YHH: Edina AA heads to Michigan

YouthHockeyHub · Post by **YouthHockeyHub** » Mon Feb 04, 2013 3:57 pm

Minnesota's best versus Michigan's best.

Minnesota model vs. AAA model.

It will be on display this weekend in Detroit.

http://youthhockeyhub.com/looking-for-a ... -michigan/

Enjoy,

TS

PS I worked my butt off on this story.

Slipped in the crease · Mon Feb 04, 2013 9:00 pm

In the end it means very little. A majority of the Minnesota kids can be 6-18 months older than all of the kids playing on a '00 PW team.
I would be more impressed if they were to take on '99's.

O-townClown · Post by **O-townClown** » Tue Feb 05, 2013 6:43 am

Tony, great feature previewing a neat trip.

Slipped, yes the Edina team has some 99s, but I'm not sure how they are "18 months" older than their opponents. Sure, one kid might be if you measure oldest to youngest...BUT won't Edina likely have the youngest kid in all these games? (I assume Edina took at least one 2001 born.)

Edina draws from one community and occasionally (by Pee Wee, more frequently as kids get older) attracts players that started somewhere else. Michigan Tier I teams draw from the Detroit metro area and often (more and more often as kids get older) attract players from the rest of the United States that live with a host family to play youth sports.

I expect some great games. If Edina cleans up and is clearly facing the wrong teams, I suspect you'll see them take on the older teams next time there's a trip like this. My guess is that the 1999 teams would just be too big and too strong because they are on average a great deal older than the Edina Pee Wees.

Sweet Dreams · Post by **Sweet Dreams** » Tue Feb 05, 2013 6:54 am

Correct me if I am wrong but also the 99's would be Bantam Minors who would be checking this year. This may also be one of the reasons that they aren't playing them. I think this is great and I wish Edina good luck on the trip (I don't usually say that to the Cake eaters) and what a great experience for these kids.

redtundra · Post by **redtundra** » Tue Feb 05, 2013 7:27 am

Edina will be very challenged on this trip. Yes, a 2000 could be 18 months younger than a 99. Or they could be 1 day younger. I know Edina has 5-6 1st years. Which makes them all 6th graders. I guarantee none of the top 2000 Tier 1 AAA teams have more than 2-3 6th graders. These teams will be very evenly matched. A buddy said to me this will be like when Edina PWA pounded the 99 Fire 2 years ago. That's incorrect. They would have had to play the 98 Fire - not the 99 Fire - for it to be the same. Or it would be like this PWAA team playing a 2001 team. Honeybaked just won the Silverstick and beat the #1 ranked Tier 1 AAA team in Canada to do it. And a top Tier 1 99 team would pound the Edina PWAA team. People on here need to wake up to how good these top Tier teams are outside of MN. Look at the US under 18 and 20 teams and count the kids NOT from MN... Good luck to Edina and congrats to them for stretching outside the bubble and seeing what happens.

MrBoDangles · Post by **MrBoDangles** » Tue Feb 05, 2013 7:48 am

I have the feeling Edina will go 3-0.

Yes, the games will be evenly matched (age wise) with all the late birthdate 2000's on the Edina team.

Most development the Edina kids will get from a game all Winter.

Will this get the ball (puck) rolling for more competition between Minnesota and tier 1 teams?

warmskin · Post by **warmskin** » Tue Feb 05, 2013 8:08 am

or will this open the door for MN to go club hockey in the future? It is pretty clear that the big hockey programs are getting bigger and the smaller ones are disappearing. The article didn't mention the number of kids in EHA or some of the other large programs in the Twin Cities. Edina probably could have had 2 strong Peewee AA teams.

57special · Post by **57special** » Tue Feb 05, 2013 8:42 am

The one missing player for Edina will be a blow... He's one of their best and biggest.

O-townClown · Post by **O-townClown** » Tue Feb 05, 2013 10:07 am

MrBoDangles wrote:I have the feeling Edina will go 3-0.

Yes, the games will be evenly matched (age wise) with all the late birthdate 2000's on the Edina team.

Most development the Edina kids will get from a game all Winter.

