ARCTIC FOXES
HOCKEY ASSOCIATION
TRYOUT FAQs

Registration is done online only and can be found HERE. You will need a current USA Hockey Number in order to register.

If you register before April 1st, you will use your 2025-26 USA Hockey number for tryout registration and then will need to enter your updated 2026-27 USA Hockey number in order to accept your placement. If you register for tryouts after April 1st, simply use your new 2026-27 number.

There is no walk-up registration! If you do not register online prior to the first tryout date you are looking to attend, then you will not be able to try out. Please refer to the schedule of dates for the cutoff.

All registrations will close at 11:59pm the day before the first scheduled tryout session for that group. See the schedule page for specific dates for each group.

• The Foxes plan to run at least one Girls 14U (“G14”) team and at least one Girls 12U (“G12”) team. Depending on the turnout at tryouts, we may run more than one of each of those teams. Girls 10U (“G10”) would play in 12U Minor. Any girl born in 2011 or 2012 should register for G14.

• Any girl born in 2013 or 2014 should register for G12. If a girl in this age group is also interested in playing up to G14, they should also attend the G14 Team Evaluation. There is no extra charge or registration required to attend this extra tryout session.

• Any girl born in 2015 or 2016 should register for G12.

The Tryout Fee helps pay for the ice, jerseys, equipment, and personnel to conduct the tryouts. This is a one-time fee due at registration and is non-refundable. All players who register for the Arctic Foxes Tryouts must pay a tryout fee.

The Commitment Fee is also due at registration. It is your commitment to the Arctic Foxes for the upcoming season and locking in your spot on the team. It is 100% refundable, if you decline your team placement within the deadline stated on your team invitation.

Players who accept their team placement (either explicitly or by not declining by the established deadline) will have the commitment fee applied towards their Player Account. If you do not explicitly decline your placement offer by the established deadline (usually 24 hours, no less) in the invitation email, you will effectively be accepting your placement and securing a spot on the team, thereby rendering the commitment fee non-refundable and applied to the full season's fees. Players accepting their placement are responsible for their entire fees.

Should a player change their mind and choose to decline their position after the deadline, but before July 1 of the current year, will forfeit their commitment fee. Any decline after July 1 of the current year will require the full season fee to be paid in full before the Arctic Foxes will grant a release to another organization.

Squirts and PeeWees can try out as a skater and a goalie. If you wish to do this, please register your player as a skater. Once you have completed registration, send an email to both the ACE Coordinator coaching@arcticfoxeshockey.org and the Treasurer treasurer@arcticfoxeshockey.org to indicate your player will be trying out for both positions. If you do not send an email notification and receive a confirmation of receipt, your player will only be allowed to tryout as a skater.

• Full USA Hockey equipment, including neck guards and mouth guards

• Your own water bottle (recommended!)

• Tryout jersey will be provided for you when checking in and is yours to keep; however it MUST be worn at all tryout sessions that you attend

• For the first scheduled tryout session, it is advised to arrive 60 minutes prior to the scheduled start time so you have ample time to check in and receive your tryout jersey before getting dressed

Yes, you need to register with USA Hockey. This needs to be completed prior to completing the Arctic Foxes online registration. USA Hockey Registration opens April 1st of each year.

We strongly encourage you to make every effort to attend tryouts/callbacks. However, we understand that certain conflicts may occur or injury can prevent you from trying out. In these cases you will fill out an absentee form (available when you register for tryouts, or later by logging into your account) which will contain the information we need. Based on various criteria and past history we will make the best determination during placement.

• If you have not participated in a formal tryout procedure before, your player can expect to participate in individual and group drills, along with scrimmage games that should simulate game speed.

• For 10U (Squirt) / 12U (Pee Wee) / 14U (Bantam) / Girls tryouts, the first session will objectively measure skating, stickhandling, passing, shooting, body contact, and team skills. This first session will consist of back-to back 1.5-hour sessions with a 10-minute break in between (though it may end early if we get through everyone quickly). Squirts will have their 2 sessions broken up over 2 days with their assigned time based on the first letter of their last name or jersey number.

• 16U and 18U (Midgets) will go directly into drills and/or scrimmages.

• Players will be called back on an “as-needed" basis. They could potentially be called back for one or more callback sessions but no more than 2 callbacks.

• Ice hockey is a contact sport, so your player should be prepared for this contact.

