Andover Huskies Youth Hockey Association Mites/8U 2016/2017
Andover Huskies Youth Hockey Association Mites/8U 2016/2017 We first want to welcome everyone to the 2016/2017 A n d o v e r Mite/8U hockey season. We are all looking forward to another great season of hockey. Below, you will find some helpful information explaining our upcoming season, especially for those of you that are new to the association. W e h o p e this will help answer all of your questions but if you need more information, please feel free to contact us anytime and we will do our best to help. For general information about our association and the sport of hockey, please refer to our “Hockey 101” Brochure, which can be found on our website. Please save the website www.ahyha.com as a favorite since all information will be provided via the website. Nick Giacomini, Mite Operations Director Email: [email protected] Patrick Popehn, Mite Administration Director Email: [email protected]
Mite Meet-and-Greet/Mandatory Open House The Mite Meet-and-Greet is the first event of the season for Mites. It is a fun and informational get together to kick-off the start of our hockey season! This year it will be combined with the mandatory Open House on Sunday, October 9th from 5pm-7pm at the Andover Community Center Field House. This event will have floor hockey in the gym, bouncy houses, open skate from 5:30pm-7pm (bring your skates, gloves and a helmet-mandatory) and a hockey gift bag for every Mite/8U player. The purpose of the Meet-and-Greet is for Mite players to come and have fun, see friends from last year and maybe make some new ones! There will also be some important information tables such as fundraising, volunteering, equipment, mouthguard clinics, coaching, apparel and a general overview of what to expect for the upcoming year. *Please remember to bring your completed consent to treat form to check in (you can find this on the mite/8 U webpage). *Also, if you’re a new player to the Andover association you must bring a copy of your players’ birth certificate. They cannot play if we do n ot have a copy.
Andover Huskies Youth Hockey Association www.ahyha.com
Schedules/Website All schedule’s that you will receive for hockey will be posted on the Mite/8U page when they become available. If you are not able to attend the Meet & Greet, please make sure you have submitted a consent to treat form and birth certificate prior to the date. Once teams are formed, each team will have their own website page which can be found at www.ahyha.com under “Teams”, “Mites/8U” and then the name of your team. The website team page is where all of your team information can be found and where your schedule will be posted. When in doubt, check the website! Your team manager will help update your team page as the season goes on.
HEP Testing *What is HEP Testing? HEP stands for Hockey Education Program. Every fall and spring, we test the kids on certain skills and record their times so that we can see the progress that they make between the beginning and end of the season. HEP is a USA Ho ckey sanctio ned way to evaluate M ite players. The HEP test sco res will help determine what pools the kids will skate in at the start of the season. The rink is split into several stations where kids are all testing at the same time, making it a comfortable environment for the kids. For the first schedule, we will group all of the Mite/8U players into “pools” based on their previous hockey experience and this will be posted on our website when it becomes available. During these sessions, the coaches will be evaluating all of the players and recording times at each station. Players may be moved to different pools throughout the process if deemed appropriate. After the evaluations are over, the players will be put into their teams that they will play with all season. This should be completed sometime in the middle of November. At that time, you will receive the next schedule and the specifics for your team.
Practices/Gear If this is your first time in Mites, you might not know what to do for your child’s first practice. When you first walk into the building for practice, look to find the “TV screen” that shows all of the events for the ice arena for that day. It will be scrolling information and will tell you which locker room your team or group is assigned to. From there, you can just go in to that locker room and get your child ready. Make sure to arrive at least 20 minutes prior to the start of your practice so that you have time to get your child geared up. We have a list of hockey gear in our “Hockey 101” Brochure (on our website) if you’re unsure of what to buy. If you are unsure of how a piece of equipment goes on, feel free to ask anyone in the locker room…we have all been a first time hockey parent and can relate! Please also make sure that you have your child’s name on the front of their helmet using white hockey tape with their name written in black. Feel free to leave your child’s hockey bag in the locker room during practice but please make sure not to leave any valuables. After your child is
Andover Huskies Youth Hockey Association www.ahyha.com
dressed in their gear, they are ready to go out on the ice and you can go to the bleachers and watch.
