U9 2024-2025 Season

Here is some information for U9 players and parents about the upcoming season.  Some of this information is based on past years, and as such, is subject to change at any point.

Registration: 

Registration is now closed. Any registration inquiries for those who missed the deadline should be directed to Matt Oxford.  

Orientation Skate Sessions:

We have ice times booked on September 21 and September 22nd for U9 players to provide pre-skate opportunity prior to the start of U9 Evaluations. While not mandatory, all U9 players are encouraged to come out and take advantage of the ice time available prior to the start of evaluations. More information about your player’s assigned time for each day will be posted online on the Bedford Blues website: https://bedfordblues.com/l/31/BDMHA/pages/1665/U9-Evaluations/

**Due to the large numbers of players involved, we cannot accommodate requests to change groups for these skates.

Evaluations: 

Evaluations are currently scheduled to start September 28th and continue thru until October 6th

It is the responsibility of the parents to check the Bedford Blues website for final notification of when Evaluations will be taking place, and the specific times and groups on the dates: https://bedfordblues.com/l/31/BDMHA/pages/1665/U9-Evaluations/

What are Evaluations?  

Evaluations is a process where players are evaluated on their skill level while participating in various on-ice hockey drills appropriate for the U9 level. Players are evaluated on an anonymous basis. Player scores from the evaluation process are used to place players on teams with other players at a similar skill level or range of skills.  

What are the different levels in U9? How many teams are there? 

There are three levels of U9 Hockey – Developmental, Intermediate and Advancing. The number of teams at each level varies from year to year and depends on the number of players registered for U9 hockey, as well as their mix of skill levels. 

Are Evaluations Try-Outs?

Evaluations are not try-outs. U9 players are not competing for a specific team and no player is "cut" from hockey. All players registered for U9 hockey will be placed on a team for the coming hockey season.

Are Evaluations Mandatory or Optional?

Evaluations are mandatory for players seeking placement at the Advancing or Intermediate level of play. Players participating in evaluations should attend all scheduled evaluation sessions where possible and must attend at least 2 of the scheduled sessions to be sufficiently evaluated for placement. If your player cannot attend one or more of the sessions, please let us know.

Evaluations are optional for players who wish to play at the Developmental level of play. U9 players who opt out of evaluations, or who do not participate in evaluations, will be assigned to a team at the Developmental level. Not to worry, all players registered for U9 hockey will be placed on a team for the coming hockey season. If your player does not wish to participate in evaluations, please let us know as soon as possible. 

What skills are being evaluated?  What can my player expect?   

Players are evaluated on their skating, stick handling and puck control, passing, shooting, and game play.  Evaluations will begin on Saturday, September 28, 2024.  

On arrival each player will be assigned a practice jersey (varying colours / no logos or identifiers) and number. Players will be divided into small groups and participate in 2 to 4 drills or stations per evaluation session. Each player will perform each drill or station a number of times. There will be Evaluators present for all evaluation sessions, who are persons experienced in hockey and with no association with any U9 player. Evaluators are responsible for observing the players as they perform the different drills and scoring them on the skills demonstrated. 

A schedule with player groupings for the first day of evaluations (Sept 28th) will be posted on the Bedford Blues website the evening of Monday, September 23rd. Following each day of evaluations, groupings may change and the schedule will be updated. Please keep monitoring the U9 Evaluation page for more updates. 

After all evaluation sessions are completed, the results are used to place players on a team at one of the U9 levels (Advancing, Intermediate or Developmental) with other players at a similar skill level or range of skills. The level they are placed at will be the level they will play at this year. 

*The above information is based on past practice and subject to change. 

Can I watch my player during evaluations?

Only players and Evaluators are allowed inside the actual rink while the Evaluations are taking place.  Parents, siblings, friends, etc need to remain outside the actual ice area of the rink during the Evaluation sessions. 

How come my player didn’t make U9 Advancing in first year? 

Please remember that players are placed on teams with other players at the same skill level.   First year U9 players will be evaluated with second year U9 players. There are close to 200 players at the U9 level – half are returning U9 players and half are moving up from U7. As half of the U9 players are at least one year older, they are often little bit stronger and faster, and may have more hockey experience. 

Players and families should have a realistic expectation of what level their player will be placed, and should not be discouraged if their player is placed in the Intermediate or Developmental Level. The goal is to group players with other players of similar abilities. This ensures young players have the same opportunity to contribute to play during practices and games, and a fair opportunity to build their hockey skills in a fun environment.

