District 1 Peewee A

[SLP/SW Coach]

With all of the talk on these forums coming from District 1 Peewee folks, I figured I would start a thread dedicated to talking about D1 Peewee A.

To my knowledge, there are 7 PWA teams in District 1 this season.

Highland
Irondale
Johnson
Mpls Park
Washburn
(edit to add):
Como
New Richmond, WI

What are your thoughts on these teams?

PLEASE NO POSTS JUST SAYING THINGS LIKE:
WHO CARES D1 SUCKS ECT
There are enough of those on other threads.
Posts like that will be reported to the mods.
THANK YOU

[SLP/SW Coach]

Let's start by talking about:

How did your try-outs go?
(if they are complete)

Mpls Park try-outs went very well this year. Southwest and SLP are co-oping on every level A->C this season. This should do a good job in getting more players playing at the appropriate level. Mpls Park had 60 skaters and 5 goalies at try-outs. Things we very competitive at every level. There were some tough decisions to be made at the A, B1, and B2 bubbles. I think that everyone did their best to select the proper players for their teams.


What early season Scrimmages and/or Tournaments do you have setup for your team?

Mpls Park has scrimmages Vs:
Bloomington Jefferson, Centennial, Apple Valley and Lakeville South. We are also working on dates for Woodbury, Eagan, Chaska, and Edina.

Mpls Park has 2 Tournaments scheduled in November:
US Hockey Hall of Fame Tourney Nov 10th-12th
Burnsville Thanksgiving Classic Nov 24th-26th

Good Luck to everyone this season.
I look forward to seeing you at the rink.

[Johnsonpres]

Hey SLP/SW coach,
I also heard we will be playing a home and home with New Richmond this season, also Como is going to have an "A"Pee Wee team one of their co-coaches e-mailed me to scrimmage but we just started try-outs. Also now that you guys combined we don't have anywhere close to your numbers we have only 44 total pee wee's and I think Como may have even less than us. With the team you should have you should also scrimmage Apple Valley they had almost all first year players last year. I think this year we will have to try to play the spoiler role.

[BlueLiner]

SLP/SW coach, great post. It sounds great to hear some positive news about D1 for a change. Sure sounds like the Mpls Park team has an exciting schedule taking shape. Not too often you hear of D1 teams taking on some of the teams you have listed.

Best of luck with your season, and also to all the D1 teams as well. The addition of New Richmond also adds a new element to the district which has not happened in the past, it will be interesting to see how it works out.

[duffus]

Maybe Como and Johnson should combine and maybe they to could schedule games with the powerhouse teams, From what Johnsonpres says they have 44 total Pee Wee's and I heard Como has roughly 32 that would give about the same numbers as Highland/Central/Roseville/Eagan team does. Yes we all know where Highland gets all there players and that is not being negative but a fact. Washburn, Johnson, Richfield and Irondale will not be able to compete much longer with such small numbers. District 1 should start thinking about a few of these matters or it will be like District 6 where Bloomington Kennedy gets a hurtin from all the other teams. Last question is how does Minnesota hockey allow a team to play in two leagues hence Southwest/St Louis Park?

[SLP/SW Coach]

How does Minnesota hockey allow a team to play in two leagues hence Southwest/St Louis Park?

Last season SW/SLP played each D3 team 1 time - 4 home and 4 away games - 8 total games. Those games did not factor in with the district 3 standings at the end of the season. SW/SLP played a full TC Dist schedule - each team 4 times - total of 20 games. This is where SW/SLP WAS included in the TC District standings and the TC Dist Tourney.
Playing a 1/2 D3 schedule was the agreed upon terms between SLP, SW, D3, and Minnesota Hockey prior to the Co-oped A teams last season.

This upcoming season SW/SLP has formed merged teams at all levels A->C. The B2 level teams will play in D3 ONLY, as there is No B2 level in D1. These teams will, from here on out be known as the "Minneapolis (Mpls) Park Storm." (with new uniforms and everything, WOW - )
These teams will play each team in D3 twice (home/away) and will also play each team in D1 twice (home/away). These teams will participate in the D1 Playoffs. (I am not certain at this time if the D3 games will be factored in the standings for D3 - I can only assume that they would NOT, I'm sure I'll find out more soon). This was the agreed upon schedule for this season between D1, D3, SLP, SW and Minnesota Hockey. If this goes well, I expect it to continue this same way in the future.

