Feature Story

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High school hockey producing top prospects

Based upon recently released rankings of draft eligible hockey players in North America by the National Hockey League’s Central Scouting Bureau, high school hockey in Minnesota appears to be holding its own in the development of talent. Of the 28 Minnesota players ranked through the first seven rounds of the CSB’s 2008 Midterm Report on North American talent, 17 are currently playing on high school teams.

When compared to other competitive sources that attract Minnesota players such as the United States Hockey League (USHL), North American Hockey League (NAHL) and USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program (NTDP), high schools in Minnesota have far more players rated among the top in North America. In the CSB Midterm Report, the USHL had six players while the NTDP had just one player from Minnesota in the rankings. Other sources included private prep hockey power Shattuck-St. Mary’s and NCAA Division I hockey with two players each. The NAHL had no Minnesota players ranked among the top 210 skaters identified by the CSB.

Credit for this success is shared among the hockey organizations in Minnesota that combine to form what is commonly known as the “Minnesota Model.”

It begins with the community-based youth hockey associations governed by Minnesota Hockey. The next step is Minnesota’s robust high school hockey program, second to none in the nation for the amount of teams and the level of competition. For a handful of the state’s top prep talent, an invitation to play in the Upper Midwest High School Elite League follows and, from there, onto Tier I junior leagues such as the USHL and NAHL.

The formation of the “Minnesota Model” can be traced back to 2000 when a group of hockey minds contemplated the creation of the Upper Midwest High School Elite League. The group seriously studied three various “models” around the USA and the world. “Models” for them were the formats being used to develop youth players up to and through the college/pro levels.

The “Minnesota Model” was one of them and was similar to development models in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and other portions of the east coast. Midget AAA and Tier I Junior A were the primary models in many parts of the U.S. and the world, along with so called “split” programs (high school/midget, Junior) in Michigan and Illinois that were watering down talent on both sides of the high school/midget formula.

The group, which included many DI college coaches from the Upper Midwest, agreed that the model in Minnesota in place at the time was not adequately maximizing the development of players, particularly at the high school level. The dilemma facing high school players in Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Dakota was the relative brevity of the playing season and the infrequency of highly competitive games.

Previously, Jeff Lindquist and the Minnesota High School Coaches Association had fought to increase the number of games as well as game lengths, but it was still not enough. Ultimately, a solution was found through the creation of the Upper Midwest High School Elite League — to extend the season and increase the level of competition for the top high school players in the upper Midwest. This concept was strongly encouraged and endorsed by the Upper Midwest DI coaches. More importantly, it was also embraced by the Minnesota High School Hockey Coaches Association and by Minnesota Hockey (primarily the under the leadership of Ted Brill and Dennis Green).

The development of players at the youth level through Bantams (ages 13-15) has traditionally been very strong in the Upper Midwest. However, development tended to flatten out after their entry into high school hockey because exceptional players were not challenged in many of the games due to a wide disparity of talent among high school teams.

For some elite players, the perception at the time was that development could be achieved by leaving high school hockey in favor of playing junior hockey. Unfortunately, this meant leaving home at a very early age which created an entirely different set of social, psychological and physical challenges for players and families.

The formation of the Upper Midwest High School Elite League bridged the gap, allowing elite players to remain with their classmates, family and friends while offering competition at a very high level. For the past six years, it has provided an important missing ingredient that has helped to make the Minnesota Model a highly successful recipe for development.

Equally important is the continued proliferation of skills-based development at the youth hockey level and the excellent coaching and leadership provided by high school hockey coaches. Youth and high school hockey continue to be the key pivot points in the development of players and essential ingredients to the success of the “Minnesota Model.” In short, the Minnesota Model works like this:

• Community Based Youth Programs: Large numbers of players are allowed the time and opportunity to develop skills in hundreds of community programs across Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Dakota — through the Bantam level. Bantam teams generally play 45 to 60 games in a season.

• High School Varsity Teams: The Upper Midwest has the most developed high school hockey leagues in the nation. For the majority of players moving to the high school level, varsity hockey offers an outstanding competitive challenge. However, high school leagues mandate very strict game limits – 25 regular season games – for a season that extents from November through February. Only 16 teams can extend their season for the State Tournament held in March.

•Upper Midwest High School Elite League: The top 150 “elite” players (approximately 120 from MN, 20 from WI and 10 from ND) play in 24 to 27 highly competitive games during the months of September and October. These players then disperse back to their respective high school teams for the high school season. The “elite” teams are permanently disbanded (except Wisconsin).

•Junior “A” Leagues Many top players go on to play a year or two of Tier 1 Junior “A” hockey before moving on to the college ranks. These days, it is uncommon for incoming college freshman in both Division I and Division III to have no junior hockey experience.

This combination of development and competition, while still maintaining the school and family structure, has paid off in the Upper Midwest, particularly in Minnesota. Consider the following statistics from the NHL CSB Midterm rankings (not including goaltenders) which rates the top 210 skaters in North America (US and Canada):

• Thirty-one high school players from Minnesota and Wisconsin (28 MN, 3 WI) who played high school hockey last season or currently play this season. In addition, the Faribault-based prep team from Shattuck-St. Mary’s Prep has four players. Thus, a total of 35 players from the high school ranks.

• Fourteen Midget AAA (ages 16-18) or high school players from the remainder of the USA and Canada.

• Nine players from USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, including one player from Minnesota.

• Eighteen players from the USHL Jr. A league (including seven from Minnesota or Wisconsin).

By all measures, Minnesota and other states in the Upper Midwest are doing very well developing top prospects for college and professional hockey. Leaders within the hockey community agree that talented players don’t have to leave home to develop their skills.

“The model is thriving because of competition and cooperation,” said John Russo, creator and commissioner of the Upper Midwest High School Elite League. “Youth programs, high school teams, the elite league and junior hockey combine to create an exceptional development model.”

“High school coaches support the notion that young men don’t have to leave their communities to develop as hockey players,” said Steve Olinger, head coach at Chaska High School. “High school hockey is a crucial step in the development process.”

Dennis Green, President of Minnesota Hockey, agrees that the multi-faceted development is the key: “Community based youth programs continue to focus on skill development of players at all levels. We are proud of recruiting and keeping large numbers of young hockey players involved in their formative years, when the fundamental skills are learned. Our volunteers are committed to giving every youth player the opportunity and time to reach his or her highest level in hockey. That naturally leads to large numbers of skilled players who move up to high school hockey.”

Those with eyes trained to spot exceptional hockey talent have been very supportive. Paul Ostby, a former player and assistant coach at the University of Minnesota who now works as a professional player representative with Sheehy Hockey summed it up.

“The Upper Midwest ‘Minnesota Model’ is the best development engine in the world right now. I hope we can continue to appreciate, improve, and ‘guard’ its basic structure.”

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