In an effort to make sure all are aligned on expectations and ways of working for the team, 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 4 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:
- Thursday, September 11, 5:30pm, Carling B
- Saturday, September 13, 8:30am, Carling B
- Sunday, September 14, 8:30am, Carling B
- Thursday, September 18, 6:00pm, Carling A
- Friday, September 19, 6:00pm, Carling A
Team Selection Process
Following the second 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 19th. 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 to mitigate some of this stress.
Regular Season Ice Time
The season will start Saturday September 20th with 4 development (practice) skates. Practices will be predominantly Wednesday 6:30pm (Carling) and Thursday 6:00pm (Carling) with some weeks being different. The practice schedule is live on the North London U8 website to review. Games will be added to the schedule by Labour day.
Tournaments/Exhibition
We intend on entering 4 tournaments in 2025-26 with the final Alliance Championship in March:
- North London Nazem Kadri Tournament, London, November 21 - 23
- Dan Pullham Memorial, London, December 5 - 7
- Jr Raiders Jamboree, Burlington, December 12 - 14
- West London U8 Tournament, London, January 23 - 25
- Alliance Championship Weekend, Sarnia, March 27 - 29
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,
Eddie Healey
Head Coach
[email protected]