I hope that this answers your question.

[SLP/SW Coach]

Washburn, Johnson, Richfield and Irondale will not be able to compete much longer with such small numbers.

Just to point out what is going on.....

This summer Washburn and Richfield were in discussions to have merged/co-op teams for this upcoming season. However, for one reason or another it did not work out for this season.

This summer Irondale and Tri-City (as well as Irondale & Moundsview - not sure how serious those talks were though) were in discussions to have merged/co-op teams for this upcoming season. However, for one reason or another it did not work out for this season.

Smaller associations are looking into options to help their teams be more competitive and more importantly, get the players playing at the proper level.

[duffus]

Thanks SLP/SW coach for an answer. Does any other teams anywhere else get to play in other district games? But what I am getting at is I know some people in the Como area and according to them it is hard for inter city teams to get scrimmages with most of the teams you get to play in District 3, Many of the other district teams stiff D1 teams where they will come and play on D1 ice and all of a sudden not pay back. Is it an unfair advantage to let a team play in two leagues especially if the games don't count in the standings. Has Minnesota hockey gotten this far out of control if so I am glad I live up here away from that.

[Johnsonpres]

We at Johnson have been very competitive in the past. Last year in "A" Pee Wee's we played SLP/SW four times in our league and in the play-offs. They were very well coached and we had great games. From your posts above numbers here have been small but we have been fortunate enough to have some players who could carry us through, This year may be different. I read the post from Duffus and some of it is true, teams have short changed us a few times Armstrong and St. Cloud but you just don't scrimmage those teams anymore and hope you run into them in a tournament. I think just from what I seen last year in the SLP/SW team from the beginning of the year to the end I think it helped them alot to play in the other league. If D1 agreed to that they should have asked if every team in the district could have had the same oppurtunity. In closing numbers are dewindling in our district. Years ago Highland combined with Central and now look at how many kids they have at each level. In St. Paul we have 3 organizations left (Johnson, Highland & Como) in Mpls which is a larger city we have(SLP/SW, Washburn) what can we do to get kids involved we can't just keep combining organizations.

[BlueLiner]

This may be a little off the subject, but I agree that you cannot just combine areas, this practice is only a bandaid for the problem of low numbers. This is something we have been fighting for years, and seem to be losing the battle. Not only are the youth association numbers falling, look what has happened to the St. Paul and Mpls City Conferences, which is very sad.

I certainley do not know what we do to get more kids involved. There was going to be a committe of some long time area gentlemen formed to try and come up with some ideas, I have not heard anymore about this committee? Sorry for getting off track, but the lack of numbers in D1 is a serious problem. I can remember when there were 10 to 12 teams between St. Paul and Mpls at each level in the district which was fun for everyone involved.

[hockeymom6t9]

How does a team play in BOTH districts????

[barado23]

Its not really fair to play in both districts.

How can this be going on? Lets get Elliot on here to see if this should go on.

[SLP/SW Coach]

From my understanding, in essence, the District 3 games, are basically scrimmages. Every team has the right to play whoever they choose. So long as both teams agree to the game.
I'm not here to argue if this is right or wrong, fair or unfair. I'm just stating what was agreed upon based on the Southwest/St. Louis Park co-op team and the fact that they both belong to different districts.

[barado23]

So SW/SLP doesn't really play in two districts, but they play scrimmages.

Those are two different stories. If the scores don't count in both leauges and they don't play in two different playoffs, thats OK.

Why not just say that at the beggining, why have all this talk about nonrelavent?

[puckboy]

I'm pretty sure these games are scheduled during the district scheduling meeting with District refs assigned by the district. Doesn't sound like a scrimmage if that is the case.

[SLP/SW Coach]

If a game is played and it does NOT have any effect on the district standings or records, is this considered a district game?
If a team plays all the teams from a certain district, but does not participate in that District's Playoffs, are those games considered district games?
I'm pretty sure you all know the answer.

