Hello 2020/2021 U18 (previously Midget) Families,

Our President Andrew Smyth stated in his association wide communication on April 26 that even though we are living in a time of uncertainty the Avalanche Board is moving forward with our planning for the 2020-2021 season.

This email has important information specific to our NSFIHA Under 18 (U18) Program for the 2020/2021 season.  Hockey Canada renamed the Midget division to U18 beginning this season.

We expect to have sufficient returning players to field 3 U18 teams and possibly a 4th U18 team next season.  Based on last years NSFIHA registration numbers, we have a possible 56 skaters and 4 goalies returning in the U18 age group.   At this point we are unsure how many of these possible returning players will in fact register.  We may only have the registered numbers to field 3 extra large U18 teams.  Ideally, we hope to have the numbers to field 4 reasonable sized U18 teams.   We would need a minimum of 58 skaters and 4 goalies to register in order to move to 4 teams.  We have learned from past experience that carrying very small sized U18 teams is not feasible as our players at this level often have other important commitments that include school/graduation and jobs that greatly impacts attendance.

As registration number are currently unknown, we will have to cap registration for the time being for the U18 division assuming 3 U18 teams.  After the cap has been reached players will be required to email our registrar Carla Parton at registrar@northshoregirlshockey.com to be placed on a waitlist.  We will then hope our waitlist reaches the numbers required to add the 4th team.

Registration opens this Friday May 1st and we urge you to REGISTER EARLY as we anticipate the cap for 3 teams will quickly be reached.   The date of registration is the main factor in ensuring team placement.  That is, a player who registers on May 1 will have priority over a player who registers on May 2.  Players on the waitlist will be given priority based on the date and time of their email to the registrar.  Ultimately, our goal is to place every player that wants to play hockey on a team.  However, we may face a situation, as we have in the past, where a returning player can not be placed on a team as the division capacity was reached and the numbers could not be achieved to add an additional team.

We will have to wait and see how registration numbers unfold in the coming months to determine if we can if fact move to 4 teams.   If we do get the numbers for 4 teams,  and player interest and skill levels warrant, the Board is looking at forming 2 U18 A teams.  All 4 U18 teams would still very likely be tiered.  If the A division has only 1 tier of league play, this could lead to the scenario of our 2 tiered U18 A teams playing against one another.  Even with this in mind,  2 A teams may still be the preferred option as we expect to have a very large number of A level keen and capable players register in this age group and we want ensure these players have the opportunity to play in the tier that best aligns with their hockey goals and playing ability.  In addition, tiering the A teams still allows us to put the strongest possible team forward to hopefully contend for a BC Championship gold medal.

Again we urge you to register as soon as possible starting at 6am on May 1.  Please remember that there is an option to complete your registration with only paying $50 now.   If you do have any concerns at all with registering at this time please contact our registrar Carla by email registrar@northshoregirlshockey.com after 6am on the May 1 so we can note your interest and possibly hold your spot while we work together on finding a solution in these challenging times.

If you know any U18 players who did not play with NSFIHA last season and are hoping to play with NSFIHA this season please advise them to reach out to registrar (registrar@northshoregirlshockey.com) as soon as possible for placement on a waitlist.  Please note returning players will be given priority over players new to NSFIHA until May 31.

Thank you,

Shannon Brossard
U18 Coordinator
shannon.brossard@gmail.com

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