Vancouver Female Rep Hockey Program

Vancouver Female Rep Evaluation Policy

Registration for Rep Evaluations

• All players wishing to play rep will pay a “evaluation” fee and will have registered for tryouts by 11:59pm, August 31 of the current year.
• A player registering for evaluation must state a position: goalie, forward, or defence. A player can only try out for the position indicated but, may switch after the evaluation process if the coach and player agree that the player and team will mutually benefit. Forwards have been known to transition to defence and vice-versa. The exception to this is goalies for obvious reasons.
• Before participating in the evaluation sessions, players must be fully registered with Vancouver Female Ice Hockey Association (VFIHA) and have paid all the fees.
• Players who have not met the above requirements will not be allowed on the ice for a rep evaluation session.

General Procedures

• A schedule for the rep evaluation sessions will be posted online on the VFIHA website.
• At the start of each evaluation session, players will sign in and be issued a numbered pinnie for identification during the rep evaluations. Pinnies are to be returned after each session.
• Only players and designated volunteers will be allowed in the dressing rooms. For players who require assistance with their equipment, they will be required come into the lobby for parental help or can be helped in the dressing room by volunteers.
• Viewing areas will be designated in such a manner as to discourage contact or discussion between parents or players and those evaluating the players.

Attendance

• All players being evaluated for rep hockey must attend ALL evaluation sessions.
• Players who do not attend all evaluation sessions will forfeit their opportunity to play rep hockey that season, and will be registered for C level (house) hockey in their division, except as noted in this section.
• A player who has registered for rep hockey but is unable to attend evaluations due to sickness or injury must provide, no later than August 31 of the current year and before taking the ice for any further rep evaluations, a letter from a physician confirming this. In such circumstances:
• If the player’s injury prevents the player from completing the evaluation process, the player will be assessed by the rep coaches for that division and/or VFIHA executive after the earliest medical approval date.
• A rep coach may hold a position on her team if he/ she is positive that the player, as shown from her past history, would make that team. This must be approved by the Coach Coordinator and the Head Coach.
• This position may only be held for an injured player if the player has a doctor’s letter stating the player is expected to be able to play hockey by October 31 of the current year.
• If a position is held for an injured player, that player must pay the rep evaluation fees and any associated rep fees prior to playing with the team.
• A player who has registered for rep hockey at the U18 or U21 level who must miss any rep evaluation session due to conflicting attendances at U18 FMAAA or junior team tryouts must provide 24 hour prior notification to the Coach Coordinator via email.
• A player who has registered for rep hockey but is unable to attend a rep evaluation session due to exceptional personal circumstances must seek permission in advance of the session to be missed by way of a letter/email to the Coach Coordinator who will determine whether to approve the request.
• The Coach Coordinator has complete discretion on any decisions, unless a decision is appealed.  In the case of an appeal, the Appeal Committee will have the final decision.

Evaluation Criteria

Players will be evaluated on their on-ice and off-ice performance, based on:

• Skating
• Shooting
• Passing
• Puck Control
• Positional Play
• Checking
• Fitness (Strength, Endurance, Agility)
• Attitude
• Teamwork
• Work Ethic
• Commitment (must disclose any date/time conflicts up front)
• Desire
• Discipline
• Coachability
• Conduct (includes Parents & Player past/present conduct)

In an effort to develop the rep program, the rep coaches when forming teams shall endeavor to have a balance of players from the corresponding birth years for that division.

Players and goaltenders will be evaluated by a committee appointed by VFIHA Executive for each division. The evaluations will be made by the Rep Coaches for that division and may include volunteer third party evaluator(s), or paid third party evaluator(s) at the discretion of the Executive.

Evaluation Process

• ‘A’ level head coaches will all be ratified before the process begins
• Evaluations will be conducted by independent evaluators in parallel with the ratified head coach.
• Any players or goaltenders not selected to the ‘A’ level groups will be released to C after round 1.
• The accepted team roster will be posted to the VFIHA website with link communicated to players (or communicated in person at the Coaches discretion)

Ice Times

• There will be at least two (or more as needed, will be communicated via schedule) ice times per age group, with the following activities occurring:
  • Skills
  • Exhibition Games
• The ice time schedule will be communicated to each participant via their registered email address

Team Practices & Final Rosters

• All teams will practice and play exhibition games under the supervision of their head coach.
• The ‘A’ level coach should attempt to make the final releases after the communicated Rep Evaluation Schedule with their final skaters and goaltenders (changes to schedule will be communicated)
• All releases at this stage will be made by the teams’ head coaches, and signed off by the Coach Coordinator.
• VFIHA and the executive reserves the right to reduce the number of rep teams if the caliber of players available is not deemed to be strong enough.
• VFIHA and the executive reserves the right to place rep player on a team if there is evidence that the player meets all the qualification criterion.
• Not all players are guaranteed a spot on a rep team even if the total allowable roster number has not been met.
• Players will be notified of the accepted team roster via posting on the VFIHA Website

Appeals Process

VFIHA endeavors to ensure that we conduct our rep evaluations in the fairest, most objective manner possible, using independent evaluators and following the Hockey Canada Player Evaluation and Selection guidelines. We strive to make our process as objective as possible and to ensure that each and every player has a fair attempt to compete for a position on any and all of our rep teams.

Given the number of players trying out for VFIHA rep teams each and every year, we recognize that there is a small possibility that a player or players could potentially be improperly evaluated and released prematurely. With this in mind, VFIHA has developed a formal appeal process for players who feel they were improperly evaluated.

An appeal must be made in writing to the VFIHA Coach Coordinator or Designated Representative (DR) within 48 hours of a release being made. For the appeal to be heard, the appeal must be accompanied by a $150 appeal fee. This only applies to releases made by the evaluation committees in the early rounds of evaluations. Final releases made by the coaches cannot be appealed unless clear evidence of bias can be proven.

Once the appeal letter and payment have been received, the Coach Coordinator or Designated Representative will ask the Rep Selection Committee to review the appeal. The appeal will consist of the following steps:

1. The Rep Selection Committee will review the player’s scores and ranking from the previous evaluation round. If the player was close enough to the cut line or if there were any inconsistencies with the player’s scores, the appeal will move to step 2.
2. The Coach Coordinator or Designated Representative will attend the next scheduled skate for the appealing player (in the pool that they were released to). If the Coach Coordinator or Designated Representative believes that the appealing player is the best player on the ice in his or her current group, then he will ask for the player to be moved back up a level and the appeal fee will be refunded.

If a player is successful in their appeal, this does not mean that the player is guaranteed to stay at the higher level. If the appeal is not granted then the appeal fee will not be refunded.

References

Hockey Canada Evaluation Process Guidelines
Player Evaluation and Selection (PDF)