Twelve teams totaling 276 hockey players that will be trying out for 48 high school programs next fall will open play in the Red and Black Spring League next Saturday, April 14th.  High school players in grades 9-12 will be skating in a wide-open game played at high school speeds.  In all, the 276 Spring League players will be trying out for 48 different high school programs next winter.  They will be playing an 18 game spring league schedule followed by playoffs over the next two months.  All 276 have a goal to improve their speed and puck handling under high school like on-ice conditions that embody the league’s style of play.  About one-third of the 276 will be transitioning from Minnesota association hockey.  

The Red and Black League is geared to Minnesota high schools.  Spring League play is timed to start after high school hockey season ends and to end as summer high school hockey camps start.  After those camps end around August 1st, tryouts for the Red and Black Fall League will be held.  Spring League players who return to play in the fall league do not have to try out.  Fall league play begins in September and ends at the end of October just before high school tryouts begin.  Younger players can skate all four years in the Red and Black league without having to worry about tryouts again.
                                                                                                                                                                                  

"Transition" is the single word that best describes the dynamics a hockey family faces as their son mature leaving association hockey to play high school.  To a hockey parent and family, moving from youth hockey to high school is fraught with decisions they have to make.  Often they are not familiar with summer options and have to quickly decide what is best for their kids who love the sport.  The parents try to make the right decision without knowing their options.  The decision making happens quickly and quietly as the players move away from association hockey.  Often the hockey family misses decisions that should have been made in February and March.

The Red and Black League's goal is easing that transition by providing a competitive place to play high school hockey.  In preliminary games played Monday, that was proven once again as a mature powerful Royal team schooled a younger Kelly Green team 7-2 and an excellent set of Orange and Neon forward lines that will likely be the core of six different high school programs next winter had good games.  The Orange beat Vintage 8-4 and the Neon tied White 6-6.

Once a player has made the league, that player can skate his remaining years of eligibility without worrying about trying out.  But Red and Black is a league that only plays games and for a good reason.  It shifts the emphasis and training to the coach’s high school summer camps that are more aligned with the coach ’s goals.  It fits Minnesota State High School League’s belief that training constantly year round for one sport is not best for the high school student/athlete.  

By providing a place to skate consistent with play in a Minnesota high school environment, the league eases players and their family worries.  Once their son has successfully tried out, he can transition from association hockey at both Junior Gold and Bantam levels to high school and in future spring and fall league work on transitioning from junior varsity to varsity or getting exposure to scouts looking for talent.

Kids making the Spring League tryouts this year are to be congratulated and their parents should be relieved.  They can skate their four years of high school focusing on developing their in-game skills and if they chose after they graduate in 2022, they can return to play one last Spring League season before moving on.
Red and Black Spring League Team Structure

Twelve teams will be in the league this spring.  The teams, named for a color, play games under Red and Black league rules that prohibit hard hits in center ice or along the boards.  Any player delivering a bad hit gets banned from the league.  Rubs are still part of the game and penalties are called.  It results in a fast-paced game that emphasizes puck-handling and shooting that helps challenge goalies.
Each team name matches their jerseys.  The Pink Team will be wearing pink jerseys.  Most of the games will be played on the weekends at Orono, Richfield, and Parade Arenas. Each team will be playing 18 games.  Each Spring League team has 6 defensemen, 12 forwards, and 2 goalies.  Three alternates are also rostered to play when a bench is shorthanded.

Each team’s roster consists of players competing to be part of their high school hockey program.  Each team roster has players from multiple high school programs.  The Royal Team has players who intend to play for six different high school programs (Minnetonka, Holy Family, Chanhassen, Burnsville, Litchfield, and Richfield); the Pink Team has players headed into eight different high school programs (Sibley, Simley, Owatonna, Woodbury, St. Paul Academy, South St. Paul, Hastings, and White Bear Lake); the White team and the Vintage team have players headed for seven programs; the Red, Black, Green, Yellow, and Neon teams have players headed to six programs; Teal have players intending to play for five high schools; and Orange and Grey have players headed for four high schools.
In all, 276 players who intend to play for 48 different high school programs are in the league.  

Each at one point or another successfully competed for a spot to play in this year’s spring league.  If successful in making the next step up next fall, they will be playing for an independent high school team or for a high school team in the Central Lakes, IMAC, Lake, Metro East, Metro West, Mississippi 8, Northwest Suburban, South Suburban, and Wright County Conferences.

So one day before tax day this Saturday, let’s play hockey-high school style.  Each of the twelve teams will be previewed in the next two posts.