How to Run Ice Hockey Tryouts

These are the stations the scorecard builder can add to the sheet, in the order they usually run. Delete the ones you are not running: a station on the sheet that never happened leaves a blank that looks like a missing score.

1. Skating and edges. Run skating in groups on the same drills: stops and starts on both feet, forward and backward crossovers, pivots and transitions, in both directions of a turn. Warm up first, ask for what the player does now, and watch the weaker direction as closely as the stronger one, since many players are far better one way. What to score: Skating: balance, edges, stride, stops, starts and transitions, in both directions. Score the skating and not the size of the player.
2. Timed lap. Two or three skaters at a time in the same lane from the same start, a timer at the line, each skating twice. Use the same person and the same method for every group, and write the time in the table below, not as a score. Watch the first strides separately for acceleration. What to score: Speed and acceleration: the time, recorded as a number, and the first three or four strides from a standing start.
3. Puck handling. A course of cones in rotation, with the puck, then the same course with a defender added. Ask for the head up, both sides of the stick and tight turns, and give every player the same number of tries. Count it as skill, not as speed through the cones. What to score: Puck handling: control with the head up, in tight spaces and at speed, on both sides of the stick.
4. Passing and shooting. Passing in pairs on the tape, then shots from set spots on the goaltenders, with the goaltenders rotating and the shots on net counted. Every skater shoots from the same spots, and the shots are counted by the same person. Make sure shooters are facing a goaltender who is ready. What to score: Passing and shooting: accuracy and receiving on the pass, release and accuracy on the shot. Record the shots on net in the table below.
5. Small-area games. Small-area games across the ice, three on three or four on four, with small goals or nets. Change the lines every few minutes so every player plays with and against different people, and have an evaluator on each game. Play within your league's contact rules, which for many age groups means none. What to score: Small-area games: positioning, hockey sense and puck battles within the league's contact rules. Watch the players without the puck.
6. Goalie evaluation. Goaltenders on their own sheet, with a goalie coach or an evaluator watching only them. Check the gear fits first. Give every goaltender shots from the same places in the same order, then watch how they handle the shots after a goal and the puck behind the net. What to score: Goaltender: positioning and angles, rebound control, glove and blocker, movement and composure. Leave the skater columns blank.
7. Scrimmage. A scrimmage in shifts of about a minute, with lines balanced by color group and the shifts rotated so players meet different linemates and opponents. Contact only within your league's rules, and end the scrimmage if it turns reckless. Score on shifts, not on the score. What to score: Scrimmage: hockey sense, positioning and how a player works with a line. The score of the game is not a criterion.

The usual way to wreck a tryout is to run it with too few evaluators and ask each to watch everything. A workable plan, by turnout:

Two evaluators on every station is better than one, scoring independently, and impossible for most volunteer programs. If you can only double up on one thing, double up on the small-area games, where opinions differ the most.

A goaltender is a different job from every other position, and a tryout that scores one on skating alone will pick the wrong one.

• A sheet of their own. Positioning and angles, rebound control, glove and blocker, movement across the crease, puck handling and composure. Use the goaltender section in the builder.
• The same shots for everyone. The same shooters, the same spots, the same order. A goaltender who got the easy shooters has not been compared fairly.
• Check the gear first. Gear that does not fit is a safety risk and a bad score. Have a plan for a player who does not own any.
• Watch what happens after a goal. Composure is half the job, and the reaction to a goal says as much as the save before it.
• Count the goaltenders you need. Many teams carry two, and the rosters should be built with that in mind before the lines are set.

• Scoring size. The big player is often the oldest or the earliest to grow. Score the skating and the decisions, and check the birth date.
• Following the puck. An evaluator who watches the puck carrier scores one player in ten. Positioning and hockey sense show away from the puck.
• Scoring your own child. Or a rival's. A conflict of interest cannot be fixed by a scorecard, so have those players scored by someone else.
• Scoring hits. A hit is not a skill, and where contact is not allowed it is a penalty. Score puck battles on body position and the stick.
• Judging goaltenders on skating. They have their own sheet and their own criteria.
• Judging only the best shift. A tryout is one hour. Watch how a player handles a correction as closely as the highlight.
• Timing by different hands. A time is a number only if the same person started and stopped it the same way for everyone.
• Letting the shiny drill decide. A player who is quick through the cones but loses the puck in the scrimmage is a player who needs a second look.

This is the ice hockey version. The general tryouts & evaluation works for any sport, and the ice hockey forms and templates page lists the other 5 ice hockey documents.

Playbook Logix provides customizable templates for informational and administrative use. They are not legal advice and will not meet the requirements of every organization, sport or jurisdiction. Review anything you intend to rely on with your own attorney or your insurance carrier, and check your league and state requirements.