What are open borders, and what does that mean for residents of Zone 2 (SSMHA, AEMHA, TCDMHA)?
· The OHF (Ontario Hockey Federation) has announced changes to its player movement regulations for the upcoming 2025-2026 season. Previously, players playing Representative hockey (‘Rep’) were required to play in their local associations (based on a player’s home address). Under the new guidelines approved by the OHF on Saturday December 14th all residency restrictions have now been lifted. What this means is that for all levels of Rep hockey starting at U10, players in the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA), Minor Hockey Alliance of Ontario (Alliance), Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) and the Norther Ontario Hockey Association (NOHA) are free to sign up to try out for any team within these regions. Local associations cannot prohibit players from leaving their ‘home’ association and trying out elsewhere if they so choose. For our area (governed by the WOAA under the OMHA) and the six new zones, players can opt to sign up for tryouts in any of these zones or play elsewhere if willing to travel.
· All hockey from U9 Minor Development (MD) and below will still be run by the local associations, registration will be as in previous years and will not change for these age groups.
What groups are impacted by these changes?
· Groups impacted by these changes are rep teams starting at U10 up through U18. These changes affect all levels of play (AAA, AA, A, B, Local League).
Who is able to coach a team for the Bruce Grey Bulls?
· Anyone with a strong hockey background will be considered when selecting coaches for the Bruce Grey Bulls. In an effort to provide the best experience possible for our players we welcome both parent coaches and non-parent coaches to apply. Open borders also means any coaches from outside the Bruce Grey Bulls zone who wish to coach are also welcome to apply.
What is the current process for potential coaches wanting to volunteer? When will coaches be announced?
· Coaching applications went live on the Bruce Grey Bulls website (brucegreybulls.ca) in mid-December and will be closing on January 24th. Per OHF guidelines, all successful coaches will be announced on or after February 15th.
· Coaches will be selected by a coaching committee, to be comprised of one representative from SSMHA, AEMHA and TCDMHA as well as two independent assessors who will sit on the selection committee bringing the total to 5. Interviews will be conducted in the weeks following January 24th with all interested candidates, as well as any on ice evaluations deemed required by the coach selection committee. This includes potential evaluation of a coaches’ player to determine if playing ability matches the level of team being applied for. Candidates will be informed on the 15th, prior to the official announcements being made the same day.
When will tryouts be? What is the process for attending tryouts and when will the teams be made?
· Tryouts for all U10A through U13A will be held the week of May 3-9, 2025. U14A through U18A will be held May 5-11, 2025. Players must attend a minimum of one tryout to be considered for a team. A registration portal on the Bruce Grey Bulls website will be opening on January 24th. From here you can register for the three pre-skates (cost of $50 for three skates, sold as a package) and the tryouts (cost of $100 for three tryouts, plus the possibility of an exhibition game). Registration will be open right up until the final week to allow any last minute players a chance to register. Once A tryouts are completed, B tryouts will be held between May 15-18, 2025.
· Once teams are announced and all offers accepted, a second online portal will be set up for those players to formally register with the Bruce Grey Bulls (through Spordle) to allow team activities to commence. Any unsuccessful players with both the A and B tryouts will need to register through the local association of their choice for Local League play, the Bruce Grey Bulls do not offer Local League teams.
How many teams can players try out for during that period?
· Under the new player movement rules, players are eligible to attend as many tryouts as they wish, so long as they meet the requirements for that zone’s/association’s tryout policy. Once a player signs with a team at any level, they are no longer eligible to attend further tryouts with any other team.
How are Affiliated Players (APs) managed in the new A Zone?
· APs and their selection will be up to the discretion of individual coaches. A coach may invite one or more players to play with a team as an AP, they may wait until rosters are finalized or they may elect not to have any APs. Players are only allowed to AP with one team, they may not be on the roster of multiple teams as an AP (for example, if a player is asked to AP for an A team in Zone 1 and accepts, they would no longer be eligible to AP for any other A teams locally (including the Bulls in Zone 2.))
· APs for the B teams may be called up from any of the Zone 2 Local League teams (they must be rostered accordingly.)
How much will registration fees be? What will be included as part of these registration fees? What will I be responsible for outside of these fees?
· Registration fees will be higher than current fees for players on local rep B teams this year as A teams will get more ice and opportunities for development. The total cost will be in the $1200-$1800 range with a firm number to be provided as we get closer to tryouts (this will be communicated to coaches ahead of tryouts so players will know before being asked to sign on with a team.) Currently we expect Rep B teams to be around the same costs as paid this season, (around $650-$900).
What extras will be provided at an additional cost?
· We are currently working with several suppliers of jerseys and other swag to provide the best quality while looking to get volume discounts to help bring down the overall cost. Our initial registration fees will include ice time and two personalized jerseys with socks for the season. We are looking to set up Bruce Grey Bulls swag packages to allow parents to purchase extras within their own budgets. We are hoping to provide options to purchase clothing, hockey bags, water bottles, etc. These will be totally optional for purchase.
Will individual and/or team fundraising be permitted?
· Yes! Fundraising is a big part of helping families keep the cost of rep hockey down and the Bruce Grey Bulls fully support both team and individual sponsors. We are currently working on setting up guidelines for how this will be managed, please check back later for more details.
What arenas will the Bulls teams be playing out of? What about local league play?
· The Bruce Grey Bulls will be looking to book ice for our games/practices in arenas primarily in Zone 2: Port Elgin, Southampton, Tara, Paisley, Chesley, Keady and Markdale. While some of these arenas are further for some than others, please remember we need to work with our local minor hockey associations to share what ice there is so that the Bulls and our local associations can put on quality programs for all kids playing in Zone 2. As we get closer to next season, coaches will be provided their schedules so they can communicate them to the players and parents, ideally during the tryout period. Local league play will continue to be primarily out of the respective local associations arenas (i.e for SSMHA Port Elgin and Southampton, etc.)
More information can be found at www.brucegreybulls.ca or contact [email protected]