SKILL & TIER GUIDANCE
COMPETITIVE DIVISION
Who they are: Highly skilled and competitive players. Designed for players with previous advanced level play (juniors, collegiate, etc.)
RECREATION C DIVISION
Upper C Division
Who they are: Players have extensive hockey experience, strong fundamentals, and able to control puck/play without extensive mistakes.
Lower C Division
Who they are: Understands the game, has some experience with organized play, looking for a competitive yet fun tournament. May favor one side or another in skating. Heavy pressure can lead to mistakes.
Recreation D Division
Who they are: Great for the players/teams still gaining experience with organized hockey. Fun and learning over competition and winning.
WARRIORS DIVISION
UPPER DIVISION
Who they are: Combination of high-performance players and solid competitive players. May have some high school, college, or higher level of experience. Focused on competitive games.
LOWER DIVISION
Who they are: Solid Recreational player. Learning the game, building on skating skills, puck handling, and shooting. Focused on camaraderie and enjoyment of playing the game.
ROSTER GUIDANCE & SUMMARY
ROSTER GUIDANCE
To determine your team’s overall skill level and correct tier for a given roster, program
leadership will need to evaluate each player on the roster’s skill level using the following
guidance:
1) First, determine the tier for each individual player and goalie based on the skill
descriptions above..
2) Take each player’s or goalie’s appropriate tier number (e.g., Elite is 1, Rec C is 2, Rec D) is and combine them into a cumulative number.
3) Take the cumulative number and divide it by the total number of players and goalies on the team’s roster.
4) Take the calculated number and choose the correct tier for your team. NOTE: If your
calculated number is directly between tiers Guardians Cup Hockey Operations will help
place you in a tier based on rosters submitted by others. Please do not automatically drop to lower tiers if your calculated numbers have decimal places.
SUMMARY
For the integrity and fairness of Guardians Cup tournaments, Guardians Cup Hockey Operations team reserves the right to place teams in divisions other than those requested during tournament registration. We will review each roster submitted and contact program/team leadership if tier movement is necessary or if questions arise regarding individual players or goalies. We rely on program/team leadership to communicate the skill and tiering guidance to their organizations and make tough rostering calls when necessary.