What is included in the registration cost? Do they play “real” games?     

Registration includes shared practice times and half-ice games. You can expect to be at the rink 2 to 3 times per week.   Unlike U7, the U9 hockey schedules are do not follow a set or consistent schedule, but can change from week to week.  Some practice times will be as early as 4pm on a weekday and 7am on the weekends. Practice times typically rotate each week.  The schedule changes and it will not be set far in advance – it’s like that for the rest of hockey.

All U9 teams at all levels (Advancing, Intermediate, and Developmental) will play real games as part of the Metro Minor Hockey League.  League game play starts December 1st and are all played as half ice games at the U9 level. League play is scheduled by level - i.e., Advancing teams only play other Advancing teams, which is the same for Intermediate and Developmental. Games are played usually once per week and scores are not kept.

All U9 teams, regardless of which level, only have practice until November 30th. 

Are there additional costs?

On the consensus of the team, it is common practice to collect additional funds for the team called seed money. These funds are used to cover the costs of jamborees, additional ice times, team functions etc. Some teams collect this money from parents at the beginning of the season to determine what tournaments to sign up for and how much additional ice times they can purchase.  This is in addition to the regular registration fee, is collected directly by the team, often due early in the season, and only used for the team (i.e., it does not go to the Association).

What about Goalies?

We need Goalies – especially since we are playing half ice games all season!

BDMHA is a huge supporter in building Goalies. We will provide goalie equipment for the U9 Age players. If your player is interested, please encourage them to give it a try. The role of the Goalie is shared among all of the players on the team at the U9 level.

For players entering their second year of U9 who are interested in only playing Goalie, please email the U9 Coordinator (d.howes@bedfordblues.com) to indicate that your player is interested in being evaluated as a goalie.  Interest and demand for evaluations will determine if a separate stream is undertaken. 

What about Female Players in U9?

We encourage female players to register with the Bedford Blues as all of our teams are co-ed.  Females that want to play on a co-ed team will register with Bedford Minor Hockey, and those who want to play on an all female team will register with Metro West Force.

Female players must make the decision if they are going to play on a co-ed or all-female team BEFORE Evaluations begin (ie when you register your player).    

Second year U9 Players that played on an all-female hockey team in their first year are definitely eligible to play co-ed in their second year if they'd like. All players who register with Bedford Minor Hockey (female and male) will be evaluated together.

Do you need Head Coaches, Assistant Coaches and Managers?

We need one manager, one head coach, and four to six assistant coaches for each team at the U9 level. With 9 to 10 different teams at the U9 level – that's a lot of coaches!

Please consider taking on the role of Coach or Manager. There is no hockey without parents volunteering.  BDMHA has a great support system to provide you with assistance and guidance. If you want to learn more, please ask! 

There are some courses and background checks that need to be completed, but coaches have until the end of November to get these done. With the exception of the background checks that need to be redone every 3 years, the coaching courses and certifications only need to be completed once.

Any Coach or Manager who started coaching three years ago will need to renew their Criminal Record Check (CRC) with Vulnerable Sector check.

How are Coaches determined for each team? 

Teams are not created until all Evaluations have taken place. Once Evaluations are completed and players have been placed in one of the three levels based on their evaluation, the Association looks at the volunteer list for Coaches and Managers for U9. If you are interested in coaching more than one team or changing your interest from Assistant Coach to Head Coach, please let the U9 Coordinator or VP U7 and U9 know as soon as possible as it helps with creating teams in a timely fashion.       

Player Requests

If you are requesting to be placed on the same team as another player, please note that we can only accept 1 request per player as a consideration.  The family of the other player must also send the same request, and these must be received before Evaluations begin. Placement of players at a skill level is determined only through the evaluation process and not by player requests. These requests are not taken into consideration until after Evaluations are complete and only where the players have been assessed at the same level.     

We can’t guarantee that we can accommodate all requests as we need to balance teams with skill level, number of Coaches, Assistant Coaches, Managers, etc but we will do our best to help when we can if the players are placed at the same level after Evaluations are complete. At this age the kids want to play the sport and have fun with their friends. We want the U9 level to be a positive experience for you and your player!

Contact Information:

For clarification on information in this document please contact Kiersten Amos, VP U7/U9 at u9@bedfordblues.com

or Deandra Howes, U9 Coordinator at d.howes@bedfordblues.com