St. Paul, MN – February 7, 2017 – Minnesota Hockey announced today it will host the second annual Association Leader Excellence Conference (ALEC) on May 5-6 at the Marriott Minneapolis West in St. Louis Park, MN. The conference will provide volunteers in Minnesota with opportunities for learning best practices and networking with youth hockey leaders at the local, state and national levels.

The inaugural Association Leader Excellence Conference in 2016 hosted over 160 youth hockey volunteers from more than 60 associations.  Participants traveled from all corners of Minnesota to take part in sessions focused on topics ranging from legal aspects of operating youth athletic associations to membership development and much more.

"Last season’s conference was a huge success in providing our association leaders the opportunity to learn how best to lead and manage their association, and this year we plan on building on that success,” said Dave Margenau, Minnesota Hockey President.  "We have tremendous volunteers serving on our local hockey association boards.  The conference will equip them with new tools and ideas to improve their association and hopefully make life a bit easier for them as well.”

In 2017, the Association Leader Excellence Conference will include several enhancements based on feedback from last year’s participants. In addition to repeating some of the more popular and important sessions, an assortment of new topics will be offered including sessions on girls hockey, safety, best practices for the Mite/8U level and more. Participants will also be provided with more opportunities to network with leaders from other youth associations.

“Running a hockey association or managing a key aspect of a hockey association is not an easy task, and it’s remarkable what our volunteers accomplish every year,” said Glen Andresen, Minnesota Hockey Executive Director. “It’s vital to continue to support our volunteers every way we can, and give them the best possible knowledge and insight to make a huge impact at their local hockey association.”

Conference attendees are expected to include, but are not limited to, association presidents, vice presidents, treasurers, registrars, hockey directors, girls' coordinators, mite coordinators and more.

To register for the 2017 Association Leader Excellence Conference, click here. For hotel reservations, call 952-544-4400 and request the Minnesota Hockey Leader Conference group rate or click here to book online.

Minnesota Hockey, a USA Hockey affiliate, is the governing body of youth hockey in Minnesota. With over 67,000 registered players and coaches, it is the largest state governing body for hockey in the United States. Minnesota Hockey has surpassed 17,700 8 & Under players for the first time ever during the current season and will set a record for new players.