Skinner Academy hits Minneapolis Fall of 2010

[drop the puck]

If you want to be the best Minnesota born player in the NHL, you drop out of school at 16 and go play juniors in Canada.

[WhosPuckIsItAnyways?]

If you want to be the best Minnesota born player in the NHL, you drop out of school at 16 and go play juniors in Canada.

What about if yu don't aspire to be the Minnesota born player in the NHL? What if you just want to be the best you can be?

[woogieboogiewoogie]

If you want to be the best Minnesota born player in the NHL, you drop out of school at 16 and go play juniors in Canada.

What about if yu don't aspire to be the Minnesota born player in the NHL? What if you just want to be the best you can be?

Join the Army!

[WhosPuckIsItAnyways?]

[WhosPuckIsItAnyways?]

Just heard the academic details are finalized and a principal is in place. I understand there will be an email sent our shortly. I know there have been questions about the academic portion ... I'll post anything I get, or at least contact information on the principal

Also heard the enrollment deadline has been pushed back to early or mid June.

Participation thus far is an exciting mix of local and international students. Some from right here in Twin Cities area, other Minnesota communities (Duluth), Iowa, New York, Florida, California and Illinois domestically. Internationally there are kids Canada and even Russia enrolled. Shaping up nicely ... will be interesting to see how successful this model will be ...

[old goalie85]

Puck- do you know how many kids he will take for each class? [not that the old goalie could afford it]

[WhosPuckIsItAnyways?]

goalie - ideally he is looking for enough kids in the 3 classes to form 2 teams - one bantam and U16.

Grade 8's obviously on the bantam team and the grade 10's on the U16 team - the 9's he's hoping to split with the oldest playing U16 and the youngest playing bantam. So, ideally he wants between 26 and 32 skaters. He also wants 4 goalies ... preferably 2 for each squad

(NOTE: I believe he is building his teams according to Minnesota Hockey and NOT the USA Tier 1 AAA model, so it will likely depend on month of birth for those grade 9's)

He must be getting close, as he told me yesterday he will have to end enrollments in the next week or so ...

[jc slammers]

Last time I saw Mr. Skinner he was walking on water across the Mississippi River. He spoke to me from a distance, and after are conversation I had 20/20 vision again.

[WhosPuckIsItAnyways?]

The web-site has been updated to show the total cost and Payment plans. The cost for local players not boarding is being determined right now.
www.skinnerhockeyacademy.com


Also, the academics portion of the site is being updated and has the info on the schooling, being handled through Spring Lake High School. http://www.splkpark.k12.mn.us/schools/hs/index.asp

Principal: William A. Sommers, Ph.D.
email: wsomme@district16.org
phone: 763-785-5569 direct line

For questions on the hockey portion;

Sean Skinner
SKINNER HOCKEY, Inc.
72 Rhinecliff Drive
Rochester, NY 14618
888-866-6232 ph/fax
585-271-5494 wk
585-355-0935 cell
www.skinnerhockeyacademy.com
www.skinnerhockey.com
www.stickhandling.com
sean@skinnerhockey.com

The Skinner Academy is in the final stages of registrations.

[WhosPuckIsItAnyways?]

Here are the latest updates for the SKINNER HOCKEY Academy:

1) Payment Plan and Cost of the Academy

SKINNER ACADEMY PAYMENT PLANS

Option 1: Full Payment $29,900 = total cost $29,900.00

Option 2: Deposit $4,000 + 3 Payments $9,000 in June, Sept, Dec = total cost $31,000.00

Option 3: Deposit $4,500 + 9 Payments $3,000 = total cost $31,500.00

[old goalie85]

Well with the 3rd option that would make it , 'doable' for most people. Still one heck of a hit. Looks like a great program. Welcome to MN Mr. Skinner!

[MrBoDangles]

Well with the 3rd option that would make it , 'doable' for most people. Still one heck of a hit. Looks like a great program. Welcome to MN Mr. Skinner!

I would think most folks (92 or 93% of Americans) out there would be able to do option one. Why would you drag it out in payments?

[O-townClown]

So I drop 30K for my son to be on the ice for a few hours daily, workout with dryland training, and get the equivalent of a HS education. In reading the site, the "Socially" part says he doesn't even get to go out of town for hockey tournaments on holiday weekends? Sounds fun.

Gotta give major props to the person charged with running drills. It has to be hard to keep them fresh and interesting when you have that many hours to fill.

[jancze5]

Comparing this program to any established school, Shattuck St Mary's, Notre Dame, SK, or any prep school is absurd. The ONLY thing possibly close to this is Pursuit of Excellence up in BC, and there the kids still attend a local school and not a hybrid program in a room at the hockey rink.

good luck to Skinner with this, but seriously, if you can afford 29K just go to SSM or a prep school or go play in the MWEHL. If you're kid is NHL material, he'll still make it.

Kids want to play the game of hockey, who/when are these teams playing? I can't see ANY Minnesota program scheduling them. So is out of town travel included in the cost? Are they going as a non-USA Hockey independant and playing in tournaments?

