Junior National Team Program

Team Selection Process Objective

To select the best possible team of up to 22 athletes in 20 playing roster positions to represent Canada
at the World Championships.

Selection Process

The Coaching staff will have up to three (3) selection camps to name the athletes to their roster of up
to 22 athletes. In making selection decisions, the 2023 Junior Staff and evaluators will have a high
degree of discretion and flexibility and may name their roster at an earlier camp in order to focus on
team building and team development. The selection of athletes is aligned with the 2023 World
Championship Roster size of up to 22 athletes (20 playing roster and 2 alternate development roster
athletes). Prior to the Opening Ceremony, Team Canada must name up to twenty (20) playing roster
positions and two (2) practice or alternate positions.

Evaluation Process

The following is an outline of the evaluation process that will be used to select the athletes that will
form the best possible team for the World Championship. It is understood that in selecting the best
possible “team”, the best individual athletes may not be selected.

• Selected athletes are well-balanced, possessing skills and abilities in the areas outlined in the
  Traits and Factors area below.
• Selected athletes are committed to consistently demonstrate Ringette Canada I-CARE values
  and True Sport principles.
• Selected athletes will endeavor to provide a positive and meaningful national team and
  international competition experience for every athlete and staff member selected to the team.
• Selected athletes are committed to prepare for the World Championship event in a way that
  supports the athlete and team success through education, training volume, intensity and
  recovery strategies.
• Based on the depth of the players pool, players may be asked to fill a role or compete in a
  position other than the position listed as their number one preference.

1 - Player Evaluation by the Coaching Staff and Evaluators

During camp, the coaches and evaluators will evaluate the player's daily performance on and off ice
using a "Performance Rating" scale of 1 to 5 (1 being low and 5 being high). At the end of the camp, a
Performance Rating Chart will be prepared which will show a player's performance rating and comments throughout the camp/event. 

2 - Team Selection

The coaches will rank players by skill, position and intangibles on-going throughout the camp.

3 - Traits and Factors (Physical, technical, tactical, mental, attitude, behaviour, and team dynamics)

The following is an example of the criteria used by the coaching staff in making player selections.

OVERVIEW

Team Ring Skills:

• Are you a threat with and without the ring?
  Vision: seeing the ice, seeing the options, creating options, playmaking, support, timing, and
  anticipation
  Ring Control: playing a control game, risk vs. reward, creativity, courage with the ring

Offensive Team Play:

• Do you anticipate and support the play? On Breakout? On Transition? On the attack?
  Read & react - positioning, timing, are you a factor without the ring?
  Ring control: do you ‘care’ for the ring, do you work to keep control of the ring through
  intelligent ring possession and movement
• Are you able to play within the team system in all three zones?

Defensive Team Play:

• Do you read their breakout?
  • Do you anticipate and support the play? On the Forecheck?
  • Do you understand who to cover coming back into your zone?
    • Who is the threat?
• Do you play an impact role in your defensive zone?
• Do you provide defensive support?
• Are you defensively responsible?
  • Contain, channel, check, effective use of stick, ability to defend 1 vs. 1
• Are you able to play within the team system in all three zones?

Physical Play:

• Will your physical abilities allow you to compete at the international level?
  • Size & strength, agility and speed, ability to play when the game is physical
  • Fitness level: are you an athlete? Does your performance remain consistent over the course of a game, over a couple of games? Do you take your training seriously? 

Intangibles and Character

• Do you COMPETE? Do you play with intensity?
• Do you have an unquestionable work ethic - both on and off the ice?
• Do you have emotional control - not easily frustrated, discouraged or overstimulated?
  • Do you perform under pressure? Do you rise to the challenge?
  • Do you recover from setbacks (i.e. bad goals, missed opportunities, mistakes, penalties).
• Are you willing to try something new?
• Will you do whatever it takes - extra effort, determination, be uncomfortable?
• Do you improve the performance of others?
• Do you do all of this within the rules, with class, with respect?
• Do you have a team first mentality?
• Are you adaptable?
• Do you have a growth mindset - sharing, receiving, reflecting, and implementing feedback?
• Are you resilient?
• Do you show leadership?
• Are you tenacious / gritty / relentless?
• Do you show respect for the people and places we encounter on our journey?
• Are you accountable?
• Will you accept a role for the benefit of the team?

PLAYERS

Skating

• Do you skate at the international level?
• Do you skate the game - timing, support?
• Quickness, agility, acceleration, speed, power and strength on skates;
  • with and without the ring,
  • in space and under contact. 

Defensive Skills -- Aggressive and Smart

When our team does not have the ring - we are all showing our defensive skills.

