It is almost August and the Minnesota youth hockey scene continues to roll on.  The high school summer season may end July 31st; but opportunities for players to play hockey at the high school level are still there as tryout processes for fall or “before and after” teams start in August.  One of the key tryouts for high school players was completed two weeks ago.  The top high school players competed for the 120 or so spots on one of the six Upper Midwest High School Elite League team rosters.  These team rosters are dominated by high school 2014-2015 juniors and seniors; few underclassmen make the rosters.

The UMHSEL completes their rosters early.  They follow that tryout with tryouts for their "D" league.  Those tryouts are held at various locations the first week in August.  Players have to be invited to the "D" league tryouts.  Other leagues are beginning to form their fall schedules around the tryout process.  One league, the Red/Black League, has open tryouts for all their teams September 2nd.  To eligible to tryout for a Red/Black team, a player has to be in high school (9th to 12th grade this fall).

The UMHSEL elite team rosters are filled with upperclassmen and rosters for the 8 team Elite Prep Development League will be filled by mostly juniors and sophomores.  All this serves as introduction to the 2014 Red/Black Fall High School Prospect’s League based in the Twin Cities.  The league is set up to attract players who have no interest in or do not make an UMHSEL elite or elite “D” team roster and is open to players grades 9-12.

The Red/Black league organizers have approached fall hockey in a different way.  This year, Ice Edge Hockey, Exceed Hockey and the Minnesota Magicians, have partnered to offer a fast paced fall league designed to get the players ready for the High School Season. The league starts with tryouts September 2 and ends on Saturday, November I.  The league championship game will be played before the Magicans’ NAHL game with the Janesville Jets at the Richfield Arena.

Last season, run by Ice Edge Hockey, was the league’s inaugural year.  It was very successful.  And it had good players on the ice.  Last year’s scoring leader, Ryan Jowett/Cretin Derhem Hall, made Section 3A/AA’s HP-16 Festival team.  Prior Lake’s Connor Clemons, Curtis Hansen, and Tyler Bump were among the league’s top scorers.  Clemons played on Section 2A/AA’s HP-16 Festival team.  All three Lakers had a good year playing for the Lakers' varsity team and will form the core of Prior Lakes’ offense this season.  Andre LaRenzie, Minnehaha Academy’s top scorer last season (38 points/20 goals), and Hayden Gautsche, Robbinsdale Cooper’s #3 scorer (36 points/20 goals) were among the Red/Black league’s top scorers in 2013.

League Play   

The league offers high school eligible players the opportunity to play a 20 game schedule, plus playoffs in preparation for their high school’s November tryouts.  Each game consists of two 25 minute halves with re-surfacing at halftime.  An average of three games will be played each week from September 13th to November 1st (usually one mid-week game and single games Saturday and Sunday).  No Friday games are planned.  League stats and standings are kept.  Four teams played in last year’s league; six to eight are planned for this year’s league.

Red/Black focus is game experience

The two elite leagues emphasis the competitive aspect of hockey and assume the skills of all the players taken are developed.  The Red/Black does not; instead it is based on the idea that player’s trying out for next fall’s varsity need ice time in a game environment to hone and improve their game skills.  Their approach de-emphasizes practices, pushes on-ice game time.  A lot of coaching is done during the game.

The Red/Black League rules create a wide open play style of play that is fun to watch.  No boarding or open ice hits are allowed.  Rub outs only.  The idea is to minimize injury risk prior to high school tryouts.  That creates a freewheeling style of hockey with emphasis on speed of puck movement and gives players opportunities to score.

Goalies and defense get tested; but the teams that do well in the league learn quickly that to press their offense they have to hit the open player or the open ice with their passing and have to have the hand skills to take the passes (especially the longer passes).  If they do, they get shots.

Tryouts   

League tryouts will be held September 2 at the Eden Prairie Ice Center starting at 5:45 PM. Three sessions are scheduled.  Teams will be formed after the tryouts.  Tryouts are open.  Players attending high school (grades 9-12) are eligible.  Each team will roster 18 skaters and two goalies.  Registration for the 2014 season can be found at exceedgoals.com or magicianshockey.com.