2024-2025 Competitive Tryouts Information

2024 - 2025 Competitive Tryouts

Spring tryouts for U11, U13, U15 and U18 competitive teams will start on April 17^th.  The full tryout schedule can be found here.

Following Hockey Canada Pathways for U9, tryouts and conditioning sessions will be held in September.  Details and registration will be available later this summer. 

To register for tryouts:

Tryout registration packages are open att: OGHA RAMP Registration (note: as per OWHA instructions, registration falls under the 23-24 season drop-down menu online when registering)

• Tryout registration remains open for U13 and U11 levels until the day before tryouts begin. Fees must be paid in full prior to tryouts commencing. 
• Tryout registration fees are not the same as full-season registration fees. Season registration will take place after tryouts are complete and players have been assigned to a team.
• Fees for tryouts at U11will be $185.  At U13, U15 and U18, the tryout fees are set at $285 for players trying out for AA, $235 for A and $185 for BB and below.  The tryout fee is a flat fee and covers all tryouts sessions, so if a player is released from the AA or A tryouts, they can continue without additional fees at the BB and lower levels.
• The Tryout fees must be paid by credit card and are non-refundable.
• Players registered last season with another OWHA affiliated association must have a signed Permission to Tryout (PTT) form (found here) or a formal release from their previous association.  Before their first tryout session, documentation must be emailed to the Registrar (registrar@ogha.org).  Players coming from minor hockey or who have been formally released from their previous OWHA-affiliated association do not require a PTT.
• Players coming from outside of Ontario must contact the Registrar (registrar@ogha.org) prior to participating in tryouts to ensure they have met the specific eligibility requirements and registration procedures for out of province players.
• Players require OGHA-issued tryout jerseys and if they do not have a set they can use from previous seasons, they must be purchased in RAMP at the time as tryout registration for $50 a set. A separate package has been created for jersey purchases in RAMP. Jerseys cannot be purchased at the rink.
• No player will be allowed on the ice unless all documentation and fees are in order.
• Registration can be completed HERE

Player Selection:

Player selection will be guided by a player's previous (on-going) training habits, attitude, and evaluations from their current coach in addition to the on-ice tryout session itself. In terms of where your daughter should try out, a good guideline to follow is to start at two levels above your current team with a jump in age counting as one level. For example, if you currently play U15B as a minor then you may want to consider starting at U15A this season. If you play U15B as a major, consider starting at U18BB.

• All skaters will attend the initial session for a level. The number of sessions may depend on how many skaters are trying out at that level.  Initially, skaters will be separated into 2 groups of about 30. Generally, players will attend two sessions prior to the initial releases from a level. However, it may be necessary to release players after the first session to the lower-level tryouts if there is a large number of players trying out or there are safety concerns.
• The goal will be to get down to 20-30 skaters prior to the final session at each level.
• A reasonability check using in-season data will be reviewed prior to cuts being made.  

Each division will have a “Selection Committee”:

• Head Coach of the team, where the coach has been predetermined. The Head Coach may bring their own evaluator (cannot be a parent or related to anyone trying out at that age level) but the coach still only gets one vote.
• As required, depending on volume of players etc, additional evaluators with hockey backgrounds who do not have a player in the division they are evaluating (identified by the Board of Directors and/or Tryout Coordinator).
• Tryout Coordinator/Ombudsman if named for level being evaluated.
• A member of the OGHA Board of Directors.

Tryout Evaluation Criteria:

• Players will be evaluated based on a combination of skills such as skating, passing, puck control and shooting as well as their overall score in gameplay in scrimmages.    Actual skill category rankings will be weighted higher at the younger age groups with progressively lower weighting as we move up in age.

Other Information:

• Releases and continuations will be communicated via the website.  Every effort will be made to post results the same evening as the tryout, but there may be times when they can only be communicated the next day.
• The Head Coach will contact the final roster for each team.
• Parents must observe the 24-hour rule on the day after these announcements.
• All release and roster decisions are final and not appealable. 

Attendance - Injuries or missed tryouts:

• If a player will miss a tryout session, an email must be sent to the Registrar 48 hours in advance.  They will provide you with information regarding any impacts. Being on vacation or away is not an acceptable reason for missing a tryout session.
• Medical limitations or absence will impact tryouts and placement. The OGHA Board of Directors, in consultation with prospective and past Head Coaches, will use past performance, coaching evaluations, previous season statistics and other pertinent information to place the injured or absent player at the level where they are most likely to experience success.
• An injury or absenteeism may not mean automatic placement on or disqualification from a competitive team. Any team placement by the Competitive Committee is not appealable.
• The injured or absentee player is still required to register and pay for tryouts in order to be considered.
• If a player is unable to participate due to injury, a medical note must be provided stating she is unable to participate and when she is expected to return to play.

Schedule:

The full tryout schedule can be found below. The dates for tryouts listed are subject to change, please be sure to check regularly for the latest news and updates.  Players may be divided into groups for some sessions; if splits are indicated, please make sure you attend the correct session. Splits will be updated the morning of each tryout.

To view the tryout schedule by division, please click here.