Question - District - HS - AAA summer - AAA winter ??????

LOSTinMN · Post by **LOSTinMN** » Mon Jan 31, 2011 2:01 pm

My company has relocated me to twin cities area. My family will follow this summer. Currently renting house, looking to buy. We are looking at school districts in area based on academic reputation. (open to any suggestions here). What i dont get is how youth hockey works in MN. What is the difference between district hockey, High School hockey, MN Made, Wisc Fire, MN Blades, etc.? My 9 year old Son plays Tier I AAA hockey in northeast. He loves hockey(plays any chance he can(ice/street/roller)/follows NHL stats/watches any hockey he can) and is an aggresive, competitive kid. What are his youth/school hockey playing options? Any suggestions grealy apprecitated.

MnMade-4-Life · Post by **MnMade-4-Life** » Mon Jan 31, 2011 2:12 pm

LOSTinMN wrote:My company has relocated me to twin cities area. My family will follow this summer. Currently renting house, looking to buy. We are looking at school districts in area based on academic reputation. (open to any suggestions here). What i dont get is how youth hockey works in MN. What is the difference between district hockey, High School hockey, MN Made, Wisc Fire, MN Blades, etc.? My 9 year old Son plays Tier I AAA hockey in northeast. He loves hockey(plays any chance he can(ice/street/roller)/follows NHL stats/watches any hockey he can) and is an aggresive, competitive kid. What are his youth/school hockey playing options? Any suggestions grealy apprecitated.

this is quite possibly the greatest post ever ...

old goalie85 · Post by **old goalie85** » Mon Jan 31, 2011 2:13 pm

Move to Forest Lake!!!!

Minnpuck27 · Post by **Minnpuck27** » Mon Jan 31, 2011 2:22 pm

Your perfect for edina. Your kid will get a good education at EHS and they have a very good and competitive high school team. There youth program is great as well

DubCHAGuy · Post by **DubCHAGuy** » Mon Jan 31, 2011 2:36 pm

LOSTinMN wrote:My company has relocated me to twin cities area. My family will follow this summer. Currently renting house, looking to buy. We are looking at school districts in area based on academic reputation. (open to any suggestions here). What i dont get is how youth hockey works in MN. What is the difference between district hockey, High School hockey, MN Made, Wisc Fire, MN Blades, etc.? My 9 year old Son plays Tier I AAA hockey in northeast. He loves hockey(plays any chance he can(ice/street/roller)/follows NHL stats/watches any hockey he can) and is an aggresive, competitive kid. What are his youth/school hockey playing options? Any suggestions grealy apprecitated.

First off, welcome to Minnesota. Speaking in general terms here. In Minnesota, just about all kids play for their youth association, run by the community they live in, for the winter season. There are tryouts around early October. Many of the bigger Twin Cities suburbs will have 1 "A" team, 1 or 2 "B" teams and the rest "C" teams. They usually all travel, and the season ends in late Feb. or early March. The better association teams are probably as good as AAA teams.

In the "offseason" kids play for whatever AAA teams they choose. There are a lot of them out there, some are extremly good and some are not so much. There are a lot of opportunities for spring/summer/fall hockey though.

Once they get to HS they play for the school that they attend. Privates and Publics all play together, with most of the better teams typically being the larger publics. A few smaller publics, particularly from northern MN are usually just as good as the big city teams. Also, there are 4-5 privates who are usually among the state's elite (be warned, this is a very sensative subject around here).

If you get a chance, go down to the Xcel Energy Center March 10-12 (if you can get a ticket) and watch some of the State HS tournament. That will give you an idea of what MN hockey is all about!

LOSTinMN · Post by **LOSTinMN** » Mon Jan 31, 2011 2:52 pm

Thank you DubCHAGuy...."MN NICE" at its best. Confirms my decision that MN is the place to raise a family. Thanks all.

Mnhockeys · Post by **Mnhockeys** » Mon Jan 31, 2011 3:10 pm

You would NOT be lost in MN ... You will find lots of hockey all year long.

LOSTinMN · Post by **LOSTinMN** » Mon Jan 31, 2011 3:25 pm

Mnhockeys wrote:You would NOT be lost in MN ... You will find lots of hockey all year long.