[Gildan2036]

If we all know the answer, why do you fake us out looking like you play two districts.

You said your team played in two districts.

If you define it as playing other teams in scrimmages, then I guess my kids plays in 6 different districts.

[hockeymom6t9]

I'm going to tell my kids coach about this. I like the idea of playing other districts. It looks like the TC district is going down the tubes, we need to get into some better play.

[SWPrez]

I may be able to clarify some answers regarding how MP Storm will play in the upcoming year.

SLP and SW Boards a couple of years ago both had the same philosophy - that kids need to play at the level of their abilities. Too often we were placing "B" level kids into "A" competition. Our kids didn't touch the puck, didn't grow as players, and it just didn't work well.

To complicate matters, AAA hockey was beginning to make a 'foothold' in Minnesota and now we were seeing some of our top "A" level players being stripped away.

We needed to provide a 'product' that was competitive, placed kids at levels where they could succeed (we're not talking about cleaning up on every team that we play, but walking off the ice at the conclusion of a game knowing that we competed rather than getting shellacked), and retained our higher level players from ditching to AAA.

SLP had the same philosophy and, though we go through occasional bumps, it appears to be working very well. The kids are having fun and meeting a new bunch of buddies at the rink.

Because SLP was D3 and we were D1, we went to MN hockey and our districts to work something that was a 'Win-win' for both associations, and both districts. This year, we have 'co-oped' all of our boys teams from squirt to Bantam - while keeping our mites community based for better recruiting of players (SW should have almost 50 Mighty Mites this year).

Virtually all of our teams will play both D1 and D3 teams. Some of our teams will be hosted by SW and will play D1 schedule and playoffs while playing D3 "scrimmage games (Refs, clock, scoreboard, etc. that do not count in standings). Other teams will be SLP hosted and play D3 schedule and playoffs while playing D1 "scrimmage games".

The result works - D1 gets a few additional teams and games for their members....D3 gets competition that is better than what SLP had been offering. AAA talented kids are sticking around. Most importantly, both associations provide a better hockey experience for their kids...which is what it is all about.

Someone earlier posted that D1 should have offered this to everyone in the district. Our situation is unique in that we Co-oped with a D3 team. But, I do not feel it is D1s responsibility to come up with ideas for you. We took the initiative, we presented a plan that made sense to MN Hockey, D1, D3...and most importantly, our kids. You can do this too. Ask not what your District can do for you....ask what you can do for your District! If it makes sense for everyone...and especially your kids....my experience has been that MN Hockey and the districts are more than happy to work with you.

With hard recruiting at our Mite/Mighty Mite levels, we are determined to get our co-op to a point where we have 150+ kids trying out for Peewees in seven or eight years.

Hope I helped clarify and didn't confuse! SW Prez

[hockeymom6t9]

sw prez,
One question, if you don't perform well in one district, yet do very well in the other, when do you jump ship and leave D1 for D3? It sounds very nice that you will be around for a long while, but if you can get to state in the other district, I'd take the chance at state.

[SWPrez]

Not sure what you are asking. Please clarify your question a little more or give examples.

D1 definitely provides us with more opportunities than D3 as far as postseason play.

swprez

[hockeymom6t9]

I asking whether you are just waiting for one district to fold and then jump to the other one?

Its nice to have options. But if all the teams play two schedules, then who comes first, D1 or D3?

[SLP/SW Coach]

"The Chicken" or was it "The Egg."
Oh, darn, it's an age old question that nobody can really answer.

[SWPrez]

I don't think District 3 would fold any time soon. In the proposed districts from like a year ago...MN Hockey had SW placed in D3. So, if D1 was ever to fold...I would see the MP Storm moving to D3 under a plan similar to what was bouncing around a while ago.

I don't know what happened to the whole redistricting thing, but thats where they had us going. swprez

[tunavichy]

Now we have SW/SLPCoach and SWPres one and the same like that muliple personality over at Johnson (TYLER FITZEL). All you have to do is look at thepost times the same person posted both.