The Minnesota Wild and Minnesota Wild Foundation have embarked on one of their boldest missions yet. Introducing Skate It Forward, a philanthropic initiative aimed at preserving, strengthening, and celebrating community hockey in Minnesota.
Compared to most of the rest of the United States, how a young person plays their hockey in Minnesota is unique. While commercialized hockey is typical elsewhere, Minnesota’s hockey model is community hockey. Community hockey is the interdependent combination of nonprofit community hockey associations, thriving high school hockey programs, and a statewide culture of municipally owned ice arenas.
Even though the cost to play community hockey in Minnesota is significantly less than the cost to play commercial hockey elsewhere, the results of community hockey lead the way over commercial hockey by all measurements. Simply put, the affordable, accessible, and local characteristics of community hockey means more families can be involved in our sport.
Most importantly, more kids in Minnesota play hockey than in any other state. In addition, Minnesota over indexes when it comes to players reaching the highest levels of hockey—college hockey, the NHL, and the PWHL.
Community Hockey in Minnesota
1 out of 59 Americans are from Minnesota (1.7%).
1 out of 9.5 Americans who play hockey are from Minnesota (11%).
1 out of 5 American men that play NCAA Division I hockey are from Minnesota (21%).
1 out of 3 American women playing NCAA Division I hockey are from Minnesota (33%).
1 out of 4.5 Americans in the NHL are from Minnesota (22%).
1 out of 2.7 Americans in the PWHL are from Minnesota (37%).
UNDERAPPRECIATED: COMMUNITY OWNED RINKS
Community-Owned Rinks Make Community Hockey Possible
300+ Municipal Rinks in MN
“Minnesota’s community hockey model is the best in the country by far,” said Topher Scott, Founder of The Hockey Think Tank. “Whether it’s developing as a hockey player or the pride of playing for something bigger than yourself, nowhere else is close to the success of Minnesota.”
Clearly community hockey in The State of Hockey is thriving. However, somewhat counterintuitively, community hockey in Minnesota is also at risk. Why? Because the business of youth hockey, and all of youth athletics, grows exponentially every year. In many ways, youth athletics has become more about the bottom line and less about the community.
With more hockey players than anywhere else in the country, it’s understandable why so many youth hockey businesses want to expand into Minnesota. But a shift towards commercial hockey would lead to hockey being much more expensive and less inviting in Minnesota.
That’s why the Minnesota Wild and the Minnesota Wild Foundation have created Skate It Forward. Skate It Forward is a philanthropic effort that aims to preserve, strengthen, and celebrate Minnesota’s community hockey model.
Inspired by the “pay it forward” movement, Skate It Forward will be an ongoing philanthropic campaign that will raise funds from community hockey supporters across the state. These funds will be strategically reinvested back into community hockey in Minnesota to ensure that community hockey continues to thrive.
The core objective of Skate It Forward is. to grow community hockey participation in Minnesota by making it easier for first-time players to get on the ice. Ultimately, the goal is to one day make the first year of ice time free for every young hockey player in Minnesota.
Admittedly, it’s ambitious, and it’s not going to be easy. But lessons learned elsewhere clearly suggest that we need to be deliberate in our efforts to preserve and strengthen community hockey.
“Community hockey participation throughout Minnesota continues to grow but we don’t want to take it for granted,” said Mike Snee, vice president of the Minnesota Wild Foundation, community relations and hockey partnerships. “The recent national trend in youth hockey and youth sports in general is a movement away from community and accessibility, and towards profitability and extensive travel. With community hockey in Minnesota, players get the best development and the chance to play for their communities. It’s an unmatched combination. Plus, community hockey participation is significantly more affordable and far less time and travel intensive than club and commercial hockey.”
The Grass Is Greener In Our Own Backyard
Ryan Ossenmacher is the President of the Michigan High School Hockey Coaches Association. Over the last 30 years, Minnesota has distanced itself as the No. 1 producer of hockey players over Michigan, Massachusetts and the rest of the country.
“One of my favorite sayings is ‘Success leaves clues,’” Ossenmacher said. “If you look at the success of Minnesota hockey— both in terms of the number of total hockey players and the number advancing to higher levels—there are a lot of clues being left for other states to follow.
“The Skate It Forward program is another example of what makes Minnesota unique in the hockey world. It focuses on the roots of hockey development, making this great game accessible to as many young boys and girls as possible. The program addresses one of the leading barriers in the growth of our game: accessibility because of cost.”
Ossenmacher is concerned about his home state’s path toward privatization.
“In Michigan, our focus is too often on winning and recruiting the best team for the following year,” he said. “Community and player development often take a back seat when coaches know they can replace their second line the next season instead of developing them. Families chase teams and coaches year after year, often even during the season. Meanwhile, some high-level youth coaches receive salaries with a few too many zeroes. All of this contributes to the stagnation of hockey development.