Cold Weather and Outdoor Hockey One of the greatest things about living in Minnesota is that when the weather gets cold, we have outdoor ice. Andover has three outdoor rink facilities that you will need to familiarize yourself with: Andover City Rinks (Near Community center/across from sunshine park fields), Hawks Ridge and Prairie Knoll. Outdoor practice is weather dependent and usually starts late December and lasts until the middle of February. The outdoor ice allows our program an inexpensive option to gain more ice time. Here are some tips to make the outdoor experience a good one:
Layer your clothing: Upper body: A long sleeve performance shirt and a sweatshirt/fleece under your shoulder pads Lower body: Add a second layer on your legs as well. Tights/fleece lined pants/long underwear/ sweat pants over the top are all a good option. Head gear: A thin Balaclava will fit nicely under the helmet and provide plenty of warmth Hands: A thin pair of gloves under the hockey gloves and always bring your winter gloves which you can play in as well Feet: A good clean pair of warm socks will work well. These will be a little thicker than normal hockey socks, but skating and practicing will make those little toes nice and warm. Make sure to bring winter boots in case the ice in not good enough to skate we will be able to play boot hockey.
Season Timeline Here is the approximate timeline for the 2016/2017 Season for our Mite/8U players. Please note that this is only an estimate and is subject to change. October Meet & Greet/Open house: Sunday, October 9 th 2016, 5pm-7pm, Andover Community Center Field House. Open Skate will take place from 5:30pm-7pm. All skaters must wear a helmet and gloves. HEP TESTING DATES Begins October 29th, 2016
November Mid-November – Mite/8U teams are finalized & practices will begin Mid November – Mite Team Managers Meeting-Time TBD Team Pictures- TBD
Andover Huskies Youth Hockey Association www.ahyha.com
December Mid-December - League game play begins for Mites/8U Late Dec/Early Jan – Outdoor rinks open and 1 or 2 outdoor weeknight practices will be added to your schedule January Andover Winter Classic will take place (outdoor jamboree for all Mite/8U teams to celebrate Hockey Day Minnesota)-Times TBD February Practices and games continue. Anoka Jamboree March Early March- Season Ends Mid-March or April: SKATE Banquet
Jamborees All of our Mite/8U players will participate in at least two Jamboree this season with the option to do more. You will participate in the Andover W inter Classic ( January) and the Anoka Mite Jamboree. A mite Jamboree is designed to be a non-competitive environment where kids can have fun playing against teams from other associations. At a typical Jamboree, players will receive a gift bag or gift item, have opportunities to purchase other merchandise, play officiated games against other local teams and even get to hear their name called over the loud speaker! In the past they have also dimmed the lights while introducing players…the kids love it! The Jamborees are a lot of fun and the kids (and adults) have a blast! Even though it is not competitive, you still get that “tournament atmosphere” and the kids love it!
Team Managers Every team will have a team manager. The team manager will be in charge of their team “book” which has all of the registration information, official team roster, etc. This person will also manage the team’s website (on our site…very easy), plan any team get-togethers and be the contact person between the association and their team. If you are interested in being the team manager for your team, please let me and your coach know as soon as teams have been formed. This is a really great way to get involved and doesn’t require any experience! Please check your email at least once a day so that we can make sure all of our communications to the teams are timely. Also, this position will fulfill all of your volunteer hours for the season!
Andover Huskies Youth Hockey Association www.ahyha.com
Volunteer Hours If this is your first year in our association, you are not required to complete any volunteer hours. Each family is required to complete 12 hours of volunteer work for the 2016-2017 hockey season. Please go to our website and click “Volunteer” on the left-hand side and it will walk you through the process of signing up and looking for volunteer hours. Any questions regarding volunteer hours or the DIBS process can be directed to our fundraising coordinator. Our volunteers help to make our association a success!
