New Jersey Youth Hockey League Annual Presidents Meeting

Transcription

1 New Jersey Youth Hockey League Annual Presidents Meeting Date time 1/9/2016 9:20 AM Meeting called to order by Frank McGady Meeting Adjourned at 12:15 pm Respectfully Submitted by Maureen Thompson-Siegel, NJYHL Secretary In Attendance NJYHL Officers Present: Al DiMauro, Bill Fox, Ryan Gibbons, Frank McGady, Charlie McLaughlin, Maureen Thompson-Siegel, Lori Tomasello AAHA Officers/Appointees Present: Glenn Hefferan, AAHA President, Tony Montagna, AAHA Registrar Administrative Appointees Present: Tony D Anna (Kim Litwack, Sandy Drake and Don Nichols absent) Member Organizations Absent: None Introductions Frank McGady, NJYHL President, began the introductions of all members in attendance. All organization members, NJYHL Board Members, AAHA President and AAHA Registrar were introduced. Frank thanked all for attending and for their support of the NJYHL. Frank also wanted to announce that Kevin Dineen, Toms River Blackhawks President stepped down and is being replaced by Diano Tarrabachia. The NJYHL thanks Kevin for his service and support and wishes him well. The NJYHL also wished Diano good luck in his new position. Frank also announced that Lou Galli, NJYHL Master Scheduler and Webmaster has resigned from his position with the NJYHL. He thanked Lou for his dedication to the NJYHL and for bringing the league into the 21 st century. A replacement will be identified soon. Frank congratulated the Skylands Kings 16AA and the Jaguars 18AA on their USA Hockey Nationals berth. Secretary s Statement Maureen Thompson-Siegel, NJYHL Secretary, distributed a draft version of the November Delegate s meeting minutes to all attendees for their information. These minutes will be approved at the next Delegate s meeting. Also distributed were the Agenda for this meeting, the latest Treasurer s report and a sample of the Progressive Penalty spreadsheet.

2 If there are any updates to contact information for the President, Delegate, Coaching Director, Master Scheduler, please feel free to send them to the Secretary for updating. AAHA President Report Glenn Hefferan, AAHA President, welcomed all to the meeting and thanked all member organizations for their support of USA Hockey, the Atlantic District and the growth of youth hockey in the state of New Jersey. Glenn was elected at the AAHA Annual meeting in June Glenn described some new initiatives currently underway in the AAHA, including: o The design and implementation of a new website for the District. o The refining of several legislative proposals that will be brought forth at the USA Hockey Winter meetings in Orlando, Florida the weekend of January 15 th. o The pilot of a new coaching development program within the District for those young, career-minded coaches looking to progress from coaching youth hockey to coaching at higher levels (i.e. prep school, college, etc.). The expectation is to have an initial cohort of about 30 coaches in the program. More information to be released shortly. o Discussions on ADM and the potential for a waiver from USA Hockey to permit 10 full ice games for pure 8 year olds in the District. The proposal for a waiver must be approved by the USA Hockey committee at the winter meetings. o The review of the applications for independent Tier 1 status for the season. Organizations that have submitted include Hatfield Ice Dogs, Jaguars, Jersey Shore Wildcats, Jersey Shore Whalers, New Jersey Freeze, Lehigh Valley Phantoms, New Jersey Hitmen, Palmyra Black Knights, Red Bank Generals and Skylands Kings. Evaluations and notices will be sent to the listed organizations within the month. AAHA Registrar Report Tony Montagna, AAHA Registrar, reviewed the issue of midget players being listed on both a youth roster and on a junior protective list. USA Hockey rules state that a player cannot be listed on both after December 31 st. Upon his review, there were over 100 players that were still included on both types of rosters, most of which occurred with New Jersey teams. AYHL allows the movement between a youth (midget) roster and a junior protective list until 12/31. Tony further explained the concept of a dormant team (excerpt from USA Hockey Annual Guide distributed at the meeting). Dormant teams play short season there is an exception in the Annual Guide can be dual rostered until 3/1 but then must be moved from junior protective to youth. Tony was happy to report that the NJYHL representatives at the National Tournament at both the U16 and U18 level do not have anyone on the dual rostered list. Treasurer s Report and Financial Status of the NJYHL Page 2

