Don't tell anyone BUT.... if you have not practiced with the team prior to tryouts and spoken to the coach, you might want to just send a check to all of them and then stay home. Your tryout fee is better characterized as a donation if they have not seen your child play. Even at this age the teams are picked prior to tryouts.

^^Completely true. Not as much fun to agree with someone on here but this is accurate. Email some EHF (and/or E9) coaches try and get your kid to some practices beforehand. Otherwise...unlikely to work out.

^^^^^^^^ 100% completely true.....looking at a team and the "Tryout fee" is more like thanks for your "Donation Fee" is like 80.00.

Not completely true at all. My kid played town throughout Mite level , took him to an EHF team for Squirts and he made the Elite team. No it wasn't Top Gun or the Bandits or Caps. So it honestly can happen.

Obviously there are exceptions, congratulations your kid is good. But let's stick to the other 95% or so! If you read the original response it says its "unlikely" to work out without laying some groundwork, not impossible. That's sound advice.

Do not listen to these nit wits. This is a common misconception perpetuated by parents who over evaluate thier kids talent and do not look at thier kids objectively.

You should be confident that your kid will make any team that he is trying out for. The key being proper self evaluation and placing him where he belongs. The parents claiming that he team is built are Tier 1 kids who did not make elite teams because they are Tier 1 kids.

Sure teams will stay together if the kids are good and the parents are good, but they will find a spot for your kid if he belongs. Of course they are not going to cut a kid an average that has been with the program for years for an average new kid.

But you should be trying to place your kid in a League/Division/Level/Team where he fits so that there will be no doubt that he will be selected, albeit part of this is doing your homework and touching base with the team prior helps as suggested.

But there are not too many kids with elite talent showing up at tryouts and being allowed to walk away... So its not that there was no space for your kid, more likely than not, you think he is better than he is or should be playing higher that he should !

The point is, the kids with elite talent don't show up to tryouts without already having been offered a spot. Nor should you, whatever level you are trying out for, or else you more than likely are making a donation.

Most Elite teams are 90% picked prior to tryouts but there is always room for the 1-2 Elite level kids that just show up, albeit mostly at the younger levels. Also most parents do not tell their current team if they are leaving until after the regular season/playoffs end so needs can change very quickly. Think about tryouts that have 30-50 kids for a total of approximately 26 spots on two teams. The program still needs to fill 13-14 spots on the second team. And yes properly evaluating your kid is important.

Let's be realistic. I believe (unless the team blows up) it will be hard just to show up at try outs. To unseat a current player your son has to be significantly better than a kid already on the team. And to unseat the kid your son only has a limited number of shifts. Given that tryout hockey is not really game hockey, it depends that you kid touches the puck and makes great decisions on these limited opportunities.
So even if the team is not picked, showing up being an unknown quantity makes it so much harder for the kid to succeed during tryouts.

Again, I'm referring to younger ages like mites. It definitely gets harder as they get older.

You're saying the exact same thing as all the posts you quoted, except in many many more words. Gee thanks!