How to Make Youth Hockey Tryouts Fairer with Gabe Malinski of TeamGenius

🏒 What makes a youth hockey tryout feel fair—and what causes the entire process to break down?Tryouts can be one of the most emotional parts of the hockey season. Players are nervous, parents are analyzing every drill, coaches are trying to build balanced teams, and organizations are under pressure to make decisions that families can trust.In this episode of Our Kids Play Hockey, Lee Elias and Christie Casciano Burns are joined by Gabe Malinski of TeamGenius, a platform that helps youth sports organizations improve tryouts, player evaluations, communication, and long-term development.Gabe explains why many associations make evaluations more complicated than they need to be—and why collecting more scores does not always lead to better decisions. The group discusses how organizations can create clearer evaluation criteria, prepare evaluators more effectively, reduce bias, and provide feedback that helps players improve.They also explore an important truth: a tryout should not be viewed as one isolated hour. A player’s habits, development, coachability, effort, attitude, and performance throughout the season all contribute to a much more complete picture.🎯 In this episode, you’ll learn:Why the purpose of a tryout should remain simple: build appropriate teamsHow evaluation criteria should change by age group and association sizeWhy skating is often the most important skill for younger playersHow unclear scoring systems can create major evaluation mistakesWhy evaluators need detailed rubrics—not just a one-to-five scaleHow organizations can reduce bias through outside evaluators and objective dataWhy hockey IQ, compete level, leadership, and coachability still require human judgmentHow honest feedback can turn disappointment into a development planWhat players should do physically and mentally before tryoutsHow parents can support their child without increasing the pressureWhy not making the desired team may create a better long-term opportunityHow technology should support coaches rather than make decisions for themGabe also shares the remarkable journey of his brother Sam Malinski, who played B-level hockey as a young player, faced setbacks throughout his development, went undrafted, and continued working his way toward the NHL. His story is a powerful reminder that one roster decision does not determine a player’s future.The biggest takeaway? Tryouts should be part of a larger development process—not the only evaluation a player receives all year.When organizations communicate clearly, coaches provide meaningful feedback, players prepare consistently, and parents remain supportive, tryouts can become far more productive for everyone involved.🎧 Listen now, share this episode with another hockey family, and remember: the team your child makes this season does not define the player—or person—they can become.📖 Want a written version you can reference anytime? Check out our companion blog: Youth Hockey Tryouts Should Build Teams—and Help Players GrowThis episode is powered by NHL Sense Arena.Learn more about TeamGenius#YouthHockey #HockeyTryouts #PlayerDevelopment #HockeyParents #HockeyCoaching #TeamGenius #YouthSports #HockeyEvaluations #GrowthMindset #OurKidsPlayHockeyClick To Text The Our Kids Play Hockey Team!Keep your player sharp this summer with NHL Sense Arena. Save $25 on an annual plan with code OKPH at hockey.SenseArena.com/okphHave A Topic You Want Us To Cover? Let us know!Please Be Sure To Subscribe & Leave A Review For Us On Apple Podcasts, doing so helps our show grow!Follow Us On Social Media:Facebook GroupXInstagramLinkedInYouTube