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Minnesota Tier 1 Hockey Update

By Minnesota Hockey, 05/08/15, 8:00PM CDT

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Minnesota Hockey Seeking Tier 1 Committee Chair

Following a resolution passed by the Minnesota Hockey Board of Directors to adopt a framework and definition of Tier 1 hockey in Minnesota in January, a Minnesota Hockey committee will be established to oversee the Minnesota Tier 1 offering.

The committee chair is an appointed position and expected to be in place by the end of May, with the rest of the committee in place in time for Minnesota Hockey’s Board of Directors meeting on June 28.  The responsibilities of the chair are outlined in the attached position description.  Individuals interested in chairing the Tier 1 committee should indicate their interest to Minnesota Hockey President, Dave Margenau along with submitting a short resume of qualifications by May 29, 2015.

Tier 1 hockey in Minnesota will be limited to the following age classifications for which USA Hockey conducts National Championships: 14U Youth/Girls, 16U Youth/Girls, 18U Youth and 19U Girls. The teams will compete in late summer and fall, prior to the start of the Minnesota Hockey and Minnesota State High School League seasons, after which the players would return to their associations or high school teams. The framework has been endorsed by USA Hockey’s Youth Council.

Minnesota Hockey has engaged in discussions with the leadership of the Upper Midwest Elite League, the Prep Development League and the Girls Premier Prep League in which the Minnesota Hockey Tier 1 teams will participate. It is the intent that those Leagues would be responsible for Tier 1 league operations at the Girls 19U, Youth 18U, Girls 16U and Youth 16U levels. These offerings will be available beginning this summer as they have in past years. Players interested in participating should contact these leagues directly.

For the 2015-16 season the Youth 16U and 18U league winners in the fall will advance to the USA Hockey Minnesota District playoffs in the spring upon the conclusion of the high school season to advance to the USA Hockey National Championship. The Girls 16U and 19U league playoff winners will advance directly to the USA Hockey 2016 National Championship to be held in Blaine. For the 2016-17 season the USA Hockey Minnesota District playoffs to advance to the National Championship will be conducted in the fall.

The 14U Youth/Girls offerings will not be in place until next season. The goal of the committee will be to have the complete Tier 1 offering in place for the 2016-17 season.

Further details regarding teams, scheduling and organization will be announced at a later date.

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