Welcome to the 2025-2026 hockey season!
My name is Brad Morris, and I am really looking forward to coaching the U14 West London Hawks this season. My oldest Son, Jake Morris, will also be coaching with me this Season.
I wanted to take this opportunity to provide some information about the tryout process as well as set some expectations as it pertains to my evaluation process and what I am looking for in a hockey player when selecting a team.
Evaluations are May 10th – 14th inclusive.
The first 2 tryouts sessions will consist of skills and drills and with some scrimmage play.
The first releases will occur after the 2nd skate.This is then followed by 3 exhibition games. The remainder of the releases are yet to be determined and will communicated through the players.
Evaluations will be conducted by fully utilizing independent evaluators. I cannot/will not select a player which no evaluator has selected on their final evaluations.
Picking a team is the hardest thing that a coach has to endure, I will not let emotion, nor relationships impact any decisions,
Note: Previous competitive hockey experience at any level does not guarantee placement on this team. All players will be given equal consideration during the tryout process.
Some of the qualities that I am looking for…
Compete Level/Effort – This is my number 1 quality I look for on a hockey player. A player who will give 100% effort out there. Offensively and defensively, battles hard and is just an overall hard worker.
Coachability – A player who can/will listen to instructions and act on those instructions. A player who is always paying attention, listening, and willing to learn
Unselfish and heads up – A player who skates with their head up to see the ice and potential options, A player that passes the puck to a player ahead of him, A player who will pass instead of shoot (if it is the correct option).
Respectful and positive attitude – A player that shows respect for teammates, coaches, opponents, game officials and parents. There should never be any slamming of sticks, cursing, chirping players or showing overall negative attitudes etc. A hockey player must always be positive with themselves, their teammates and all involved even in the face of a loss.
Skill – Notice how this is last in my list. While skills are important and play a heavy % of decisions made, a player's development and team play will not progress unless the above skills are present as well. A player that may be a little less skilled but has the above qualities will surpass players who do not by midseason. Mid to late season is always my target when selecting hockey players.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at [email protected] or call/text me at 519-281-5917.
Be sure to check back to this website for updates periodically.
I wish all players the best in the tryouts and I look forward to seeing everyone at the rink.