Good morning,

U9 Coaching Applications are now OPEN! We are seeking both Head Coach and Assistant Coach applications for U9. The deadline for submissions is August 30, 2023.

As a reminder - Head Coach Applications for U11 and older have been open for several weeks, and will be closing at the end of August as well. Thank you to all applicants who have expressed their interest in Head Coaching so far. Applications must be submitted through the form to be considered for Head Coaching positions this season.

Thank you

Good morning Sackville Flyers Members & Families:

Registration for the 2023-24 Season is opening this morning at 11:00am!

See the Registration Page on our website for a link to register, and complete details.

We have two Items to highlight prior to Registration:

1. Birth Certificate and Address Validations
2. U13 Competitive Tryouts

Birth Certificate and Address Validations

SMHA uses the Hockey Canada Registration (HCR) system for our Registrations, and we have now had our Pre-Season Camps and Clinics open for two weeks.

We received lots of feedback about issues families had when using a smartphone to register their player(s) on the HCR platform. Some users were being prompted to upload Birth Certificate and Address Validations even when the player already had that information on file. We opened HCR Helpdesk tickets and sought support from Hockey Canada, but they are unable to disable it... They say folks can simply skip the validation and proceed with registration.

If this happens to you when you're registering your players - TRY THIS:

• Tap to open the little red "Chat" bubble in the corner of your smartphone screen to open a Chat Window...
• Then, Close the Chat Window.
• Finally, after closing the Chat Window, you may be able to successfully skip that Birth Certificate & Address Validation step.

Some users found it easiest to use a desktop/laptop browser instead. If this Birth Certificate and Address Validation is an issue for you today, rest assured that as long as you register by the August 31st Registration Deadline, there will be room for your player this season; There is no rush to complete it today.   

U13 Competitive Tryouts

Similar to last year, there is an earlier Tryout Phase for the U13 AAA Team. As explained on the Registration Page on our website, families U13-aged players will see THREE Registration options. If your U13 Player wants to participate in U13 AAA Tryouts, please make sure you select the AAA Tryouts option.  

• Recreation: $750 (+$50 Late Fee as of Sept 1)
• Registration + Competitive Tryouts for AA, A, B: $875
• Registration + Comp Tryouts + U13 AAA Tryouts (Starting Sept 15): $1000 (Firm Deadline: Aug 31)
  • NOTE: U13 AAA Tryout Fee covers an additional 5 hours of ice time for a specific U13 AAA Tryout.
  • Players placed on the U13 AAA team do not need to complete the U13 AA/A/B Competitive Tryouts, and therefore the standard Competitive Tryout Fee of $125 will be credited toward their Team Fees.
    
  • Players released from U13 AAA Try Outs in September do continue to participate in the U13 AA/A/B Competitive Tryouts. As such, no fees are credited to these players. The exact timing on tryouts for U13 AA, U13 A and U13 B is TBA.

1. SMHA Checking Clinic will be held Tuesday, September 5th. Defence Clinics for U11 and U13 and Preseason Camps for U9 and up will all be conducted in between September 11-22.
   
   
2. U13AAA Tryouts will start for Goaltenders on Friday, September 15th, and Players on Saturday, September 16th.
   
   
3. Competitive Tryouts for U11 and the remaining U13 competitive teams will start Friday, September 22nd for Goaltenders and Saturday, September 23rd for Players.
   
   
4. Competitive U15 and U18 Tryouts will tentatively start Tuesday September 26th for Goaltenders and Saturday, September 30th for Players
   Please note that tryouts will continue through Thanksgiving, as CMHL League Play begins October 14th, 2023. 
   
   
5. Recreation Evaluations will begin over Thanksgiving weekend, Saturday October 7th - Monday October 9th.
6. SMHA 20-Week Season Schedule is below:
   
   *** Provincial Playdowns will be between February 1st and March 8th, 2024 ***
   
   
   
   
7. SMHA Tournaments (SMHA Teams are Expected to Participate)
   1. Fall Face-Off (October 13-15)
   2. Holiday U9 Jamboree (Dec 26-29)
   3. SMHA Memorial Tournament (Jan 2-5)
   4. March Meltdown Tournament (March 9-12)
      
      
8. Jordan Boyd Tournament - This year, the Jordan Boyd Tournament is for U13 AAA / AA and U11 AA / A. It is scheduled for October 13th-15th
   
   
9. U18B - Halifax and SMHA are trying to get this going again, I cant make any promises but we will try to make this a reality.

Good morning,

As folks are aware, Registration is meant to open at 11:00am this morning. 

Some of our volunteers responsible for this are dealing with flooding, and unfortunately we don't have *all* registration ready to open at this time.

This morning it will just be the Pre-Season Camps & Clinics opening for Registration at 11:00am.

Stay tuned for an updated date when Regular Season Registration will open up  - hopefully sometime in the coming few days.

Visit the Registration page for more detailed info about 50/50 Credits, etc.

