Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2015 2:31 pm
The elite and elite D leagues are MH programs. They are overseen by MH.OU812 wrote:I'm not so worried about who runs it, but I'm against any changes that make the current system worse for Minnesota kids. I guess my main concern is that the level of fall competition not be lowered, because I don't see how that helps the kids involved or makes the quality of our hockey better for everybody.
Right now the elite league level of play is outstanding; two seasons ago I heard a speaker say it was the "top development league of it's kind in the country, maybe the world". The roughly 90 MN HS players in the elite league class of 2014, for example, included 23 D-1 scholarship recipients, with 6 of those players drafted by the NHL that June. All the kids involved - and their HS teams too - benefit when the caliber of play is that high. NHL scouts, college coaches and junior scouts flock to watch the games. This is great for all of MN hockey. Currently these kids are placed on elite league teams based on merit, not geography, and they don't have to give up any spring options, like games in the USHL or NAHL, or baseball, track and field, or golf, or whatever. Let's not create any new reasons for the top kids to consider taking off for juniors permanently and leave HS hockey.
The Elite D league (which is run by a different group, btw) helps another around 200 MN underclassmen work on their game in the fall. This group is just as important to MN HS hockey, if not more so, because they fill out so many spots on HS rosters. And, of course, the whole point of creating the elite league and elite D was to promote kids staying in HS hockey for the winter.
Both these leagues are non profit corporations, and the board members and coaches are all volunteer, so I don't see the money as a big factor either way. Just asking everybody to keep the actual hockey players in mind.
Hope it all gets worked out.
To what degree of oversight as of today, I do not know.