Mon 28 April - 8:45pm - Evaluations – on ice testing & skills – Sportsworld
Wed 30 April - 7:45pm - Intrasquad – Sportsworld – All Skaters and Goalies
Thurs 1 May - 9:00pm - Tryout Home Exhibition – Activa vs. Waterloo – By Invitation
Fri 2 May 7:45pm Tryout Home Exhibition – Sportsworld vs. Woolwich – By Invitation
Sat 3 May 12:30pm Tryout Away Exhibition – Waterloo Memorial Rec. – By Invitation
Sun 4 May 4:30pm Tryout Home Exhibition – Sportsworld vs. Guelph – By Invitation
Thank you for inquiring about the Kitchener Lady Ranger U18 “A” tryouts. Our tryout dates and times have now been set. To ensure that you will get the most out of this hockey season, I wanted to provide you with a brief outline of what to expect your commitment to be for the 2025 – 2026 season. We are a full “non-parent” coaching staff including a goalie coach. With several players “aging out” and several more moving to “AA” hockey, we are looking to fill several vacancies.
If you have not already done so and are interested in attending tryouts, the coaching staff would appreciate a short hockey bio / expression of interest emailed to [email protected].
Tryout Evaluations
Over the course of these tryouts, you will be evaluated by as many as ten independent evaluators with no daughters playing / trying out for the team. I promise you as fair and impartial look as any you have received in the past.
Games and Practices
Although not finalized at this time, the U18A “Loop” last season included Cambridge, Grand River, Guelph, Saugeen, Woolwich, and Waterloo. Home games are tentatively Saturday afternoon. Practices will be weekly every Wednesday for 1.5 hours and every Friday for 1 hour.
Tournaments
We will be playing in five tournaments this season. Our goal will be to attend Tournaments that will offer the opportunity to “showcase” our TEAM’s skill and ability. We are looking at:
1. September – Niagara / Oakville
2. October – Windsor - Hoctoberfest
3. November – Barrie / Kanata
4. February – London Annual
5. Brampton - when qualify for Provincials.
Off Ice Training / On Ice Testing
Off Ice Training - KMHA is pleased to announce our new partnership with the University of Waterloo Varsity Strength and Conditioning Program. This partnership will see a formalized fitness and workout regiment introduced for all athletes. The Warriors High-Performance Unit is a team of strength and conditioning practitioners who work within the University of Waterloo Department of Athletics and Recreation to deliver the highest quality coaching and programming services to varsity athletes and community partners. With their staff having extensive experience with hockey players (and all other varsity athletes) of all ages and performance levels, the content and directives provided will be appropriate both in terms of short-term experience and long-term athlete development. Workouts will begin in June and consist of a mix of in-gym and at home activities off season and in season to provide growth and support at the correct time. Players will be provided with an app they will use to follow and track their workouts and results and provide them with feedback. All players will participate in 3 annual testing combines (beginning in May) with the results supported by the University of Waterloo Analytics department. All players will receive an electronic report card they can take with them to establish baselines in the next season. Parents will also have access to results for their daughters. Overall strength, conditioning and flexibility will help us win those on-ice battles and help reduce injuries.
On ice testing will be conducted post May tryout, September pre-season, and December / January to evaluate player (and team) speed and agility development. The ladies will be provided with a chart of their times in both speed and agility compared against the overall team average. Improvement from the beginning of season to end of season will be the goal.
Social
U18 hockey is very demanding for the ladies on several fronts including school, work, other sport and family obligations. We will have an early season team building and a mid-season social gathering for the ladies. Healthy Team Lunches / Dinners will also be built into Tournaments and weekend games away.
Nutrition - Proper nutrition “Off Ice” WILL help you “On Ice.”
A nutrition component will be built into season including pre and post game nutrition, hydration and sport specific nutrition essentials including Food as Fuel for Optimal Performance, Water and Hydration, Nutrition Overview and Food Shifting, Carbohydrates, Fiber, Protein, Fats, Game Time Nutrition, Fast Foods, Eating for Tournaments and Supplements.
A nutrition package will be provided to you in May to assist in your nutritional development. A team cooler will be provided for all games and tournaments to help support players’ nutrition.
Coaching Staff Expectations
To ensure there is no misunderstanding regarding the coming season, the coaching staff want you to understand and be committed to the following BEFORE attending our tryouts.
1 - ALL the ladies will be offered the opportunity to grow and develop as one piece of our seventeen/eighteen-piece team puzzle. Respecting how you see your daughter, NO ONE is the sole piece to our puzzle. Hockey remains a team sport.
2 - Our systems of play REQUIRE everyone to understand all five on ice positions and responsibilities. You will need to be versatile. Systems play results in forwards playing defense and defense playing forward during shifts / periods / games throughout the season.
A technical package will be provided to you in May to assist in the understanding of our systems of play.
3 – The coaching staff will use everyone’s skills for the balance and benefit of the team.
4 – Our team goal is to grow and develop throughout the season to place us in the best position for playoffs and play downs.
5 – We are currently utilizing Pixollot and Vidswap to provide quality game video analysis that allows for both team and individual player clips, to assist in team and player development. This requires 15 to 20 minutes of weekly review by all players.
6 –
Our goal is player development on ice and personal development off ice. We work closely with our U18 AA and U22A teams and will push those players interested in playing AA to practices and games, when possible, throughout the season. Our individual player goal is to move those who wish to play AA hockey next season to a AA team within or outside of KMHA, as we did this past season. Believing that those with sports backgrounds will do better professionally, we will look to continue to develop the players’ leadership skills, organizational skills and time management skills as they adapt to the U18A demands and work to achieve their own season goals.
7 – New this season we will be going to a formalized pre-game warm up “kit” that must be purchased by all players. This kit will include long shorts, short and long-sleeved warm-up tops and a hoodie. Our sponsorship will continue to provide you with our formal come-to-rink jacket and golf shirt.
We understand that tryouts are stressful for all involved. The decision to release players is a “business” decision made by the coaching staff for “team” purposes and is not meant to be taken personally by any individual player.
Player Signings
Within twenty-four hours of an offer for a position on the 2025 – 2026 Kitchener Lady Rangers U18 “A” team, we will require a $500.00 non-refundable cash deposit to confirm your acceptance which will be applied towards your 2025 – 2026 KMHA representative fee.
If you have any additional questions about our tryouts or season, please reach out!