• Players who are Squirts and Peewees should expect limited contact as these levels do not permit full body checking.

• Bantam/Midget age allows for full body checking, which may occur during tryouts. If your player is new to body checking it is strongly suggested that they attend a checking camp/clinic prior to tryouts.

• Player(s) who, as deemed by the evaluators, commit a dangerous action, do not comply with on ice evaluators' instructions, engage in horseplay that disrupts tryouts, engage in fighting, or cause intentional injury to another player WILL be removed from the tryout session and may not be called back or placed on a team.

The purpose of tryouts and team selection is to provide the most consistent and accurate (to the extent possible) grouping of players skill at the time of tryouts to compose a team that will ultimately be placed in a division from PAHL. It is important to note that players develop and evolve at different paces so year to year changes are necessary. As this is Tier II hockey, a specific team placement does not dictate your child's future and more importantly does not correlate to how much learning and fun is had in youth ice hockey.

• The Arctic Foxes have an “Open Placement Policy”, with no pre-selected teams.

• Qualified members of the Arctic Foxes, including coaches, will complete evaluations of players.

• Evaluators at sessions will consist of head and assistant coaches from a variety of age levels as well as independent evaluators.

• No coach is permitted to evaluate his/her own child or make team selection decisions for their child's age group.

• No parent/guardian is permitted to discuss any specifics of any player with an evaluator.

• All tryouts sessions are closed to spectators. LiveBarn will be shut-off.

• No evaluator is permitted to discuss any specifics of any player with any parent.

• All recommendations by the evaluators will remain confidential.

• The ACE Coordinator and evaluators will work together to complete the final rosters.

• Once the final roster is completed, players will be notified of their placement on a team or waitlist via email.

• Players will have 24 hours from that time to accept their placement on their team.

All players are evaluated through independent individuals who provide a scoring and notes on all players. Due to a variety of reasons, evaluators may need to glean more information to properly determine anticipated team placement. Most people will get at least one call back but no more than two.

We understand that tryouts can be very stressful. As mentioned elsewhere in the FAQ, the components of tryouts include objective measurements (timing), evaluations from established coaches, and, when available, prior history. There are several reasons why players are or are not called back: Sometimes evaluators have conflicting information or not enough information on a specific player. Other times we want to see how a certain player or players perform with other individuals or groups. Sometimes we feel we have all the information we need for proper placement. The important take away is not to read too much into several callbacks or lack of callbacks. Yes, this can be confusing at times, but we do our best to try to get the most accurate gauge for best team placement.

When a player is called back to a tryout session, you will receive an email with that invitation. Be sure you have access to the email address you used for registration and are able to check it frequently. Check your spam/junk filters too!

Tryout numbers will also be posted to the website when a player is called back, so be sure to check regularly during tryouts!

All invitations for players selected to a team, or for those who did not make a team and are placed on a waitlist, will be done via email sometime after tryouts begin or shortly after they are all completed for your player's age group.

As far as on-ice practice, teams will start practices in late-July. Practices are at RMU Island Sports Center and can start as early as 5pm during the week and 7am during the weekend. However, some coaches may decide to start practicing earlier, such as dry land training, but each coach would communicate this information individually to their teams.

The younger age groups tend to have earlier practices and older age groups have later practices.

At the conclusion of tryouts the base of teams are formed. However, occasionally there is some movement of adding or removing players from teams based on external factors (such as families withdrawing) which often have a domino effect.

Once teams are formed a Head Coach is assigned based on coaching application content, past history and coaches evaluations. It is then up to the head coach to find a team manager and assistant coaches.

Once a manager is found, they will be the main point of contact to pass along pertinent information about purchasing jerseys (and getting numbers) if needed and putting together a team function- this could be anytime from May - August.

New families are also encouraged to attend a "New Family Orientation" which is generally scheduled in early June. This comprehensive orientation to give a thorough rundown about travel hockey and the Arctic Foxes specifically. The AFHA Board is also present to assist with any Q&A.

The Arctic Foxes do not make the determination as to the competition level of each team, including teams that are designated as AA in tryouts. This is done exclusively by PAHL. Each player is given a number that is derived from their past playing experience (3 years). Through placement games which take place in September, teams are given a preliminary level assignment in which PAHL will have teams scrimmage other teams that are close in skill level using the their model. Once placement games are completed, PAHL will then assign teams to their division for the season. The Foxes do not make this determination!