SSM Departures

[MrBoDangles]

Seems to be a trend of Mn SSM players coming back (a few this year) to high school Hockey. Now I'm hearing as many as five from their various SSM teams might be coming back.

Did the two losses to our high school teams change their minds on prep school Hockey and the level of MHSL competition? I was told the BSM and STA games were only their 4th and 5th losses of the season with 35+ wins. Some of those wins were against European national teams.

Are we not giving enough credit to the talent of top 20+ plus teams in Mn and our level of competition? I think I'm guilty of this.....

Opinions?

Side note: Recently read an article in a Canadian paper about Alec Baer that said he was "the most skilled player on the ice" in a CHL game. Second or third line at BSM and then the most skilled player on the ice in a CHL game??

We are very fortunate to have what we have.

[O-townClown]

From a distance it appears Minnesota's hockey landscape is the best in our nation. I know that's not a widely-held sentiment on this board when the Tier I youth threads get going, but that doesn't change the State of Hockey's status as the most accessible path to NCAA hockey.

[MrBoDangles]

From a distance it appears Minnesota's hockey landscape is the best in our nation. I know that's not a widely-held sentiment on this board when the Tier I youth threads get going, but that doesn't change the State of Hockey's status as the most accessible path to NCAA hockey.

I've seen some kids from going nowhere associations either move or take the Tier 1 route and have great success. The like talent that stayed did very little.

I gave ideas how Minnesota Hockey could give options for these kids to stay home, right?

How bout we don't turn this into a youth debate..?

[2112]

Seems to be a trend of Mn SSM players coming back (a few this year) to high school Hockey. Now I'm hearing as many as five from their various SSM teams might be coming back.

Did the two losses to our high school teams change their minds on prep school Hockey and the level of MHSL competition? I was told the BSM and STA games were only their 4th and 5th losses of the season with 35+ wins. Some of those wins were against European national teams.

Are we not giving enough credit to the talent of top 20+ plus teams in Mn and our level of competition? I think I'm guilty of this.....

Opinions?

Side note: Recently read an article in a Canadian paper about Alec Baer that said he was "the most skilled player on the ice" in a CHL game. Second or third line at BSM and then the most skilled player on the ice in a CHL game??

We are very fortunate to have what we have.

Is that why SSM had a booth at the youth hockey expo, to recruit new student atheletes or was to scoul and scoff at the plebs as they walked by.

[Deck Slide]

Seems to be a trend of Mn SSM players coming back (a few this year) to high school Hockey. Now I'm hearing as many as five from their various SSM teams might be coming back.

Did the two losses to our high school teams change their minds on prep school Hockey and the level of MHSL competition? I was told the BSM and STA games were only their 4th and 5th losses of the season with 35+ wins. Some of those wins were against European national teams.

Are we not giving enough credit to the talent of top 20+ plus teams in Mn and our level of competition? I think I'm guilty of this.....

Opinions?

Side note: Recently read an article in a Canadian paper about Alec Baer that said he was "the most skilled player on the ice" in a CHL game. Second or third line at BSM and then the most skilled player on the ice in a CHL game??

We are very fortunate to have what we have.

The comment for Baer being the most skilled player on the ice is coming from one person. He is a talented player! How many MN kids leave on annual basis for junior hockey? The pool of talent is not really disrupted all that much because i don't think MN loses enough kids for it to be noticable on a yearly basis. Now when we get to the point of having 40, 50 kids leaving on a yearly basis we will be in trouble.

As for kids coming back to play for MN teams.. GOOD.. Seriously, the opportunity to play at the X and front of 15k plus fans is pretty dam special and very special when you play with kids you grew up with!! Sorry Privates you just don't get that!

We are fortunate for what we have. MN Hockey has made some strides to keep some of these kids around but we still need to do a better job of it. I think Pauly really set a precedent with removing Baer name off the roster immediatly. We can all piss and moan about how it was done but i believe he did the right thing. I am old school and when you sign up for a team at the begining of the year you have made a committment to your team and program. In this case i believe the kid "Baer"put himself in front of his teammates at BSM and in the sport of hockey putting oneself in front of his teammates is not a highly sought out trait for hockey players.

[almostashappy]

Seems to be a trend of Mn SSM players coming back (a few this year) to high school Hockey. Now I'm hearing as many as five from their various SSM teams might be coming back.

The MSHSL transfer rules still apply to kids leaving SSM, right? )Ought to be a few H-M fans that know the answer to this one. ) The way I read the rules, it's all based on where parents establish residence, so it wouldn't really matter if the kid is living at a boarding school, or playing for a school that isn't part of the MSHSL.

Although, with what it costs to send a kid to SSM, shouldn't be too hard to get a hardship exemption.

[O-townClown]

From a distance it appears Minnesota's hockey landscape is the best in our nation. I know that's not a widely-held sentiment on this board when the Tier I youth threads get going, but that doesn't change the State of Hockey's status as the most accessible path to NCAA hockey.

I've seen some kids from going nowhere associations either move or take the Tier 1 route and have great success. The like talent that stayed did very little.

I gave ideas how Minnesota Hockey could give options for these kids to stay home, right?

How bout we don't turn this into a youth debate..?

Bo, exactly!

The kids in what you call "nowhere associations" have a lot different reality than the kids in the top associations. I still don't see a big need for kids in the largest associations that feed the strongest HS hockey teams to leave for Junior hockey. They're fine. Jake Gardiner, Nick Leddy.

The kids like Bittner in other places have a different view.

[BodyShots]

Seems to be a trend of Mn SSM players coming back (a few this year) to high school Hockey. Now I'm hearing as many as five from their various SSM teams might be coming back.

So....... Who's coming back?

[HShockeywatcher]

Seems to be a trend of Mn SSM players coming back (a few this year) to high school Hockey. Now I'm hearing as many as five from their various SSM teams might be coming back.

The MSHSL transfer rules still apply to kids leaving SSM, right? )Ought to be a few H-M fans that know the answer to this one. ) The way I read the rules, it's all based on where parents establish residence, so it wouldn't really matter if the kid is living at a boarding school, or playing for a school that isn't part of the MSHSL.

Although, with what it costs to send a kid to SSM, shouldn't be too hard to get a hardship exemption.

Exactly. The same exists for public to private and private to public currently.