Our season just ended last Thursday, and tryouts start May 2nd.

That’s a quick turnaround.

We just spent seven months together — battling, growing, going through ups and downs — and now, in a matter of weeks, we’re right back to square one, picking a team again.

I’m coaching the same team, and going into tryouts, I have an idea of what the core could look like. But with open borders, I honestly don’t know what’s going to happen.

Players can go try out for AAA and AA, which means you don’t know who’s coming back, who’s moving on, or what new players might come down. You could have players show up that didn’t exist in your plans a month ago.

And that’s where it gets difficult.

The hardest part for me right now isn’t evaluating talent. It’s trying to objectively look at next year’s team so soon after this one.

Anyone would be lying if they said they didn’t feel some level of loyalty to the players they just coached for seven months. You build relationships. You invest in them. You push them. You watch them improve.

But tryouts aren’t about last season.

They have to be fair.

Players are coming in to earn a spot, and as a coach, you owe it to every kid on the ice to evaluate what’s in front of you — not what you’ve already seen.

That’s easier said than done.

I know there will be situations where new players come in and outperform players I coached all year. That’s the reality. And it creates tough decisions, because it’s human nature to feel that loyalty, but it’s also not fair to a player who earns a spot to not give it to them.

At the same time, you’re not just picking players. You’re building a team.

With open borders, that becomes even more important. Any change from the previous year can impact the culture. If a returning player doesn’t make it, what does that do to the room? If new players come in, will they buy in? Will they fit?

Those are things you can’t fully measure in a tryout.

Parents don’t see that side of it, and that’s not a knock on them. They’re focused on their own player, as they should be. But as a coach, you’re looking at everything — positions, handedness, how players think the game, and even trying to project what they’ll look like in September after a summer of development.

There’s a lot that goes into it.

It’s not just who skates the fastest or who scores the most in a tryout. It’s about who fits the team you’re trying to build.

For me, skill matters, but what I learned this past season is that coachability, effort, and attitude matter more. We can develop skill. We can work on that every day. It’s a lot harder to teach effort and coachability.

This being my second time going through this, I also learned something else. Some of the red flags I wasn’t fully sure about last year ended up showing themselves over the course of the season.

I have to trust that more this time around.

I second-guessed decisions last year. I’m more prepared now, but that doesn’t make it easy. Especially at the A level, you never fully know what the group is going to look like on day one.

I’d be lying if I said I don’t think about how decisions will be perceived. That’s part of it. There will be tough choices, and not everyone will agree with them.

But at the end of the day, I have to trust myself.

I have to do what’s best for the front of the jersey, not the name on the back.

We proved this year that you can develop and win. We started with ten losses and ended up in the semifinals, finishing third in our league. That came from buying in, working, and growing together.

Now I have to build that again.

I know I can’t keep everyone. I know these are kids, and being cut can have a real impact. That part doesn’t get easier. But this is also part of life — whether it’s teams, schools, or jobs, there are going to be moments where you face tough outcomes.

That doesn’t make it easier when you’re the one making the decisions.

Seventeen spots. A lot of good players. Not enough room.

That’s the reality.

Tryout season is hard. Maybe even harder the second time around, because now you know exactly what’s coming.

People will second guess. People will talk. That’s part of it.

But at the end of the day, we’re all human. These are kids. And as coaches, we’re doing our best to make the right decisions with the information we have.

I know I’ll make mistakes.

But whoever ends up on that roster, I can promise one thing — they’re going to get everything I have as a coach.

And I’ll live with the decisions that got us there.

About the Author
I’m Jesse Candela. I coach U10 Rep A and scout in the OJHL. I write about real coaching experiences — the decisions, challenges, and lessons that come with trying to build and develop a team the right way.