The Inside Post

Every year around the holidays players are settling into their team and things are starting to gel. I always have enjoyed asking players on my teams what they would like for gifts over holiday break. Sometimes those lists align with their hockey skills, sometimes they don’t. Regardless, it’s always entertaining. I hear lots of the usual: video games, iPhones, iPads, gift cards, etc. I even have heard some of the strange: underwear, pogo stick, and the best, when a player actually wanted a Chia Pet.

So you spent the past several months training and doing exactly what you should have to get off to a great start this season. Congratulations, you are now in the top group of hockey players who are spending the time in the garage, basement, backyard or wherever it is that you stick handle and shoot pucks. So what now? How do you show all of that talent and make a great first impression to your coach and teammates?

Tryouts are a very special, and stressful, time of year. It’s a time when all of your training and hard work is put to the test, when it’s all on the line to finally reach the goals you set after last season. Most players, and parents, have their sights set on playing for a certain team, and while it’s important to have a goal, it’s also important to recognize that there are only so many spots on each team. It is however, most often the players who have stuck to their training routine that end up having a good tryout, making the top team and achieve their goal.

Here are some tips for tryouts that can help you get through the process with the proper motivation, preparation and perspective.