ATTACHMENT 4 – CGAA HOCKEY DIVISION RULES AND REGULATIONS – PLAYER MOVE UP

To all parents, it is important to remember that a player, who seems to have the skill to be superior at his current level, often will not have mastered the skills to stay competitive at a higher level. Additionally, physical skill is not the only barometer on which the player’s development must be measured.  It is equally important that a player’s mental development and maturity are weighed in consideration of whether a player has fully developed in their current level. 

The intent of our program is to let players develop to their highest potential in their current level. However, if a player demonstrates exceptional skill and the mental maturity necessary to skate at the next level, a player can be considered for a move. Each request will be considered on a case-by-case basis according to the principals and procedures below.

CGHA adheres to MN Hockey Rules for placing players within their age appropriate level. The MN Hockey Rules also allow a move up for players who desire to skate with those in their own school grade.

For Petitions Based on Age/Grade:

The parent(s) or legal guardians of the player must petition the Level Director(s) of the level the player wishes to move from and the Level Director(s) the player wishes to move to for the change, in writing, prior to June 30th of that calendar year.

The petition will then be addressed by the Board of Directors (BOD) at the July BOD meeting.

If the petition is granted by the BOD to allow the “move-up”, the following conditions apply:

1. This player must complete the normal tryout process for that level and participate on the team as designated following evaluations.
2. This player must participate in the full season at the level that the player went through tryouts.
3. The player may choose to participate in future seasons at the “moved up” level or may choose to drop back to their designated level based on age. Notification must be given to the BOD prior to June 30th of future seasons if the player intends to drop back to the appropriate age level.
4. The player must petition the appropriate Level Director(s) if they wish to move up again when the grade moves up.  This is not a permanent move up.  For example, if a player is granted a move up waiver for the Peewee level and then wishes to continue playing with the group at the Bantam level, the player must petition the Peewee and Bantam Level Directors in order to stay with their grade level.

All players shall play in their age group as defined by MN Hockey rules except when permission has been granted by the BOD to allow a player to play ahead of his/her age group.

For Petitions Based on Skill:

There will be no move ups for mites/8U based on skill.

For Squirt/10U or Peewee/12U aged players who wish to “move-up” for the reason of skill, and not due to birth date, the parent(s) or legal guardians of the player must petition the Level Director(s) of the level the player wishes to move from and the Level Director(s) the player wishes to move to for the change, in writing, prior to May 30th of that calendar year.

The petition will then be relayed to the HC. The HC will review the petition and make a recommendation to the BOD no later than the August BOD meeting. Criteria for allowing a player to “move-up” will be based on the evaluation of the player’s skill and ability to contribute to the older team and the player’s emotional and physical maturity level compared to the older team.  This policy is intended to allow consideration by the HC and the BOD in the rare instance that it is in the best interest of an exceptional player to move up and play with others of the same caliber.

If the petition is granted by the HC and BOD to allow the “move-up”, the following conditions apply;

1. The player will tryout at the upper level
2. The player will be placed on the top level team provided that they are rated in the top three (3) of all players at the level. If a Goalie, must be the top rated Goalie at that level.
3. If the player is not one of the top three rated players, they will be asked to move back down to their age appropriate level. (Example – If a squirt is allowed to try out for the peewee level and does not qualify in the top 3 after tryouts, they will be asked to return to the squirt level).

Administrative Move Ups

The BOD may move a player or players up based on numbers on an as-needed basis.  Players moved up for numbers will fill in at the lowest level of the older division (Example; moving up a few U8 players to make a full roster at the U10B level.)