The Bantam and Peewee A/AA classification was added as a pilot program in the fall of 2012 to allow more teams to qualify for state tournaments. As a result of the pilot, more teams from smaller and developing associations qualified for region and state tournaments than ever before, including teams making their first tournament appearances, or ending long droughts since their most recent appearance. The A/AA classification has been approved as an official Minnesota Hockey program starting with the 2013-14 season. More details

As a part of the A/AA classification program, there will be a new seeding process implemented for the AA Region Tournaments in the 2013-14 season. The new process will use rankings formed by a panel of coaches to seed teams to the South, East and West Regions. Each district will be guaranteed at least one seed.  This format will preserve a state-wide flavor at the State Tournaments while improving competitive parity in the Region Tournaments.

For Squirts/10U, there will now be a 35 game day limit instead of a 35 game limit. This will allow teams to play two games (league/tournament/exhibition) on the same day and only be counted once towards the limit rather than twice. While this rule is intended to promote more flexibility for teams and associations when it comes to planning their competition schedule, Minnesota Hockey continues to emphasize development at the Squirt/10U level and maintains its support of a 3:1 practice to game ratio.

Another significant change at the Squirt/10U level is the elimination of the rule prohibiting league standings. Districts will now have the authority to maintain standings on their website and through other mediums. 

As a part of this rule change, Mites will now be divided into two classifications: Mites/8U and Mini-Mites/6U. Mini-Mites/6U shall now play half ice or cross ice games only.  At the Mites/8U level, teams will be restricted to half ice or cross ice games for the first half of the season but will be allowed to play up to ten full ice games after December 31st. More details

Beginning this season, cross ice tournaments will now be sanctioned for Mites/8U. This will provide associations an alternative to hosting or attending jamborees which have more stringent restrictions on keeping score, brackets and travel. No fee will be charged by Minnesota Hockey, but associations will still be required to apply for sanctioning to ensure they follow the Tournament Committee’s guidelines for cross ice tournaments. More details

Players and coaches will no longer be required to sign the official team roster.  As a result, they won’t be required to sign in for tournaments either.