U18, AA (Barrie Minor Hockey)

Welcome to the Barrie Colts U18 ‘AA’ Tryouts

2025/2026 Season

Dear Players and Parents,

Welcome to this year’s Barrie Colts U18 ‘AA’ tryouts. I want to take a moment to thank each of you for your interest, commitment, and passion for the game. Whether you're returning to the Colts organization or joining us for the first time, we’re excited to begin this journey with you.

These tryouts are not only a chance to showcase your hockey abilities, but also an opportunity to demonstrate your character, your coachability, and your readiness to be a part of a highly competitive and supportive team environment. We’re looking for self-motivated, team-first players who bring a positive attitude to the rink every day and are willing to work hard in pursuit of both personal and team success.

For the 2025–2026 season, BMHA has approved extended rosters for the U18 division, meaning there could be up to 19 roster spots available: 17 for skaters and 2 for goaltenders. All players will be given equal opportunity and will be evaluated fairly throughout the process.

Tryout Format: This year's tryouts will be conducted in a format modeled similar to Junior Hockey style camp which entails:

·        All sessions will consist of full games with referees

·        There will be no skills or drills — evaluations will be based entirely on gameplay, effort level, and competitiveness.

·        THERE IS NO BODY CONTACT DURING TRYOUTS

·        Open-ice hits and fighting are strictly prohibited during tryouts

We believe this format allows for a more accurate assessment of players at this level and age group, focusing on real-game awareness, decision-making, and overall performance under pressure.

Please also note:

·        The U18 division combines players born in 2008 and 2009

·        The division operates with open borders, meaning out-of-town players do not require a Permission to Skate form to attend tryouts

As such, the level of competition will be high, and we anticipate that this will be one of the most competitive tryouts to date. We appreciate your understanding and respect for the process, and we know that each player will bring their best effort to the ice.

I encourage everyone to review the tryout resources posted on the Barrie Minor Hockey Association (BMHA) website, which include important information about expectations, conduct, and selection criteria.

All players will have the opportunity to demonstrate their skills in the first two tryout sessions before redirections are made.

The players will be evaluated by myself, as well as third party evaluators.  During the tryouts, players will be evaluated on the following:

1.      Existing Hockey skills and knowledge (skills and game awareness)

2.      Work ethic / Competitiveness/ Focus on task

3.      Attitude and Behaviour / Ability to follow instructions / Coachability

Evaluators will be doing individual assessments during each ice time and will NOT discuss any results with anyone outside of these individuals. 

PLEASE READ – BMHA TRYOUT PROCEDURES

After each tryout, players will either receive an offer of Commitment email from the coach with a private link to the team registration or a release email generated by the website by 1030am the following day - Please note there will be NO RELEASES until after the Friday night (tryout #2) which will be generated by the website by 10:30am Saturday morning.

If your player receives a release email, their IPC number will no longer appear on the team webpage. They will automatically be added to the next eligible team tryout and their code will remain the same.

Private Registration Link: If your player is offered a spot on one of our BMHA Rep teams after a tryout, you'll receive a private registration link from the Coach.

Registration as Acceptance: Completing the registration process means you are accepting the offer of commitment. You have until 12:00PM (noon) the next day to Register and pay the required deposit. To register and pay deposit use the pay with installments option. To register and pay in full please use the pay in full option

Once You Accept an Offer: After you accept a team offer, OMHA will not permit you to accept an offer from another team for the same season. Exception for U18 Players: The only exception to this rule is for U18 players who are accepting an offer from an AAA or Junior team, these players will be granted a release.

Do Not Share the Link: The registration link is for your use only, for this team only.

**Selected players will receive a commitment offer by email. Those not selected will get a redirect email by 10:30am the next morning. If you don't receive either, please attend the next tryout.**

Rep. Level Commitment.

Being part of a competitive team takes commitment.  Players selected to be a part of this team can expect to be at the rink 3-5 sessions per week on average.  Practices, games, and team events are not considered voluntary.  The foundation of a strong, competitive team relies on everyone fully committing to a program built with the team’s best interests at heart and embracing a true “buy-in” mentality from day one.  Players are expected to be at the rink on time, and ready to play.

Tournaments:

Tournaments are to be determined. There will be no USA travel for 2025-2026 season.

Fees:  There will be a standard BMHA registration fee of $2025.00, which can be paid in installments as per BMHA policies.

Every player will be responsible for a BUYOUT and/or SELF-LED Fundraising on top of the standard registration fee.  BMHA only allows a maximum buyout amount of $1000.00 per player, anything above this must be fundraised.  Families will have the opportunity to buyout for $1000.00 and then raise additional funds through self-led fundraising efforts, or families can choose to fundraise the entire amount within the time frame allotted. 

Buyouts and funds raised through self-led fundraising efforts will be allocated towards team development, tournaments x 4 (NO USA TRAVEL), team apparel, etc.

We are looking forward to an exciting, competitive, and rewarding experience ahead.

Best of luck to all players!