The Open Tryout

Posted by jkaleniecki
05/18/2011 - 12:24

 

At the Jr. Level of hockey, it is tryout season once again. There are countless open tryout camps for almost every Jr. team on the planet. So how do you pick the right tryouts to go to and the right teams to play for?

            Every year I will sit down with my mentor clients and work out a plan of attack when dealing with the rigors of tryout season. If not done correctly, it can be a costly few months with really nothing to be gained. Done correctly however, and you will be almost sure to find somewhere to play. Every year I hear the same story, open camps are just revenue generators! Although most teams do operate a profit and do a good majority of their homework prior tot the camps, open camps are still a valuable asset for players looking for a home. Here are some guidelines:

  1. Realistic Expectations: Start with real expectations of where you can play. Too many goalies believe they are more talented then they really are. We want to always encourage people to try their best and to play at the highest level possible, but again make it realistic. If you are playing house hockey, you probably shouldn’t be trying out for the USHL
  2. Do your homework: If you are looking to make the jump to Jr. hockey, make sure you are trying out for teams who actually need goalies. This means that you must do some research on the computer and find out what teams have goalies ageing out and taking college commitments. Keep an eye out on the tender list, transaction lists, and draft picks of all the teams you want to play for. All that information is readily available online. If you go out for a team with two returning goalies, you are doing nothing but donating to the team’s revenue stream.
  3. Be open-minded: Don’t close off any opportunity. Start with the teams you want to play for, but don’t close any doors to any team tryouts just because it isn’t where you would like to play. Generally in the NHL you don’t get to choose the team, the team chooses you, remember that.
  4. Prioritize: There is only so many weekends in the spring tryout season, there tends to be a lot of overlap. Take the first 3 points and prioritize your tryout schedule accordingly.
  5. Don’t forget the training: Your first priority should be to find a team, however, you will not be of any use to the team that does select you if you can’t stop anything due to taking the summer off.

 

            Here is a real life example of a goalie that I am currently working with. The goalie is a Jr. in high school and played for his school for the past couple of years. As most of us know, Michigan high school hockey isn’t the best that it could be. Right away we can take out the USHL tryouts and combines. I believe in the future he may possess the talent, but needs some experience. The next step is to prioritize teams that are looking for a goalie and in realistic leagues. In my opinion, I believe his best chances lie in Tier 3 Jr. hockey for this season. After going through the homework and finding out which camps to go to at the Tier 3 level, I recommended he fill up the remainder of his weekends with teams at the Tier 2 level to get his name out there and circulated. If he has any remaining time available I recommend he go skate and tryout with Tier 2 teams not necessarily looking for goalies. Doing this not only accomplishes more self-marketing, but can also be used as exposure for Tier 3 hockey. Many Tier 3 teams are either affiliated with a Tier 2 team or use those tryouts as scouting opportunities. At a recent Tier 2 tryout, every local Tier 3 team was there scouting the talent and this goalie was invited to a Tier 3 camp.

            Don’t be a victim when you don’t have to be. Open tryouts are only moneymakers if you don’t do your homework and follow the guidelines provided in this article.