Frequently Asked Questions
As an inbounds Port Stanley parent why will the whole membership get a say where the Port Stanley rep program goes from here? Shouldn’t only in-bound parents be allowed to vote?
While this change will only impact inbound players who sign up for rep hockey, our rules and regulations state that all members have a vote regardless of where they live.
How can you determine if rep is viable before other centers try outs? Our ice goes in very late and there have been issues in the past with players singing up and not playing, or not showing up to try outs?
You are correct, in past years this has been a very stressful, challenging ordeal. Our hope is that by communicating the background information, our go forward options and regular updates along the way we will avoid the last minute ‘changed my mind, or I was not aware’ excuses from past seasons. Quite simply, the way we operated in the past was not fair to players who were committed to rep, were committed to Port Stanley, or were committed to LL in Port Stanley. Knowing how many players at each age also has several association benefits as it allows for things like set team sizes, stable ice times (qty and time) and coach organization (selection and certifications).
How can the board guarantee that they can decide the viability of teams before neighboring tryouts?
At some ages it will be more difficult than others and where it is close, we may host player/parent meetings to discuss options before making final decisions. Our expectation is that by having open discussions the gamesmanship displayed in the past will be unnecessary and therefore cease. However, the reality is that we are reliant on people being truthful about their wishes and following through on the commitments they make.
What is the Outlaw league?
This is a rep only league that operates outside the Hockey Canada umbrella. The main differences are registration costs, the lack of residential boundaries and no cross ice mandate.
How certain are you of the Hockey Canada direction to eliminate Novice Rep hockey?
At this point we are not certain that Novice rep hockey will be eliminated, we are certain that it will not resemble what we have now or the hockey at other levels. That is, it will definitely not be full ice to start the season, but it may work towards that as the season progresses and have playdowns on full-ice like we do now. Programming is being developed and direction will be provided over the coming season with the goal being to have everything established for the 2019-2020 season.
It is confusing to see the overall registration numbers so high and no rep teams. How many people actually signed up for rep at each age group this year?
Juveniles 11 registered (there is no LL for Juvenile – although adding them to LMLL is being discussed).
Midget 48 registered. 14 willing to try out for rep
Minus 3 as 2 made AAA and 1 made Jr C
9 are in St Thomas this season (Minor Midget, Midget and Midget AE) on 3.5’s
Bantam 25 registered. 9 willing to try out for rep.
2 on St Thomas AE on 3.5’s
Peewee 33 registered
1 went to cobras and withdrew Registration after being cut from St Thomas as NRP
13 willing to try out for rep
2 on St Thomas AE on 3.5’s
Atom 25 registered
One never registered and went straight to Cobras
2 made AAA
12 willing to try out for Rep (rep team folded after a very rough start to the season)
Novice 26 registered
13 willing to try out for rep, team has 11 players and 2 AP’s.
Why is it so important to know if Port cannot field a rep team so early?
When an association folds a rep team players who signed up are given a 3.5 to attend tryouts in the next closest center that is accepting players. When other teams start their tryouts they also start making decisions on player numbers, and team composition. The later players are given 3.5’s the harder it is for other associations to justify taking kids they don’t know they will receive the following season. This is especially true at younger ages, where other associations don’t want to bump ‘home’ players from development opportunities. By acting early we maximize the opportunities for our residentially restricted players and minimize any hard feelings.
We won an OMHA Championship in Novice last season and the Novice Rep team is doing well so far this season, aren’t things improving?
While we have had some on-ice success the last couple of years, this is overshadowed by the overall lack of registrants. These are our current registration numbers by birth year.
2000 15
2001 11
2002 24
2003 7
2004 18
2005 15
2006’s 18
2007’s 9
2008’s 18
2009’s 16, 3 in IP 13 in novice
2010’s 17, 4 in Sr ip. 13 in novice
2011’s 16
2012 16
2013 8
2014 2
Will this merge us with St Thomas?
No, in either of these situations we are able to run Port Stanley Minor Hockey as we see fit. We set our own rules and regulations, our own constitution, set our registration fees, determine our ice schedule, determine our team make-up, what skills sessions we offer, events we run…just like we do now.
In option 1, we run our own rep teams where registration permits and allow those with the skill/desire to play rep elsewhere where registration is not sufficient.
In option 2, we do not attempt to ice rep teams, and players with the skill/desire are permitted to try out in the next closest center. In most cases this will be St Thomas, but not all.
Is the decision reversible?
Yes and no
Option 1 could go on year after year (but after a player has been released 2 years in a row they are no longer subject to our restricted boundary).
Option 2 is technically reversible, but realistically not. That is, the board could go through the process to reinstate the rep program. However, our core issue today is a demographics one, we do not see Port Stanley suddenly becoming home to enough children to make this viable.
How many players are required to make a team viable?
We strive for 15 at bantam, midget, peewee and 12 below.
Is having the 12 or 15 players the only factor in determining if a team will operate in scenario 1?
No, the board can determine that a team will not be viable based on the previous record of those players (as occurred with peewee this season), or it may assist teams in dropping down after the season has started (as occurred with atom this season).
If we choose option 1 can the team viability decision be made in time for us to attend A try-outs in St Thomas?
No, our registration does not close until June 30, with St Thomas conducting spring tryouts we will determine team viability after their teams have been made. Players who are released from Port Stanley in this scenario may have an opportunity to try out for AE, West Lorne, Belmont or Aylmer (provided they agree to let our players try out). Option 2 is the only way that players will be given the opportunity to try out for St Thomas teams that conduct spring tryouts.
The Hockey Canada mandate says that novice will only be 2010’s next season, and that even novice will become half-ice the year after. Our novice teams have been combined ages for several years, will a single year team be viable and what will that program look like in 2020?
You are correct, for several years we have operated a system that allowed young players to play at the ability their skill and desire allowed. The Sr IP (7) and Novice (8) age players were spread amongst Sr IP, Novice local and Novice rep. The flexibility allowed us to field several small roster teams that were appropriate for the skill/desire of these players. Forcing us to have only 1 year, will make it more difficult to field a team.
We are not 100% certain on what the program will look like in 2020, but preliminary indications are that the novice group will start with partial ice games and progress to full ice by the end of the season. We have asked the OMHA to confirm if they will allow 7 year olds to be rostered to Novice teams at all, or if they can AP.
Why has it taken so long to do something? To make rep truly viable you have to have a system that includes cuts – having players on a rep team because they signed up, but don’t have the ability to keep up does more harm to that players development than good.
We believe that all players should be provided with the opportunity to play at the level their skill and aspirations permit. In an ideal world, we would provide AP spots for those who weren’t quite there from a skill perspective. They would continue to develop on a local team, practice with a rep team and become a rep player in the future. Unfortunately, it has been several years since we have had numbers to offer this option.