I agree that June would be better than May, but don't most ECNL teams have playoffs in late June? May or June decisions can certainly make playoffs awkward as a player is still on one team but everyone knows they are leaving the team.I understand, but why not June 1st instead of May 1st as a tryout date? Most ECNL/ECRL teams are done by early June at the latest so kids will finish their commitments and coaches will not have that awkward dance with kids that are not returning for one reason or another.
I cannot find a single reason why May 1st is better than June 1. If someone has one, let me know.
As the kids get older, I think "try-outs" are pretty meaningless for ECNL teams. Most coaches are only going to add players that they know from games unless someone moves in from out of the area. By about U15/16, the coaches know most of the players (or at least think they do) and movement can happen with the player reaching out directly to a coach without a tryout. Not saying that is necessarily a good thing, but it is what I have seen. I suppose ECRL could be a different story.