

Once all Head coaches have been selected and notified, the Flyers zone will hold team draft nights at an upcoming date. For divisions that do not have enough coaching applicants, the zone will attempt to contact parents of players within the applicable tiers. Failing to have someone step forward as a Head coach, the Flyers Executive will draft for that team and a parent from among the selected players will have to step forward to coach.

 

U7 coaches will be provided their team roster by the division coordinator.

 

Many teams will begin practicing in the next few weeks based on SMHA’s preseason ice allocation, with the official season kicking off later in October.

 

All coaches will be provided with pucks and pylons prior to their first scheduled ice time. Team jerseys and goalie bags (U9 and U11) will also be provided with pick up details to be provided at a later date. 

 

The Flyers will hold a Coaches and Managers meeting in October prior to the start of the SMHA regular season.

 

If you have any questions please contact your Flyers Division Coordinator.

 

Have a great September!

 

Saskatoon Flyers Executive