The first day of tryouts is complete, and only one thing is certain; This club is going to be very competitive in both divisions this season.

More than half of the expected attendees skated during the first of two open sessions yesterday, and coach Sobel put it best: “There isn’t a bad player on this floor.” Making these teams will be a real accomplishment.

Next Saturday can’t come quick enough!

With the recent website outage, it’s obvious that information didn’t get out at large about tryouts coming up.  Here is everything you need to know…

Who

The Demons are holding tryouts for the coming season, and are looking to fill three competitive rosters.  An AIHL Elite, AIHL Minor, and Prospect roster will be filled from this one tryout.  For more information, read the writeup under “Tryout Registry” or the Tryout Announcement article below or email admin@delcodemons.com

What

Tryouts will serve as our first look to improve on our rosters from last season.  All spots will be earned by those attending, and all decisions will be made by our Head Coach, Brian Sobel.  You can get all the information from the article below by scrolling down.

Be sure to bring a white and black jersey, preferably with your last name on the back of both to each tryout.

Where

The Hockey Dek in Springfield, PA.  For Directions, check out the page under the “Information” menu above.

When

Open Tryouts are Saturday, August 4th, 2012 and Saturday, August 11th, 2012.  You aren’t required to attend both sessions to be eligible for the callback session on Saturday, August 25th, 2012, but as with any tryout, the more we see you, the better your chances are of making a team.  All three sessions will run from 1-4pm, and Registration will start at 12pm.  We expect all players on the floor by 12:45pm for warmups, unless we are otherwise informed of a need for lateness.

How

How Much?  Tryouts cost $50 for new players, and $25 for returning players.  This flat fee covers all of your rink time.  Players should all register online or in person with a $25 deposit.  Our policy is to charge a $25 processing fee for all late registrations.  Typically, this would be enforced Midnight, the day before the first session, but with this website outage we’ve extended the early registration window to include the week in between the Open Sessions.

Why

And the biggest question… Why?  Because the Delco Demons are the premier organization in the area, with an award winning staff and family atmosphere.  This is your chance to join the family.  We hope to see you on the rink at tryouts, and wish you the best of luck.

The Delco Demons site is up and running live again, and improvements will be rolling out rapidly as the season approaches.  We’ve upgraded the back end to allow live posting from events as the year goes on, including photo galleries, video, and full articles, giving you real time results and news throughout the coming year.

We’ve also started developing a new feature for this year, the Demons Locker Room, where players can go for up to date information, alerts, and schedules for their teams.  This will be released before the season begins, and we’re excited for the potential this will hold for the club.

If you see any problems with the site, want to give us some feedback, or have a great idea for us to implement, send us an email to admin@delcodemons.com

Thank you for your interest in trying out for the 2012-2013 Delco Demons AIHL Organization.  This page is designed to lay out all of the information you will need for tryouts, as well as what to expect from tryouts and the 2012-2013 Season.  Our goal is to hit the ground running, developing a team with a mix of returning experience and youth capable of competing at the highest level within the American Inline Hockey League.  We are looking for the right mix of skill, personality, and desire, to help us put our best possible foot forward.

Tryouts will be held at The Hockey Dek in Springfield, PA.  Times are detailed below.  The rink address and directions can be found under our “Information” menu at the top right. No one will be permitted to join the tryout session after the registration period has concluded unless pre-arranged with the GM and Head Coach.

Tryout dates will be as follows:

• Open Session 1 Saturday, August 4th, 2012 (1-4 PM)
• Open Session 2 Saturday, August 11th, 2012 (1-4 PM)
• Callback Session Saturday, August 25th, 2012 (1-4 PM)

Tryout fees are $50 per new player with advanced online registration, and $25 per returning player with advanced online registration.  Advanced registration can be performed online by clicking the “Pay Now” button on this page.  A $25 online deposit should be paid in advance at time of registration.  Players showing up the day of tryouts without registering in advance, new or returning, will be charged $75.  Balances can be paid on the day of tryouts by checks can be made payable to “Delco Demons Hockey Club” or in cash.  Please arrive an hour ahead of the scheduled start time for Registration.  In addition to standard equipment, Players should arrive prepared with a light and dark colored jersey with their name on the back.  All players will be required to fill out a waiver for The Hockey Dek before stepping on the playing surface.  Players selected to the team will be asked to sign the Demons Handbook and Contract(s).  You will receive a copy of all these documents in a player packet upon successfully registering online.  Please review all contents of the player packet before tryouts so that you are prepared should you be selected to a team at tryouts.  If you would like to review this information before registering, email admin@delcodemons.com requesting more information.

