Frequently asked Questions
Q. Is the SuperSeries a League?
No, it is NOT a league but a series of competitive 6-game tourneys or friendlies. Some teams use it to augment an existing league schedule (participate in 1-2 SuperSeries) with additional AAA competitive games whereas other teams do several of these SuperSeries in absence of a local AAA league to play a highly competitive AAA schedule (30-40 games) and use "myrankings" as their standings.
Q. When someone states they are a member or participant of the SuperSeries what does it mean?
It could mean a number of things:
- Several teams within the organization participate in the SuperSeries
- One or several of the teams are a host city
- A team participates in one or several SuperSeries
The SuperSeries board recognizes the following designation types:
- SuperSeries Participant - This is designated at the team level for teams that attend one or several SuperSeries events
- SuperSeries Member - 1-2 teams within an organization that are a SuperSeries host city
- SuperSeries Organization - Several age groups within an organization that are a SuperSeries host city with advisory input to the Commissioner
Q. I see a 46th ranked team included in a SuperSeries. I thought it was restricted to the Top 25 AAA teams?
Yes, it is generally restricted to the Top 25 AAA teams according to "myrankings" with priority given to the Top 20 AAA teams but there are exceptions to the rule. Please see the next FAQ Q below on examples of when you would let teams into a SuperSeries if their ranking is above 25+. Teams should be Tier I for the 18U, 16U, 14U, and 12U age divisions.
Each Host City has the right to make their decisions and do not need to go through the board for approval as the SuperSeries is meant to be simple, volunteer time, common sense and at cost. We leave it up to the host city to make the decision which for the most part acceptance is based on the ranking from last year.
Often, coaches will call the host city coordinator and explain that they will be much better then the xx ranking (for the reasons give below in the next FAQ Q) and most likely why a team may have been accepted into a SuperSeries event. Now, if they perform poorly and are clearly not in the Top 25 they will be revoked from future SuperSeries events going forward as this goes against the integrity and goals of what the SuperSeries is and Host cities want to attract the best and have teams come back next year.
Teams very quickly realize which host cities attract the best teams and will direct their participation in those host cities versus a host city that does not contain competitive teams.
Q. Do you have examples of when you would consider teams into a SuperSeries if their ranking is above 25+?
- Team Alpha is ranked 40th but only played 15 games against peewee teams and the rest were Bantam. Peewee competition was weak and the Bantam games did not count in the "myrankings" standings which resulted in the 40th ranking. Team Alpha plays 18th ranked team towards end of the year and loses 3-2 and then ties 4-4.
- Team Beta is ranked #27. They start off slow but come together at the end of the season with 5 wins against the Top 20 teams and a berth in the State final.
- Team Charlie finishes 45th last season but gained 5 new players or swap players from another team. Team Charlie will certainly be in the Top 10.
- It can work in reverse. Team Delta finishes 11th last year but loses several players and will most likely finish in the 40s.
For the most part "myrankings" is a great system to judge the top teams but as per above there are exceptions. Yes, you will get the odd team in that does not belong. It will certainly happen in the SuperSeries but eventually these situations take care of themselves. All the good far outweighs some of these issues.
Q. Why do you limit the SuperSeries to the Top 25 AAA teams?
The goal of the SuperSeries is to play 6 competitive games at the AAA level allowing teams and players to develop into a Top AAA team/player. If we don't have a cut-off then any team regardless of ranking can get in which would cause several issues in terms of adherence to our goals, development, competitiveness and absence of top teams? Net-Net, it allows the opportunity for teams that are ranked 10-20th to play the Top 5 teams. The top 5 certainly do not want to play teams ranked low as it causes issues as discussed above.
Q. How about teams that commit then back out at the last minute?
Verbal commits work for the most part but now that we have expanded from one division (98) to all other divisions we we willl alllow host cities the optrion to request a $500 non-refundable deposit. This will ensure teams remain committed on their verbal commit and allow for better planning and ensure host cities start the recruiting process in April/May.
Q. How can the coach correct a game sheet?
All host cities MUST use Sport NGIN Live to compute game sheets and statistics. SuperSeries posts full game sheet player details as compared to just game scores. As a result, the organization wants to ensure that a high level of rigor and effort will be placed on the integrity of the data being posted to be correct. As such, there needs to be a process in place to allow the coach to request a change to correct score sheet errors that use an automated system (Sport NGIN Live) to track game statistics. In the case of SuperSeries we have adopted the following process:
1. Changes must be submitted by email by the team manager, head coach or assistant coach with the other parties copied on the email. Note: emails from parents and/or players will be not be considered.
2. Emails must be sent to scorekeeper@superseriesaaa.com with the subject “Score Sheet Change."
3. No updates to a score sheet will be allowed except for the following:
a. Changing of a goal scorer.
b. Changing of an assist (no additional assists will be allowed).
c. Correction of goalie minutes played.
d. Correction if a wrong player was assessed a penalty on the score sheet.
Q. What governing rules do these SuperSeries fall under?
The SuperSeries falls under USA hockey. ONLY Teams with legitimate T1 rosters are allowed to participate. All players and coaches must be registered with USA hockey for insurance purposes.
The purpose of the SuperSeries is to maintain an ultra-competitive 6 game event to develop players and teams. In this regard, teams are allowed to add players to their T1 rosters if and only if they are short players meaning they have less then 16 rostered skaters. Teams need to abide by their governing state association and USA hockey rules. Teams must ensure they inform the host city of any adds to their normal roster well before the SuperSeries start date.
Host cities will have the right to refuse a player added to the roster. Please ensure, you let the host city know well in advance of your request to add players to the roster. There are situations where this may occur but it must happen well before the tournament begins to ensure no issues occur.
To register for a tournament, you MUST have received permission from the tournament host. If you do not have permission from the host to compete in a tournament, you may NOT register.
