Attention – State Tournament Information
URGENT UPDATE!!
2020-2021 Tryout information –
March 14, 2020
To all NYSAHA Association Presidents:
As everyone should be aware, earlier this week USA Hockey canceled its National Tournaments and NYSAHA cancelled its State Tournaments. With these tournament cancellations in mind, this letter is to notify everyone of the dates by which tryous may begin.
Based on this, tryouts for the 2020-2021 season can begin on the following dates (subject to change, if required). There will be no pre-signing of players prior to these dates, whether participants in or outside of your Association. The tryout dates are as follows:
• All age classifications youth and girls 12U and below can start April 22, 2020;
• All age classifications youth and girls 14U and above, whether Tournament-Bound or Non-Tournament Bound, can start April 20, 2020; and
• If your Section has rules that require tryouts to start later than the above dates, the Section rules will apply.
It should also be noted that pursuant to USA Hockey Rules, if the above tryout starting dates are violated, the Association may be subject to being sanctioned. Those USA Hockey sanctions are as follows –
• For Tier I, the USA Hockey Youth Council has agreed that the violation of the recruiting and tryout rules by a Tier I team shall result in that team being ineligible to be recognized as a Tier I team and ineligible for National Championships for the season for which it was holding tryouts.
• For Tier II, the USA Hockey Youth Council has agreed that the Affiliate has the authority to subject the coach, team, program and/or responsible administrators to appropriate discipline, or ineligibility of the team or coach for violation of the recruiting and tryout rules by a Tier II team. The Youth Council has strongly recommended that the appropriate discipline for a Tier II team’s violation of the recruiting and tryout rules is to prohibit said team from being recognized as a Tier II team and making said team ineligible for the National Championships for the season for which it was holding tryouts.
• For both Tier I and Tier II, if a team is determined to be ineligible for National Championships, the Youth Council further recommends that players that were not subject to improper recruiting or tryouts should be released and (subject to roster deadlines) free to join an eligible team.
Finally, Associations should take note that coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions have been imposed by the State of New York, banning a gathering of more than 500 people in a facility. This means that a multi-rink building is limited to 500 people the same as a single-rink building. This may affect how tryouts are scheduled for the facility to remain within the 500 person limit. Other limitations, including local restrictions, may also apply. Please be mindful of this.
Thank you for your attention to these tryout considerations.
Yours in Hockey,
New York State Amateur Hockey Association, Inc.Joe Baudo
Joe Baudo
President
