Player Selection Process

The Elite League takes great pride in selecting its athletes.

In addition to players being referred to the League by their high school coaches, selection is accomplished through ongoing scouting throughout the high school winter season as well as through other hockey venues to include the USA Hockey Advanced Programs offered by MN Hockey in the spring. The scouting objective is to provide the operations committee another venue for final assessment of players scouted throughout the year. Tryouts are one last ‘data point’ and not the only ‘data point’ for the scouted players. Teams are then selected at the end of July.  

No team has done it better than APX so far this season. With players from Chisago Lakes to Chanhassen and Rogers to Rosemount, Team APX is leading the Elite League standings with a record of 8-0-2 so far in 2025. The squad has skaters representing 12 different high schools, which is a common theme throughout the league.

“Our team, APX, has come together quickly in my opinion, because there’s a strong sense of purpose and buy-in from every player.  They are all working hard and taking advantage of the great opportunity this league offers them,” said APX head coach Sean Toomey about the group’s success and how all of the skaters have been able to get on the same page so quickly despite coming from many different high schools across the state. “From day one, this group has shared a common mindset—work ethic, accountability, and a commitment to work! That early chemistry, along with a clear direction, has really accelerated their cohesion on the ice. It’s a long season and I hope they all keep working hard and developing,” he added. 

“Team APX has been great to play for because every kid works their tail off and plays for each other,” said defenseman Frankie Schmitz of Bloomington Jefferson. “Elite League has been a great experience so far because of the high pace of play. You have to be your best every shift and that’s what makes the league so competitive.” 

Schmitz and many others chose to stay home and play in Elite League and to continue on with their high school season once it starts this winter rather than to go out and play in various junior hockey leagues. One of many benefits of staying home and playing in the League and in High School is the chance for a handful of multi-sport athletes to continue competing in all of the different sports that they love, such as Chanhassen’s Logan Smith, who is also a member of his high school’s football team.

“My team has been super fun to be around and it makes me want to go to the rink and play for them,” says Smith, who plays football for the Storm in the fall and also plays for APX in Elite League. Even though it can be tough to do both during the same season, he wouldn’t have it any other way. “I would say that it’s really challenging because I’ll have a football game on Friday and then have an Elite League game at 9 a.m. the next morning. It’s a super tough turnaround but it’s very rewarding and fun.” 

The Top-5 teams in the Elite League standings at the moment are APX (8-0-2, 18pts), followed by a tie between The Base and TDS Transportation (both with 11pts), MPLS ST. PAUL Magazine (3-3-3, 9pts) in fourth and Shattuck-St. Mary’s (5-4-1, 8pts) in fifth. You can find the entire schedule of Elite League games here. 

The High School Elite League is a proven path to critical exposure.  Colleges, Junior leagues, and professional scouts attend every one of our games.  Players can expect to receive feedback from colleges, Junior Leagues, and professional scouts regarding their own progress. 

The league also provides something that is less tangible than achievement, but, we believe, equally critical. The player gets to experience high school, just like everybody his age. There is merit in these regular high school activities to balance out the dedication, determination, and sometimes even stressful pressures of hockey at this elite level of hockey.