Upper Midwest High School Girls ELite League

wild77 · Post by **wild77** » Tue Apr 15, 2008 4:14 pm

Does anyone have any specifics on this? From what I have read it will startuop this fall (2008). Will there be tryouts or will coaches pick their team? I read there will be three teams made up of High school girls. What other teams will be in the league? Thanks for any info.

wild77 · Post by **wild77** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 9:45 am

I thought I would get some replies, but obviously the right people haven't read the thread yet or perhaps the word is out on the league yet. Anyone care to comment?

joehockey · Post by **joehockey** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 12:19 pm

I am not sure anything is public or final. HS Coaches recieved info and were asked to complete survey and feedback not sure how long the input timeframe is?

Four team league with 3 teams of 20 from HS for a total of 60 girls with the fourth team maybe being Shattuck. Some players invited and rest through a tryout. Twelve games on Saturday and Sundays with 6 practices during the month of October leading up to the season.

That is all the info I have heard and not sure any of it is set.

MNHockeyFan · Post by **MNHockeyFan** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 12:58 pm

joehockey wrote:Twelve games on Saturday and Sundays with 6 practices during the month of October leading up to the season.

Maybe a typo but if practices do not start until October then this league would seem to conflict with the high school season for which tryouts usually begin in late October?

joehockey · Post by **joehockey** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 1:32 pm

I understand they will play final weekend before HS season starts on the SSM campus concluding on Sunday with the first day of HS tryouts the next day. Other games and practices are at the Super Rink as proposed. Have not seen hard dates.....maybe it will start last weekend in September and be the 4 weekends leading up to HS season. Pracitces would be on weekdays and maybe early weeks have multiple practices to get in 6 on ice sessions?

OntheEdge · Post by **OntheEdge** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 2:10 pm

joehockey wrote:I am not sure anything is public or final. HS Coaches recieved info and were asked to complete survey and feedback not sure how long the input timeframe is?

Four team league with 3 teams of 20 from HS for a total of 60 girls with the fourth team maybe being Shattuck. Some players invited and rest through a tryout. Twelve games on Saturday and Sundays with 6 practices during the month of October leading up to the season.

That is all the info I have heard and not sure any of it is set.

There was an article about this league in the latest Lets Play Hockey. I don't have the Article in front of me but I believe it said that the league will be 4 teams, 3 from the HS ranks and the 4th being Shattuck. I also remember it saying that players have already been sent invite letters for some of the spots and that the remaining spots would be filled by tryout. I think it said that Darwitz, Brodt and Potter would be coaching. I wish I'd paid more attention but you might want to get the new Lets Play Hockey for more information.

wild77 · Post by **wild77** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 2:51 pm

thanks for the responses

MNHockeyFan · Post by **MNHockeyFan** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 3:25 pm

The last couple of years SSM has had that tourney during the weekend right before high school tryouts, but the other teams were AAA like the Icecats, Jr. Whitecaps, Walser, Saints, etc. They also had a couple of different divisions for U16 and U19. It appears then that this new 4 team league and last weekend tournment at SSM will replace the old format?

joehockey · Post by **joehockey** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 5:35 pm

http://www.letsplayhockey.com/953girlselite.html

Here is the story from Lets Play Hockey. It looks like a great concept if the top 60 plays are in the league. Considering there are 108 kids at Phase III at '90 & '91 it the try out camp might be pretty active. Love the idea of some of Minnesota's top Women Players helping current players - a lot of knowledge transfer should go on!

Girls Elite League arrives

After six successful seasons of boys elite development, the Upper Midwest High School Elite League recently announced that it will begin operation of a Girls Elite League, commencing in the fall of 2008. The expansion of the Elite League to include a girls division is part of a new five-year agreement between the Upper Midwest High School Elite League and Nike Bauer Hockey. Nike Bauer will provide equipment for all players and will sponsor an NIT Tournament for both boys and girls under the new agreement.

Mark Duggan, CEO of Nike Bauer, noted, “The Upper Midwest High School Elite League has more than fulfilled its mission for boys’ hockey since its inception. We are happy to assist them in their interest to increase development of the elite level for girls as well.”

The new girls’ league will start out modestly in 2008 with three teams of the top high school girls in Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin. In addition, Shattuck-St. Mary’s top girls’ team will be the fourth league participant. The new director/commissioner will be Eric Johnson, former Minnesota high school and St. Cloud State standout. He is currently the girls’ varsity coach at Minnetonka High School — and will be giving up his boys’ Elite League head coaching position with Team Southeast to run the girls’ operations.

The girls’ teams will be in good hands. Minnesota high school and college legends, as well as Olympic and professional stars Jenny Potter, Natalie Darwitz and Winny Brodt, will be the head coaches and will bring other current Minnesota Whitecaps players in as assistants. The Whitecaps will also be league “partners” and provide assistance in practices as well as games.

In 2008, the league will run four consecutive weekends, from Oct. 4-26. Three games will be played per team each weekend, one on Saturday evening and two on Sunday. Practices will be minimal but will average one to two per week.

Teams will be formed in July; 35 girls have already been invited into the league based on their 2007-08 high school performance. The remaining 20-25 players will be selected from a pool of 60 in a final evaluation in July.

The Upper Midwest High School Elite League was formed in 2001 to help the top elite players reach their optimal development by the end of their high school competition. Sufficient games against elite players of similar abilities has been the model since inception. It will continue to be the model for both boys and girls.

“The girls program will operate basically the same as the boys,” Brodt said. “We want the girls to get that extra development that they seem to now be missing in their junior and senior years.”

Whitecaps players will be participating (suited up) in team practices to help push the pace and intensity of the high school players. There are also discussions in process that may include two Whitecaps players per team in a few of the early league games.