S.K.A.T.E AHYHA endorses the S.K.A.T.E. Academic program, which stands for Skaters Keep Achieving through Education. This academic achievement program recognizes the efforts of student athletes who play hockey. Minnesota Hockey, the statewide governing body of amateur hockey, voted overwhelmingly to endorse this program. This program encourages, rewards, and supports youth hockey players who commit themselves to their schoolwork while enjoying the sport of hockey. Typically in March/April, AHYHA hosts an end of the season banquet for our Academic All-Stars. Please note that this is an optional program and that your child must be in at least Kindergarten to participate. Nick Giacomini & Patrick Popehn
Andover Huskies Youth Hockey Association www.ahyha.com
Mite Meet-and-Greet/Mandatory Open House The Mite Meet-and-Greet is the first event of the season for Mites. It is a fun and informational get together to kick-off the start of our hockey season! This year it will be combined with the mandatory Open House on Sunday, October 9th from 5pm-7pm at the Andover Community Center Field House. This event will have floor hockey in the gym, bouncy houses, open skate from 5:30pm-7pm (bring your skates, gloves and a helmet-mandatory) and a hockey gift bag for every Mite/8U player. The purpose of the Meet-and-Greet is for Mite players to come and have fun, see friends from last year and maybe make some new ones! There will also be some important information tables such as fundraising, volunteering, equipment, mouthguard clinics, coaching, apparel and a general overview of what to expect for the upcoming year. *Please remember to bring your completed consent to treat form to check in (you can find this on the mite/8 U webpage). *Also, if you’re a new player to the Andover association you must bring a copy of your players’ birth certificate. They cannot play if we do n ot have a copy.
Andover Huskies Youth Hockey Association www.ahyha.com
Schedules/Website All schedule’s that you will receive for hockey will be posted on the Mite/8U page when they become available. If you are not able to attend the Meet & Greet, please make sure you have submitted a consent to treat form and birth certificate prior to the date. Once teams are formed, each team will have their own website page which can be found at www.ahyha.com under “Teams”, “Mites/8U” and then the name of your team. The website team page is where all of your team information can be found and where your schedule will be posted. When in doubt, check the website! Your team manager will help update your team page as the season goes on.
HEP Testing *What is HEP Testing? HEP stands for Hockey Education Program. Every fall and spring, we test the kids on certain skills and record their times so that we can see the progress that they make between the beginning and end of the season. HEP is a USA Ho ckey sanctio ned way to evaluate M ite players. The HEP test sco res will help determine what pools the kids will skate in at the start of the season. The rink is split into several stations where kids are all testing at the same time, making it a comfortable environment for the kids. For the first schedule, we will group all of the Mite/8U players into “pools” based on their previous hockey experience and this will be posted on our website when it becomes available. During these sessions, the coaches will be evaluating all of the players and recording times at each station. Players may be moved to different pools throughout the process if deemed appropriate. After the evaluations are over, the players will be put into their teams that they will play with all season. This should be completed sometime in the middle of November. At that time, you will receive the next schedule and the specifics for your team.
Practices/Gear If this is your first time in Mites, you might not know what to do for your child’s first practice. When you first walk into the building for practice, look to find the “TV screen” that shows all of the events for the ice arena for that day. It will be scrolling information and will tell you which locker room your team or group is assigned to. From there, you can just go in to that locker room and get your child ready. Make sure to arrive at least 20 minutes prior to the start of your practice so that you have time to get your child geared up. We have a list of hockey gear in our “Hockey 101” Brochure (on our website) if you’re unsure of what to buy. If you are unsure of how a piece of equipment goes on, feel free to ask anyone in the locker room…we have all been a first time hockey parent and can relate! Please also make sure that you have your child’s name on the front of their helmet using white hockey tape with their name written in black. Feel free to leave your child’s hockey bag in the locker room during practice but please make sure not to leave any valuables. After your child is
Andover Huskies Youth Hockey Association www.ahyha.com
dressed in their gear, they are ready to go out on the ice and you can go to the bleachers and watch.
