Every player who wants to play hockey at a competitive level should have a chance to do so.
That’s the theory coach Jamie Brake used when he approached Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador with a proposal for a provincial minor midget hockey league program back in the spring.
Brake, who lives in Meadows, is happy to be the head coach for the Western Kings entry in the three-team minor midget setup that also features teams from Central and Tri-Pen.
The league will feature the three tournaments playing host to a tournament in their own backyard before the season wraps up with the World Finest provincial minor midget year-end tournament in Glovertown. This is an opportunity for more players on the west coast to play more hockey because last year there was only the provincial tournament for them to play in and now there’s four.
“This gives good, skilled players an opportunity to play at a higher level on the provincial scene,” Brake said Wednesday.
Brake believes there are a lot of good hockey players on the west coast who couldn’t crack the roster for the Dennis GM Western Kings of the provincial major midget hockey league so this is an avenue for them to pick up a game of competitive hockey that they wouldn’t have been able to do before this season.
It will get more players engaged in competitive hockey which makes him happy, but he also believes the new setup can serve as a feeder system for the major midget team so it’s definitely worth forging ahead.
While he said some players may not be ready for the big jump to major midget when they graduate from the bantam ranks, he said he believes time spent with the minor midget program can improve their stock in time and maybe give them a shot at making the team the following season.
Open tryouts are planned for this weekend and Brake expects he will have some tough decisions to make when forming the roster because there are already 30 players registered and more are expected to come on board before the weekend.
Anybody interested in registering for the tryouts can call Morgan Anderson at 458-7236 or email [email protected].
Kings minor tryout schedule
Saturday, Oct. 14
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
5:30-6:30 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 15
5:30-6:30 p.m.
Tournament dates
Oct. 27-29 Gros Morne Arena in Rocky Harbour (Western host)
Dec. 1-3 Cabot Stadium in Bonavista (Tri-Pen host)
Jan. 12-14 Glovertown Arena in Glovertown (Central host)
Feb. 23-25 Glovertown Arena (Year-end tournament)