3 Charlie McLaughlin, NJYHL Treasurer reviewed the current Treasurer s report with the attendees. The report will be ratified at the next Delegate s meeting in February. NJYHL is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization. The membership pays fees to be a member as well as team fees for each team that participates in the league. There is also a fee for each team that participates in the Squirt jamboree. It is important that the fees are pain on time. The NJYHL may institute fines for those organizations that do not pay their fees on time. The fee schedule and due dates are listed in the NJYHL Guidebook o League fee is due on or before September Delegate s meeting o Team fees and Squirt Jamboree fees are due at the next scheduled meeting after team declarations are due (typically August). Our annual tax returns and financials are prepared by Sobel & Co. The NJYHL is currently operating at a profit. Income is provided by apparel sales at the playoffs and from fines assessed for infractions as listed in our Guidebook. Due Dates for Rules, Venues and Name Changes, New Members Ryan Gibbons, NJYHL Executive Vice President, reviewed the annual due dates for the following: o Rule changes are due before the March 4 th Delegate s meeting. They are compiled, distributed for review and comment, and voted on at the April 4 th Annual meeting. Rule changes are to be submitted directly to Ryan. o Applications from new organizations requesting to join the NJYHL are due by 30 days prior to the February Delegate s meeting. As of this meeting none were received, so none will be reviewed at the February Delegate s meeting. o Notice of venue changes, name changes and uniform changes are to be submitted at or before the February Delegate s meeting. They are voted on at the March Delegate s meeting. Ryan reminded the attendees that there is a rule in the Guidebook that states that each member organization must have a competent voting member attend the Annual meeting in April. There is a $200 fine for missing this meeting. The voting person at that meeting will be the Delegate unless Ryan is notified in writing prior to the meeting of the name of the substitute. Ryan also reminded all member organizations that anyone with an outstanding balance to the league (fines, fees, etc.) are not permitted to vote. Please confirm that any outstanding monies due the league are paid prior to the April meeting. Ryan also reminded all member organizations that any organization that misses 60% of the Delegate s meetings in a year is placed on probation and will not be permitted to vote at the Annual meeting (currently means missing 3 scheduled meetings June, September, November, February, March, April) Ryan Gibbons will require that all members submit an online organizational profile in the spring. This information will capture basic information on each organization including incorporation type, home rink, board of directors names, etc. He will send out an when the system is ready to accept the information. Playoff Structure and Venues, Score Keeping and Score Sheets Lori Tomasello, NJYHL Administrative Vice President, reviewed how venues are selected for NJYHL events. Bid packages are released in May to all member organizations to Page 3

