Notre Dame Hockey Try-Outs and Team Placement: IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Notre Dame offers 2 levels of female hockey:
U18 AA (Hockey Saskatchewan)
U18 AAA (Hockey Saskatchewan)
Notre Dame offers 8 levels of male hockey:
U15 AAA (CSSHL) U15 Prep (CSSHL)
U17 Prep & AAA (CSSHL – two teams)
U18 Prep (CSSHL)
U18 A (Hockey Regina)
U18 AA (Hockey Saskatchewan)
U18 AAA (Hockey Saskatchewan)
Junior A (Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League)
Please note: Notre Dame cannot guarantee that your son or daughter will be placed on a team.
Our hockey program is competitive and therefore students must play at a minimum AA level and be an experienced player in order to play full time on one of our teams. We will do our best to place all students, however given that safety is a top priority, we will not place students if we do not feel they play at the appropriate level and can assure their safety on the ice.
Team Placement/Try-Out Information:
Notre Dame conducts the main hockey try-out in September, starting on the first day of the school year. Each student – new and returning – will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their skill over the course of the try-out process and students will be placed on a team according to the merit demonstrated in the try-out. Our goal is to find appropriate team placements for our student athletes to ensure that students are challenged within our developmental model, while ensuring their safety and wellbeing. The try-out includes a series of inter-squad games, practice sessions and exhibition games. Notre Dame strives to deliver a responsible and thorough try-out process through an evaluation team who give careful consideration to the students’ demonstrated ability and character.
If we have an opportunity to thoroughly evaluate a player in advance of the fall try-out process, the Notre Dame Hockey Staff may commit a player to a team in advance or give an indication of the level we see potential players fitting in. This may happen in one of the following ways:
-Individual Campus Day Visit and on-ice session
-Participation in our spring camp program
-In Season evaluation by one of our hockey staff (limited availability)
Should you have questions regarding our try-out process or our hockey programs, we welcome you to contact the following people:
Wade Klippenstein, Director of Hockey Development: wade.klippenstein@notredame.ca
Jon Frape, Hockey Operations Manager: j.frape@notredame.ca
James McGuigan, Male Hockey Coordinator: j.mcguigan@notredame.ca
Sarah Hodges, Female Hockey Coordinator: s.hodges@notredame.ca
Goalies Please Note: Notre Dame cannot guarantee a team placement for every goalie.
Interest from goalies is typically very high and we often receive applications from more goalies than our program can accommodate. Our program can accommodate 2 goalies per team, with the possibility of one practice goalie per team (practice goalies do not play games, but have the opportunity to develop and practice with the team). Due to the high level of interest in our program, the competition for goaltending spots is highly competitive. Students should only register at Notre Dame if they feel confident that the school would be a good fit for them even if they were not placed on a team.
Female Goalies: Our female program can accommodate 4 goalies plus a practice goalie (two goalies per team). Our aim is to fill these spots prior to the start of the season, based on a pre-season evaluation. This evaluation can take place in one of three ways: a Campus Day Visit and on-ice session, at our spring camp, or if one of our coaches is able to see you play during the season. If you are interested in setting up an evaluation or participating in our spring camp, please contact Sarah Hodges at s.hodges@notredame.ca
U15 Male Goalies: Our U15male program can accommodate 4 goalies plus a practice goalie (two goalies per team). Our aim is to fill these spots prior to the start of the season, based on a pre-season evaluation. This evaluation can take place in one of three ways: a Campus Day Visit and on-ice session, at our spring camp, or if one of our coaches is able to see you play during the season. If you are interested in setting up an evaluation or participating in our spring camp, please contact James McGuigan at j.mcguigan@notredame.ca
U18 Male Goalies: Please note that the U18 goalie program does not limit our intake, and we do not base our team placement on the order in which applications are received: all registered students have equal opportunity to try out for a team during our fall try-out process. This program is often oversubscribed and it is possible that not all registered goalies will be placed on a team.
In order to make an informed decision regarding enrolment, we are happy to provide an evaluation during our spring camp or a campus day visit. This may help you to understand the student’s possible fit within our program, however, goalie team placement is not made until the try-outs are complete. If you are interested in learning more about our U18 goalie program, please contact Wade Klippenstein at wade.klippenstein@notredame.ca