“The venue was fantastic,” said Andrew Blair, Girls 8U coach and Mite Coordinator for New Prague. “They liked being in the big girl locker rooms. They liked seeing the monitors in the arena. They liked watching the players practice. That was probably one of the biggest highlights.”

A few players even had the chance to ask questions directly to Wild players Jason Pominville and Marco Scandella during a short Q & A period following the practice on Wednesday.

While the young players were primarily focused on taking in the sights, certain parts of the on-ice experience also made an impression on the coaches. The jamboree utilized hard ice dividers to create a realistic half-ice playing experience that not only enhanced the enjoyment and development of the players but also maximized how many were on the ice. However, half-ice games have become the norm at this level so for most coaches it was the junior goal frames that really caught their eyes.

“That’s the first time we’ve used the smaller nets,” said Frederick. “A lot of these teams, including us, we had goalies playing for the first time. It’s easier to teach that goalie game a little bit, and if you look at it from a shooter standpoint, it makes them have to get their head up and now start aiming where their shot is going to go. I think it’s great.”

Blair echoed that sentiment:

“I think most associations are struggling like New Prague is to recruit and retain goalies. Having them be more successful and feel like they’re an important player on the ice is really a big deal. Having the nets the right size for kids is super important. We’re going to work on getting a set for New Prague for sure.”

Perhaps, most importantly though, the Holiday Mite Jamboree created such a memorable experience and enjoyable atmosphere that players and coaches were talking about coming back next year before they had even left.

“We will for sure do this again,” concluded Frederick. “The girls loved coming down here. You see all the kids running around, it was just a great time.”

Behind the Scenes Highlights

The Holiday Mite Jamboree also served as a great reminder of how positive an environment youth hockey (and really all youth sports) can be when everyone focuses on the experience and the memories being made, rather than various outcomes. Below are a few examples of outstanding sportsmanship shown by teams participating in the jamboree:

• A player on the Bloomington Girls 8U team realized, upon arriving to the Xcel Energy Center, that she had forgotten her skates. Faced with the potential of missing out, a young girl from the Inver Grove Heights volunteered to let the Bloomington girl borrow her skates for both games on Tuesday.
• Due to a short turnaround between games, the teams didn’t have time to do the traditional hockey handshake on the ice after games. Yet, several teams took it upon themselves to do the handshake in the locker room instead. Watch.
• Before each game, teams were instructed to line up in the tunnel to be ready to take the ice prior to the previous game finishing. That meant they were lined up as the two competing teams came off the ice following their game. On several occasions, the teams coming off the ice were welcomed by the waiting players with “Good Job” and “Good Game”. Watch.