We would like to congratulate all of the players on their hard work in tryouts. Below are resulting team rosters. Your coach / team managers should be reaching out in the coming days to introduce themselves and get everyone even more excited for the upcoming season.

Welcome to the 2021 -2022 Saratoga Blue Knights hockey season, registration is now open using the link below.

Saratoga Youth Hockey | Travel Hockey (saratogahockey.org)

You should notice a few changes on our website as we have moved away from Sports Engine and are now partnering with Crossbar. This change is going to help streamline communication within our teams and keep everyone on the same page. I would recommend you download the Crossbar app as it will be the main vehicle for communication from your team coaches and managers. It can be found in the App store on your smart device (Apple or Android).

16/18U

Currently we are not anticipating fielding a team at this level, but if there is enough interest, we will certainly form a team. If you have a player interested in playing full season 16/18U please respond to me directly.

10-14U

We are going to have a staggered start to our season with our 10U, 12U, and 14U tryouts scheduled for the week of 9/13. Final times will be communicated in the coming weeks. We still have roster spots available on our 10U A and 12U TB teams and are planning for 2 additional teams at each level. We are also planning for (1) additional 14U A level team that will practice with our 14U TB team once a week and also receive a full sheet practice once a week as well. 

All 10U and older teams will be announced by Friday September 17^th and will begin practice the week of 10/4/21. Practice days and times are being finalized now and will be communicated in the coming weeks.

8U

All 8U players will begin practice the week of 10/17/21, with all players practicing together for the first 2 weeks of the season. During this time the coaching staff will discuss with parents their interest in having their kids play on the A/B team who will practice separately from 8U House beginning the week of 10/31/21. There are no tryouts for the A/B team, the coaching staff will select the teams based on several factors including age, ability, and desire for increased commitment. Our objective is to have every player in a spot to best improve their skills and have fun. There will be opportunities for all players at the 8U level to play games against other organizations and even travel to weekend tournaments if that is something families are looking to do. 

Tournaments

We are currently planning on home tournaments for all levels this season and will be communicating more about them once details are finalized. 

Jerseys

We will be ordering all jerseys and other apparel through Pure Hockey this season. We will announce an order window and provide a link that will allow you to order everything online and have it shipped directly to your house. During the order window there will be an opportunity to go to the Pure Hockey store in Clifton Park and try on jerseys for proper sizing. 

*** If there are any questions regarding jersey/apparel ordering please reach out to our VP Melinda Guyett @ mgguyett@gmail.com. 

AT NO TIME SHOULD ANYONE FROM OUR COMMUNITY CONTACT PURE HOCKEY DIRECTLY! THERE HAVE BEEN ISSUES WITH FAMILIES IN OUR ORGANIZATION REACHING OUT DIRECTLY TO SUPPLIERS AND IT HAS GIVEN US A POOR REPUTATION WITH VENDORS, TO THE POINT SOME WILL NOT WORK WITH US ANYMORE. IF THERE ARE CONCERNS YOU MUST WORK THROUGH MELINDA. 

Scheduling

We have made some small modification to our weekly scheduling including no more 8U Friday Night practices, additionally we are not scheduling any practices the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. They both fall on Saturdays this season so we are assuming people will be traveling or hosting guests therefore we have removed practices from the schedule that week. 

Game slots are being finalized now and will be ready to have teams schedule games once they are names.

COVID PROTOCOLS

At this time the rinks have returned to pre-COVID operating status including usage of locker rooms. As we get into the season protocols are all subject to change, but as of today we are operating as “normal”. We do ask that any unvaccinated people wear masks in the rink including players under 12 that have yet to be vaccinated. There is no mask requirement while the players are on the ice.

I am sure there is something I am missing in this long email so if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me directly. Looking forward to seeing everyone at the rink!

Rodney Eddy

President

Saratoga Youth Hockey, Inc.

Learn to Play is a program that provides a unique opportunity for families to join the hockey community and for participants to develop fundamental skills to help them succeed both on and off the ice. Created jointly by the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) and the National Hockey League (NHL). Learn to Play’s goal is to inspire youth and welcome more families into the hockey community.