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Registration for Tier 1 Leagues Opens April 10

By Minnesota Hockey, 03/29/17, 3:15PM CDT

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Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine will be Presenting Sponsor for League’s Second Year

St. Paul, MN – March 29, 2017 – Minnesota Hockey will open registration for the CCM Minnesota Hockey High Performance Tier 1 15 (2002 birth year) and 14U (2003 & 2004 birth years) Fall Leagues on Monday, April 10. Mayo Clinic will be the presenting sponsor of the Leagues this season. Teams will be made up of players from Minnesota Hockey Districts and will begin the tryout process this summer with games being played on weekends beginning in August and running through late September. In keeping with the Tier 1 framework established in 2016, all Tier 1 competition in Minnesota will conclude in October to allow for players to return to their association or high school teams.  

Minnesota Hockey’s Tier 1 structure was established in 2016 to enhance Minnesota’s community-based association and high school model by bringing together the most talented 14 and 15 year olds from all over Minnesota for highly competitive League play and playoffs.

Last year, the CCM High Performance Tier 1 Leagues included 24 teams between the Youth 14U, Youth 15, Girls 14U and Girls 15 classifications. Those classifications will continue to be administered by Minnesota Hockey, while operations of the Girl’s 19U/16U and Youth 18U/16U classifications are overseen by affiliated Leagues including the Girls Midwest Elite League (Girls 16U & 19U), the Upper Midwest High School Elite League (Youth 18U) and the Minnesota Hockey High Performance 16U Fall League (previously the Prep Development League).

“We couldn’t be more pleased with the success of the Tier 1 Leagues in their first year of existence in 2016,” said Dave Margenau, President of Minnesota Hockey. “The League had the proper amount of development and competitive games, and the addition of the Mayo Clinic’s training program will only make the program stronger.”

Two teams from the 2016 CCM High Performance Tier 1 Leagues will be representing Minnesota at the USA Hockey Tier 1 National Championships, held April 6 – 10. The Lakers of District 6 will be competing in the Girls 14U Tier 1 National Championships in Rochester, Michigan. The Green Giants of District 10 will be in Scottsdale, Arizona for the Youth 15 Tier 1 National Championships.

Plans are for the Youth 14U and Youth 15 classifications to increase to as many as nine teams: Loons (District 2), Walleye (District 3), Polars (District 5), Lakers (District 6), Moose (District 8), Green Giants (District 10), Grey Ducks (Districts 4/9), Voyageurs (Districts 11/12) and Blue Ox (District 15/16). Districts 11, 12, 15 & 16 at the Youth 15 level will once again combine into Team North this season.

The Girls 14U League is expected to once again have six teams: Loons (District 2), Lakers (District 6), Green Giants (District 10), Polars (Districts 3/5), Moose (Districts 4/8/9) and Blue Ox (Districts 11/12/15/16). The Girls 15 League will once again have four teams formed equally based on evaluations and will not be sending a team to the National Championships.

As part of the CCM Minnesota Hockey High Performance program’s commitment to long-term development, there will be 18 on-ice skill development practices and eight off-ice training sessions, in addition to the 12 League games and three League playoff games. Training will include Tier 1 player clinics as well as dryland education and nutritional information provided by the experts at Mayo clinic.

Known worldwide for its work in the field, Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine offers technologically advanced training systems and specialized equipment to maximize athletic performance. Its state-of-the-art facilities in Minneapolis and Rochester are designed to serve the needs of individuals of all ages and abilities.

“The format of this League will really allow players to continue to develop their abilities on and off the ice, and will be a great lead up to the association season” said CCM Minnesota Hockey High Performance director, Mike Macmillan. “The importance of practice and skill development can’t be overlooked, so we wanted to ensure that was a part of this program.”

“We are excited to work with Minnesota Hockey and the Fall Tier 1 League,” said Michael Stuart, M.D., co-director of Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine. “The organization is committed to offering opportunities for youth athletes to develop to their fullest potential. We look forward to helping them achieve that goal.”

Four regular season competition weekends will begin August 25 – 27 and will include host sites around the state including AMSOIL Arena and Essentia Health Heritage Center in Duluth, Herb Brooks National Sports Center in St. Cloud, Sanford Center in Bemidji, Ridder and Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis and Fogerty Arena in Blaine. The Youth 14 and Youth 15 regular seasons will conclude with a National Festival that will include Tier 1 teams from around the country.

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