Evaluation & Team Formation FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The intent of the below is to provide answers to the most frequently asked questions regarding the Evaluation & Team Formation process. For a detailed understanding of the process for each division please refer to the Evaluation & Team Formation document for your respective division. This is located under the “Evaluation Procedures” tab on hockeyregina.ca. 

What are players evaluated on?

Players are evaluated on skating, puck control and passing, individual tactics, and hockey sense. For evaluation a combination of skill sessions and scrimmages are used and based on assessment, a rating of 1 to 6 is provided to each player. Note: U9 does not have scrimmages.

Who evaluates the players

Hockey Regina uses a contracted company, Johnston Consulting, who provides independent evaluators.  Additionally, Hockey Regina’s short-listed coaches are also utilized to evaluate all players. Coaches do not evaluate their own child or children of other coaches. To assist with the team formation process, the evaluators are provided with a list of the players by name and jersey number. For each stage players are given a new jersey and number.

What do I do if I can’t make a session?

We strive to reinforce the importance of attending all evaluation sessions to most accurately evaluate.  We also understand that folks may have other important commitments and that unexpected things happen.  Players’ final rankings are based upon an average ranking of each session attended.  If a player is unable to attend a session, their final ranking will be based on an average of each session that was attended. 

If a player can’t attend a session they can advise their division Evaluation Coordinator, the email contact for their Coordination is provided in the email sent out approximately 5-10 days prior to the division/tier first session, which provides the detailed schedule for that division and tier

Can I be placed on an evaluation team that doesn’t have an ice session on X date at Y time?

Due to the high volume of players being evaluated and number of ice sessions required, it is not feasible to accommodate specific team requests.  Hockey Regina understands players may have other important commitments and that unexpected things happen.  Players’ final rankings are based upon an average ranking of each session attended.  If a player is unable to attend a session, their final ranking will be based on an average of each session that was attended. 

If a player can’t attend a session they can advise their division Evaluation Coordinator, the email contact for their Coordination is provided in the email sent out approximately 5-10 days prior to the division/tier first session, which provides the detailed schedule for that division and tier

How will I be contacted when my child is scheduled?

All communication will be done via email, from tryouts@hockeyregina.ca, to provide notice of the player’s initial and subsequent ice sessions. Player’s initial ice sessions (for the division & tier registered for) will be communicated via email approximately 5-10 days prior to the first session. 

Upon completion of the initial sessions, in most cases, an email will be received within 24-48 hours advising as to when the players next ice session will be.

Note: some divisions are a multiple stage process where some players move on to the next stage and the remaining players are released to the next tier. For further details on stages within the evaluation process, please see the specific Evaluation & Team Formation procedure for the division the player is registered in. These are located at hockeyregina.ca under the “Evaluation Procedures” tab.

How are the evaluation teams formed?

Hockey Regina strives to create equal teams throughout the evaluation process. In the initial stage of each division each evaluation team will have a similar number of players from the division & tier the players were registered in for the previous season. The list is then further sorted by position. For example, the U13 AA tier evaluation teams would have a similar number of returning U13 AA, A, B, C players and similar number of U11 A, B, C players. For each subsequent evaluation stage the teams are formed using the evaluations scores and subsequent rank order from the previous stage. These teams are also sorted by position.

How are the Hockey Regina teams formed after the evaluation process is complete?

Hockey Regina teams are formed by a draft process. Only the head coaches are available to attend the draft. Coaches are provided with a list of players and the ranking order to select from during the draft. To ensure that players are selected to play where their skills dictate, the Hockey Regina team formation process requires that the top ranked* players must be selected to a team in that tier, these are considered “locked players”.

*Note: for each division and tier the actual number of locked (top ranked) players that must be selected differs.

How many players will be considered “locked” in the team formation (draft) process?

The number of players that will be locked vs draftable will vary depending on the division and tier and the number of players evaluating.  55% to 75% of a team’s final roster will generally be comprised of locked players.

Why aren’t teams formed solely based on evaluation rankings?

The majority of a team will be comprised of locked players.  Providing coaches the opportunity to choose players from the “draftable” pool gives coach’s discretion in forming a successful team and giving weight to skills that may not be as easily represented in the evaluation rankings.  For example, choosing a player based on leadership qualities or hard work.  Or recognizing that their roster of locked players may be all forwards, so having discretion to choose a lower ranked defenseman.

I was released from the A (or B or AA) tier evaluations, what happens next?

Players released from a tier’s evaluation will be notified by an email from tryouts@hockeyregina.ca.  They will then be included in the next tier’s evaluation communications, providing the evaluation team, dates and times, as well as that tier’s evaluation process and drills.

Why aren’t specific evaluation schedules posted online?

Hockey Regina strives to post the tentative evaluation dates, which is a date range of when evaluations will occur (start and end) online as early as possible. This year’s dates were posted online June 24, 2024.  Given the sheer volume of ice sessions that occur in a relatively short period of time and that registration numbers change until the second week of September it is currently not feasible to provide concrete dates and times much earlier.  The specific evaluation dates and times for each division are communicated to those registered in the respective group approximately 5 to 10 days prior to the first session.