SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Bally Sports North, in conjunction with the National Hockey League’s Minnesota Wild, Minnesota Hockey and the Mankato Local Organizing Committee, today announced the date and schedule for the 16th annual Hockey Day Minnesota (HDM) at the city’s annual RibFest at Vetter Stone Amphitheater. The five-day event will begin on Wednesday, Jan. 19 with festivities happening thru Sunday, Jan. 23 and Bally Sports North’s signature telecast event set for Saturday, Jan. 22 at Minnesota State University’s Blakeslee Field.

“We are thrilled to see Hockey Day Minnesota back in action at Blakeslee Field in 2022,” said Minnesota Wild President Matt Majka. “The Mankato organizing committee and the community have been tremendous in their efforts and hard work to bring this event to an unprecedented five days of action. We look forward to sharing this unique experience with hockey fans throughout the State of Hockey.”

The outdoor hockey event will kick-off with Girls Night on Wednesday, Jan. 19 featuring the girls’ teams from Mankato East vs. Mankato West. Community Night will take place Thursday, Jan. 20 featuring a Minnesota Warrior game and a Southern Minnesota Celebrity game. Proceeds from Thursday’s contests will raise money and awareness for Feeding our Communities Partners (FOCP) and ECHO Food Shelf. Friday, Jan. 21 will highlight the boys’ teams from Mankato East vs. Mankato West and feature a highly anticipated Minnesota State University Alumni game. Saturday, Jan. 22, Bally Sports North will televise two outdoor high school games (girls and boys) and the mens’ Minnesota State University vs. St. Thomas collegiate contest. The NHL takes the spotlight during primetime in a match-up featuring the Minnesota Wild vs. the Chicago Blackhawks at Xcel Energy Center. Then the women's teams from Minnesota State University vs. St. Thomas will wrap-up the five-day event Sunday, Jan. 23.

“On behalf of our entire Greater Mankato Hockey Day Minnesota Local Organizing Committee, we are thrilled to showcase the most extensive hockey schedule that incorporates the best of all levels: from our youth MAHA program to our local and rival high schools along with some of the best high school programs in the state to our beloved and iconic Minnesota State University programs playing against the newly minted Division I University of St. Thomas teams,” said Hockey Day Minnesota 2022 LOC Co-Chair David Wittenberg. “We are really excited to bring the very first Minnesota Warrior game along with two of Southern Minnesota Junior programs to HDM. We truly feel that with the best venue ever created for HDM, we will garner the interest of not only hockey enthusiasts from Southern Minnesota but novice fans who are looking for an incredible outdoor winter experience. We are proud and honored to host Hockey Day Minnesota 2022 and we can’t wait to welcome everyone to MSU Blakeslee Stadium!”

Bally Sports North’s broadcast event will feature over 16 hours of original hockey programming beginning at 9:00 a.m. Coverage on Saturday, Jan. 22 will include three live outdoor games from Mankato, followed by the Minnesota Wild game from Xcel Energy Center during primetime. The regional sports network will show highlights from all Hockey Day games taking place throughout the week and incorporate coverage of the outdoor festivities taking place at Blakeslee Field.

“We are excited that Hockey Day is back, in full force,” said Senior Vice President and General Manger of Bally Sports North Mike Dimond. “We have no doubt that the local community in Mankato will create a Hockey Day experience that will be remembered for a long time.”

Ticket information and additional programming details for HDM 2022 can be found at wild.com/HockeyDay.

Hockey Day Minnesota was originated in 2007 by the Minnesota Wild to celebrate the game that has made Minnesota the “State of Hockey.” It is produced in partnership with Bally Sports North, Minnesota Hockey and the respective local community that serves as the host each year. Previous locations include Baudette Bay (2007, 2008), Phalen Park (2009), Hermantown (2010), Moorhead (2011), Minnetonka (2012), Grand Rapids (2013), Elk River (2014), Saint Paul (2015), Duluth (2016), Stillwater (2017), St. Cloud (2018), Bemidji (2019), Minneapolis (2020) and Roseville (2021).