Funny thing is...after bribing wife and teenage daughter about move to MN...all it took to get the boy on board was the fact he could skate every day for 4 months straight on a lake/pond/backyard rink.

royals dad · Post by **royals dad** » Mon Jan 31, 2011 3:42 pm

Sad that I remember threads going back this far but here is a link to a past thread on the same topic: http://www.ushsho.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=23809

Good luck in your move. You might want to get him here for some tryouts for the summer season before the end of the school year.

C-dad · Post by **C-dad** » Mon Jan 31, 2011 3:56 pm

Also add that if you can get to the high school tourney (or just go over while it is going on) the Lets Play Hockey Expo goes on next door at the River Center. You may want to go to a rink and pick up the latest Lets Play Hockey for more info, or go to their website.

longdistancespectator8 · Mon Jan 31, 2011 6:34 pm

hard to argue against eden prairie, edina, minnetonka, or wayzata as a place to go for hockey and schools.

High Flyer · Post by **High Flyer** » Mon Jan 31, 2011 7:36 pm

Best high school hockey programs in MN with high academics

Public High Schools
Edina
Minnetonka
Wayzata

Private High Schools
SSM
STA
Blake

old goalie85 · Post by **old goalie85** » Mon Jan 31, 2011 7:56 pm

As much as it hurts to say. What about Hill????

LOSTinMN · Post by **LOSTinMN** » Mon Jan 31, 2011 8:11 pm

royals dad wrote:Sad that I remember threads going back this far but here is a link to a past thread on the same topic: http://www.ushsho.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=23809

Good luck in your move. You might want to get him here for some tryouts for the summer season before the end of the school year.

royals dad...great thread and VERY TELLING. Many thanks.

When are tryouts for summer season? Would his district coach also be his summer coach?

interestedbystander · Post by **interestedbystander** » Mon Jan 31, 2011 8:22 pm

Often times, no, the coach is not the same. Association hockey is completely separate from summer hockey. Do your research regarding summer hockey. There is vast disparity in the level of play despite the fact they are all considered AAA.

LOSTinMN · Post by **LOSTinMN** » Mon Jan 31, 2011 8:33 pm

interestedbystander wrote:Often times, no, the coach is not the same. Association hockey is completely separate from summer hockey. Do your research regarding summer hockey. There is vast disparity in the level of play despite the fact they are all considered AAA.

is it imperative to play summer hockey? do the association coaches insist upon it? I usually put him in a few 1 or 2 week hockey camps during the summer and he plays Lacrosse. Not sure if Lacrosse has made it this far west yet!

thanks for reply.

C-dad · Post by **C-dad** » Mon Jan 31, 2011 9:01 pm

LOSTinMN wrote:
interestedbystander wrote:Often times, no, the coach is not the same. Association hockey is completely separate from summer hockey. Do your research regarding summer hockey. There is vast disparity in the level of play despite the fact they are all considered AAA.

is it imperative to play summer hockey? do the association coaches insist upon it? I usually put him in a few 1 or 2 week hockey camps during the summer and he plays Lacrosse. Not sure if Lacrosse has made it this far west yet! thanks for reply.

It is not imperative to play in the summer. Many top players do, but not all. There are many camps and clinics available too - again Lets Play Hockey will list them soon (sorry to keep shilling it - I really have no connection with them, but it's a useful resource). Yes, there is Lacrosse here - not at the same level as in the east yet, but there have been a few players from MN who have gotten DI scholarship offers.

DubCHAGuy · Post by **DubCHAGuy** » Mon Jan 31, 2011 9:51 pm

LOSTinMN wrote:
interestedbystander wrote:Often times, no, the coach is not the same. Association hockey is completely separate from summer hockey. Do your research regarding summer hockey. There is vast disparity in the level of play despite the fact they are all considered AAA.

is it imperative to play summer hockey? do the association coaches insist upon it? I usually put him in a few 1 or 2 week hockey camps during the summer and he plays Lacrosse. Not sure if Lacrosse has made it this far west yet! thanks for reply.

Your son is 9, I would say stick with that. As he gets older, it becomes more "important" to play in the summer. Lots of good hockey camps run by good coaches. You shouldn't have to travel too far. Maybe check out Letsplayhockey magazine in the spring time for more info. LaCrosse is still in its infant stages here in MN.

interestedbystander · Mon Jan 31, 2011 10:34 pm

We have done summers both ways - camps one year, summer teams the next. Both are fine.

Most of the tryouts are over for this coming summer teams, especially the really good teams.

