There have been many questions regarding the try out evaluation process so I will try to explain the process we use.

First of all, the evaluation committee consists of high school coaches, MDHL league coaches and junior scouts.

We are always looking to get more coaches involved in the process. Each year when the tryout announcements go out to the high school coaches, we make it clear that all coaches are welcome to become evaluators and part of the evaluation process. On any given year the evaluation committee is made of approximately 8-12 people.

Players are rated in each game and given a numerical value of 1-4 by each evaluator, where 1 is the lowest rating and 4 is the highest rating. The numerical ratings are added together for each player and then divided by the number of evaluators to come up with an average composite score. This is done for each game and their final scores are posted giving each player a rank in order for selection.

Example: In the league there are a certain number of spots at each position – defenseman, forwards and goalies. If we needed 7 defenseman per team and we pick 5 teams, we would need a grand total of 35 defenseman. The top 35 composite scores fill the available spots. So, the defenseman that was ranked 36^th or below in the rating order would not be selected for the league.  The forwards and goalies are selected in the same manner.

We feel this is the most democratic and fair way to evaluate the players. Having a large number of evaluators limits the potential for "gaming" the rating system by a single evaluator scoring a player much higher or lower than their skill level. Players are chosen for league play based strictly on their ratings (which are expected to incorporate the age/grade level as well). There are no secrets about what goes on in the selection process.

We feel very fortunate to have so much interest in the program and try and do the best we can to select the best possible players. However, we realize that the process is not perfect and sometimes mistakes are made. 

The results each year are impressive. Around 50% of each year's league participants earn All-State honors, and we continue to move players on to junior, college, and professional hockey. 

On behalf of the MDHL staff, we appreciate your support of our program.