Registration
Players are highly encouraged to pre-register for tryouts online.  Walk-in registrations will also be accepted on the night of tryouts at an increased price of $90.

Wild Teams
The Granite State Wild offers Minor and Major  travel teams that are 'birth year specific' (ie, 2011, 2012, 2013), as well as Select travel teams that are combined birth year-- Squirts 2014 & 2015, Peewee 2012 & 2013, Bantam 2010 & 2011.  Our Major/Minor teams are our most competitive teams and typically play in the New England PHL as well as the Granite State League. Our Select teams typically play in the Granite State League. 

All players interested in trying out for a Wild Major or Minor team are required to attend at least one tryout session and are strongly encouraged to attend both tryout days.  

Tryout Process & Notification
Players should plan to arrive  20 minutes prior to the scheduled start time of each session to allow time to check in and receive their tryout pinnie before getting dressed.  They must return the pinnie at the completion of each night's tryout.

All players will be evaluated by a group of independent evaluators and the team's head coach, if one has been named.  Following the completion of tryouts for each age group, players will be ranked against other players trying out for their position (forward, defense, goalie).  These rankings will be used as the primary basis for selection.

Not sure where your Mite aged player fits? Contact us and we can help answer your questions.

Do we need to register for tryouts?

Yes-please register ahead online, otherwise you’ll be asked to step out of the check-in line and do it the night of.

If you register your player for Major/Minor tryouts and they are not selected for that team, there is no additional fee to try out for Selects, and it is not necessary to register again. (You can, and there's no fee to do it, but it isn't necessary.)

Are both nights of tryouts required? 

It is preferable that players attend both nights of tryouts. However, we also understand that with tryouts falling during school vacations this year, this may be problematic for those with advance travel plans. If your player is interested in the Wild, but only able to attend one night, please sign them up online and notify us via email which night they will not be present at tryouts.

What is the difference between a Select team and a Major/Minor team?

A Major or Minor team consists of players of the same birth year only. These teams are our most competitive teams and will play in the New England Premier Hockey League and typically also play in an upper tier of the Granite State Hockey League. Travel for these teams will be throughout NH, but also can extend into MA, CT or RI at times. 

Select teams are made of combined birth years within a given age group (i.e. Squirts, PeeWees, Bantams, etc.). These teams will play at an appropriate competition tier in the Granite State League and most likely play some other non-league games as well to round out the schedule. These teams will travel, but typically do not travel as far as the Major/Minor teams do.
Both teams will play in tournaments at the level appropriate for the team. 

What is the difference between Mite Major and Mite Development? 

Mite Major is for our most skilled 8U players, typically those that are the oldest for the age group. Mite Majors will play a combination of 5v5 games and 4v4 games at a competitive level. 

Mite Development is for developing 8U players and focuses on skating and hockey skill development and learning the game. Games will be travel games, but nearly all 4v4 cross-ice games.

How much travel is there? 

PHL teams may travel as far away as Connecticut or Rhode Island for regular season games. Granite State League games are in NH, but may be as far aways Berlin, Lebanon, etc. *Travel teams also participate in a tournament of the team/coach’s choosing. This travel is not accounted for in the notes above.

Why is travel more  expensive than house league? 

Travel teams practice an extra day per week and may potentially play more than one game a weekend. The costs associated are largely ice fees, official fees, and tournament fees. Travel teams also have skill sessions (during practice time 2x per month) that are run by professional coaches from Stride Envy. Goalies have skill sessions with professional goalie coaches from Hannu Toivonen Goaltending. 

What is the schedule like? 

The best way to get a feel for a team's schedule is to view that team’s schedule in the SportsEngine app or on the website. In the app just search for a team and view it as a fan. On the website, under travel teams, navigate to the team you want to view and then click on the calendar. 

How does payment work?

Families can choose to pay in full with a discount, or to  enroll in a monthly payment plan. We also offer a sibling discount. Limited scholarship funds are also available.

Who will the coach be?

The Wild’s coaches are all volunteers. Most have a player on the team they coach. We encourage those interested in coaching to reach out as soon as possible so that they can be involved in the evaluation process if they wish to be. 2024-2025 coaches will be listed below as they are selected.

Head coaches for Granite State Wild Major & Minor teams will be announced prior to tryouts.  In most cases, head coaches for Wild Select teams will not be named until after the completion of Major/Minor tryouts.  This is due to the need to determine availability of coaches once Major/Minor player selections have been finalized.

Questions about tryouts? We want to answer them in advance to help the process go as smoothly as possible. Please contact us with any questions you may have.