Youth Hockey Associations

[MrBoDangles]

What programs are making strides? What programs are taking a slide?

One program that I've seen improve the last few years is St Francis. One that doesn't seem to playing at the level of old is Anoka..??

[Pudda_Puck_In_Her_Ear]

the rather recent (6-8 years ago) building of both St Francis and Andover HS affected all of the programs in the area, all of the way up to Elk River.

These programs now have the neccessary Varsity coach leadership, and both programs seem to have what it takes to continue to grow.

[BlackTape]

St Francis doesn't field "A" teams at every level do they? If they don't, then start this topic when they do.

[MrBoDangles]

St Francis doesn't field "A" teams at every level do they? If they don't, then start this topic when they do.

They were merged to play just B-1 just a couple of years ago. They field an A Squirt and an A PeeWee team this year. For what ever reason they have not fielded a Bantam team the last couple of years. The A PeeWee team had a winning season last year.

From merging to play B-1 to having success at A alone is a positive sign(making strides)........

[silentbutdeadly3139]

St Francis doesn't field "A" teams at every level do they? If they don't, then start this topic when they do.

They were merged to play just B-1 just a couple of years ago. They field an A Squirt and an A PeeWee team this year. For what ever reason they have not fielded a Bantam team the last couple of years. The A PeeWee team had a winning season last year.

From merging to play B-1 to having success at A alone is a positive sign(making strides)........

Not ripping them but just but correcting a factual error. According to D10 site their record was 7-8-4 in the weaker of the 2 divisions ... hardly a winning record.

[greybeard58]

While 7-8-4 is below .500 they did finish higher than Champlin Park and St Cloud 2 larger associations. They have with the exception of 2 years fielded teams at the A Peewee level since the 2001-02 season either by themselves or when merged and the year they were with Cambridge/Isanti also were at the A Bantam. Usually the high school grabs a number of bantam players every year. Also the splits mentioned earlier were Champlin Park in 1992 which affected Anoka and Coon Rapids and Andover formed for the 2002-03 season which affected Anoka, Blaine and Coon Rapids. St Francis has been their own school district for a long time.

[MrBoDangles]

St Francis doesn't field "A" teams at every level do they? If they don't, then start this topic when they do.

They were merged to play just B-1 just a couple of years ago. They field an A Squirt and an A PeeWee team this year. For what ever reason they have not fielded a Bantam team the last couple of years. The A PeeWee team had a winning season last year.

From merging to play B-1 to having success at A alone is a positive sign(making strides)........

Not ripping them but just but correcting a factual error. According to D10 site their record was 7-8-4 in the weaker of the 2 divisions ... hardly a winning record.

If I said in D10....... It would be correcting a factual error.

[MNHawker]

What programs are making strides? What programs are taking a slide?

One program that I've seen improve the last few years is St Francis. One that doesn't seem to playing at the level of old is Anoka..??

Under Peewee A Scores...
I think you upset Anoka!!!!

Anoka 12

St. Francis 0

[MrBoDangles]

What programs are making strides? What programs are taking a slide?

One program that I've seen improve the last few years is St Francis. One that doesn't seem to playing at the level of old is Anoka..??

Under Peewee A Scores...
I think you upset Anoka!!!!

Anoka 12

St. Francis 0

Most of the talent moved up. They are a young team and will take some lumps this year.
Anoka seemed to be in the top 1-4 in every level a few years back. I hope this score is a sign of things to come from Anoka.

[silentbutdeadly3139]

They were merged to play just B-1 just a couple of years ago. They field an A Squirt and an A PeeWee team this year. For what ever reason they have not fielded a Bantam team the last couple of years. The A PeeWee team had a winning season last year.

From merging to play B-1 to having success at A alone is a positive sign(making strides)........

Not ripping them but just but correcting a factual error. According to D10 site their record was 7-8-4 in the weaker of the 2 divisions ... hardly a winning record.

If I said in D10....... It would be correcting a factual error.

District records is a fact and what is normally used when people site records because it widely available and well tracked. I didn't know you were going to include your tournament(s), outside scrimmages and intra squad scrimmages

[BlackTape]

Bottom line,

St Francis is not an up and coming association, they may be getting a little better, but still not there yet. They still can't field teams at every level this season. I noticed they are missing B1 teams etc etc. How are St Francis' numbers over the last 5 years are they on the decline or are they gaining skaters?

[observer]

Scores are cool but give me a number that matters. If ya want to be up and coming that means growth.

How many new mite boys signed up this year?

[MrBoDangles]

Not ripping them but just but correcting a factual error. According to D10 site their record was 7-8-4 in the weaker of the 2 divisions ... hardly a winning record.

