Why Minnesota Hockey Continues to Lead the Way

Last month, I was invited to sit in for a meeting that really opened my eyes even more to why Minnesota continues to lead the way for hockey in the United States.  The Minnesota High School Hockey Coaches Association gathered key stakeholders in a room to discuss the game and how collectively they could make it better.

In the room were representatives from the Minnesota Wild, college hockey, the USHL, Minnesota Hockey, high school hockey, youth hockey, and a few like myself with an outsider’s perspective on the game.  It was amazing to see smart and passionate hockey people working cohesively to make the game better for the kids.

I’ve written about this extensively before, but Minnesota is leading the US not only in the number of kids playing the game, but it crushes other states when it comes to developing elite players as well.  They have by far the most NHLers, PWHLers, and Division One players on both the men’s and women’s sides. For context, in this year’s college season there are more D1 men’s players from Minnesota than the next two highest states (Michigan and Massachusetts) COMBINED. The three states used to be called the “3 M’s” of elite hockey development in the the US. Now Minnesota is in a class of it’s own.

And while states like Massachusetts and Michigan lean heavier and heavier into professionalizing youth hockey – leading to more stress on families, burnt out players, rising and unattainable costs, and stagnation/regression of kids choosing hockey, Minnesota’s community model continues to be the north star that brings more families into our game, keeps them in the game, and develops the best talent.

But the community model only tells part of the story.  My belief is that the magic within the Minnesota model lies not in the model itself, but in the collaborative effort of leadership within the state to continue to preserve the model – while also evolving with the changing nature of youth sports and specifically our game of hockey. 

Minnesota has adapted its community model to meet the needs of the present.  There’s a unified Tier One structure for older players, a Fall Elite League for the top high school players, and a High-Performance program in the spring and summer leading into the USA Hockey select festivals.  We had Mike MacMillan from Minnesota/USA Hockey on our podcast a few months ago to detail it all.

We’ve also had Bob Mancini of USA Hockey on the podcast multiple times, and one of his lines really stuck with me.  He explained how the healthiest youth sports models are about “Competition on the ice, and cooperation off the ice”.

In Minnesota, you have a trove of people in leadership positions working together for the betterment of the game as-a-whole.  That’s not to say things are perfect in the State-of-Hockey, but the collaborative nature I saw in the meeting was honestly just really uplifting and inspiring.  Coaches of rival programs working jointly with other passionate hockey leaders for the betterment of the game for everybody in the room, not just their specific program.

In most other areas around the country, you have leadership in silos beholden to their own organization or business interests.  From the NHL team in the area, through the USA Hockey/Hockey Canada affiliates, to the operating leagues, to the organizations, to the families themselves, conflicting interests have led to so many silos and silos have led to organizations solely looking out for themselves.  It’s not about competition on the ice and cooperation off the ice.  It’s become about competition for kids on the ice – and competition for adults off the ice.

The battle of egos between adults has led to, in most cases, far inferior development environments for the kids.  It’s too professional too young.  It’s more of a focus on winning and recruiting than making kids better.   And families are really struggling to navigate the toxic and pressurized landscape of it all – I know because I get emails and messages from parents almost daily about it.

I think most people would agree that our youth hockey landscape in the US and Canada needs a course correction.  And I know people look to USA Hockey and Hockey Canada to fix it. 

The problem is – regulation from the governing bodies is not as easy or simple as it may look.  I know of multiple instances where they have tried but have been met with lawsuits or threats of lawsuits from those with business interests.  There’s also a rise in groups leaving for rogue and unsanctioned leagues when they don’t agree with regulations put in place by the governing bodies.

That’s just a reality. 

Are the affiliates of the governing bodies perfect? No.  Are they part of the problem at times? Yes. But this is a reality they face when trying to enact solutions.

And with that, I really believe that the only way we’re going to see change is by replicating what I saw in Minnesota.  Getting leadership in the room and putting the focus on how to better the game.  For everyone.

I’ve actually seen it be done in Illinois – a place where many feel there’s little hope for change.  There was such toxicity at the Tier 2 level – but we got key leadership in a room to discuss what was going on and it has led to what I think has been a much better outcome.  That’s not to say all the conversations were easy – they weren’t.  But watching leaders put egos aside and putting the kids first…THAT is the drive to change.

Guys, I know I’ve been beating on the Minnesota hockey drum a lot lately.  Maybe you’re sick of me doing it.  And that’s OK.  But the data doesn’t lie.  They have by far the most participation growth of your traditional hockey markets and the greatest number of kids playing. They have by far the most elite talent developed.  

And it’s done at a fraction of the cost of other elite hockey pathways. 

I’m not advocating for everywhere to become Minnesota.  There are advantages there that other areas don’t have, particularly in their amount of community owned rinks and civic investment into hockey.  But what I am advocating for is getting leadership together and having honest conversations about the landscape in their area and moving at least towards how Minnesota operates versus away from it.  

How can we bring a greater sense of community into a more professional model? How can we make the pathway more digestible and simpler for families? How can we create a structure for tiers and leagues that work in tandem rather than against each other?

These are just a few of the questions that if we want to fix a broken system – we have to work collaboratively to find the answers.  There is a power in collaboration, but people have to be willing to step up and put their ego aside to have the hard conversations necessary for anything to change.

I’m an optimist by nature.  Sometimes this sport tests that – a lot.  But with amount of great people we have in our game, I’m hopeful there is an appetite to work together to chart a better path forward.  I saw it firsthand one night last month in Minnesota, and I’m encouraged that other areas can take their lead and find a way to better the game for the kids.