Three contracts will be attached to the player packet for your review.  We will be offering up to 36 Standard Player Contracts out for the 2012-2013 Season.  In addition, we will be offering up to 9 Select Contracts out to the players who we feel can best help us meet our goals for the year.  These Select contracts are open to any Demon player, and offer discounts on men’s league play in return for co-captaining and organizing those men’s league teams.  We will also be offering Prospect Contracts at our discretion for players we would like to keep involved in the organization.  These standby players will fill the new Prospect roster to be used in regional and national tournaments,  as well as in a farm system for the AIHL division teams.  All player personnel decisions will be made by the Head Coach, Brian Sobel, with input from our Owner, Jason Kelly.  As GM, Bill Sherwood and Assistant GMs, Rob Basquill and Steven Stewart are planning on playing this season, they will have no voting rights on the results of tryouts.  The expected monetary commitment for the season will be broken down, in detail, in the Demons Handbook.  You can expect a $300 cost up front which  will take care of your Demons Gear order, and AAU Insurance.  Basic gear order will include 2 jerseys, pants, warm-ups, t-shirt, hat, and practice jerseys.  Players will have the opportunity to purchase additional gear with their order.  In lieu of player dues, players will be expected to support The Hockey Dek men’s leagues by playing in no less than 3 seasons between now and June 15th, 2013 (2 for new players to offset gear costs).  These teams will be organized and captained by the Delco Demons franchise players, and will run $150 each for Demons members.  Players will be given the option to opt out of this men’s league commitment with an upfront payment of $300.  Additional expenses incurred over the course of the season are the responsibility of the player, including playoffs,  equipment, and travel, and can be covered through fundraising and/or sponsorship.

Fundraising opportunities will be provided with enough bandwidth to make the season free, for the player committed to participating to the fullest extent.  Fundraisers will include, but are not limited to: Bi-monthly Iron Man Tournaments, Season Ticket Sales, Demons Swag Sales, Game Day 50-50 Raffles, Philadelphia Sports Season Ticket Raffles, ESPN Magazine Subscription Sales, and Beef and Beer celebrations.  In addition, team and player sponsorship packages will be available.  Each type of fundraiser and sponsorship opportunity will contribute differently to the club and player, and all details are outlined in the Demons Handbook.

For this commitment of time, energy, and  money, you will be a part of the 2012-2013 Demons Organization.  This will include game time participation in the AIHL Elite and/or Minor League seasons as dictated by the Head Coach, weekly men’s league games and practice time on Thursday evenings, additional practice camps on Saturday afternoons when games are not scheduled, a full Demons Gear package (uniform, warm-ups, t-shirt, hat, and practice jerseys), and access to exclusive team discounts on any Revision brand products, and further discounts on orders through The Hockey Dek Pro Shop.  The AIHL regular season lasts from December through the end of March, with divisional playoffs in April.  We will be attempting to push the season’s start into January if possible this season to truncate the length of the year.  Finals have not yet been announced, but typically are held at a vacation destination over Memorial Day weekend.  Elite and Minor divisions play a 24 game season.  Home and Away games are double headers, and will be played on Saturdays between 6 and 10pm and Sundays between 10am and 2pm.  There will be 5 home dates, and 5 away dates against divisional opponents.  The remainder of the season will be played against out of division opponents in a festival format.  These festivals have not yet been announced, but likely locations include Pittsburgh, PA and/or Long Island, NY.  More information on the league can be found at www.aihlhockey.com.  

New players should fill out and return the “2012-2013 Player Registration Form” attached to their confirmation email and return by email at your earliest convenience.  If you have any questions after reviewing all of the documentation, please do not hesitate to reach out to us for answers.  You can email admin@delcodemons.com with all questions, and they will be directed to the appropriate person for your answer.    We look forward to seeing you at tryouts and hopefully as a part of the 2012-2013 Delco Demons.