Welcome!
My name is Justin Winechuk, and I have the pleasure of serving as the head coach for the U8 MD hockey team this season. First and foremost, I want to thank you and your child for your interest in joining our U8 MD team. We are dedicated to fostering your child’s growth, both on and off the ice, and providing an environment where they can thrive and develop their hockey skills.
Below you'll find details outlining the tryout process, ice times, and tournament schedule (tentative). Please review this information carefully.
Tryouts
Our tryout process will consist of 5 sessions. They will begin after the 3 prep skates. These sessions will include various drills and scrimmage opportunities to assess your child’s skills, teamwork, and coachability. The U8 MD team tryout times are as follows:
Tuesday, September 10, 5:00pm, Carling A
Thursday, September 12, 5:30pm, Carling B
Saturday, September 14, 8:30am, Carling B
Sunday, September 15, 12:00pm, Carling A
Tuesday, September 17, 5:30pm, Carling B
Team Selection Process
Following the third tryout, we will announce the initial releases. Players who are released and therefore not selected to continue with MD tryouts will be invited to participate in house league assessments.
After careful consideration, we will be selecting a total of 18 skaters to join our team. The goalie position will follow a rotation through the 18 skaters. Players not released are expected to attend the next scheduled tryout session. It's important to prepare your child for all possible outcomes during this time. The official team roster will be finalized on September 18th. We understand that this period can be both exciting and stressful for parents and players alike. We want to assure you that we will do our best to communicate openly and transparently throughout the tryout process in an effort to mitigate some of this stress.
Regular Season Ice Time
Practices will be predominantly Monday 5:00pm (Carling) and Thursday 5:00pm (Carling) with some weeks being different. Practice schedule is live on the website to review, games will be added to the schedule by Labour day.
Tournaments/Exhibition
We intend on entering 4 tournaments in 2024-25 with the final Alliance Championship in April:
▪ North London Nazem Kadri Tournament, London, November 15-17
▪ Wayne Gretzky International, Brantford, December 27-30
▪ West London U8 Tournament, London January 24-26
▪ South Point Winter Classic Jamboree, Leamington, February 14-16 (TBD)
▪ Alliance Championship Weekend, Sarnia, April 4-6
Should you decide that the U8 MD Team would not be a good fit for your child, due to the level of time commitment, financial commitment, or for any other reason, please let me know before I pick the team. Otherwise, I assume you understand the information provided.
If there are any questions or concerns, please let me know.
Thank You,
Justin Winechuk
Head Coach
[email protected]