• Identify threats / risks
• Position yourself GSIS, and neutralize the threat
• Be disruptive on the ring
• Establish quickly and maintain controlled contact
• Manage a changing gap: contain, chanel, check; leverage the gap
• D Zone play - dominate your zone of responsibility with strength, speed, awareness and
  anticipation
• Communication

Transition Skills -- Anticipate and Capitalize

When possession is changing from ours to theirs or vice versa, we are all showing our transition skills.

• Loose ring battles - speed, strength, positioning, desire
• Deceptive play
• Reading the change and anticipating your path - to the net, to support, to defensive positioning
• Communication

Offensive Skills -- Composure and Creativity

When our team has the ring - we are all showing our offensive skills.

• Receiving rings - in open space, in small space, under contact/pressure, in critical moments,
  and at speed
• Evasive skating - using changes in speed and direction to create advantage
• Deceptive ring skills - using of dekes, fakes, agility and handling to create space for yourself,
  elude a defender, or create a path for the ring
• Passing – variety of passes, under contact, accurately
• Do you win space for yourself? Are you a threat 1 v 1?
• Shooting strength, precision, variety, and selection
• Goal scoring creation – do you have impact, touch, persistence to make the goal happen?
• Sustaining the attack with immediate ring retrieval - read the shot/ rebound, win the right to
  attack again
• Support the attack and support the possession - do you anticipate the needs of the ring carrier,
  do you put yourself in a position for the ring to find you (eg. short, lateral or long support)
• Do you show ‘care’ for the ring?
• Communication

Decision Making: 

• Ice awareness - do you always have a sense for where the ring is, where the net is, and where
  there are changes in numbers?
• Game IQ - are you aware and knowledgeable of situation play (Eg. advantages/disadvantages,
  time in game, etc.), rules
• Teammate awareness - do you recognize strengths and supports needed to help your
  teammates?
• Opponent awareness - do you identify threats and opportunities with opponents, are you aware
  when they are on and where they are? 

Team Play:

• Do you consistently, and with excellence execute the major team systems?
  • Forecheck
  • Breakout
  • Offensive Framework
  • Defensive Structure
• Do you have the ability to execute a variety of roles within these systems?

GOALTENDERS

Skating/Basic Stance

• Do you have the crease presence for the international level?
  • Basic stance - technique, body position, position of hands, stick, ability to maintain stance
    while moving
  • Balance, coordination, strength, speed and quickness, strong and controlled lateral
    movement, quick recovery
  • Shot preparation - getting yourself into position to make the save quickly but with control
  • Tracking high in the crease, holding your ground when players coming in with speed
  • Properly set on the posts and tracking the low angles from the post and out
  • Skating skills to support leaving the net to play the ring or get to the bench (and back to
    net)

Ring Skills

• Do you have the necessary ring skills to compete at the international level?
  • Optimizing and controlling the Breakout
  • Set precise, accurate, well timed passes, using fakes to create lanes
  • Read the play and make good decisions
  • Communication to start the movement, or about pressure
  • Ability to use stick to pass, as well as quick and efficient ring toss
  • Ability to read the ring coming in close to the crease if to let into the crease or move the
    ring outside the crease to a safe option

Stops the Ring

• Do you consistently stop the ring? Do you have the ability to make the simple and consistent
  saves, saving the shot from outside? Do you also make the big save at timely moments?
  • Save selection
  • Use of gloves, pads, stick
  • Do you hold your ground with fakes, stay controlled while making saves
  • Focus & concentration
  • Success in reacting to quick plays
  • Covers top and bottom of net well

Angle Play

• Are you consistently in the shot lane?
  • Challenges appropriately
  • Square to shooter with both shoulders and hands
  • Aware of position to net
  • Holding your ground, not backing in too quickly giving up corner shots
  • Pushing out on fast breaks to better keep with player coming in with speed

Rebound Control and Resets

• Do you control your rebounds?
  • Control of rebounds off gloves, pads, stick
  • Ability to direct rebounds to safe place, to a teammate
  • Deal with rebounds that land right outside of crease
  • Proper quick recovery to the rebound, generally back to feet if rebound is further away
• Do you keep the reset in your crease - triggering a transition in play

Read & React

• Reads options available to opponent, anticipates, communicates

Physical

• Will your size and physical abilities allow you to compete at the international level?
  • Physical size, presence in net
  • Athletic ability
• Fitness level (ability to play in demanding game), ability to be consistent while managing a
  high volume of shots and play in your end
• Physical ability to recover quickly

Intangibles:

• In addition to the Intangible and Character list above:
• Ability to be mentally ready for the start of the game, start of a quarter
• Ability to come back strong right after letting in a goal
• Ability to compete and keep your team in the game if the other team has a lot of pressure
• Consistently play to the end of the shot clock, end of the quarter, end of the game
• Communicate with your teammates on the ice to inspire them to play well