Feature Story

USHL pays visit to the Elite League

 

By Brian Werger

 

With a successful Fall Classic completed, and the 2009-10 season underway with an expanded 14-Member schedule – including USA Hockey’s NTPD squad, a full-time participant this year - the United States Hockey League (USHL) continues to reach out and educate those prospects who are the future of the League.  And that means young Minnesotans, whose star play has been a foundation of the League’s success.

A senior USHL delegation led by Commissioner Skip Prince made a visit over the weekend of October 10th and 11th to week five of the Upper Midwest High School Elite League, which had games scheduled at the Ice Arena in New Hope, Minnesota.  The visit was in part an introduction, as management of the USHL have never before attended Elite League play, and in part an extension of the USHL initiative to redouble its effort to educate both players and parents about the USHL and the opportunities available in the nation’s top junior league – and keep the best U.S. hockey players in the U.S. system.

Prince, Manager of Hockey Operations Tony Gill (a Rochester MN native and Shattuck-St. Mary’s), and a USHL contingent including Craig Sarner (Director of Scouting for the USHL Omaha Lancers) and Rick Comley, Jr. (Assistant Coach for the USHL Sioux City Musketeers), met with Elite League management over the course of the weekend.  League Director John Russo, together with the USHL, also gave a series of presentations to Elite League players, parents, and coaches.

Sarner, a Minnesota native currently living in Orono, was a member of the University of Minnesota Gophers hockey program and has been a coach among the state’s high school ranks.  He outlined what USHL scouts look for in a player and what types of things a prospect can work on before making the jump to the higher level USHL. 

“The goal was to be informative and help the preparation process for these players so they are ready for a tryout in the USHL,” stated Sarner.

Comley, whose promising Musketeer squad includes three of the 50 Minnesota players currently active on USHL rosters, emphasized the training, strength, and mental preparation necessary for USHL success.

“There have been some misconceptions in the past about the USHL and its relationship to Minnesota hockey,” said Commissioner Prince.  “The purpose of this visit – the first of many going forward – is to address those misconceptions.

“The Elite League and the Minnesota high school program together constitute an extraordinary and unique hockey operation, and regularly provide top-tier talent to the USHL, the NCAA and the NHL.  We want to respect that process – but need to join forces in making sure that players at this level are ready for the increase in speed, strength, skill, and discipline necessary to make it at the next level.

“Nobody prepares them for that level like we can – and no one except us can do that while preserving their college eligibility.  So we’re here to be the next and best step for the special young men that will be starring in college and NHL rinks in future years.”

Elite League Director John Russo knows the value of the presentations and explained the importance of providing this information to the players and parents.

“Our incentive as a league by having the USHL representatives make presentations was to help players better understand how to evolve to the next level,” said Russo.  “We have a lot of good players in the Elite League, but sometimes they are not prepared to compete because they don’t have a good understanding of what the competition level is going to be like in the USHL.  There is a lot of time between now and when USHL tryouts start next summer, so we want to inform the players about the types of things you have to do in order to be prepared.

“The USHL is part of the ‘train’ from youth hockey all the way up to the NHL and we can’t have our people ignore an important part of the train.”

 

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