Tryout Principles

The notice below is to inform you about the Natick Comets Hockey Club Travel Program. The Travel Program is a fun and competitive program for players who desire to bring their hockey skills and interest in hockey to a higher level. Players in this program will typically skate 2 to 3 times per week, with practices or skill sessions on weeknights and games on weekends. Travel teams may also participate in tournaments and playoffs (League, District or State).

The Comets offer both a Youth and Girls Travel Program for the 8U (Mite), 10U (Squirt), 12U (PeeWee), 14U (Bantam), 16&18U (Midget), as well as Girls U10, U12, U14, and U19 and teams will be selected by tryout in March/April before the start of the season. All practices are at the William Chase Arena while most games will be played at rinks in the Eastern Mass area. The travel program emphasizes individual and team skills development, as well as sportsmanship and character development.

General Information

Players wishing to play travel hockey should make the Comets Travel Program their primary commitment from September through March. Travel hockey requires a significant commitment of time and effort by not only the players, but also parents and, especially, coaches. If you make a team, we expect you to be a part of that team and attend a reasonable number of practices and games.

Registrations will be accepted up to and including the first day of Tryouts. After the first tryout session for a specific level, players may not be allowed to register and tryout.

Skaters can only tryout at their age level. You may also check the Comets Website, and signs posted at the rink, for travel team tryout dates, times and locations.

The number of teams the Comets will field for Travel at each level will depend on BOTH the number of players who register/tryout for Travel Hockey, player ability and available ice time (practice and games). Furthermore, the number of travel team slots available at each level may not coincide with the number of players trying out. This and all player placement decisions are solely at the discretion of the Player Evaluation Committee and the Comets Board of Directors.

The Player Evaluation Process - Tryouts

Tryouts are conducted for the Natick Comets Hockey Club following these basic principals to ensure a placement on teams for next year that provide the best opportunity for a fun season and continued development as hockey players. 

• All players that tryout for the Comets Hockey Club make a team and all teams receive the same ice time, a competitive game schedule, which includes at least one tournament opportunity.

• All teams, regardless of level, receive a development curriculum that benefits the player’s development regardless of team placement, with equal practice time and skills sessions available to all. 

• The coaches do not pick the teams they are coaching next year, but they do provide lots of insight on how their current players are evaluated and placed the following year.

• We use outside independent evaluators for all tryout sessions to give further information on the skill levels of every player and goalie.

• The Player Evaluation Committee is made up of a committee of board members including current and former coaches to make initial placements, considering size and number of teams. This Committee takes into account the player’s coach evaluation of their play during the year and tryout scores from the outside evaluation team. 

• Once teams are created, the committee discusses with the player’s current coach(s) to confirm placement is appropriate, and adjustments are often made. To maintain independence, if a player that’s a family member is being discussed, the committee member or coach is recused from any decisions.

• Requests to stay with friends or former teammates are not accommodated, but the committee tries to keep siblings on the same team if requested and it makes sense from a development perspective.

Tryout Process:

1) Current year coaches evaluate each player on multiple skill categories that include skating ability, team play, hockey IQ and attitude. Each player is evaluated for their play throughout the year in the many facets of hockey - this is done and submitted to the Player Evaluation Committee before the tryouts begin. A copy of a blank evaluation form can be found here: [LINK]

2) Spring Tryouts

• Multiple Skating Sessions for each age group. The design of the tryout sessions are done in consultation with outside evaluators, and will be a mixture of bespoke drills and game condition play. Players should put in their best effort, get plenty of sleep, eat healthy, and engage tryouts like it was a practice before a big tournament - play to your ceiling. That being said, they should also know that how they played for their team and coach this year means just as much. If it is known your player cannot make a tryout session, please communicate the sessions that will be missed and reason to registrar@natickcomets.com and playereval@natickcomets.com.
• Outside Evaluators rate each skater in multiple skills and give an overall rank. These are highly experienced hockey evaluators that provide a fair and impartial assessment of each player’s hockey skills.
• Initially, players may be split alphabetically by last name and group assignments will be posted (on the Comets web-site - Crossbar)
• All players will be given numbered practice pinnies to wear over their hockey jerseys during the tryout. 
• Players will return the pinnies after each tryout session but will keep the same number for each session.  
• Groups may be randomly re-arranged following each of the tryout sessions. After each tryout session, group assignments will be posted on the Natick Comets web-site and posted Crossbar.
• Girls in 10U age group and older, who wish to play in the youth program as well as the girls should register for both tryouts. G 8U only need to register once as they will be trying out and playing with the Mites. The goal of the Comets is to have a separate girls team at all age groups 10U and up if we have enough players to field a team.
• Unexcused absence from a tryout session will result in a score for that night that is 50% of lowest tryout scores. Only excused absences (injury with note from doctor, varsity sport obligation, family / religious / school obligation etc) will receive 90% of highest score.
• If a player can’t make it to tryouts at all, they may be placed on the lowest team in their age group, or the team they were on the previous year if they’re remaining in the same age group. These players will be noted during placement meetings and the [VPPD] and the relevant coaches will evaluate during the first few weeks of next season to quickly find the appropriate team placement. 

