NJYHL squirt AA/A/A+/B+/B classification

[Guest]

How do you go about declaring your team one of these skill levels?

What do you think of a squirt team with mostly 2nd year squirts--2009 birth year squirts, some of which are A level, maybe 2 players are first year 2010 birth year squirts on that team.... going into  NJYHL declared as a Squirt B team?

most of the Squirt B/B+ teams I see are mostly first year 2010 squirt teams as it is.

[Youth Hockey Info]

Judgement call by the coaches. Don't put yourselves in a position to be manipulated by parents who think their kids should be somewhere they shouldn't, ie the higher level. Typically a mostly or all second year team goes + at their given placement level but it's based on talent. Like any sport not all kids talent levels align because of their age. 

[Guest]

Are you talking about the Atlantic City Sharks 10U team? we saw them at a tournament over the summer they were in the B division and beat everyone including us by scores of 8-2, 11-1.

All teams in the B division were first year Squirts, born in 2010 with a handful of 2009 kids out of learn to play, playing their first full ice games.

I later found out most of that AC team was 2009 skaters including goalie, in their second year of full ice ice hockey.

Not sure why they would enter NJYHL as a B team. Should be A at minimum.

[Guest]

That Atlantic City team (which weren't named the sharks)  had 9 players. 2-2010's and 7-2009's. The two 2010 players were the only ones that have played full travel ice hockey in the past. One of the 7-09's just started skating spring 2019,  the other 6-09's played on the AC Sand Sharks lite travel  team last season, along with the goalie who has only been playing that position since 9/2018. All of those 09's just started playing full travel for this upcoming season for the AC Sharks.

[Guest]

Are you talking about the Bullies in the War at the Shore in Brick?  I just want to make clear that the JR Bullies were not coached by the Sharks Full Travel 10u coach though some of those kids are current sharks.  With that said, ranking teams in AC is sometimes difficult. The spread in skill level between the top and lowest skilled players is vast because there’s rarely enough kids to even make a third line or cuts, let alone a second team. There is literally one squirt team.  There is no in-house league so most players come from “learn to play” then go to limited travel (20ish games -1 practice per week) before committing to full travel.  This is the first year of full travel for many of those kids.  I concede the B ranking is now outdated and inaccurate and they were likely rated A at the jamboree this weekend. (I overheard the raters). But that Original B ranking was made months ago because only a mere 7 kids of mixed skill and age showed up to tryouts (politics man politics) and the teams future was in doubt without a goalie (more politics).   For parents concerned about levels, I can’t stress how important it is to show up to tryouts. And please, please be wary of other parent/coaches who are actively trying to undermine the current coach. 

[Guest]

The hockey world is pretty small  I had to confirm some statements above with my son’s friend who plays on an AC team a few years older and also another friends team in PA who played the AC squirts in non league.

few points:
Yes, generally second year squirts are at least + in their division. they have played full ice for a year, they are generally older, stronger, bigger, more mature. it does not matter if they played in house or light travel or full travel. most plain B teams are first year squirts coming straight out of 8U cross ice play. in fact there are a lot of first year B+ squirt teams.

I don’t know how you could submit as a B team with only 7 players that’s not enough to make a roster. and if you did eventually make a team with mostly experienced second year squirts why didn’t you go to at least B+ or A?

I don’t think there is undermining here if these are facts. you are saying now that you are an A team. this forum is just a forum you rubbed someone you played already the wrong way and you’re probably in the same division, but in the season you will probably piss off a lot of teams playing an A team in a B division in the league.

Playing down may make the coach look good with wins but a lot of people are going to be upset you put yourself in the wrong division knowing better.

[Guest]

yawn...this happens every year on the calendar, every age group, every league. 

[Guest]

As of June 1st, I believe, the team had to declare a designation.  Since only 5 players were returning full travel and 8 were unknown to the coaching staff they declared B. These 13 kids were the only ones to to show up at either the initial evaluations or the supplemental evaluations held by their rink.

Since then practices and non league games have proven that to be the wrong place for this team. Luckily the NJYHL has a jamboree prior to the season starting; so that independent evaluators can give a more accurate designation. This team will be reassigned. No reason for other teams to get upset, they more than likely won't see them in league play this year.

I am just a parent on this team with a kid playing his first year full travel hockey; I don't believe there was anything nefarious about labeling them B so long ago before any practice had even happened. The evaluations were in March, there is a lot of hockey learned by new players within 5 to 6 months. I am hoping for a fair designation in which all of our kids can compete,  be challenged and grow as hockey players.

[Guest]

No Guest 2 it was another team from North Jersey but same deal.