4 share with their rinks. Bids are sent into the league, they are evaluated and locations are selected. The locations and dates for playoffs, etc. are posted after the Annual Meeting of the AAHA (typically held at the end of June). Playoff advancements are posted on the NJYHL website in September. The number of teams that advance to Districts are determined by the AAHA. The NJYHL does not have control over the number of teams participating. The National Tournament-bound Midgets (AA level) play a short season to accommodate the NJ HS schedule. It was voted on and ratified by the NJYHL membership over 5 years ago. In order to play a full complement of games (approximately 20) the season must begin in mid-august. There was some discussion about lessening the number of games so that the teams can start about September 1 st but it was pointed out that all players must meet the 20/10 rule for game participation in order to be eligible to participate in Districts/Nationals. Fewer games can put players in jeopardy of not complying with this rule. There was also discussion on whether Bantam AA teams should also play a short season as they are also National Tournament eligible. It was discussed realistically, not all bantams are HS aged (some are in 8 th grade), and playing a short season does not benefit them. Lori also reviewed that some teams are placed in divisions that may not be ideal geographically, but are placed to insure a proper allocation of games for all teams in the divisions. The NJYHL does its best to accommodate team placements if a club prefers that two teams on the same level do not compete against one another, etc. Lori reviewed that it is the organization s responsibility to insure that all score keepers are competent and understand the rules of the game. There are over 400 teams in the NJYHL and there are too many mistakes made score keeping where penalties are concerned. It is incumbent on the home team to keep an accurate record of the game and to enter that record into the electronic scorekeeping system in a timely manner. All games are required to be entered within 24 hours of the end of the game or before the next NJYHL game for both teams, whichever comes first. Fines are assessed for all games not entered into the electronic system by Tuesday at 12 noon for all games played the previous weekend. Fines are also assessed for all corrections that must be made. Inclement weather cancellations are difficult to manage as the weather in one part of the state may differ from another part of the state. We expect teams to use their best judgment but please note that only the Master Scheduler from each organization can cancels and reschedule a league game. The Guidebook states that all weather related cancellations must be rescheduled within seven calendar days. All scheduling communications are sent by Lori to the Master Schedulers of each organization. Lori also expressed her deep gratitude to Lou Galli for his service to the NJYHL. He served as Master Scheduler for the league as well as webmaster and worked hand in hand with Lori. Rosters, Player Eligibility and Risk Management Al Di Mauro, NJYHL Registrar and Risk Manager, asked that all roster moves are kept to a minimum during the course of the season. Each team has 8 moves that are permitted Page 4

5 each season from the start of the season through December 31 st. These moves are meant to cover a team in an emergency or to see if a player will be better suited on a higher (or lower) skilled team. These moves should not be to fill out benches. All rosters freeze at that point. Each time a player is moved, Al is to be notified. Bill Fox, NJYHL Commissioner, reviewed how goaltenders are exempt from the rule Al mentioned above, but it is the rule that a covering goaltender must be from the same skill level or lower. For example, an A level pee wee goalie cannot cover a B level pee wee goalie s net, but the B level goalie can cover the A level goalie s net. If a B level pee wee goalie s net needs a substitute goalie, it must come from the next younger level. Bill also reminded all organizations that the AAHA Financial Obligations rule states that anyone with an outstanding financial obligation as of February 1 st should be added to the AAHA outstanding financial obligations list. Be advised that anyone added to that list is also required to be removed from the roster at that time and cannot rejoin the team until the financial obligation has been met. From a risk management perspective, we are fortunate that we have not had any serious injuries reported so far this season. Coaching Credentials, Training and Certifications Tony D Anna, NJYHL Coach in Chief, hosted Coaching director meetings in August. These meetings reviewed the rules and requirements for the NJYHL. It was expected that each organization coaching director shared the information learned with their respective coaching staff. Tony also announced that Joe Lanza has been added as the Assistant Coach in Chief for the Southern part of the state. Joe works with Tony to manage all coaching issues in the NJYHL. Tony thanked all evaluators for participating in the Squirt jamboree. The inclusion of many coaching directors in the evaluation process helps insure that all teams receive a proper placement. As it is now after 12/31, all coaches currently on the rosters should have the following proper credentials: o Safe Sport Certification (good for two seasons) o Background screening (good for two years unless the coach switched organizations) o Age-specific online module o Current CEP clinic certification Any coach missing the information above is not permitted to be on the bench/ice with the players for the balance of the season. Coaching and Player Suspensions, Progressive Penalties Tony D Anna and Bill Fox presented an excel spreadsheet tool to the membership as a means of tracking progressive penalties in accordance with USA Hockey rules. Its use is not mandatory, but rather meant as a tool. The electronic file will be circulated as an attachment to these minutes. Page 5