Check out the superrink in Blaine for summer sports - hockey, lacrosse, golf, etc. The website is: http://www.nscsports.org/index.htm

A really fun camp is Heartland Hockey camp in Deerwood. A little spendy but 9-10 year old kids love it. Check it out at www.heartlandhockey.com.

Good luck!

BodyShots · Post by **BodyShots** » Mon Jan 31, 2011 11:02 pm

If your son is 9 years old, that would put him in our squirt level. You might want to check out a couple of squirt tournaments ( one A and one B ) to get an idea of what level your son is at. I have seen and heard of a few AAA players who move to MN only to find out their son didn't make a traveling team. A lot of talk, with little substance....if you know what I mean!

LOSTinMN · Post by **LOSTinMN** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 9:17 am

BodyShots wrote:If your son is 9 years old, that would put him in our squirt level. You might want to check out a couple of squirt tournaments ( one A and one B ) to get an idea of what level your son is at. I have seen and heard of a few AAA players who move to MN only to find out their son didn't make a traveling team. A lot of talk, with little substance....if you know what I mean!

thanks for all the info. Any other hockey camp/clinic suggestions run by high quality coaches would be appreciated.

yes, lots of check writing parents with stars in their eyes convinced their kid is the best. I just want the boy to play at appropriate level and continue to learn to love the game.

another ??? for the board....Any thoughts on Stillwater and Woodbury?

MnMade-4-Life · Post by **MnMade-4-Life** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 9:25 am

LOSTinMN wrote:
BodyShots wrote:If your son is 9 years old, that would put him in our squirt level. You might want to check out a couple of squirt tournaments ( one A and one B ) to get an idea of what level your son is at. I have seen and heard of a few AAA players who move to MN only to find out their son didn't make a traveling team. A lot of talk, with little substance....if you know what I mean!
thanks for all the info. Any other hockey camp/clinic suggestions run by high quality coaches would be appreciated.

yes, lots of check writing parents with stars in their eyes convinced their kid is the best. I just want the boy to play at appropriate level and continue to learn to love the game.

another ??? for the board....Any thoughts on Stillwater and Woodbury?

God, I'm going to get torched for saying this ...

Minnesota Made runs some great clinics. (yeah, go figure.) They give you a chance to meet families from all across the metro. The best advice would be to ask these parents face-to-face about the goings on in their town / associations in regards to education and any other concerns you may have.

Beyond the Made ... most all associations (to my knowledge) offer summer development programs as well. In the associations that do it correctly, the high school varsity program is involved at every level. This is a great opportunity to take an association for a "test drive." Again, meet the parents, the coaches, the kids ... ask questions.

As far as Stillwater and Woodbury go ... I'd much prefer Jefferson or Holy Angels

but I'm kind of a hockey snob

old goalie85 · Post by **old goalie85** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 9:26 am

SSM camp..

observer · Post by **observer** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 9:52 am

Week long camps provide very little. One week and done. They push the kids, they get tired and sore after two days, and the rest is not as productive. And, not worth the money.

A much better option are summer long clinics to keep you son on the ice once a week throughout most of the summer. 30 hours (or whatever)spread out over 3 months as opposed to loaded in a single week. Similar price but a much greater payoff.

Minnpuck27 · Post by **Minnpuck27** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 9:58 am

LOSTinMN wrote:
interestedbystander wrote:Often times, no, the coach is not the same. Association hockey is completely separate from summer hockey. Do your research regarding summer hockey. There is vast disparity in the level of play despite the fact they are all considered AAA.

is it imperative to play summer hockey? do the association coaches insist upon it? I usually put him in a few 1 or 2 week hockey camps during the summer and he plays Lacrosse. Not sure if Lacrosse has made it this far west yet! thanks for reply.

Benilde-St.Margaret's has the best lacrosse team and a great hockey team and decent academics.
The Blake School has a very good lacrosse team a decent hockey team and great academics.

As far as hockey camps go, no hockey camp compares with Minnesota hockey camps. If your kid wants to the best and get stronger, MHC is perfect. http://www.mnhockeycamps.com/

HighSchoolHockeyForums.com

Question - District - HS - AAA summer - AAA winter ??????

Question - District - HS - AAA summer - AAA winter ??????

Re: Question - District - HS - AAA summer - AAA winter ?????

Re: Question - District - HS - AAA summer - AAA winter ?????