If I said in D10....... It would be correcting a factual error.

District records is a fact and what is normally used when people site records because it widely available and well tracked. I didn't know you were going to include your tournament(s), outside scrimmages and intra squad scrimmages

Pull your pants up a little higher Eugene.....
District record is a fact of that I didn't say district record? 19 game PeeWee season?

[MrBoDangles]

Bottom line,

St Francis is not an up and coming association, they may be getting a little better, but still not there yet. They still can't field teams at every level this season. I noticed they are missing B1 teams etc etc. How are St Francis' numbers over the last 5 years are they on the decline or are they gaining skaters?

I'm not sure of their numbers, but I have noticed more skilled players. I have also noticed that they have multiple teams in all mite levels in summer leagues. They seem to be taking their Hockey seriously.

"They may be getting a little better" That's what I thought too.......

[MrBoDangles]

Another program that is making great strides is Princeton. They just completed building their second rink recently and have been putting out some very competitive teams.

Quite the accomplishment to have two rinks in a very small town.

[frederick61]

Associations can’t be measured a common set of standards that show achievement or success. Association success comes from common sense at the board level and a firm, fair, and practical approach to running their programs.

Without these values, an association stumbles mostly because the weak link in association hockey is board elections. Most board elections are after thoughts to busy parents and others interested in the success of the association. The result is the process can be easily corrupted by parents with a single agenda that usually serves their own self-interest.

Edina has a successful association. They have cobbled together a strong internal (meaning within Edina) with a strong D6 affiliation and have indirectly expanded to five ice arenas. Their teams have been successful and this year they are fielding 10 peewee teams.

Jefferson and Kennedy, their neighbors to the south have 7 peewee teams combined. Bloomington has a population of 82,000, and Edina has a population of 46,000.

East of Edina is Richfield and Mpls (the Storm). North is St. Louis Park and Hopkins. West is Eden Prairie. Richfield has two sheets, but not enough teams. They sell ice. St. Louis Park has two sheets and appear to be coming back. Hopkins has one (the Pavillion) and access to two more (Minnetonka). Mpls Storm has access to two sheets at Parade. Eden Prairie has three sheets.

Hopkins has a population of 17,000 that has been stable since 1960. St. Louis Park has been stable at around 45,000 since 1960. Mpls Storm area has been stable also, but has a potential base around 150,000 to draw from. Richfield population has fallen by 4,000 over the past 40 years to 33,000 and Eden Prairie has grown to 62,000.

Edina’s success is not based on a growing population. It is the board and the stability it has offered over the past twenty years and the “moxie” it has had to move with the times. Adjoining associations have not shown similar success.

Hopkins has been stable over the past years but is feeling the pinch this year with three peewee teams and approximately 40-45 kids playing. Eden Prairie has six peewee teams. Mpls Storm has six teams, but that association this year covers most of Mpls.

To me the message is simple, an association becomes the people who run the association. If it is weak and allows a few people to “hi-jack” it and set their own personal agenda, it suffers. If the board fails to do the “hard work”, it fails. A board position regardless of title does not give an individual power so much as it gives them a job jar.

Failing to empty the jar because it is not easy means the board should find someone else. For those board members who try empty the jar and to do the right things for the kids. Congratulations. That is not an easy. But it means that your association should be more successful.

[C-dad]

Associations can’t be measured a common set of standards that show achievement or success. Association success comes from common sense at the board level and a firm, fair, and practical approach to running their programs.

...

fred,

A lot of great points. One comment though (from an Edina dad) is to not be too critical of the numbers in many of the surrounding associations. Much of that is demographic and cultural. Edina has had a consistent demographic while it has changed dramatically for many of the communities you mention. Also, hockey is simply part of the culture in Edina, much like football is part of the culture in Eden Prairie. Edina gets a huge percentage of the kids out for hockey just as EP gets a huge percentage of kids out for football. Even kids who have no family history of hockey see all the other kids in kindergarten playing hockey and they turn out for mite hockey.

Good points about the board and commitment to its work.

[hockey_is_a_choice]

Frederick61, excellent points. Instead of hating associations like Edina and Wayzata, those associations should be case studies for other associations' boards. Yes, Edina (District 6) and Wayzata (District 3) are populated by affluent, highly educated people. However, more important than their collective wealth and education, both communities attract numerous busy, successful people to serve on their hockey boards and promote the programs' best interests in other ways. Their associations are managed like successful businesses and their respective job jar is filled with tasks that benefit the association collectively, and, for the most part, the jobs are completed by many dedicated board members and other volunteers. No individual or cabal is allowed to control the association to promote their own selfish agenda.