Elite League founder John Russo added that, “It was just time that the girls ‘get after’ that extra development just like the boys. They will get the same attention to detail that the boys do.”

The league expects to have large numbers of DI and DIII coaches at league games looking for prospects.

The girls program will likely be expanded in the second year to include more games and to bring in a wider variety of teams.

joehockey · Post by **joehockey** » Fri May 02, 2008 12:56 pm

Letters are out looks like a great league. Five practices and 12 games over four weekends in October (game Saturday and two on Sunday with practices on Wednesday night). First and Fourth weekends at Super Rink, Second weekend at Shattuck and Third at St. Cloud.

There will also be an All-Star team picked that will play in a Nike Bauer NIT Tournament at Shattuck Oct 31-Nov 2. (I thought HS season starts the last Monday of October?)

Here is the League website with schedule:

http://www.girlselitehockey.com

Betty 99 · Post by **Betty 99** » Fri May 02, 2008 2:07 pm

So who chose who got automatically invited to be in the league? What was the basis or critera that was used?

brookyone · Post by **brookyone** » Sat May 03, 2008 12:10 pm

Betty 99 wrote:So who chose who got automatically invited to be in the league? What was the basis or critera that was used?

An admittedly uninformed guess on my part would be knowledge, familiarity as well as appreciation for the skills of players receiving invites. Merely a guess, but I believe it has to be the case for at least some of those players invited.

It impresses me as a very good opportunity and tool for aiding player development. I hope that is the ultimate result. We'll see if those potential results are evident when the HS season commences.

OntheEdge · Post by **OntheEdge** » Sat May 03, 2008 9:15 pm

Betty 99 wrote:So who chose who got automatically invited to be in the league? What was the basis or critera that was used?

It appears that from the website, girls from Phase 4 of Advanced 17 and Phase 4 Advanced 16 who were going to be Juniors next year were primarily the automatic invites. I'm sure there were a few others.

joehockey · Post by **joehockey** » Sat May 03, 2008 10:50 pm

OntheEdge wrote:
Betty 99 wrote:So who chose who got automatically invited to be in the league? What was the basis or critera that was used?
It appears that from the website, girls from Phase 4 of Advanced 17 and Phase 4 Advanced 16 who were going to be Juniors next year were primarily the automatic invites. I'm sure there were a few others.

Player Invitation – Players will be notified by UMHSEL if they are invited to tryout &/or participate

From website.....

Automatic Invite Into UMHSEL without at tryout will be awarded in one of the following ways:
UMHSEL scouting group agrees that the player has demonstrated a high enough level of ability that a tryout is not necessary
1990 birth year players – last year’s 2007 Minnesota Adv 17 NDP team
1991 birth year players – 2008 Minnesota Adv 17 NDP players
1992 birth year players - 2008 Minnesota Adv 16 NDP players that will be Juniors in the 08/09 school year

joehockey · Post by **joehockey** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 10:40 am

I understand tryouts will be going on this weekend to complete this league. Has anyone recieved any new information outside of what is on the League web page?

chickendance · Post by **chickendance** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 7:05 pm

Tryouts are this weekend. How come they haven't posted their picks yet?

MNHockeyFan · Post by **MNHockeyFan** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 9:14 pm

chickendance wrote:Tryouts are this weekend. How come they haven't posted their picks yet?

A little sarcasm perhaps?

chickendance · Post by **chickendance** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 9:40 pm

Did that slip out again? Oops.

joehockey · Post by **joehockey** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 4:36 pm

Any comments on how this went today? I know they were trying to get 60 to tryout and the names sounded like top players - tryouts went from 9-3 PM how did they go? With Thoroughbreds and Selects going on was there a good turnout?

MNHockeyFan · Post by **MNHockeyFan** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 10:49 pm

joehockey wrote:Any comments on how this went today? I know they were trying to get 60 to tryout and the names sounded like top players - tryouts went from 9-3 PM how did they go? With Thoroughbreds and Selects going on was there a good turnout?

I believe they had about 48 or so girls - 3 teams with 9 forwards + 5 D and 2 goalies each. Very competitive and fast hockey. Most games were low scoring affairs with good goaltending. The teams were pretty evenly matched with no blowouts. Each team played the other two teams twice (each team played four games). Games were short, with two, 17-20 minute running time halves, which kept everyone fresh throughout. Just one ref on the ice who did a good job of keeping the play moving, calling only the obvious offsides, icings, etc. Penalties were few, and resulted in a penalty shot for the player who got tripped, checked, etc.

I understand that about half of those trying out will be selected, joining the the NDP players who were pre-selected. I don't envy the evaluators, because all of the girls worked hard and played like they deserved to be there.

joehockey · Post by **joehockey** » Sun Aug 17, 2008 5:24 am

How was the out state participation? I have heard they might be having trouble getting a lot of the best girls from up North to join?

MNHockeyFan · Post by **MNHockeyFan** » Fri Aug 22, 2008 7:19 pm

Any news on which players were selected from the tryouts?

joehockey · Post by **joehockey** » Fri Aug 22, 2008 9:49 pm

I understand some girls recieved e-mails on Thursday as follow up to last weekend's tryout.

chickendance · Post by **chickendance** » Fri Aug 22, 2008 10:19 pm

I heard that some girls didn't get emails today.

MNHockeyFan · Post by **MNHockeyFan** » Sat Aug 23, 2008 3:26 pm

joehockey wrote:I understand some girls recieved e-mails on Thursday as follow up to last weekend's tryout.

I can confirm this but am also anxious to see the entire list of girls who will be participating. The organizers will be forming the three teams during the coming week, and I'm sure once this is done the rosters will be made public.

HighSchoolHockeyForums.com

Upper Midwest High School Girls ELite League

Upper Midwest High School Girls ELite League

Hmmmm

thank you