Kevin Kurtt
A Hockey Hotbed
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- Last Updated on Thursday, 12 July 2012 17:31
The five-state area of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and the Dakotas produces an astonishing number of elite hockey players
By Kevin Kurtt
Let’s Play Hockey Editor
Pick up nearly any issue of Let’s Play Hockey and you’ll see various lists of Minnesotans in various levels of hockey. Upon compiling those lists, it became incredibly clear that the sheer volume of hockey players that Minnesota produces on an annual basis to numerous hockey leagues is staggering.
But what about Minnesota’s next door neighbors? