Unless otherwise indicated by Hockey Canada, Ontario Hockey Federation, or Ontario Minor Hockey Association, the following shall apply:
Northumberland Minor Hockey Association (NMHA) is classified as an ‘AA’ Centre in the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) and therefore, an “AA” team shall be selected prior to any other Rep teams. Once this has occurred, NMHA will then select an “A” team, and then a “C” or “BB” team if applicable.
All players wishing to try out for a NMHA Rep team shall be required to book the Tryout Registration through Spordle before the Tryouts begin, and at a cost determined by NMHA. There shall be no extensions to Tryout Registration deadline as decided by the NMHA Board. If tryout registration is not booked/purchased before the tryout begin, the player shall not be eligible to participate in our try out for Rep hockey within NMHA. This Tryout Registration shall be valid for the entire tryout process.
The purchase of the Tryout Registration entitles a player to attend Tryouts at the AA , if released then the passport is still valid for A tryouts.
Players must first tryout for the 'AA' team, or equivalent, in order to be eligible to play on a team below 'AA' for the upcoming season. Only if released by the 'AA' coach may the player try out for the next level of Representative Hockey. All tryouts shall include evaluators and on-ice instructors who are not connected to the team (ie do not have a player trying out for the team), and have no known conflicts of interest with any players trying out. These evaluators shall be spread throughout the rink and might not be visible, but will be there on behalf of the NMHA executive. With the exception of the coach, parents, relatives, friends of any players trying out shall not be permitted to be evaluators and/ or on-ice instructors during a tryout. All bench staff selections shall be named after the team is selected.
3. PLAYING AT THE CORRECT LEVEL:
Players may not request a release from a team/ level. If a player trying out for a team is offered a spot on an NMHA team, the player must play at that level. Players will not be permitted to drop down a level if they have been offered a spot on a team at a higher level. The NMHA’s role is to develop all players and to do this correctly, players should be playing at the appropriate level of play. Regardless of skill level, any player who declines an offer to play on a Rep team shall be placed in house league for the season. In the event that NMHA has intentions to roster a non-contact team, any player may decline to try out for a higher level of if the player desires to play non-contact Rep hockey, In those instances, the player shall be required to declare this choice prior to the commencement of tryouts.
Players must attend tryouts to be eligible to be rostered to a NMHA Rep team. Requests for an exemption from participating in a tryout due to illness or injury must be requested on the day of the first tryout. Requests shall be submitted directly to the Head Coach, and the VP of REP Hockey shall be copied in any correspondence. The coach and the NMHA REP Executive are not obligated to grant any exemption request. Should a player miss a tryout without an approved exemption they shall not be eligible to be rostered to a NMHA Rep team. Should a player have an exemption request denied and choose not to try out for the team, that player shall be placed in house league for the season.
No Offers of Commitment may be offered prior to the first tryout at the level in which that coach is coaching (ie. ‘A’ Coach cannot offer a player a spot while ‘AA’ tryouts are happening).
If a player is selected during the tryout process, Parent(s) will be notified of this as the guaranteed spot has a limited time offer to accept. An email will be sent to the parents with a link to register with the Northumberland Nighthawks. This Registration will also serve as the players commitment to play with the Northumberland Nighthawks.
Coaches may release players from tryouts as early as the 1st tryout. Releases shall be completed through the NMHA website, and shall not be completed in person at the arena. In the event that a parent/ player wishes to receive feedback following a release, they shall wait twenty-four (24) hours before requesting feedback from the coach. Players have a place to play Rep hockey within NMHA and therefore, do not meet the requirements for an OMHA releases due to lack of Rep hockey status.