Anticipated Westwood Youth Hockey 2010-2011 Teams and League Placements

Based on estimated enrollment for the 2010-2011 Hockey Season, Westwood Youth Hockey (WYH) anticipates rostering thirteen (13) Boys Travel teams, five (5) Girls Travel teams, one (1) Boys "Middle School" team, one (1) Girls "Middle School" team, two (2) ADM teams, and 8-10 intramural House League Development teams.

The target roster size for Travel teams is 13-15 skaters plus 1 or 2 goalies. If there are too many players at a particular level for a certain number of teams, but not enough to form an additional team, the additional team will not be formed. Those players who are not placed on one of the established Travel teams are strongly encouraged, depending upon their age, to either a) enroll in the WYH House League, b) enroll in a Middle School team (which includes weekly Power Skating sessions), or c) tryout with other town and/or private programs. WYH Coaches and Officials, including the On-Ice Director, will offer guidance for such other opportunities.

Player placement is based on a Player Evaluation (performed by their current coaches) and an on-ice evaluation. Player Evaluations are completed during Registration time, and the on-ice evaluations are held in early March. The dates and times of the on-ice evaluations will be published on the WYH website.

It is the goal of the WYH organization that every travel team average three to four events per week, which typically includes 1 game, 1 or 2 team practices, and an on-ice Skills/Power Skating session.

Boys Travel Teams

WYH expects to roster approximately thirteen (13) Boys Travel teams for the 2010-2011 season. All will play in the South Shore Conference (SSC). Midget teams will play a short-season schedule that starts before Labor Day and ends by October 31. Bantam, PeeWee, Squirt and Mite teams will play a full-season schedule that starts in early September and ends in March.

The anticipated teams at each level are as follows;

If the tryouts produce enough capable players to warrant rostering an additional team, provided such squad would be competitive so as to promote and foster a constructive and positive environment for the players, families and coaches, it will be considered by the WYH Board of Directors.

Players at the Squirt and Mite level who are not placed on a Travel team are encouraged to play in WYH's developmental program, the House League. The registration deposit for a Travel team can be applied to the House League program, or can be refunded upon request.

Boys Middle School team

WYH will roster one Middle School team to play in the Junior High School League of the Neponset Valley League ("NVL"). This team will play approximately twenty-eight (28) games, typically on Friday or Sunday nights. There are no team practices, but players are encouraged to attend Power Skating sessions. Tuition is approximately $400. This team is open to players who play on other WYH teams, and to players who play outside of the WYH program.

In order to field a competitive team with the appropriate quantity of players each week, a minimum of 19 players is required. If registration falls short, we will refund or apply your payment to a boys travel program. It is envisioned that each player will play in 2/3rds of the games.

Girls Travel teams

In 2010-2011, WYH intends to roster teams in the U10, U12, U14 and U19 Divisions as well as a Girls Middle School team. The number of teams at any one division will be determined by the number and ability of players who register. There will be an on ice evaluation in early March. Teams will be formed based on the evaluations of current coaches in conjunction with the on-ice evaluations. It is imperative that if you intend to play in 2010-2011, you register by the close of registration (February 28th).

The teams at the U10, U12, and U14 division will begin in early September 2010. They will play an approximately 25 games season in the Middlesex Girls Hockey League which will conclude in March. The typical week will consist of a practice, a power skating session and a game. The game schedule is produced by the league monthly and posted regularly a month ahead. The U14 team will make efforts to avoid Sunday night games.

It is also expected that the coaching staff of the Girls High School team with the High School players will conduct periodic clinics for all the girls teams at different points in the season.

The U19 team will be open to girls ages 14-19. It is intended as a preparatory program for high school hockey. They will play a 10 game schedule beginning in early September and concluding the weekend prior to Thanksgiving. They will also play in a tournament Thanksgiving weekend. The goal of this program is to have the girls improve both individually and as a team as they head into the high school hockey season.
The typical weekly schedule will include a practice, a power skating session and a game. Players are expected to attend all practices and power skating sessions. The games will likely NOT be held on Sunday nights due to a variety of conflicts for players in that age group.
Periodic off-ice sessions may also be added. The coaching staff of the Westwood High School Girls team will work with the coach of the U19 team and give the coach guidance in preparing the girls for the high school season. Girls who play on the U14 team and are high school students are eligible to play on the U19 team.

Girls Middle School team

The Girls Middle School team will play from early November to late February. This team is intended as a supplement to any other teams. There are no practices. It is open to middle school girls who regularly play within WYH and outside of Westwood youth hockey. They will play games, usually weekly, on weekdays and occasionally weekends. The Girls program director reserves the right to impose restrictions on the grade levels of the players depending on the number of girls who register for the program. Registration for this program is open now and will extend into September. At the beginning of the 2010-2011 WYH season, a notice will be published on the WYH website with a closing date for registrations for the Middle School team. At the close of registration the program director, in conjunction with the WYH board, will make a decision relative to the need to restrict this team to certain grade levels.

