Minnesota Hockey Executive Director Glen Andresen issued this statement to YHH about the topic on Friday. "The community-based structure of Minnesota Hockey has proven to produce the greatest number of participants to learn the skills required to have fun playing the game. It has also helped players develop skills to achieve their goals and has produced more elite hockey players as compared to any other state. While cautious of expanding Tier 1 hockey in Minnesota, Minnesota Hockey is committed to complete due diligence and to consider establishing rules governing Tier 1 hockey for the 2015-16 season and beyond. Those regulations will be finalized at the Minnesota Hockey board meeting in January, 2015. On a provisional basis for the 2014-15 season, Minnesota Hockey will be granting Tier 1 status to a limited number of teams/programs.

The Community based model we have in Minnesota is one of the most important ways and means for middle class families to play hockey in an affordable manner. This model is what drives the entire voting body of Minnesota Hockey. School based Tier I hockey will likely not be a competing factor to this model. 

Over the next six months, expect MN Hockey to adopt rules similar to what Wisconsin has in place for Tier I and Before/After.

Here are a few questions that will arise over the next few months.

-Ability getting approval from NSP school district for a space for it's students.
-Ability working out an agreement with NSP Hockey association.
-Will the MN Hockey Board be flexible and vote in a new one year provision for Before/After next season? YHH would not be surprised if this were to happen.
-Will MN Hockey teams play the AAA U14 team? 
-Will MN Hockey associations allow the AAA U14 team a chance to play in their Tournaments?
-Will the AAA Squirt and PeeWee students play for NSP or will they opt to play for their home association?