ALBANY >> With the ice just barely melted off the skates of high school ice hockey players, nearly 100 players laced them up again at the Albany County Hockey Facility Wednesday evening.
For the second consecutive year, former and current Section II high school coaches established the Section II wrap-around teams to help local high school players hone their skills with an eye on skating once again for their respective high schools.
“(Queensbury coach) Dean Williams and I had a conversation right around this time when there it seemed a couple new (midget) teams had cropped up and we felt that it watering things down for the entire hockey season,” former Shenendehowa ice hockey coach Juan de la Rocha said. “To try to attract the players that are currently playing high school hockey that wanted a little bit more we talked about the idea of a wrap (around the high school season) team or a couple of them.
“I sent out an e-mail to all the league coaches, Coach (Steve) Hudak was still at Shaker and the moment he called me and said ‘I can’t believe you just sent that. You took the words right out of my mouth.’”
The wrap teams will compete in a 20-plus game season beginning in September and compete towards and conclude in the final week of October. Those players then will look to re-join their high school teams for the traditional NYSPSHAA season from November through March with the wrap season culminating in a state tournament for eligible teams in early March.
De la Rocha said that last year’s jump start of the program was challenged by a late start, but with the success of last year’s 16U and 18U teams along with a solid plan, this week’s tryouts yielded more than 60 players trying out for the 16U squad and more than 30 competing for a spot on the 18U squad.
“We were thrilled with the way we got 60-plus kids interested and here and organized them in such a way that (the tryouts) were pretty seamless out there,” de la Rocha said. “The kids got a lot of reps.”
Saratoga’s Caleb Smith returned to the tryout after playing up last year with the 18U squad.
“Last year it was all good players and we were all friendly with each other, there weren’t any bad kids on the team, the coach was great, we made it to states,” Caleb Smith said. “Coach Hudak is my coach again, he’s a good coach and it should be another good season.”
Smith credits his wrap season with his development and contributing to the Blue Streak’s Section II title and NYSPHSAA semifinal appearance this year.
“It made me a better player obviously, but it made me more comfortable playing in big games and adapting to playing with really good players,” Smith said. “This year I’m trying to work on my stride, my stick handling, my playmaking, trying to get smarter on the ice.”
Smith also had to accept the fact that he would be teammates with his rivals from Clifton Park, the Shenendehowa ice hockey team.
“It was a little bit nerve wracking because I thought some of the kids may not like me, but once we got into it everyone was great,” Smith said. “We all liked each other and it made a better atmosphere for the high school season.”
Hudak was not surprised at the turnout this week for the second year program.
“I think it was doing well, seeing that the program works, but we did a lot of work behind the scenes,” Hudak said. “The word was out there that we were doing this program again and I think that once you get a lot of the better players, everyone else starts to follow.
“We’re also one of the first tryouts for the 16U or 18U and a lot of kids wanted to say ‘Hey, what’s going on here? I want to check it out,” Hudak said.
The popularity of the program comes with its challenges as Hudak along with eight other evaluators must select up to 20 players to represent the 16U squad.