We'll look for these kids in the 1st round of the 2015 draft or so I guess..good luck again...absurdly interesting

[getoveryourbadself]

[quote="jancze5"]good luck to Skinner with this, but seriously, if you can afford 29K just go to SSM or a prep school or go play in the MWEHL. If you're kid is NHL material, he'll still make it.


I don't think he's promising an ivy league education. Did a quick web search of the various hockey camps in MN. They range from $150 - 1200/week averaging anywhere from $35 - $70 per hour of actual ice time. It seems the Skinner Academy would fall within those bounds. As a previous post mentioned as well, Shattuck does not provide year round hockey instruction. NOT to say it isn't expensive, but when you break it down, it doesn't seem so insane.

[old goalie85]

I don't think the kids graduate from high school here. They play a year of bantams here then move on to whatever high school program. [maybe Forest Lake???] It's not a good fit for me , no football, or golf, or whatever for a year. For the right family sounds interesting.

[getoveryourbadself]

That's my understanding oldgoalie....it's for 8th-10 graders. Teachers from the Spring Lake Park School District

[hockey_is_a_choice]

What happens to the 9th grade Minnesota kid if he skates in the Skinner program for one year and then, the following year, goes to his local Minnesota high school or a Minnesota private high school? Is the young lad eligible to play varsity hockey in tenth grade? Or, is he faced with the same situation that some of the ex-SSM kids who have left SSM have faced? He is ineligible to play high school varsity hockey for one year, unless his parents physically move to a new address.

[F14]

He would be INELIGIBLE to play varsity for ONE year as the School LOCATION would be in Blaine. (Unless he attended Blaine).

Once you START 9th grade you have to play JV as a 10th grader so WATCH out parents, If you spent $30,000 for 9th grade, better go Straight to Junior B, NAHL, or other option.

[Puck Whisperer]

What happens to the 9th grade Minnesota kid if he skates in the Skinner program for one year and then, the following year, goes to his local Minnesota high school or a Minnesota private high school? Is the young lad eligible to play varsity hockey in tenth grade? Or, is he faced with the same situation that some of the ex-SSM kids who have left SSM have faced? He is ineligible to play high school varsity hockey for one year, unless his parents physically move to a new address.

I wondered the same thing strictly out of curiosity cause 30K is way out of my league (and comprehension) - even with the generous payment plans I would love to hear from someone condsidering this - especially with F14 response.

I am not ripping on the program, I just don't understand. I would like for someone to explain to my non-hockey friends who think we are all nuts spending association fees and AAA money. Please tell me something remotely comparable in other kid activities. WhosePuck?

[old goalie85]

I did not realize the kid would be ineligble! That sucks. Of course I would have to sell the house after the 30 large. So moving would be in the books anyway.

[WhosPuckIsItAnyways?]

It compares very well against Shattuck, Notre Dame and Pursuit of Excellence ... it's cheaper (by approx 5K) and you get a lot more hockey development ...

The Skinner Academy involves 1050 hours of hockey instruction + approximately 50 games on top of that ...

Shattuck gets you approximately 200 hours of hockey instruction + around 60 games on top of that ...

The Skinner Academy only goes to grade 10 ... after that these kids can move on to other prep schools (Shattuck, Notre Dame), NAHL, USHL or their local teams ...

The other key to the Skinner Academy is you are getting Sean Skinner himself for the full 1050 hours ... he's one of the most well respected and sought after hockey instructors in the world , specializing in stickhandling, checking, skating and tactics ...

Not a knock against any of the other programs - they are all fantastic - but if you have an 8th-10th grader who would benefit from a year or two of intense instruction - this is a great opportunity at a great price ...

[observer]

For the purpose of full disclosure, what's your role?

[jancze5]

I just can't relate to your statement that this program compares to Shattuck and Notre Dame SK...stating that yours is cheaper by 5K...

do you have dorms? do you have a certified meal plan from a chef? do you have a school? do you have financial aid for the less fortunate? do you have an academic dean? do you have a trainer? do you provide travel to/from games? do you provide meals during that travel?

I think you should stick to "we are unique and this is what we offer" and never mention yourself in the same statement with schools that over a 100 years old and are respected world wide

[WhosPuckIsItAnyways?]

Again, I'm not trying to knock Shattuck or Notre Dame. Those are fine institutions and offer a lot more than what the Skinner Academy does. People send their kids to those schools for far more than hockey.

What I am comparing is the actual hockey instruction, which compares favorably. If you are sending your kid away to school for HOCKEY PURPOSES then it makes far more sense (in my mind) to send them to Skinner Academy. They get 5 times the development time.

Do they have dorms? Yes they do.

Do they have school? Yes, they do.

Do they have a dean? They have a principal.

Do they have financial aid? no.

Do they recieved qualified hockey instruction? Maybe the best there is ...

Not a knock on anybody. But if a HOCKEY EDUCATION is your focus for your 8th, 9th or 10th grader, then it may be your best option.