The Executive and Staff are hard at work preparing for the upcoming season and we have a long list of updates to share.
General updates/requests
2024/2025 Events
Bonds/Volunteering
Timekeepers
Fundraising and Team Sponsorship
OWHA teams
OMHA teams
Tryouts (and U9 Evaluations)
Ice allocation & feedback
Our membership continues to grow and will surpass 500 participants this season. It takes a lot of work by a large number of volunteers to deliver this programming. Respectful behaviour is expected from all players, coaches, parents, and family members at the rink, around the community, at other centres, and on social media – please keep this in mind and also discuss with your players.
This year marks the 75th Anniversary of Lucan Minor Hockey! Stay tuned for some special edition apparel.
General Updates/Requests
- Please return practice jerseys ASAP as we are starting to prep for tryouts/evaluations – email [email protected] to arrange a drop-off
- Coaching assignments have been posted to the website and updates will be added as coaches are announced. As more information is shared on the structure of our teams, additional applicants can inquire with [email protected]
- Information on full season skills development opportunities will be shared by early September which will run on weekday mornings. We will be offering some of our popular options along with a new program developed by our favourite local partners.
- We had an overwhelming response for the fall referee clinic with our spots being filled and a waiting list being maintained. We are exploring alternate options to get these new refs trained. If you’d like to be added to the waitlist please email [email protected]
2024/2025 Events
We have an exciting line-up of events planned for the upcoming season including:
- 2nd Annual U7 Draft Night- October 3/ 2024
- Photo Night- October 15 & 17th/ 2024
- LMH Wing Night- October 18/2024
- U7 Jamborees- January 2 & 3rd/ 2025. The two-day jamboree will allow us to host 32 teams and have centres split their teams across the two days so they don’t play their own teams.
- We also will be supporting the Lucan-Biddulph Santa Claus parade with a float – more details to come on this.
Bonds/Volunteering
As mentioned in our July update, we will be continuing with the bond model in order to ensure we have sufficient volunteers to run all of our programming and events. We did hear the concerns from our membership over the headache of submitting cheques so we will be changing that aspect starting this year. All parents/guardians are required to volunteer five hours per registered hockey player. If this requirement is not met then a payment of $250 will be required. A website form will be available starting in September to submit your volunteer hours or payment. We will have lots of opportunities to volunteer so please keep your eye on the website and these update emails.
Timekeepers
LMH is looking for timekeepers for the 2024-2025 season. We need responsible individuals to operate the timeclock and scorekeep Lucan home games. Duties include: Time clock operation, filling out both electronic and paper timesheets correctly, and uploading all games at the end to count for score. Even if you have prior experience, everyone will need to re-apply for the new season. Training will be provided for all successful applicants. Successful candidates will be contacted directly by the LMH Game Day Operations Coordinator. Please Note - Preference will be given to applicants in Grade 8 and above: however those in grade 7 may still apply and may be considered. Apply by August 15th at https://lucanminorhockey.net/Forms/3054/Time_Keeper_Application_24_25/
Fundraising and Team Sponsorship
LMH requires support from local businesses through either direct sponsorship and/or support for our numerous events. Recently we also introduced the ability for team level sponsorship which is aimed at allowing companies (related to the players) to provide financial support of aspects such as extra ice, development, and apparel. Information for corporate, event, and team sponsorship can be found on the website. More information on our exciting events will be shared as details are finalized. Please contact Ashlynn Carr at fundraising@lucanminorhockey.net for more information.
OWHA Teams
OWHA tryouts occurred in the spring and all teams have been set with the exception of U9 which will host evaluations in the fall in order to make a Tier 1 team and two balanced house league teams. We have two unique scenarios this year where we’ve partnered with local centres in order to offer combined teams at a higher level of play. Specifically we’ve partnered with South Huron for U15 Tier 2 and 3 teams and with Ilderton for U13 Tier 2 and 3 teams. Executive has approved team-funded non-standard jerseys in order to support a more inclusive team environment.
OMHA Teams
OMHA tryouts and evaluations (U7/U9) will occur starting after Labour Day in order to confirm teams prior to the start of the season in October. Our U7 division will feature six balanced teams and we will look to play other local centres of similar skill in the new year. U9 will once again operate a MD (aka representative) team along with three balanced house league teams. All U9 teams play half-ice games until January and then move to full ice. We will be combining U8 and U9 due to the programming offered by our leagues (Shamrock and LMLL). An important aspect of our programming is the ability to grow and develop our players, specifically in order to play representative hockey. We will be polling our parents for U11 and U13 in order to gain insights into support for once again running ‘Alternate Entry (AE)’ (aka second competitive team). If your player is in the U11 or U13 age group and you missed the email poll, please click U11 or U13 to fill out the survey for your player at these ages. A final decision will be made by early September which will determine if AE tryouts will be required. U11 will consist of 1Rep+1AE+2LL or 1Rep+3LL teams. U13 will consist of 1Rep+1AE+1LL or 1Rep+2LL teams. U15 will have 1 representative team along with 1 local league team. We’ve had to cap our U18 registrations and will be offering 1 representative team along with 1 local league team. In the event that we gain sufficient additional registrations to the waitlist we will then offer a second local league team. And last but not least, we will be hosting a U21 representative team again this year.
Tryouts (and Evaluations)
LMH has built a general information page on our website related to our tryout/evaluation processes. Overall the goal is to provide a fair and competitive assessment model which gives all athletes an opportunity to earn a spot on the competitive teams and also helps balance skill across teams at the same level (e.g. U7 teams, or multiple house league teams). We don’t have the final tryout/evaluation schedule for September yet, but it will be posted as soon as it is confirmed. The approach is similar to last year being that we will have four (4) development skates open to all players followed by multiple evaluation sessions with the intent to confirm most teams by September 22. It should be noted that all players wishing to tryout for U15 or U18 must attend a body contact clinic prior to tryouts - please email [email protected] by August 20th if your player needs this requirement as we are working with neighbouring centres to host.
If you have any specific questions please reach out to [email protected] and concerns can be raised to president@lucanminorhockey.net.
Evaluators
We still require additional volunteers to assist with the tryout/evaluation process. Please fill out the application HERE by August 15th if you wish to be an LMH Evaluator. Non-parent evaluators are greatly appreciated so please pass along to friends/co-workers.
Open position - Tryout Coordinator
The Tryout Coordinator is only responsible for ensuring the logistical aspects of tryouts are setup/prepared and has no involvement in the evaluation process. The individual will coordinate between all of the executive positions along with securing volunteers to operate the sign-in process at the door. Examples of responsibilities would be ensuring that the Web Admin updates the tryout information page, reaching out to the Ice Scheduler to ensure ice is booked along with refs and timekeepers, and communicating with the Director of Equipment to ensure they have set aside sufficient practice and game jerseys, etc. If interested please email [email protected]
Ice
Lucan Minor Hockey continues to navigate through limited ice availability. As reviewed at the AGM, LMH will ensure all teams have one practice per week and sufficient ice to meet home league game requirements. In some instances we are required to utilize the ice at Huron Park in order to meet the basic needs of the organization. Teams are permitted to pick-up additional ice and/or dry-land facilities on their own in order to meet their development needs. LMH also has access to a limited number of additional practice times that will be rotated between interested teams that want the extra ice and these ice times will be paid for by the team.
Recently the municipality published the DRAFT master plan for parks and recreation. Please take some time to read this document and provide ALL feedback via the survey by August 23. It is important that the municipality gets feedback as to the impacts of insufficient ice availability on young and adult recreational programming.
https://www.lucanbiddulph.on.ca/PRMP
See you at the rink soon!