“The community-based model, the Minnesota model, helps avoid many of these pitfalls. With initiatives like Skate it Forward, Minnesota continues to be the gold standard for youth hockey in our country. Bottom line.
“We know the Minnesota hockey model works. We understand why it works, and we remain both envious and hopeful that Michigan will eventually follow more of the clues being left.”
The Big Three
There are three core elements that make community hockey in Minnesota successful:
• 135 nonprofit volunteer-based community hockey associations
• Renowned high school hockey culture
• 300+ statewide public ice arenas
“When you put all three together—the youth, high school, and community rinks— that is why we are different than everywhere else,” said Mike MacMillan, Duluth native and USA Hockey national coach-in-chief. “That is why we’re able to create that base that other states have not been able to create.”
Skate It Forward is a direct response to shifting trends in youth sports, where the national focus has moved toward privatized, expensive, and travel-intensive programs that price out many families. Beyond the high financial cost, tremendous stress related to time away from school and home is also frequently part of the experience.
“Skate It Forward will go a long way in preventing that,” said MacMillan. “The Wild have always been supportive of community hockey. Now, with the Minnesota Wild Foundation creating Skate It Forward, I think it’s really going to drive that growth throughout the state. I think we’ll see a resurgence of some of those communities that need support. Once the kids are in, we have a better chance of keeping them. It’s always been about mites to the pros here and it’s hard for other people around the country to grasp that.
“This is just another example of why the Wild and community hockey in Minnesota is so special.”
Without strong community youth hockey associations, our high school hockey culture will collapse.
“It affects our whole culture,” added MacMillan. “It’s a 10-year cycle to high school—6 years old to 16. You don’t want to miss out on that one year of that 10. If you have a good, strong base, you’re going to have success above. And I think that’s what Skate It Forward will really do. It’ll continue to strengthen the base of hockey in our state and grow the game.”
There’s No Place Like HoMNe
Community hockey means No. 1 draft picks and Gold Medal Olympians can come from any corner of the state.
Taylor Heise grew up in a basketball household in Lake City. Her attention turned to hockey when a pamphlet was placed in her backpack at elementary school.
Last December, Heise’s No. 9 was retired in a banner-hanging ceremony at her community rink—Prairie Island Arena—in Red Wing.
“Our local associations provide a critical pathway for kids to learn teamwork, discipline, and pride in representing their hometown,” said Heise, a former Ms. Hockey and Patty Kazmaier Award winner.
“By preserving community hockey in Minnesota, we ensure that every child has the opportunity to skate, compete, and build lasting connections that extend far beyond the rink.”
U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist Gigi Marvin knows how important community-based hockey is. In Warroad, a town of just 1,959 that has produced seven Olympians, five NHLers and more than 80 Division I players, every child plays hockey for free.
“Community hockey is a blast and there’s nowhere like Minnesota,” Marvin said. “It’s the best being able to grow up with kids in your neighborhood/classmates at school and be able to play with them all through the ranks. Plus it’s fun having the hometown community support at all the games.”
Hockey In Every Corner
Skate It Forward is not just about increasing registrations in White Bear Lake or Minnetonka. It’s about every single community in Minnesota, from Luverne to La Crescent, Bagley to Benson, Ely to Edgcumbe.
“We need all of them,” Snee said. “This is about every family in every corner of the state who wants to play hockey. Every public rink that serves as the heartbeat of our communities. We believe Minnesotans will step up and Skate It Forward for the next generation. We believe Minnesotans will leave the hockey campsite better than we found it.”
Minnesota Hockey President Steve Oleheiser believes Skate It Forward will cement the Land of 10,000 Lakes’ legacy as the State of Hockey.
“If we grow the game each year, we strengthen hockey across Minnesota for decades to come,” said Steve Oleheiser, president of Minnesota Hockey. “More players mean the need for more ice, stronger high school programs, and more kids experiencing our incredible hockey culture. We hope hockey fans who love and have benefitted from the game join the movement to pay—or skate—it forward for the next generation.”
Now is the Time
Nowhere else in the country is hockey so meaningful to the masses like it is in Minnesota. In many towns and cities across the state, hockey games are what bring people together in the winter. The Minnesota Wild recognize that this is what makes The State of Hockey ring true and that community hockey is the foundation for this meaningfulness.
“In Minnesota, what we have hockey-wise is unique and special and it works extremely well,” Snee added. “Community hockey in Minnesota is as healthy as it’s ever been, and the best time to take care of something is when it’s healthy.”
HOW TO SKATE IT FORWARD
Donate online to Skate It Forward at skateitforward.org or send a check payable to Minnesota Wild Foundation to:
Minnesota Wild Foundation
317 Washington Street
St. Paul, MN 55102
Proceeds will be directed to grow and strengthen community hockey in Minnesota.
BECOME A SKATE IT FORWARD GRANT RECIPIENT
To learn more about Skate It Forward, including how your nonprofit community hockey association can apply, please visit skateitforward.org.