Feature Story

---

The state of hockey players

By Kevin Kurtt

Let’s Play Hockey Editor

Pick up nearly any issue of Let’s Play Hockey and you’ll see various lists of Minnesotans in various levels of hockey.

Upon compiling those lists, it became incredibly clear the sheer volume of hockey players that Minnesota produces on an annual basis to numerous hockey leagues.

Without taking into account the thousands upon thousands of youth, high school, club and recreational hockey players that exist throughout the state, Minnesota develops a staggering number of elite hockey players.

From our calculations, there are over 1,311 Minnesotans currently playing hockey at the pro, college and junior level in North America.

Have we overlooked some players in the numerous leagues in the U.S. and Canada? Probably. Not a week goes by that we don’t receive an e-mail notifying us of a Minnesotan we failed to include.

Are there more Minnesotans playing hockey in professional leagues overseas? Certainly. Are there Minnesota natives coaching at the pro, junior and college level? Of course. Given more space and time, perhaps you’ll see a “Minnesotans in European Hockey” “Minnesota-Grown Coaches” list in the future.

The Minnesota Wild got it right – this state really is the State of Hockey. The impact that Minnesota has on hockey throughout the nation is staggering. One look at the numbers proves it.

For the current hockey season, 37 Minnesotans have played at least one game in the National Hockey League. Division I and Division III college hockey leagues have seen 883 men and women from Minnesota suit up for their respective school. The numerous junior hockey leagues in the U.S. and Canada boast 300 Minnesota natives on their rosters.

And the numbers will only continue to grow. At last summer’s NHL Entry Draft, 14 Minnesotans were selected by various NHL teams, including a trio of first-round picks. The NHL Central Scouting Service’s mid-season rankings for the 2008 Entry Draft list many more Minnesota natives who have a decent shot at hearing their name called this June.

This season alone, 96 players that call Minnesota home have made commitments to a Division I hockey program. That total will surely increase as the season progresses, and does not take into account the incredible number of Minnesotans that wind up playing hockey at a Division III institution.

Sure, Canada will continue to be the major supplier of players to North America’s various hockey leagues, but Minnesota’s contribution to the sport has been immense. Not only is Minnesota the State of Hockey. It’s also the State of Hockey Players.

Let’s Play Hockey wants to publish your hockey stories. From tournament reports, to feature stories on teams, players or coaches, to opinion pieces on the game of hockey, Let’s Play Hockey accepts submissions from readers throughout the hockey community. To submit your hockey story and/or photo(s), e-mail us at editor@letsplayhockey.com.