2010-2011 Westwood Youth Hockey ADM Teams

Starting in the 2010-2011 season, WYH will implement an innovative program for two teams (one Squirt team and one Mite team) which draws upon elements of the USA Hockey American Development Model (ADM): the WYH ADM Teams. This program is an extension of the House League Major program from the 2009-2010 season, taking the best elements of that program and formalizing it under the USA Hockey ADM umbrella.

The ADM emphasizes age-appropriate skill development and fun over a focus on games (and an overemphasis on winning games). It encourages kids to play other sports so that they become better overall athletes and so they don't become burned out by playing too much hockey (with some kids playing 10-12 months a year right now). It encourages many touches of the puck to increase fun and development for each player through the use of small ice drills/games in practice and small ice games. Playing only full-ice games at this age/level, with 10 players chasing one puck around a full sheet, doesn't result in frequent puck touches and play-making chances for individual players, thus limiting fun and development.

The goal of the ADM program is to have the kids play, love and excel (develop) at the great game of hockey - a sport that instills great values of teamwork and hard work, but is also exciting and fun to play for mites all the way up to adults.

What will this specifically mean for the WYH ADM Team who will be using this modified ADM program?

• a team of 9-13 players
• 1-2 practices a week as a team
• 1 Lovell's skills/skating development session per week, plus access to any other age-appropriate skills session offered by WYH (sessions run by Lovell's Hockey and our other skills providers)
• 20-25 games (a mix of full-ice and cross-ice as discussed above, including goalies)
• 1 3-on-3 local tournament

The emphasis for the WYH ADM teams will be on fun and development which is appropriate for this age and group of kids rather than worrying about trying to win league games. Please note that the amount of ice time will be similar to the other WYH travel teams. The ADM teams will play 20-25 games with other local organizations that support similar programs/philosophies. However, the focus of this team will be having fun, creating a passion and love of the game and developing their playing skills.

WYH will implement this modified ADM with these ADM teams and look to expand in future years as our organization and others develop the concept at the local town level. You can find more information about the ADM through the USA Hockey website.

Boys and Girls House League program for 2010-2011

WYH will continue its expanded House League program for the 2010-2011 season. This is a developmental program for Squirt and Mite age players. The House League is intended to provide a fun and competitive hockey development program for:

• Mite-age players who played in House League or LTS in 2009-2010
• Squirt and Mite-age players who are not placed on a Travel team
• Squirt and Mite-age players who prefer the House League to a travel team

WYH no longer rosters Mite C and Squirt C travel teams. WYH believes that by providing a strong environment of development through more hands-on coaching, structured practices and games that give young and new players the equal opportunity to work on their skating, shooting and passing skills and learn the game of hockey, they will develop better than touching a puck for only a few seconds in a game at this level.

In the House League, the players will be on the ice as much as possible. They will get more ice time, and more "touches" of the puck on their sticks than they would in a full-ice game. House League will have weekly practices on full ice, and weekly full-ice and/or cross-ice games. In addition, some House League teams will play in games against towns with similar development programs. Some House League players may also be invited to play with an age-appropriate Travel team if a roster spot is open.

House League players will be placed in House League Major or House League Minor based on skill level and previous experience. Placement will be determined at the beginning of the season in November. If your child is placed in House League Major, there is an estimated additional cost of $250 to cover the additional practices and games.

The program will also offer an optional fall program to complement the usual 20 week House League schedule. Below is a description of the expanded programs;

House League Major (estimated tuition: $850): This program is intended for Squirt and Mite age players. The program will begin in early November and will end in March. The program consists of one weekly practice, Power Skating on Friday evenings at Hyde Park, and weekend games (emphasizing both full-ice and cross-ice games played at our local rinks). Players will be placed on competitively balanced teams for the purpose of the games.

House League Minor (estimated tuition: $600): This program is intended for younger players who may have played in House League last season, beginning players with some skating skill, or players who participated in a Learn To Skate program last season. This program focuses on skating and basic hockey skills in a fun and fast-paced environment. House League Minor provides a weekly full-ice practice on Saturdays, and a weekly small-ice game on Sundays.

House League Fall Program (estimated tuition: $225): Skills and pick up three-on-three games offered for 8 weeks during the fall. Weekly skills sessions on Mondays, plus three-on-three pick up games on Sundays at Dedham (Boch).

Learn to Skate/Learn to Play Hockey

WYH will again in 2010-2011 offer its two (2) ten-week Saturday morning Learn to Skate/Learn to Play Hockey programs. The first session will run from approximately mid October until the end of December. The second session will run from early January to March.

The WYH Learn to Skate/Learn to Play Hockey Program is designed for children with little or no skating or hockey experience. On the ice, skaters will be placed into groups based on skating ability. The goal of the Program is to have children gain confidence on the ice while developing their skating abilities in a relaxed and fun atmosphere.

Each session will include three phases. The first phase of each session will focus on balance, starting, the proper skating stride and how to stop. The second phase of each session will focus on turning, pivoting and skating backwards. The last phase of each session will introduce basic ice hockey drills including stick handling, passing to a stationary and moving target, shooting and eventually cross-ice games.

For those children who participate in both sessions, the phases in Session 2 will be altered accordingly to avoid unnecessary repetition. More details and registration information will be posted on www.wyh.org in September 2010.