Will this get the ball (puck) rolling for more competition between Minnesota and tier 1 teams?

Bo, good post. It isn't unusual to see posts on this board about how the larger associations shouldn't feel good about beating up on teams from smaller associations. Now we have one that wants to test the kids and some folks - hopefully not the same ones - have a problem because they might miss a day of school or incur the cost of travel to get there.

SCBlueLiner · Post by **SCBlueLiner** » Tue Feb 05, 2013 10:39 am

I'm torn on how I think Edina will do.

Half of me says they should go 3-0. They do have quite a few older players and that age it does make a difference. They certainly are a talented bunch.

The other half tells me they are going to be in for some battles they haven't really experienced. The teams they are playing are battle tested, I do know that. How will Edina react in a close, to the wire game?

So a question, if Edina goes 0-3 and loses every game by 2 or more will that be a cause for concern in MN Hockey? Does this trip mean anything bigger than what it is, a bunch of kids playing hockey?

Kudos to the Edina folks for lining up these games. Should be a fun trip for the kids and an experience they won't forget.

O-townClown · Post by **O-townClown** » Tue Feb 05, 2013 10:43 am

SCBlueLiner wrote:So a question, if Edina goes 0-3 and loses every game by 2 or more will that be a cause for concern in MN Hockey? Does this trip mean anything bigger than what it is, a bunch of kids playing hockey?

Boy, great questions. I hadn't thought of it as anything more than kids playing hockey. Now you mention that and I realize it's no big deal to anyone if they win, but the sky-is-falling crowd will have a field day if they aren't competitive.

2112 · Post by **2112** » Tue Feb 05, 2013 10:47 am

SCBlueLiner wrote:I'm torn on how I think Edina will do.

Half of me says they should go 3-0. They do have quite a few older players and that age it does make a difference. They certainly are a talented bunch.

The other half tells me they are going to be in for some battles they haven't really experienced. The teams they are playing are battle tested, I do know that. How will Edina react in a close, to the wire game?

So a question, if Edina goes 0-3 and loses every game by 2 or more will that be a cause for concern in MN Hockey? Does this trip mean anything bigger than what it is, a bunch of kids playing hockey?

Kudos to the Edina folks for lining up these games. Should be a fun trip for the kids and an experience they won't forget.

I think it will mean that minnesota hockey is too watered down, a tier 2 team played in Edina peewee tourney last year and competed quite well.

Edina will have their hands full with the Tier 1 teams, congrats to the coaches and parents for going to Detroit. Also congrats for Detroit letting them in even though Edina has a handful of 99s.

It will be intesring to see how they do, but whatever the outcome it will not change Minnesota Hockey one bit.

Slipped in the crease · Tue Feb 05, 2013 10:49 am

O T ,
I enjoyed the article as well. I also see components that are a slight advantage and really make it difficult to compare one system (Minn) vs the other (T1 birth yr).
I understand your logic, but the alignment to play Tier 1 teams will not happen until U16 - U18. Until then, it's simply apples to oranges due to the variation in birth year to school year.

Individual maturation is a huge factor at the PW and BTM age groups, both physically and mentally.

On the flip side. Minnesota hockey has to be careful where this leads. (If) Minnesota teams take on outside T1 teams on a regular basis, it will be limited to a few of the larger associations. Thus, opening the door for a mass exodus of kids on the outside looking in. There are alot of folks looking to revive the "Fire", if you will.

Should it be billed as anything other than kids playing hockey? From my experience, a good player is a good player. I doesn't matter where they're from. It should be a great experience for the kids to play against outside competition.

snowpuck · Post by **snowpuck** » Tue Feb 05, 2013 11:05 am

YHH, thank you for the great article and the time you put into it.. I put on another thread my thoughts on Edina. I wish them well and hope they do well and have a great time. These will be some of thee best teams they will play all year. This I know.