6 It was explained that the organization that the player is rostered with when receiving his third major progressive penalty is responsible for that player serving the related suspension. This is difficult to track if the player also participates on a USA Hockey HS team. It is up to the player and his coach to be open about when these types of penalties are assessed. Bill Fox stated it is a requirement that all players assessed a game misconduct at the end of this season are required to serve the suspension at the start of the next season. Please make sure that all players, coaches, managers within your organization are aware of this requirement. Any player that does not serve the suspension jeopardizes the coach who can unwittingly play an ineligible player. An was sent out to all organizations a few days before this meeting requesting that the organization registrar forward a copy of their CEP report to Tony and to highlight all those coaches that HAVE NOT completed their credentials by 12/31. This information is required to comply with the NJYHL rule 82 which states, Any coach that did not meet the CEP requirements for the current season by 12/31 will be suspended for a minimum of 45 days and a maximum of one year starting at the beginning of the following season. That coach will not be permitted to return until all CEP requirements are met, with final approval from the League Commissioner and the Coach in Chief. The NJYHL will compile a list of coaches in this category and will circulate to all organizations before the start of tryouts. This list will also be shared with the AAHA Registrar. A request was made from the Woodbridge Wolfpack to have access to the Official s Incident Report whenever one is filed. They want the ability to be able to see what the official s representation of an event which required documentation. Bill Fox and Ryan Gibbon explained that an Official s Incident report is a matter of record and is not open to revision or interpretation. It is documentation for an event that is shared with the AAHA Vice President for Protests, Suspensions and Appeals and with the NJYHL Commissioner. Promotions and Events The NJYHL has a partnership with the professional organizations in the area and maintains a database that notifies the population with there are events of interest. Please encourage your organization members to register for this list-serv by click on the NHL button on the website. Maureen Thompson-Siegel, ADM Coordinator for the AAHA, also offered to all organizations the opportunity to have ADM clinics and parent/coaching education classes run at your home facility. Any interest can be directed to her. Offers are available for skills clinics, goaltending clinics, parent education, coaching education, player education. The NJYHL website also captures any human interest stories that the organizations are interested in sharing. Please send in the news stories and we will be happy to add them to the NJYHL website. Junior Teams, Tier 1 Teams and NJYHL Rules Ryan Gibbons informed the membership that NJYHL currently does not have a rule in our Guidebook to address the issue of players being dual rostered on a junior/njyhl Page 6

7 team, but the feeling is that there should be something added to the rule book to address this concern. The recent proliferation Tier 3 junior teams makes this a concern for the NJYHL. A rule will be drafted for review and possible ratification at the NJYHL Annual meeting on April that will bring clarity/control to this issue and its impact on the NJYHL. Ryan Gibbons also informed the membership that a rule in our book will need to be modified to address a player on a Tier 1 team moving down to play on a NJYHL team. When the rule was written, it only contemplated the AYHL. With the advent of independent Tier 1 teams over the last few years, we need to revise this rule to reflect the current situation in New Jersey. Ryan continued to state that we also have to clarify how our current Tier 1 rule impacts female players that are dual rostered on a boys and girls team. Ryan asked the membership to submit suggestions for re-writes of these rules. UPCOMING IMPORTANT DATES Playoffs: o Squirt and Pee Wee February at Hollydell o Bantam and Midget March 4-6 at Aspen Randolph o AAHA Districts Bantam AA March at Aston Ice Works o AAHA Districts Bantam and Midget A March at Mennen o AAHA Districts Pee Wee March at the Igloo o USA Hockey Nationals U14 March 31-April 4 at Charlotte, NC o USA Hockey Nationals U16 March 31-April 4 at Wayne, NJ o USA Hockey Nationals U18 March 31-April 4 at Amherst, NY February 2 nd Delegates meeting - Name changes, venue changes, etc. due March 1st Delegates meeting - Rule changes due before the meeting for review and voting at Annual Meeting April 4 th is the NJYHL Annual Meeting April 11 th at 5:00 pm is the start of Tier 2 Tryouts for season June 15 th - AA Team Application for Approval is due to NJYHL for submission to AAHA on July 1 st. June - Team Declarations for the season are due. Page 7

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