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Notes from the Red Black League

By Frederick61, 05/15/18, 11:00AM CDT

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A bag of notes ranging from the roster construction of the Red Black League to the promise of an Edina quintet.

Something To Take Note Of

In writing about hockey, there are always these little tidbits of interest that are worthwhile noting.  My notes for the three-part post on the Red and Black League follow.  I ran across an interesting post from Sports Illustrated that fit this series of posts. SI posted the story on the internet shortly after the 2009 Minnesota State High School tourney about commitments made by a group of Edina youth players in 2003.  It is titled “Be True to Your School." Five Edina 2003 hockey players were finishing their association playing days and moving to high school.  That is the theme of the Red and Black League. Each made a personal decision to compete together to bring a state championship to their high school. Sports Illustrated thought enough about that to write a story. Here is the link. It is what Minnesota High School hockey is all about.  


1. Looking on the ice: If the teams seem to be jumbled with players who have skated from bantam to high school seniors, it is not by accident.  The Red and Black League tryouts are just that. Show up and test yourself.  If you can play and there is space you are in. Stay as long as you have eligibility without trying out or leave at your convenience.  That approach by the league results in each team being a jumble.

 
2. The Red and Black League fits with high school: The popularity of the league is that it gives the player a place to skate and compete with competition similar to what they will face in high school and the fact that the league is scheduled to fit within each local high school’s winter and off-season programs.


3. To make competitive hockey: As players transition from association hockey to high school hockey, they age within the league. The process is similar to how port wine is made with some of the new added to the old. The result is a better more competitive hockey at the high school.

   
4. From teammates to opposing coaches to teammates: The Kelly Green Team coach Curtis Hansen and the Yellow Team coach Jory  McWilliams skated for Tampa Bay Juniors last season. Hansen posted points 44 points 15 goals in 36 games in his second season with the junior team; McWilliams posted 96 points/47 goals in 44 games in his second season. Both Hansen and McWilliams will be skating for Bethel this fall.


5. Yes, it's that Brian Lawton: The former Minnesota North Star, New York Ranger, Boston Bruins star is coaching the Vintage team. The former Tampa Bay general manager will be coaching a team with his son Nick on the roster. The Vintage team consists of players from New Prague, Mound Westonka, St. Louis Park, Lakeville South, and Edina.


6. Helping the Rink Rats: The Black team’s Isaac Oleson/Woodbury worked last summer with the Herb Brooks foundation setting up collections points in ice arenas for used hockey equipment that eventually supported Twin City associations helping to build their programs. Oleson was doing that as part of his Eagle Scout project and partly for his love for the sport.

 
7. Eden Prairie has a losing season: For the first time in the last fourteen years, the Eagles posted a losing season. That is the bad news. The good news is that the Eagles return most of their defensive corps and six of their top 10 scorers including Jack Jensen. Jensen was the Eagles top scorer and has committed to play for Minnesota. The question is with the current Gopher coach leaving the program; can Jensen choose to change schools?

 
8. Watch the video: Brian Lawton did a five-minute video on the league and it is posted on the redandblackleagues.com site.

9. Playoffs: There will be a playoff in the Spring League. The top eight teams after regular season play will play for a Tier 1 trophy; the bottom four will play for a Tier 2 trophy.

10. Stats are kept: The Red and Black Spring League will keep stats.  They will updated and be placed on their site throughout the 2018 Spring League season.  

11. Next Fall: Red and Black League will likely be skating 14 or more teams next fall with league play timed to end just as high school tryouts began. Tryouts for the fall league will be held in mid-August.  Once a player makes the league, he does not have to try out again.  Over 100 new players tried out for the Spring league and half, unfortunately, had to be cut because most players in the fall league stayed.           

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