JSR · Post by **JSR** » Tue Feb 05, 2013 11:10 am

It should be fun to see what happens. I do find it somewhat funny that the article almost preventively already started building in "excuses" for why Edina might lose... excuses like missing one player and "fatigue" of playing multiple games... it's funny because Tier 1 teams routinely play upwards of 5 games in a weekend and are constantly traveling yet are never allowed to use that as an excuse for poor play by their coaches and they routinely are missing one player due to injury or illness or other factors as well. Just saying why start "apologizing" and "excuse making" before they've even dropped the puck. Let them play, the results will eb the results, whoever wins good for them, woever loses they are still great teams that will likely produce multiple D1 players, does it really matter???

Also, this is not the first go around for Edina's program against Tier 1 this year. Earlier in the season, at a tournament in Duluth I think, the Edina Bantam AA played the 1998 Madison Capitols (ranked 58th in Tier 1). Edina won 8-3. In the same tournament Woodbury Bantam AA also played the 1998 Madison Capitols a game in which the Capitols won 4-3 in OT.....

warmskin · Post by **warmskin** » Tue Feb 05, 2013 2:39 pm

why didn't Edina Peewee AA play Shattuck before they took off to MI? Just for the record according to LetsPlayHockey there are 36 Minnesotans in the NHL. 1 - Edina, 2 - EP, 1 - Minnetonka, 2 - Plymouth(Wayzata). So if anybody thinks all the Edina Peewee AA's are headed to the NHL the stats are stacked against them.

old goalie85 · Post by **old goalie85** » Tue Feb 05, 2013 3:22 pm

Play Shattuck ?

Bluewhitefan · Post by **Bluewhitefan** » Tue Feb 05, 2013 3:39 pm

NHL?

It's a bunch of PWs going to play some other PWs. And Shattuck doesn't have a PW team.

Pinky · Post by **Pinky** » Tue Feb 05, 2013 3:41 pm

warmskin wrote:why didn't Edina Peewee AA play Shattuck before they took off to MI? Just for the record according to LetsPlayHockey there are 36 Minnesotans in the NHL. 1 - Edina, 2 - EP, 1 - Minnetonka, 2 - Plymouth(Wayzata). So if anybody thinks all the Edina Peewee AA's are headed to the NHL the stats are stacked against them.

2 from Edina not like that matters.

Joe Finley - NYI
Jaime McBain - Carolina

NextGoalWins · Post by **NextGoalWins** » Tue Feb 05, 2013 6:17 pm

[quote="Pinky"][quote="warmskin"]why didn't Edina Peewee AA play Shattuck before they took off to MI? Just for the record according to LetsPlayHockey there are 36 Minnesotans in the NHL. 1 - Edina, 2 - EP, 1 - Minnetonka, 2 - Plymouth(Wayzata). So if anybody thinks all the Edina Peewee AA's are headed to the NHL the stats are stacked against them.[/quote]

2 from Edina not like that matters.

Joe Finley - NYI
Jaime McBain - Carolina[/quote]

Will Finley crack the NYI line up this season?????
McBain has had a lot of games but, if the games I saw this season are any indication of his play, he won't last if he doesn't pick his physical game. Much to shy. Avoids giving and taking hits and mostly gets outworked on the boards.

old goalie85 · Post by **old goalie85** » Tue Feb 05, 2013 6:24 pm

Is this where we get to talk about Bernie ??? $\:D/$ $\:D/$

NextGoalWins · Post by **NextGoalWins** » Tue Feb 05, 2013 7:44 pm

Do what you want. I'm talking about Jamie. You play small against those guys and your team will be picking up the pieces. And that just ain't gonna fly.

observer · Post by **observer** » Wed Feb 06, 2013 7:25 am

2 from Edina not like that matters.

Joe Finley - NYI
Jaime McBain - Carolina

What years of youth, or HS, did Jaime McBain play for Edina?

Pinky · Post by **Pinky** » Wed Feb 06, 2013 7:46 am

observer wrote:
2 from Edina not like that matters.

Joe Finley - NYI
Jaime McBain - Carolina
What years of youth, or HS, did Jaime McBain play for Edina?

Never said he did...just stating the "active" NHL players with a birthplace of Edina.

observer · Post by **observer** » Wed Feb 06, 2013 9:20 am

Considering the discussion is about development of players by youth associations and high schools, not where they were born, that was stupid of you.