Communities like Burnsville, Eden Prairie, Elk River, Centennial, Woodbury, and Stillwater also appear to attract many talented people to serve on their boards, people who are not afraid to be bold in their desire to improve their associations. The most successful associations attract a mix of successful professionals and experienced hockey people. In order to have a successful board, you need a mix of both types. If the balance tilts too far one way, the board will have a more difficult time advancing the best interests of the association, which, again, are a mix of business and hockey interests. Equally as important, you cannot have a board that allows any board member (or actively involved parent) to advance his or her own selfish interests. In other words, no board member (or actively involved parent) should ever be allowed to serve in a position where he or she can influence selection of his or her kid's team. That type of conflict of interest is toxic in any association and undermines the credibility of the entire organization, including all of its board members.

Just over a month ago, someone who is not a St. Louis Park board member or even a parent of a St. Louis Park skater came on this forum to beg St. Louis Park not to separate from Minneapolis. Now, within the last few weeks, there has been chatter on the this forum about the Benilde St. Margaret's kids filtering to the St. Louis Park bantam program under the new participation rule. Maybe the folks who have a long-term vested interest in the St. Louis Park hockey association got it right in separating from Minneapolis. Perhaps the highly motivated St. Louis Park board decided it was time they took control of the St. Louis Park program and acted in the best interests of preserving youth hockey in St. Louis Park. The poster criticized the St. Louis Park Board for breaking away from Minneapolis because St. Louis Park lacked numbers. That poster neglected to understand that St. Louis Park is a proud community, separate from Minneapolis, and, under the new participation rule, St. Louis Park can supplement its numbers by offering the Benilde St. Margaret's kids who attend a St. Louis Park based school, but who reside outside of St. Louis Park, an option to play in St. Louis Park. This year, there was a small shift of Benilde kids to the St. Louis Park program under the new participation rule. Next year, the shift might be bigger. How exciting for St. Louis Park to regain its independence as an association. How exciting for Pauly, the Benilde St. Margaret's boys' high school coach (the prospect of having a farm system, 7-9th graders at Benilde, play together for 2-3 years before moving to the Benilde high school program has to be exciting). And how exciting for Donahue, the St. Louis Park High School coach, because it is an opportunity for the public school kids in the St. Louis Park system to practice and play on teams located on their home ice, St. Louis Park Recreational Center (a beautiful facility), and then feed the St. Louis Park public high school program, which has a strong history of supporting the St. Louis Park hockey association. It's a win-win situation for the private and public schools located in St. Louis Park. There's a reason why the St. Louis Park High School and Benilde-St. Margaret's hockey banners hang nicely side-by-side in the St. Louis Park West arena. Those two programs (one class A and the other class AA) co-exist nicely and, with the assistance of a strong and committed St. Louis Park hockey association board, can ensure that youth hockey remains in St. Louis Park.

The point here is that the St. Louis Park hockey association board, comprised of well-educated people who also have hockey expertise, acted boldly and took control of their program. St. Louis Park will have some growing pains, but it has a board who appears to be working hard to rebuild St. Louis Park's community hockey programs. As long as the St. Louis Park board follows the models of successful associations' boards and adheres to Frederick61's advice of administering their individual and joint duties fairly and for the collective benefit of the association's programs, St. Louis Park will reap the rewards of its board's bold decisions and succeed as a stand-alone association. This is youth hockey at its best. Let's wish St. Louis Park and its board the very best as they maintain and grow youth hockey in St. Louis Park.

[HockeyDad41]

bump

[old goalie85]

I missed that last year. Outstanding!!!

[The Talon]

Rochester----on the slide....

[nosoupforyou]

I would offer up Mahtomedi as making strides.

Last year, I believe they were the only D2 association that added a traveling team (plus one at the PW level). This year they added another team at the Bantam level, albeit they look like pretty small rosters.

Also last year, the Squirt A and PW A teams both finished 2nd in the D2 district playoffs. The Bantam A and B1 teams both played above their seeds in the D2 playoffs and lost the 3rd place game to go to Regions.

They'll never have the depth to challenge WBL and Stillwater on a regular basis, but they can surprise teams here and there.

[MrBoDangles]

Bantams- Chisago Lakes has a good/large group of Bantams that will be feeding a class A HS program. Seem to drop way off in numbers and talent at the lower levels.

Squirts- Andover has a very strong group.

Mites- North Branch has a group of last year mites that will get a lot of attention. Next year could be the first time North Branch has an A level traveling team on their own.

[Mnhockeys]

Rochester----on the slide....

Two PWA teams two years in a row, not good enough?