A Great Success

It was an exciting weekend of the 25th annual fall hockey season for the Upper Midwest High School Elite League. The Minnesota based teams featuring players from 59 Minnesota high schools.

Scouts in attendance represented NHL Central Scouting, 24 of the 32 NHL Teams, multiple Division 1 programs, including Minnesota, St Thomas, St Cloud, UMD and Wisconsin, USHL and Major Canadian Juniors.

And while the league hosts many players from traditional Minnesota high school hockey powerhouses, the league also provides opportunities for players from emerging programs like Sartell, and reconstructed programs like the consolidated team from Minneapolis.

Minneapolis players Ryan Mullen and Wilson Lamberty and Sartell players Issac Mentzer and Preston Deragisch are shining examples of players from those emerging programs. The growth of strong hockey programs in the southern Twin Cities Metro like Shakopee, Rosemount, and Farmington, as well as outstate programs like Luverne, Dodge County, and Sartell reflect the continuous nature of change in the sport.

The Elite League looks to mirror that growth and change by providing the highest caliber of talent and competition for players throughout Minnesota high school hockey. Combining Elite League play with a full season of high school hockey with a player’s home school and friends from youth hockey allows a player to grow as not just a player but as a part of their hometown community too.