3) The Comets Player Evaluation Committee during in person meetings, take the tryout scores from the outside evaluators and use the coaches’ evaluations of play throughout the year to arrange preliminary team placement. The number of players that tried out in each age group determines the number and size of the initial teams.

4) Current year coaches then give input on the preliminary team placements of their players and work with the Player Evaluation Committee to finalize player placement for next year’s teams. Placements are finalized and the Comets Board votes on the number of teams and assigned coaches. Players and families are notified of their team placement and coaches are notified of their team with a goal of late April (after April Board of Directors meeting). As families accept their invitation, the Crossbar system is updated and the team players will appear along with the coaching staff and team managers as they are identified.

5) Teams may be adjusted to accommodate as invitations are received and accepted or declined throughout the spring and summer. This is done according to the principles laid out in the handbook. The Player Evaluation Committee will determine which players will be moved or if teams need to be condensed and families will be notified as soon as possible with new placement invite including head coach.

This process has been slightly modified over the past couple years and we will continue to make changes and tweaks based on feedback from membership and input from members of the Board of Directors and Player Evaluation Committee.

Goalies

Players trying out as Goalies are expected to play goal for the team that they are placed on. Teams with two goalies will split goalie-playing time equally – as determined by the coach.

Players may try out as both a skater and a goalie if they are not sure they want to commit to being a full-time goalie. This is not encouraged at the PeeWee or higher levels. Anyone deciding to tryout as both must attend all goalie and skater sessions. After tryouts are complete, the players/parents will be asked which position should be considered for placement. 

Any player trying out and making a team as a goalie - must play as a goalie on that team. 

Should the player decide he/she does not want to be a goalie after the teams are made:

- First year players (new to the level) will be placed on the last team as a skater regardless of where he/she placed the previous year – providing there is room. There may be an opportunity to move up during “parity”.

Example:  Player A played Peewee 1 this year; he's moving to Bantams and wants to tryout as a goalie. He makes the Bantam 2 team. One month into the season he decides he does NOT want to play goalie anymore. He will be placed as a skater on the lowest Bantam team.

- Second year players; will be placed one team LOWER than what he/she played the previous year – providing there is room.

Example:  Player B played Squirt A this year. He wants to tryout as a goalie for next year. He makes the Squirt C team as a goalie. One month into the season he decides he does NOT a want to play goalie anymore. He will be placed as a skater on the Squirt B team. Any player trying out as a goalie and making a team other than the LAST team, will NOT be allowed to choose to play solely as a skater on that team.

Should the player decide he/she does not want to tryout as a goalie after tryouts have begun:

- After the first night – will be given 75% of his/her highest score as a skater

- After the second night – will be given 75% of his/her third night score for the previous two nights.

- After the third night – will be placed by the player selection committee – if there is room.

Siblings

Parents of siblings that make different travel teams may elect to have both siblings play together on the lower of the teams. Siblings can also be left on different teams.

Team Creation

Player selection for Travel teams will be conducted by the Player Evaluation Committee based on these player tryout ratings and coach evaluations. The Player Evaluation Committee and the Comets Board will only divert from these guidelines if circumstances prove unavoidable to alter the number of players per team. The determining factors for the number of players per team will be BOTH the number of players trying out for spots on travel teams and players skill level.

Other factors may impact the placement of players and creation of teams. Each season, coaches fill out player evaluations, which include ratings on: game and practice attendance, team attitude and behavior. These player evaluations may be used in order that we may put the best possible team together at a given level. Primary player position may also be considered at Pee Wee and higher levels.

The previous year’s team assignment does not guarantee a spot at that level or a higher level, although the Comet Program makes every attempt to make it possible for players to progress to higher levels to match their player development. Any case when a player moves to a lower level will be handled on a case-by-case basis. The Comets will do their best to properly place all the players. In cases where a level increases the number of teams from one year to the next, going from the lowest team to the new lowest team is not considered moving down.

Second Year Players

If a player is entering his/her second year within a level and scores substantially similarly in the tryout process to a player entering that level for the first time, added consideration will be given to the second year player.

Coaching

Coach selection is based on a number of factors including, hockey experience, coaching experience, coach evaluations, interviews (as needed) and the number of applicants. 

Travel team coaches will be required to have the appropriate certification with USA Hockey. 

Immediately following the player selection process, the Coach Selection Committee will meet to finalize the coaches for each team. The Coach Selection Committee will contact the head coach of each team and offer the opportunity. If accepted, the head coach will be provided the list of his/her possible assistant coaches and roster. It will be the responsibility of the head coach to select his/her assistant coaches (pending Board approval) and notify the players.

General Comments

We recognize that there is no perfect tryout process and the guidelines documented above do not cover all possible conditions or scenarios. We understand that some players tryout well and others don't and some players that don't tryout well may have intangible attributes that make them good hockey players. Each year a few players end up disappointed in their placement and questions persist regarding the evaluation process in general. This is the case as tryouts are by nature, subjective. We look forward to seeing you at tryouts. Please refer to the programs section via this site for registration details. If you have any concerns or questions about tryouts (excused absences, illness, etc), please contact the Vice President of Player Development.