Tryouts · Hockey
By the CourtClok team · Updated October 2026 · 15 min read · 12 sources
Run at least two or three skates: skills first, then small-area games, then a scrimmage. Use independent evaluators who don't coach that division, put a unique number on every player, and rate each skill 1 to 5 in whole numbers. Evaluate goalies separately, watch the players rather than the game, and publish how releases and appeals work.
| Decision | What the governing bodies say |
|---|---|
| Sessions before a release | At least 2 (Hockey Canada); 2–3 (Hockey Alberta); at least 3, each with a different focus (Hockey New Brunswick). |
| Skills vs games | See every player in both. Skills weigh more at younger ages, games more as players get older (Hockey Alberta). |
| Scale | 1–5, whole numbers only, no half points (Hockey Canada; Hockey Alberta). |
| Evaluators | 4–6 qualified, non-parent evaluators per session (Nanaimo MHA). Coaches don't rate players in their own division (Hockey Regina). |
| Goalies | Include them in every session plus at least 3 goalie-specific sessions (Hockey Canada). |
| Appeals | Only on process, bias or a grossly unreasonable decision, not on the merits (Hockey Canada). |
Hockey New Brunswick's process is the clearest template we found. Each session has its own job, and no tryouts with cuts are held between March and August (Hockey New Brunswick):
| Session | Focus | What evaluators rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technical skills, first without a puck, then with one | Skating, puck handling, passing, shooting |
| 2 | Small-area games | Small-area skills, compete level, hockey sense |
| 3 | Scrimmage or game (repeat if needed) | Positional play, decisions, the whole package |
| Minutes | Drill | What you're rating |
|---|---|---|
| 0–8 | Warm-up laps and edge work (run by a non-evaluator) | Stride, knee bend, edges |
| 8–18 | Forward and backward skating, stops both ways, pivots around pylons | Skating stride & speed; edges & agility |
| 18–28 | Puck handling through pylons at speed, head-up cues | Puck handling |
| 28–38 | Moving passes: forehand and backhand, to stationary and moving targets | Passing & receiving |
| 38–48 | Shooting off the pass and in stride | Shooting: release, accuracy, shot selection |
| 48–60 | 1-on-1s and puck races into the corner | Body position & battles, compete level |
Tip: "Watch the players, not the game!!" is Hockey Alberta's first evaluator hint. In a scrimmage, follow your assigned numbers and ignore the scoreboard (Hockey Alberta).
Hockey Alberta publishes cue cards for evaluators. The table maps them to the ten rows on the free form (Hockey Alberta; OHF; Nanaimo MHA).
| Form row | What to look for (from the sources) | A 5 looks like | A 1–2 looks like |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skating stride & speed | Stride length with full recovery, knee bend, keeping up with play | Long, powerful stride, top speed with the puck | Short choppy stride, upright, falls behind the play |
| Edges & agility (crossovers, pivots) | Turning and stopping both ways, pivots and transitions, "equal ability with both feet" | Stops and turns equally well both ways | Strong on one side only, loses speed on pivots |
| Puck handling | Head up, handling at speed, dekes, control in traffic | Head up at full speed, protects the puck | Eyes down, loses it when pressured |
| Passing & receiving | Forehand and backhand, to moving targets, vision; saucer and board passes at higher levels | Tape-to-tape on both sides, finds the open player | Only forehand, passes behind teammates |
| Shooting | Technique, accuracy, velocity, release, shot selection | Quick release, hits the net, picks the right shot | Slow wind-up, misses the net |
| Body position & battles | Stick checks, angling, gap control, body position; safe body contact only at checking ages | Wins corners and loose pucks, stays on the right side | Avoids battles, chases from behind |
| Defensive positioning | Positional play, supporting the puck, read and react | Right place without being told | Puck-chases, leaves the slot open |
| Hockey IQ / awareness | Read and react, supporting the puck, communication | Anticipates the play, moves the puck at the right time | Same mistake shift after shift |
| Compete level | Effort in battles and backchecks | Wins races and backchecks every shift | Coasts, gives up on the play |
| Coachability & effort | Attitude, listening; behaviour on the bench and in the room | Applies corrections, supports teammates | Ignores instructions, poor body language |
Nanaimo has evaluators watch the bench and dressing rooms, under the Two-Deep Rule, for attitude and coachability (Nanaimo MHA). The OHF drills value "efficiency over speed" when skating backward (OHF).