Cold Weather and Outdoor Hockey One of the greatest things about living in Minnesota is that when the weather gets cold, we have outdoor ice. Andover has three outdoor rink facilities that you will need to familiarize yourself with: Andover City Rinks (Near Community center/across from sunshine park fields), Hawks Ridge and Prairie Knoll. Outdoor practice is weather dependent and usually starts late December and lasts until the middle of February. The outdoor ice allows our program an inexpensive option to gain more ice time. Here are some tips to make the outdoor experience a good one:
Layer your clothing: Upper body: A long sleeve performance shirt and a sweatshirt/fleece under your shoulder pads Lower body: Add a second layer on your legs as well. Tights/fleece lined pants/long underwear/ sweat pants over the top are all a good option. Head gear: A thin Balaclava will fit nicely under the helmet and provide plenty of warmth Hands: A thin pair of gloves under the hockey gloves and always bring your winter gloves which you can play in as well Feet: A good clean pair of warm socks will work well. These will be a little thicker than normal hockey socks, but skating and practicing will make those little toes nice and warm. Make sure to bring winter boots in case the ice in not good enough to skate we will be able to play boot hockey.
Season Timeline Here is the approximate timeline for the 2016/2017 Season for our Mite/8U players. Please note that this is only an estimate and is subject to change. October Meet & Greet/Open house: Sunday, October 9 th 2016, 5pm-7pm, Andover Community Center Field House. Open Skate will take place from 5:30pm-7pm. All skaters must wear a helmet and gloves. HEP TESTING DATES Begins October 29th, 2016
November Mid-November – Mite/8U teams are finalized & practices will begin Mid November – Mite Team Managers Meeting-Time TBD Team Pictures- TBD
Andover Huskies Youth Hockey Association www.ahyha.com
December Mid-December - League game play begins for Mites/8U Late Dec/Early Jan – Outdoor rinks open and 1 or 2 outdoor weeknight practices will be added to your schedule January Andover Winter Classic will take place (outdoor jamboree for all Mite/8U teams to celebrate Hockey Day Minnesota)-Times TBD February Practices and games continue. Anoka Jamboree March Early March- Season Ends Mid-March or April: SKATE Banquet
Jamborees All of our Mite/8U players will participate in at least two Jamboree this season with the option to do more. You will participate in the Andover W inter Classic ( January) and the Anoka Mite Jamboree. A mite Jamboree is designed to be a non-competitive environment where kids can have fun playing against teams from other associations. At a typical Jamboree, players will receive a gift bag or gift item, have opportunities to purchase other merchandise, play officiated games against other local teams and even get to hear their name called over the loud speaker! In the past they have also dimmed the lights while introducing players…the kids love it! The Jamborees are a lot of fun and the kids (and adults) have a blast! Even though it is not competitive, you still get that “tournament atmosphere” and the kids love it!
Team Managers Every team will have a team manager. The team manager will be in charge of their team “book” which has all of the registration information, official team roster, etc. This person will also manage the team’s website (on our site…very easy), plan any team get-togethers and be the contact person between the association and their team. If you are interested in being the team manager for your team, please let me and your coach know as soon as teams have been formed. This is a really great way to get involved and doesn’t require any experience! Please check your email at least once a day so that we can make sure all of our communications to the teams are timely. Also, this position will fulfill all of your volunteer hours for the season!
Andover Huskies Youth Hockey Association www.ahyha.com
Volunteer Hours If this is your first year in our association, you are not required to complete any volunteer hours. Each family is required to complete 12 hours of volunteer work for the 2016-2017 hockey season. Please go to our website and click “Volunteer” on the left-hand side and it will walk you through the process of signing up and looking for volunteer hours. Any questions regarding volunteer hours or the DIBS process can be directed to our fundraising coordinator. Our volunteers help to make our association a success!
S.K.A.T.E AHYHA endorses the S.K.A.T.E. Academic program, which stands for Skaters Keep Achieving through Education. This academic achievement program recognizes the efforts of student athletes who play hockey. Minnesota Hockey, the statewide governing body of amateur hockey, voted overwhelmingly to endorse this program. This program encourages, rewards, and supports youth hockey players who commit themselves to their schoolwork while enjoying the sport of hockey. Typically in March/April, AHYHA hosts an end of the season banquet for our Academic All-Stars. Please note that this is an optional program and that your child must be in at least Kindergarten to participate. Nick Giacomini & Patrick Popehn
Andover Huskies Youth Hockey Association www.ahyha.com
