FESTIVAL 2012 INFORMATION
FESTIVAL TERMS
To be able to understand what the Festival Tournament is all about, you will need to understand some of the basic terms:
NTDP
In 1996, USA Hockey launched a revolutionary new initiative called the National Team Development Program, based in Ann Arbor, Mich. In its 15th season of play in 2011-12, the goal of this full-time development program is to prepare student-athletes under the age of 18 for participation on U.S. National Teams and success in their future hockey careers. Its efforts focus not only on high-caliber participation on the ice, but creating well-rounded individuals off the ice.
The program is composed of two squads - the U.S. National Under-18 and Under-17 Teams. The Under-17 Team competes in the United States Hockey League and also participates in three international events annually. The U.S. National Under-18 Team’s schedule includes games against NCAA Division I and III opponents, contests vs. USHL teams, as well as competition in three international tournaments.
The Ann Arbor Ice Cube, a first-class facility consisting of three ice sheets, locker rooms, offices, a training area and weight room is home to the NTDP. Unlike other competitive athletic teams, the success of the NTDP is not gauged on wins and losses. Instead, the focus is on the development of skills and acquiring experience against older competitors.
“Playing for your country is one of the greatest things any athlete can do,” said NHL superstar Ryan Kesler. “The NTDP’s on- and off-ice programs built the foundation I needed to become the player I am today.”
NED
New England Hockey is the governing body of USA Hockey for the New England District including the states of Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.
Select Teams
Teams made of players selected by each state within the district. Select ages are based on the next season age of the player - not the current year.
Festival
Weekend determined by NED each year for games to be played for the Select teams. The Festival Location is rotated each year to a different state within the District.
2012 dates are Thursday, March 22 through Sunday, March 25 in the State of Vermont.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
The objective of USA Hockey’s Player Development Program is to select and train the most competitive men’s and women’s ice hockey teams to represent the United States at the Olympic, National, National Junior and Select levels of international competition.
The attainment of that goal begins each summer as USA Hockey hosts a series of Select Festivals and Player Development Camps for boys players ages 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 and girls players ages 14, 15, 16, and 17.
Nearly 1,300 athletes representing each of USA Hockey’s 11 Districts participate in the week-long Festivals and camps, which attract scouts and evaluators from every level of hockey.
Festival participants receive on- and off-ice training under the direction of leading USA Hockey coaches, along with current and former National Hockey League and Women’s National Team players. Participants are chosen through an evaluation process conducted at the local and District levels.
LOCAL AND DISTRICT EVALUATION PROCESS
Each state in the New England District conducts tryouts to send a representation to the New England Festivals. These 5 states include CT, ME, NH, RI, and VT. The final outcome is to send the 17 best players (15 skaters and 2 goalies) at each of the boys' age groups and 12/13 girl age group, with the 14/15 and 16/17 girl age groups fulfilling allotments from each state and determined by NE District Girls directors.
During the New England Festivals, the kids are there to showcase their talents.
- They are not there to win a tournament for their perspective state. There is NO championship game.
- Every team gets 4 games for the players to demonstrate their talents in playing the game of hockey.
- For the 16/17 year olds, 5 teams for each age group are created by mixing the 85 representatives, putting players from each state on different teams.
During the Festival weekend, a host state is responsible for coordinating and executing the event. One of the more critical parts for this weekend is the coordination of the festival evaluators. New England has put together some of the best evaluators; the evaluators come from Division 1 and Division 3 New England College and USA Hockey National Development Team coaches. The 17 best players from each age group are selected and sent to the National Festival weekend.
New England also provides a festival opportunity to the 12 and 13 year olds. Even though they do not move on to the National Festivals, New England provides an opportunity for these young skaters to experience the festivities. This helps take some of the novelty out of the experience if they make it in the latter years and they can focus on the task at hand, showing off their skills and playing hockey.
NEW ENGLANDS WORK IS NOT DONE
New England provides more player evaluation and player development after the National Festival selection process is complete. The New England District provides a 3-5 day camp for the Boys & Girls 13-17 year olds.
All these camps are conducted in late June to early August and vary by age group. These dates and locations will be announced during the Festival Weekend. These camps are based on yearly cost and normally range from $500 to $600 per year, again depending on age groups and length of camp.
This is to provide a setting that allows athletes to compete at their highest level. It is not a tournament, but rather a grueling week of training and competition meant to showcase our players. Winning is not the top priority. The top priority is that players experience a camp of development, on ice and off ice knowledge and outstanding competition with a range of coaches from New England's Prep Schools and Colleges.
They are invited by the New England Festival directors during the Festival Weekend. All players who attend the New England Festivals are eligible to attend the development camps. The camps are filled to capacity each year by using a first come, first served registration process. Early sign up and attendance is recommended.
NOTE – The Select Boys 17 NED Camp is now conducted during the Festival Weekend and will start Thursday night and end Sunday. There is no longer a Select 17 Boys Summer Camp.
SO WHAT ARE THE COST AND COMMITMENTS IF YOU ARE SELECTED
Payment Information
The tuition cost for the NH Festival Team will be $235.00.
If selected, there may be practices and scrimmages and you will be expected to attend.
16’s & 17’s, if selected, will be required to pay the Full Tuition cost for securing your spot on the Festival Team the day of the try-out.
Registration Information
Festival Tryout Pre-Registration Fee is $50.00.
Fill out the Registration Form and mail the Form and Registration Fee into the Divisional VP 5 business days, Prior to the Day of Tryouts.
Festival Tryout Walk-in Registration Fee is $100.00
A Person who did not fill out the Registration Form and mail the Form and Registration Fee into the Divisional VP 5 business days, Prior to the Day of Tryouts.
Note: All Walk-in Registrations will be placed in Session B, where there are multiple tryout sessions.
NED Yankee Conference Festival Weekend
- Normally the 4th weekend in March, rotated each year to a different state- 2012 is in Vermont-
- For this year’s event, the Select Boys 17 for the year 2012 in VT is a Camp format and will start on Thursday (last year’s cost was $350).
- In addition to the family’s cost is the Hotel expenses (Hotel location determined by the hosting state), food, and entry fee to the weekend tournament as well as miscellaneous items.
NED Summer Camp
- Dates will be available at Festival Weekend and during the players meetings
- Average cost is around $500 - available for Boys and Girls 13-17
