Indiana Elite tryouts concluded this weekend at the Fuel Tank in Fishers, IN, with 20 Indy Jr Fuel hockey players committing to play for Tier I AAA teams for the 2024-25 season.

The Indiana Elite Tier I AAA hockey teams are governed by the Indiana State Hockey Association. The ISHA is a collaborative organization with representation from each youth travel hockey program in Indiana, including IYHA, with a stated goal of providing Hoosier youth players an opportunity to compete against the best teams from across the country.

“This amount of advancement from within our program is a testament not only to the players themselves for their commitment to their own development, but to our Tier II coaches who have invested so much into building the skills and hockey sense required to play at higher levels,” said IYHA Executive Director, Derek Edwardson. “I’m very proud of all the players, coaches and families for their commitment to competing at the highest level. We have some really exciting, young players here in central Indiana.”

Advancing players from Tier II to Tier I travel hockey is nothing new for the Indy Jr Fuel program, however this season marks a special accomplishment as Indiana Elite teams saw record numbers of tryout participants.

Leading the charge in advancements was last year’s Indy Jr Fuel 16U Gold team, with five 2008 born players making Indiana Elite 16U AAA.

16U Gold Head Coach, Oliver Wenck, praised the player’s work ethic and credited them for the advancement. "We had a very successful season due in large part to our player’s commitment to pushing themselves and one another in our practices, working extremely hard in our off ice training sessions, and building a team-first culture in our locker room.” Wenck continued, “all of those attributes continued into their off season and prepared them for a very fast-paced and competitive tryout weekend. I’m very proud of the player’s selected for Indiana Elite 16U AAA."

Indy Jr Fuel Tier II travel team tryouts will be held May 17th-19th at the Carmel Ice Skadium for those looking for an opportunity to join the IYHA development model and compete against the best regional talent. Register here: https://iyha.sportngin.com/register/form/411198936