Hello and welcome to the 2009-2010 Hockey Season at EGRAHA. We certainly hope you’re enjoying summer! Believe it or not, the time is near to once again lace up the skates and start another fun and exciting year.
With that in mind, the following information has been assembled to help answer many of the questions you may already be thinking about and to help you prepare.
Teams and your Head Coaches
EGRAHA is excited to announce our programs/teams and their Head Coaches for 2009-2010 season.
Learn to Skate program – Paul LaGrand
Cross Ice program – Paul Gage and Kevin VanSchepen (co-Head coaches)
Mite House Team – Jeff Boyd and Brian Noordewier (co-Head coaches)
Squirt House Team – Dan Dillon
Pee Wee House Team – Paul LaGrand
Pee Wee House Team – Dave Szczepanski
Bantam House Team – Jay Dunwelll
Bantam House Team – Paul Jurewicz
Midget House Team – Brett Boonenburg and Jeff Boyd (co-Head coaches)
While many Assistant coaches have stepped forward we need a few more. If you are interested please contact Paul Jurewicz, paul.jurewicz@gfs.com who can provide additional details for you.
Evaluation Skates
All age groups Mite through Midget each year receive a skills evaluation at the start and again at the end of the season. Each player is measured in 14 areas of skill. We do this for three reasons.
First, by gaining a measurement at the beginning of the year the coaching staff is provided insight to your player’s current skill sets, abilities, strengths and weaknesses. With this knowledge the appropriate level of attention can be focused where it is needed throughout the season during on-ice and off-ice practice sessions.
Second, for age group levels where more than one house team is assembled EGRAHA goes to great lengths to create fair and balanced teams. The information obtained in these evaluation skates is the primary means of understanding the skills sets and abilities of these players to achieve this.
Third, by gaining a measurement at the end of the year tangible evidence to the player, the parents, and the coaching staff is available demonstrating the progress each player has achieved through the year. It really is neat stuff to review at the end of the year.
EGRAHA understands that football, soccer, or other commitments may conflict with your ability to attend all of these sessions. However, it is mandatory that your skater attend at least one of these sessions so that he/she can be properly evaluated. You are strongly encouraged to attend them all.
The Schedule for the evaluation skates are as follows:
· Mites and Squirts
o September 15th and 17th from 5-6 p.m.
· Pee Wees
o September 14th from 6-7 p.m.
o September 16th from 7-8 p.m.
o September 17th from 5-6 p.m.
o – Scrimmage Evaluations -
- September 19th from 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
– OR –
- September 19th from 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
· Bantams
o September 14th from 5-6 p.m.
o September 15th from 6-7 p.m.
o September 16th from 6-7 p.m.
o – Scrimmage Evaluations -
- September 19th from 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
– OR –
- September 19th from 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
· Midget
o September 14th from 7-8:30 p.m.
o September 17th from 7-8 p.m.
For the PeeWee and Bantam scrimmage evaluations you will be assigned to attend one or the other, but not both. These sessions will give the coaches a good look at the kids.
A Note regarding Equipment
Please ensure your player is ready with all the required equipment to take the ice and has their skates sharpened prior to these evaluations.
All evaluation skates will take place at our home rink - Jolly Roger Ice arena.
Team Selection
For 2009-2010, the Pee Wee and Bantam age groups will have more than one house team. The players will be assigned to a team via our team selection (draft) process. This process is executed by EGRAHA with direct knowledge of the process and oversight of its execution by a district 6 representative of MAHA. Within 48 hours of the draft completing you will be contacted by the head coach of the team selecting your child.
Special Requests
Any and all special requests for placement consideration must be submitted prior to the draft in writing to our Registrar, Wendy Bernard, via e-mail at
bernard@mcinerney-associates.com. All requests will be considered but there is no guarantee any will be granted.
USA Hockey & MAHA Registration reminder
Please remember it is your responsibility to register your child with USA Hockey.
Through the self-registration process, you will pay USA Hockey $35 for each skater, of which $5 will be forwarded to MAHA, our state governing organization.
Action you must take
1. Register your player(s) with USA Hockey by going to: http://www.usahockeyregistration.com.
2. Provide proof of this registration to our Registrar Wendy Bernard at: bernard@mcinerney-associates.com.
You child cannot step foot on the ice until this registration is completed and proof has been presented to our Registrar. It is absolutely critical to get this done so your child can participate in the evaluation skates scheduled.
Regular Practice Schedule
Once evaluation week is behind us, it is expected all teams will be formed by the week of September 21st and regular scheduled team practices can begin for all levels.
The regular weekday practice schedule will be announced following the conclusion of the draft.
Questions
Thank you and enjoy the remainder of summer! If you have questions about any of this information please contact Wendy Bernard at bernard@mcinerney-associates.com.
Wendy Bernard
EGRAHA Registrar
616-745-4368
