Most of the participants in the Boys 14 and Boys 15 programs are still playing at the Peewee or Bantam level. Therefore, the player selection process starts with district tryouts.
It is common for districts in the Twin Cities metro to have several hundred players eligible to participate. Those districts often collect nominations from association coaches and form an invite list of players. In districts with fewer players, an open tryout may be offered. In those cases, age-eligible players who are currently playing on their association’s top team for their age classification can attend and attempt to make the team.
After the initial tryout, districts hold a series of skill sessions. These are designed to provide development opportunities to a larger group of players before the final district team is selected for the Spring Festival.
The Spring Festivals, which include three games against other district teams, will be held on April 23-25. The Boys 14 Festival will take place at Mars Lakeview Arena in Duluth, and the Boys 15 Festival will be held at Plymouth Ice Center in Plymouth, MN. During the Spring Festival games, players are evaluated for the chance to participate in a HP Summer Camp, which will be held in St. Cloud in June.
At the Boys 15 level, players at the HP Summer Camp are evaluated for the opportunity to advance to USA Hockey National Development Camp later in the summer.
To learn more about the process in your district, contact the appropriate district General Manager (GM) for the Boys 14 or Boys 15 program. High school players who are age-eligible for these programs should contact their District GM.