DNL Amalgamation Information, News (Norwich Minor Hockey)

With No DNL Full Amalgamation

Norwich Local League

Norwich Rep

-continue to have practices and home games in Norwich

-continue to have small teams in age groups when there are Rep teams in Norwich

-Local League teams continue to struggle against teams in other centres that have larger and more skilled teams (many other teams are becoming more competitive after their amalgamations, which has left our teams struggling to compete)

-as there are less Rep teams in Norwich and those players go elsewhere to seek Rep teams, less registrants in the organization will likely result in costs going up for families to continue to support the costs of hockey in Norwich with lesser players and families to spread it across

-continue to be a Norwich Knighthawk

-continue to play in the Intertown Local League

-continue to struggle for volunteers to run our programs

-can AP to Rep teams within Norwich, but when there are no  Rep teams in Norwich in various age groups then there is no opportunity to AP to Rep teams

-a fully “Norwich” Board of Directors

-less certainty about what teams we will be icing each

season, making it difficult to recruit coaches in advance

-lack of registrants to have Representative teams in all age groups (we have had to fold teams in various age groups over the last few years including two this season, and the number projections for next season looks even more bleak)

-continue to have practices and home games in Norwich

-continue to be a Norwich Knighthawk for the teams that we can ice a Rep team

-continue to fold Rep teams where there are not enough registrants and players take 3.5 releases to play in other centres

-as there are less Rep teams in Norwich and those players go elsewhere to seek Rep teams, less registrants likely will result in costs going up for families to continue to support the costs of hockey in Norwich with lesser players and families to spread it across
-a wide range of skill level on teams

-continue to play in Southern Counties, hopefully against Tier 2/3 teams (D centres like us, or second entry teams where we fit better skill wise), but as less and less Tier 2/3 teams are available due to the changing landscape of hockey around us, likely having to play above our skill level against Tier 1 teams

-continue to struggle for volunteers to run our programs

-players continue to be able to try out for “A” hockey as an NRP

-a fully “Norwich” Board of Directors                   

-less certainty about what teams we will be icing each season, making it difficult to recruit coaches in advance

With DNL Full Amalgamation

Norwich Local League

Norwich Rep

- continue to have practices and home games in Norwich but under the new DNL organization

-continue to play as a Norwich Knighthawk

-continue to play in the Intertown Local League

-with more players trying out for Rep teams between the three centres, more “bubble players” will end up on the Local League teams helping those teams be a better size and more competitive

-with the entire DNL organization supporting all levels of hockey in each centre the costs will be spread out over many players and families helping to keep costs as low as possible

-the possibility of Local League Select teams between the three centres for players who want to try out (not residentially restricted)

-the ability to AP to Rep teams regardless of which Local League centre you play out of

-a larger pool of volunteers to help run our hockey programs

- a combined board of Directors with equal representation from each original centre (6 from Delhi, Norwich and Langton)

-with more ice time the ability to have more tournaments and training

-the ability to offer more favourable ice times to Local League with Rep teams rotating games in other arenas

-practices and games will be rotated through all three

arenas, ensuring rep hockey in every age group can be played in each original centre (Delhi, Norwich and Langton)

-a more stable Rep program ensuring we have teams in each age group for our players to try out for and be able to be competitive against other centres

-rep hockey will no longer be Norwich Knighthawks, but we will become part of an all-new Rep identity

-have “B” level Rep teams in each age group, and hopefully the ability to also have “C” Rep teams in each age groups

-more ice time available between all three arenas for more practices and ice times if teams want it (at a cost to rep players)

--with the entire DNL organization supporting all levels of hockey in each centre the costs will be spread out over many players and families helping to keep costs as low as possible

- a combined board of Directors with equal representation from each original centre (6 from Delhi, Norwich and Langton)

-with more ice time the ability to have more tournaments and training

-the ability to offer more favourable ice times being that teams will have more ice to choose from between the three arenas

-with a larger pool of players trying out for Rep teams they will be playing with more like-skilled players on their teams and have more competitive teams

-players continue to be able to try out for  “A"
hockey as an NRP