How can the thoroughbreds get a fair chance?

[cluelessinminnesota]

If the Coaches in the MSHSL are running the National Development Camp try-outs next year how are they going to judge girls that leave their programs to join the Thoroughbreds?

[Thunderbird77]

How about adding an option for "None of the Above"?

[Thunderbird77]

How about adding an option for "None of the Above"?

[jumpstart]

By "run" the try-outs, do you mean select the talent? If so, It seems to me a whole can of worms is being opened by allowing MSHSL coaches to choose who is going to participate and continue on thru the process. If MN truly wants to get the best talent, I believe impartial evaluators are essential.

[finance_gal]

By Having coaches run the tryouts it just brings politics into the process more than it should be, if they are truly interested in the best talent moving on (which I don't think they are) they should send a Minnesota coaches panel to Massachusetts and bring a panel from there here. that is the only way you will get most of the politics out of it.

[hesabaddmann]

to play devils advocate,what if the out-of-staters do not try very hard to pick a talented group?

[Thunderbird77]

BaddMann has it right. You can poke holes in every option. Maybe the current system is the best after all. This would suggest a vote for Joan and her friends.

[Thunderbird77]

Delete

[Melvin44]

I believe the grading was done pretty good this year. Of course you'll always have girls that belong be left out. If you attended these phases you'd know that it is very hard to limit your picks to 16 or 17 as after a few no brainers I feel the next 25 could go any/either way.

Also remember. just because a kid scores a lot of goals for Iowa high (example) doesn't make her the best team player. I'm pretty sure at this level they're looking for who's working the hardest. Who can be coached, who sees the ice. Who play's a team game etc.

As far as the Thoroughbreds comment which I'm not sure if this was a slam post. I've seen them play and I was impressed. They're powerful skaters who can shoot and seem to know the game well.

Will I ever root for them over a high school team? Probably not

[puckfan11]

I believe the grading was done pretty good this year. Of course you'll always have girls that belong be left out. If you attended these phases you'd know that it is very hard to limit your picks to 16 or 17 as after a few no brainers I feel the next 25 could go any/either way.....

I also concur that the grading was done pretty well this year, knowing that there are players that were left out. For those that think the choosing of the talent is completely political. My daughter made NDP for the last three years. This year she wasn't chosen. Do I believe she should have made it? I wasn't at each of the sessions to determine that. Maybe she was in that group of 25 that could go either way. Maybe I ticked some one off that I wasn't aware of

In any case, I think some very talented players were chosen and left out of the mix. There was no legitimate reason for making a change to the tryout process (people).

[Melvin44]

Puckfan11,

I'm sure you didn't do anything to tick someone off. I can tell by your post you're one of the parents that looks at the whole picture before making judgements. Your daughter will make the next one!

I always tell my daughter when she hasn't made a team. She controls her destiny. If she wants something bad enough she has to try that much harder and sometimes it won't be enough. She's been fortunate so far that it has ony happened once.

I also tell her when she makes a team that she has to work even harder because there will always be a list of girls that want her spot and are working that much harder to get it.

Girls hockey has come so far in such a short time. So many talented players and so few spots.

[finance_gal]

Your right, girls hockey has come so far since it's inception and maybe Joan and her friends are the best way to pick a team. I'd just like to see High school coaches step back a little bit because they have so much influence on the athletic career of a kid anyway. it would probly be better if the kid were to get unbiased opinions from people that don't know them.

[puckfan11]

Your right, girls hockey has come so far since it's inception and maybe Joan and her friends are the best way to pick a team....

It should probably be made clear that it's not technically Joan and her friends that are picking the team, just making sure they have qualified evaluators. In the four years that my daughter had the opportunity to tryout, I saw different people evaluate each year. There may have been one or two of the same evaluators, however generally they were not the same people evaluating.

[Melvin44]

I agree 100% finance gal. How can a High school coach not pick his or her own player if given the chance? I also think a few coaches might hold grudges against players their teams play during the year? What coach would subject himself to the many criticisms he would receive?? I do like ghshockeyfan and I feel he is person with great admiration for the girl's game. He would be fair and I would value his input. A combination of ghshockeyfan and the current group would do as good job as any.

There is no perfect solution. Someone will always feel slighted. We as parents just have to help our kids understand when things don't go their way.

[Hux]

I agree that the high school coaches shouldn't be picking players, as there is way too much of the "well she may not skate very well, but I know she is a heck of a player so I will pick her anyway" mentality. In Minnesota, like New England, there are enough college coaches, at both the D1 and DIII level, to assemble a panel that will be about as impartial as you would hope to have.

[HockeyFan55]

I may be wrong, but with the exception of Winny, weren't the evaluators D3 coaches. I realize that the HS coaches on the bench probably had some input, but they didn't have the final say.

If they proceed with this NEW process, isn't it taking a step backwards?

BUT, more kids, more money, more stipends! YEAH, MN Hockey!

[girlshockey]

The evaluation staff was predominately D3 coaches in the past or individuals involved with USA Hockey/Minnesota Hockey coaching programs. In addition, USA Hockey has asked that past or present National Team players participate where available. D1 coaches cannot evaluate because of NCAA compliance issues. I hope that whoever is in charge of the NDP process next year will continue to use the D3 coaching staff for their evaluators. The high school coaches should not make the final choices because of their conflict of interest. The cost of the NDP tryout process will be more expensive for the girls next year in order to pay the stipends of the individuals involved in the process. They wanted it to mirror the boys side of the program which has charged the higher fees and paid their staff for years. If you have questions on how this process if going to be held, contact Mike MacMillan or Barry Ford from Minnesota Hockey. Their contact information is listed on the Minnesota Hockey web site at www.minnesotahockey.org.

[ghshockeyfan]

I've heard that NDP may be outsourced to an independent entity? Was anyone at recent meetings to provide more detail?

[girlshockey]

I don't know how it could be outsourced. It is a required function of Minnesota Hockey to hold the tryouts for USA Hockey's development camps at all levels, boys and girls. Minnesota Hockey will control and run the event. If you want accurate information, contact Barry Ford. All meetings of the Hockey Operations Committee are required to be open to anyone interested. They are a non-profit organization and should be publicizing the dates of their meetings.

[xwildfan]

I think it would be interesting if someone "in the know" explained how the NDP was wrestled away from Joan and given to the HS coaches (or more accurately to one HS coach) to run. Personally, I think Joan has been great for girls hockey; does not have an axe to grind; should be allowed to run the try-outs.

Also, why would the HS coaches want to run the try-outs? If the coaches are in any way involved in evaluating the players, the whole process will lose credibility. There is no way a HS coach could be unbiased.