Hello Admirals Players and Families – welcome back for the 2025/26 season!

[also sent as an email to parents of players registered for Rep Assessments]

You are receiving this email as your player is registered to assess for the Admirals’ Representative Program.

At the outset, I’d like to acknowledge and extend a thank you to all of our volunteers that help keep minor hockey and the Admirals running. None of our players would be able to compete and play the game we all love without your commitment and dedication.

 

Schedule

As posted on the website earlier this summer, assessments begin next Saturday, August 23^rd; the schedule for Phase 1 of the assessments can now also be found on our website. You will find a description of the assessment process later in this email.

Team assignments for the first Colour Games will also be posted at that link in the coming days. Please ensure you monitor that page for your assignment and the corresponding game time.

As in past years, the assessments are closed to parents with no spectators allowed in the arena. You may accompany your player into the arena for sign in, and are asked to leave the arena following. This includes the warm room viewing area.

• Checking Clinic: All players new to contact hockey and trying out for U15 and U18 Rep teams must have completed a Victoria Minor Hockey Association checking clinic prior to participating in assessments. There is a Checking Clinic being held on August 23^rd for our U15 and U18 players who have not previously attended one.

 

Volunteers

Volunteers are required for various roles throughout the assessment process, with some of these roles being assigned to games in which your player is participating including: check-in, time keeping, bench staff (to open gates; no coaching will be allowed), safety, and others as required.

Please complete this form to express your interest in volunteering for the assessment process if you have not already done so.

Assessors and volunteers will be the only individuals with the opportunity to observe Phase 1 of the assessments; accordingly, we anticipate significant interest. Priority will be given to those who respond early and have completed Respect in Sport and other related qualifications such as Safety.

 

Once volunteers have been assigned, the schedule will posted at the link above.

As acknowledged above – this process and our season cannot run without volunteers. Thank you (again) in advance!

 

Assessment Process

Each age group will have independent assessors assigned to the process who do not have a child trying out in that age group. This includes our head coaches for the upcoming season:

• U13 Tier 1 Head Coach: Justin Brand
• U15 Tier 1 Head Coach: Eric Erickson
• U18 Tier 1 Head Coach: Jeff Rafuse
• U18 Tier 2 Head Coach: Alain Suavé

 

PHASE 1:         August 23^rd to 28^th

• Goalie Sessions: Goaltending assessments will be conducted by Reimer Goaltending, and there will be a goaltender specific session for each age group.
• Colour Games: All players and goalies will be assigned to a “Colour Team”. Players will be assessed on the in-game skills and abilities will be assessed at game pace. U13 and U15 will each have four teams, and each team will play one game against another “Colour Team”. U18 will have three teams, based on the number of players registered for assessments. Each team will play a short game against each other Colour Team. Following the Colour Games, all players will be placed in either the Top or Bottom Game for their age group the following day.
• Top and Bottom Games: There will be two Top and two Bottom games for each age group (U18 may be subject to change based on lower registration for assessments). Players will be assessed again each game, following which there may be some movement between Top and Bottom groups based on the recommendations of coaches and assessors.
  • Rosters will be posted late in the evening following the Colour Games, after each Top/Bottom Game, and following the Top Group Practices for the following day. Rosters will be posted as soon as possible, though may be later in the evening. Please continue to check the website for updates throughout the process to ensure that your player is at the correct ice time and informed of their position in the process.

 

• Top Group Practice/Small Area Games: The players remaining in the Top group following the Top/Bottom Games, will attend a practice run by the coaches. These practices will focus on high-speed, high-touch drills at game pace, and small area games in order for evaluation of skills and decision in situations designed to mimic and highlight certain aspects of the game.
• Expanded Roster Practice: T1 coaches will conduct a full team practice, while carrying a larger roster commensurate to the size of the pool remaining to determine T1 level depending on the age group. Players will be evaluated on skill, work ethic, practice habits, and other aspects important to the creation of a team.
• Discretionary Ice: There is one ice session available at the coach’s discretion for each age group at the end of the week.
• Releases: Following the completion of the second Top and Bottom games, coaches and the rep committee will have discretion to release players from the assessment process. Players who have not been released from the assessment process earlier will be informed at the end of Phase 1 if they will be moving on to Phase 2 of the assessment process or released to the Admirals Recreation Program.

Coaches and the rep committee will aim to have all roster decisions posted on the website for the following day as early as possible, and as soon as possible after the completion of final ice times on August 27^th and 28^th, and before the end of August 29^th.

 

PHASE 2:

Consistent with the previous assessments, T1 coaches may choose to carry up to five additional players into Phase 2. The additional players will be carried at least until after their first exhibition game, at which time the coach will have discretion to release players from the roster.

T2 will follow similar process with the support of the rep committee once coaches are selected. Where T1 coaches had more discretion, any parent coaches at T2 will work with the rep committee throughout the process. The amount of additional players available to be carried by the T2 team will be determined by the rep committee based on the assessments and player performance. Only players with the potential to secure a roster spot will be considered.

All Rep rosters will be a minimum of 15 players; coaches wishing to carry more than 15 players for any period of time will discuss with the rep committee, and a decision will be made by the committee.

The number of goaltenders on each Rep team will be determined by the number of goalies assessing, the level of play of those goaltenders, and the needs of the Rec program.

The length of Phase 2 will be determined by the Head Coaches at each age group, who will be able to release players and finalize their roster at any point after their first game.

 

Assessment Criteria

Players will be assessed and ranked based on their overall hockey skills, abilities, and intangible qualities and game abilities observed by the Assessors. These include:

Skaters:

• • Technical Skills: skating; stickhandling; puck control; angling/checking; performing skills at game speed;
  • Team Player & Mental Skills: discipline; communication; drive; compete; attitude;
  • Game Sense:
    • Read / react; anticipation;
    • Hockey IQ – Defense (moving the puck; getting open; point play; DZ net-front play and board play; neutral ice / regroup; play away from the puck);
    • Hockey IQ – Forward (ability to get open; scoring ability; play making; forecheck; backcheck; defensive abilities; neutral ice / regroup; play away from the puck).

Goalies:

• • Reading the Play: focus; concentration; anticipation; desire; tracking;
  • Goalie Specific Movements: stance; balance; mobility; skating; shuffling;
  • Positioning: Centre line; depth adjustments; square to puck; post mechanics;
  • Execution: skill execution in-game; rebound control;
  • Game Situations: recovery techniques; body balance; read and react.

 

Questions and Concerns

Players and parents are not to contact or engage any of the coaches or assessors with questions or concerns with the process, the assessments, their player, or any other matters pertaining to the representative program.

Concerns during the assessment process can be directed to the VMHA Rep Governor (rep@victoriaminorhockey.ca) and the Vice President of Hockey Operations (vphockeyops@victoriaminorhockey.ca).

 

Although we are quickly approaching our scheduled assessment dates, a lot of planning still remains and it is possible that changes to the current plan could occur. Any changes will be sent by subsequent email and posted to webpage linked above containing the schedule.

Best of luck to all of our Admirals players in the coming assessments and throughout the upcoming season. Parents, please take the time to fill out the volunteer form to help our process run as smoothly as possible.

See you at the rink!

Mike Munro
Rep Governor
Home of the Admirals
Victoria Minor Hockey Association