Jr. Gold

All JR Gold Players will be required to wear neck laceration protection including those that are 18 years old

USA Hockey neck laceration protection requirements begin August 1 for players in all age classifications, other than adult, during both games and practices, as well as for on-ice officials under the age of 18. The requirement includes players in the youth, girls and junior age classifications.

Check out USA Hockey's resources and frequently asked questions to make sure you're prepared heading into the new season!

Who are the St. Louis Park Jr. Gold A Flyers? The St. Louis Park Jr. Gold A Flyers team was formed in 2009 and is mainly comprised of hockey-playing students attending Benilde-St. Margaret’s School, St. Louis Park High School and various other schools. The team competes in the Junior Gold High School League, (www.jghsl.org/), which includes teams from throughout the Twin Cities metro area. The team is part of the Saint Louis Park Hockey Association (SLPHA). The Flyers won the Jr. Gold ‘A’ State Championship in 2011, captured 3^rd place in 2014, 5^th place in 2015 & 2022, and participated in the State Tournament the last nine seasons.

What is Junior Gold? This level is comprised of players that are in 10th-12th grade, who want to play hockey but for various reasons, don't play for their High School team. Jr. Gold is under the umbrella of Minnesota Hockey, like other age-specific youth classifications such as Peewees or Bantams. The main difference is that many youth hockey associations don’t carry Jr. Gold programs since their player numbers are not high enough.

The St. Louis Park Hockey Association fields one Jr. Gold team, the ‘A’ level Flyers. The Jr. Gold ‘A’ level is generally for players with high school Varsity or Junior Varsity playing experience or have played at the Bantam AA to B1 level. 

Jr. Gold A is a higher level of play than B, and B a higher level than JG16. Junior Gold High School League policies state that teams should be sourced talent-wise in that order. 

The Flyers Junior Gold ‘A’ team is formed after the High School tryouts are completed. While dates may change, at this point, this year’s Flyers tryout are scheduled for Monday, November 18 and Tuesday, November 19. All players attending Tryouts need to be registered with the SLP Hockey Association (SLPHA). It’s recommended for players to register for the Flyers tryouts well in advance of their high school tryouts, but can also wait until high school tryouts are over and register by November 17.   

·     Note: Through coordination with other associations, players not selected for the Flyers will have opportunities to play with other Jr. Gold teams. More info will be available after Tryouts.

Registration Requirement for Jr. Gold Players – SafeSport Training USA Hockey requires SafeSport training for all Jr. Gold players. Please see the MN Hockey/USA Hockey requirement below. All players in this age group must complete this course on the USA Hockey site in order to play and be put on the SLP Jr. Gold A roster.

Use this link to access the SafeSport training at SafeSport Program Training (usahockey.com) - on that page, look for the link that reads "Access Required Core Training Here".

-      Note: You will need your USA Hockey Confirmation number (created during SLPHA registration) to register for SafeSport Training.

All players 17 years of age or older on or before December 31 of that playing season, and who play on a team in a classification that allows minor-age players (i.e 15 - 16-year-olds), must complete SafeSport Training before being added to such team and prior to participation (on-ice or off-ice). USA Hockey will be communicating with those eligible players to make them aware of the requirement so that they have the opportunity to complete the training well in advance.

What’s the time commitment? Typically, the Jr. Gold season runs from mid-November through early-to-mid March, depending on how far the teams’ progress in the playoffs. In normal seasons, games begin early December and include 24 league games (12 home/12 away).  In 2024-2025, the Flyers will play in two metro-proper invitational tournaments and Minnesota Hockey post-season tournament(s).

What’s the cost? Pre-Season and Tryout Fee: $50 - non-refundable, due at time of registration. (This covers all pre-season ice sessions and two tryout sessions)

-    Balance of registration fee is paid once player is selected for the team and can be paid in-full at time of registration or across two payments in December and January.

-    Total planned registration fee for the Flyers JGA Team: To-Be-Determined

-    After the team is selected, there will be an additional team payment of around $100-$150 to cover team apparel, parties, miscellaneous tournament costs, etc.

How does it start - Is there ice time before tryouts? Nine Preseason ice sessions are available to all returning Flyers players and newly interested Jr. Gold players. Players must be registered with SLPHA Jr. Gold A for the 2024-2025 season to participate in the Preseason skates. Preseason on-ice sessions begin on Monday, 10/21/2024 and continue roughly 2 times per week until roughly 11/13/2024. Full equipment and neck guards are required. When completed, the full Pre-Season ice schedule can be found on the Jr. Gold Teams page on the St. Louis Park Hockey website – www.slphockey.com – Jr. Gold A. All sessions are at the SLP Recreation Center.

What is the tryout/evaluation process? Since many Jr. Gold players tryout for their high school team, the tryout/evaluation process for the Jr. Gold A Flyers doesn’t take place until mid-November, after the high school teams have completed their tryouts. Jr. Gold players are then evaluated by coaches and independent evaluators over the course of 2 on-ice sessions consisting of drills and scrimmages. The Flyers JGA team is selected after the 2^nd on-ice session.

All players participating in tryouts need to complete the online registration with the St. Louis Park Hockey Association (SLPHA). (https://www.slphockey.com/). Go to the “Programs” link at the top of the Home Page, and select Jr. Gold A to complete the registration. This registration needs to be completed prior to participating in the tryouts.

All players participating in tryouts, including goalies, need to attend each tryout/evaluation session.

The tryout sessions are scheduled for Monday, November 18 and Tuesday, November 19.

Please arrive at least 45 minutes prior to the start of each session to check in.

• Each player will need to complete the player information form before receiving their tryout jersey.
• Each player will receive a tryout jersey with a number identification to be used during both tryout sessions. Please remember your number, as this will be used to post the teams.
• Tryout jerseys need to be returned after the second session or the last session attended by the player.

·     Tryout results for the St. Louis Park Flyers JGA will be posted on the SLP Hockey website (www.slphockey.com) on the Junior Gold A Teams page no-later-than 9:00 am the day after tryouts are completed.

Mandatory Player & Parent Meeting will be scheduled for the Flyers JGA team after tryout selections. The meeting is typically held on the same day as the first scheduled practice – Date/Time TBD. The date and time will be communicated with team selections and will be on the Team Calendar on the Jr. Gold A Teams page.