TRY-OUT SEASON: PLAYER EDITION

The end to the 2025/26 season is right around the corner, and with it comes the crazy, exciting time known as TRY-OUT Season!

There are a ton of questions that need to be answered: What teams should you try out for? How should you approach different coaches? Should you stay Howe 1 or go up to Yzerman? The good news is that the answer to all these questions is a simple one for you, the player, leave it up to your parents.

What should you worry about? The easy, essential things that you, and only you, can control: your work ethic, attitude, attention span, and playing your game. It may sound like a cliché answer, but it rings true all the same; control what you can, and don’t worry about what you cannot.

Obviously, you should want to work hard year-round, but try-outs are a time to make sure your work ethic is on full display. Instead of looking at hard laps or mountain climbers as punishment, look at them as an opportunity to show the coach how hard you are willing and able to push yourself. Make everything a competition, and it will play to your advantage when it comes time for small-area games/scrimmages. Coaches will notice a player giving extra effort during the “boring” portion of the skate, so when someone else is coasting to save energy, empty your tank and outwork them.

Be positive and make sure that you are showing off good body language. If you make a mistake, don’t shake your head or slam your stick; keep your head up and move on to the next play. Mistakes will happen to everyone; recovering from those mistakes is what separates players from each other. Remember, these coaches won’t know you the same way your previous coach does. Body language may be interpreted in a different way, so keep everything positive. Also, it’s a good final touch to shake the coach’s hand after the skate and say thank you for the opportunity.

Pay attention to directions and focus while the coach is drawing up drills or games. Try to be willing to lead and go first during drills! It might seem like a tiny detail, but players that are new to the team and eager to start drills will put coaches on notice. If there is something that you don’t fully understand, don’t be afraid to ask questions.

To put it simply, PLAY YOUR GAME! If you are a grinder, go out and grind; if you score goals, then score goals; and if you do a little bit of everything, then go and do a little bit of everything. If you spend too much time guessing what you think the coach wants, then you won’t be spending enough time doing what you do best.

Hopefully, these pointers will help you during the next few weeks and help to build good habits that you can take moving forward. Don’t measure your success during try-outs based solely on the team that you end up joining; keep in mind the effort that you put in and make sure you’re proud of that.

Good luck!

Colin Ronayne