Online Registration: Click Here

• Pre-Season Camps: $150
  • Limited Spots Available
  • 6 Hours of Ice Time
    • Younger Divisions are 6 x 1hr sessions
    • Older Divisions are 4 x 1.5hr sessions
  • Date Range: Sept 11th - Sept 22nd - Exact Schedule TBA
  • U9 - Capacity 72 - There will be a waitlist if needed.
  • U11 - Capacity 72 - There will be a waitlist if needed. 
  • U13 - Capacity 72 - There will be a waitlist if needed. 
  • U15 - Capacity 48 - There will be a waitlist if needed. 
  • U18 - Capacity 48 - There will be a waitlist if needed. 
    
    
• Defence Clinic: $50 (2 x 1hr Sessions) 
  • Limited Spots Available
  • Date Range: Sept 11th - Sept 22nd - Exact Schedule TBA
  • U11 Clinic - Capacity 24 - There will be a waitlist if needed.
  • U13 Clinic - Capacity 24 - There will be a waitlist if needed.
    
    
• SMHA Checking Clinic: $50 (1 x 3hr Session)
  
  • Date: Tuesday, September 5, 2023
  • Completion of a Checking Clinic is mandatory prior tryouts for U15 A, U15 AA, U18 A, or U18 AA teams.
  • The clinic is open to any new or returning U15/U18 players
     
• Try Goaltending Clinics
  • Cost: Free!
  • This is not yet set up in the HCR Registration System
    • Check back via the same link in the coming days if your player might be interested in giving Goaltending a try
    • We will post another news article & email when this is ready.

In the next 24-48 hours more information will be posted on the SMHA Registration Page in regards to:

• Pre-season Camps
• Pre-Season Clinics (Defence, Checking)
• Competitive Tryouts
• Registration 

Registration for all of the above will open Saturday, July 22 at 11:00 am.  Pre-season camps and clinics will have limited space so please plan to register asap so you don't miss out.

Coaching Applications

Reminder that all coaching applications for Head Coaches for Competitive and Recreational teams (U11 and Up) closes on July 31at at 11:59 pm.  Please see this news article for more information.  If you are considering head coaching at all please complete the form.

We would like to congratulate and welcome both Ryan Brewer (Interim VP U9, VPU9@FlyersHockey.ca) and Matt Brown (Interim VP U7, VPU7@FlyersHockey.ca) to our Executive team.  Thanks to all those who had reached out and expressed their willingness and desire to volunteer for these positions.

We would also like to thank Craig Foley (outgoing VP U9) and Rob Nurnber (outgoing VP U7) for all of their hard work and contributions and look forward to working with them in their new Executive positions.

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With our 2023-2024 SMHA Executive now in place, we are putting a call out for interest in our SMHA Board of Director positions. The Board oversees the day-to-day operations of the Association. It consists of the Executive plus the named Director positions listed below. The Director positions are one-year appointments, and are made or renewed every season. Selections are based on interviews and a vote among the SMHA Executive. It is in the spirit of the 2022 By-Laws to post all Director positions, and welcome expressions of interest from both new and returning Board of Director candidates.  

Directors must be in good standing with SMHA, and must have one year of volunteer experience with either SMHA or another Minor Hockey association. Please see our updated bylaws (Article VII- 42 M-V ) for descriptions of each position.

Please email Melissa Berkvens at secretary@flyershockey.ca to express your interest in any of the positions listed below. Please include a short message confirming that you meet the requirements, and why you think you would be suitable for the role.

Submission Deadline: 11:50pm, Monday, July 17th, 2023

• Director of Policy (New Position for 2023-2024 Season)
• Director of Finance (Preferably has a professional accounting certification)
• Director of Registration
• Director of Equipment
• Director of Communication
• Referee-in-Chief 
• Central Minor Hockey League (CMHL) Delegate
• Metro Minor Hockey League (MMHL) Delegate
• Director of Tournaments
• Safety Coordinator

In addition, we are seeking Expressions of Interest for 2023-2024 Division Coordinators and a Website Administrator.

The Division Coordinators support communications between the Executive, Coaching/Bench staff, and SMHA Players/Families. The Division Coordinators report to their respective Vice President (VP Competitive, VP Recreation,  VP U9, or VP U7) and assist in all operational functions related to their division, fostering a positive hockey experience for all SMHA players and families.

The Website Administrator will be a support role, and should be someone with some experience or comfort navigating website platforms and spreadsheets, and be someone with some free time especially early in the season when teams are populated into our GrayJay website platform.

As with the Board of Director positions, please email Melissa Berkvens at secretary@flyershockey.ca to express your interest. Please include a short message confirming that you meet the requirements, and why you think you would be suitable for the role.

Submission Deadline: 11:50pm, Monday, July 17th, 2023

• U5/U7 Division Coordinator
• U9 Division Coordinator
• U11 Recreation Division Coordinator
• U11 Competitive Division Coordinator
• U13 Recreation Division Coordinator
• U13 Competitive Division Coordinator
• U15 Recreation Division Coordinator
• U15 Competitive Division Coordinator
• U18 Recreation Division Coordinator
• U18 Competitive Division Coordinator
• Website Administrator