Player Qualification Guidelines
 

Southeastern District Player Qualification Guidelines for USA Hockey National Camps and Festivals   

Each spring the Southeastern District hosts a tryout to select the top players at the 15, 16 and 17 age levels to participate in the USA Hockey National Summer Camps & Festivals. The directive from USA Hockey is for the Southeastern District to send its best players whether they play within the District or not. This guideline is designed to answer some of the more common questions we receive as it pertains to Player Eligibility, Affiliate Allocations and Tryout Options for those players that are attending Prep-Schools or playing on other teams outside of the District.  

What criteria must I meet to be eligible to participate in a Southeastern District event?  

• A player must be a US Citizen. (see USA Hockey Annual Guide for more details)
   
• A player must be registered with USA Hockey for the current season.
  
   
• A player must reside within the Southeastern District (Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas and Florida). A player attending Prep-School or playing for another team outside of the District but whose parents still reside in the District is eligible to tryout for a Southeastern District position.
  
  Note: Most prep-schools are not USA Hockey registered therefore it is the responsibility of those players to make sure they are properly registered with USA Hockey prior to taking part in any Southeastern District event.  

How can I participate in the Southeastern District Camp & Festival Tryout? 

• If a player was selected to participate in a USA Hockey Select 15 or 16 National Camp the previous year he will be considered a Veteran Player and will receive a direct invite to this years District tryout, all other players must participate in their local Affiliate selection process (see below). 
   
• All non-veteran players must participate in their local Affiliate (PVAHA, CAHA, SAHA, SAHOF) selection process to advance to the Southeastern District tryout. 
  
  
  IMPORTANT: Players that participated in the 2011Southeastern District Select 13 Camp must participate in their local Affiliate selection process. 

How many players from my Affiliate may participate in the Southeastern District Tryout? 

• A maximum of 80 players (including 8 goaltenders) at the Select 15 & 16 age levels and a maximum of 68 players (including 8 goaltenders) at the Select 17 age level may participate in the District tryout therefore the number of positions available for each Affiliate is based on a percentage of registered players at a given age level (see example below). 

Total registered 1997 players within the District: 1,906
PVAHA: 880 46%
CAHA: 239 10%
SAHA: 334 18%
SAHOF: 453 24%   

Maximum number of players at the Southeastern District tryouts: 80
PVAHA: 37 Players (2 goaltenders, 35 players)
CAHA: 10 Players (2 goaltenders, 8 players)
SAHA: 14 Players (2 goaltenders, 12 players)
SAHOF: 19 Players (2 goaltenders, 17 players)

Note:  Returning veteran players are subtracted from these allocation numbers.  

I am a veteran player that attends a Prep-School in New England and due to school commitments I cannot make the Southeastern District Tryouts; what options do I have?   

The Southeastern District Tryout takes precedent over all other hockey related events including games, tryouts, scout camps, etc. No player will be considered for a Southeastern District position if they are participating in another hockey related event on the same weekend as the Southeastern District Tryouts. (Exceptions may be granted for players whose teams are still in the USHL or NAHL playoffs.)

If a qualified veteran player or a player selected from an Affiliate tryout is unable to attend the Southeastern District Tryout, that player has the option of attending a tryout in another cooperating USA Hockey District and being evaluated by that District. A player that is evaluated outside of the District is being evaluated for a Southeastern District position. A player interested in being evaluated outside of the District needs to contact the Southeastern District Director of Player Development no later than March 31 of the current playing season. The Southeastern District Director of Player Development will assist in coordinating the tryout in the requested District.  

What is my chance of being selected to a USA Hockey National Camp or Festival if I am evaluated outside of the Southeastern District?   

The directive given to the evaluators is to make their selections from the players that attend the Southeastern District Tryout. A player evaluated outside of the Southeastern District will only be considered for a position if in the opinion of the evaluators; the level of talent at the Southeastern District Tryout is not strong enough to fill the allocated positions from USA Hockey. 

If there are no allocated positions available for players that were evaluated outside of the District, those player names will be submitted to USA Hockey for consideration in the National At-Large Pool. There are a very limited number of at-large spots available to the National Camps and Festivals and as such gives a player very little chance of being selected.  

The best chance for a player to be selected to a USA Hockey National Camp or Festival is to attend the Southeastern District Tryouts. 

I have been told by other parents that there is no reason to attend these tryouts as the players are already selected beforehand.