Goalies need their own evaluator and their own ice. Hockey Canada recommends including goalies in every session plus at least 3 goalie-specific sessions (Hockey Canada). Hockey Alberta's goalie criteria (Hockey Alberta):
| Area | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Skating and movement | Lateral movement, edges, stance |
| Positioning | Square to the puck, set before the shot, net coverage, when to go down |
| Puck tracking and control | Rebound control, seeing through traffic |
| Goaltender sense | Reading plays, anticipating passes |
| Battle / compete | Fights for every puck, recovers after goals |
Hockey Canada's goalie progression adds transition play and advanced positioning, with beginner, intermediate and advanced criteria for each (Hockey Canada). Use the same form for goalies: write "G" in Position(s) and use the Notes column for each area.
Hockey Canada uses a 1–5 scale in whole numbers only. Evaluators should use the full range in every session, so the top player gets a 5 and the bottom a 1 (Hockey Canada). Hockey Alberta adds these rules (Hockey Alberta):
A common model: independent evaluators place the top and bottom groups, and team coaches decide the middle group. Hockey Alberta's sorting grid roughly maps 5s and 4s to the top team, 3s to the middle, and 1s and 2s to the bottom. Whatever split you use, announce it before tryouts and stick to it (Hockey Alberta).
Weighting skating: none of the guides we read gives a numeric weight for skating. The only weighting guidance is Hockey Alberta's: skills count more at younger ages, games more as players get older (Hockey Alberta).
| Group | Jan–Mar (Q1) | Apr–Jun (Q2) | Jul–Sep (Q3) | Oct–Dec (Q4) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canadian minor hockey | 30.4% | 27.2% | 21.0% | 19.8% |
| CHL (major junior) | 41.6% | — | — | 11.2% |
| Expected if birthdays didn't matter | ~25% | ~25% | ~25% | ~25% |
The gap grows with level: by major junior, Q1 births outnumber Q4 by nearly four to one. The authors recommend educating coaches and giving late-born players more exposure. In practice: record birth year on every card, and when two players are close, ask who is ahead on skating and hockey sense rather than size.
| Body checking | Hockey Canada | USA Hockey |
|---|---|---|
| When it starts | U15 / Bantam (13–14); removed from U13 / Peewee and below from 2013–14 (source) | Bantam (14U); 12U allows body contact as a learning step (USA Hockey ADM) |
| What to rate below that age | Stick checks, angling, gap control, body position, no body contact | Same, plus legal body contact at 12U |
Hockey Canada's guidance limits appeals to three grounds: the rules or process weren't followed, there was bias, or the decision was grossly unreasonable. "The merit or substance of the decision is not a valid ground" (Hockey Canada). Hockey Saskatchewan's appeal policy has the same kinds of grounds and excludes the substance of team selection (Hockey Saskatchewan). This is why written criteria and consistent scoring matter: they are your defence in an appeal.
We watched coaches’ tryout videos and read their transcripts. These are the specific, usable points from each. Where they disagree with each other or with the guidance above, we say so.
Hockey Canada recommends at least two sessions before anyone is released, and many associations use three: skills, small-area games, then a scrimmage.
Independent, qualified evaluators who aren't parents of players in the group and don't coach that division. Many associations use 4–6 per session, sitting apart from each other.
Separately, with a goalie evaluator. Look at skating and movement, positioning, rebound control and tracking, goaltender sense and compete. Watch them in scrimmages, not just drills.
Usually only if the process wasn't followed, there was bias, or the decision was grossly unreasonable. Most associations don't hear appeals on whether the player was good enough.
Yes. It's a free printable PDF with a tryout-number box, ten 1–5 skill rows, notes and a decision row, two players per page.
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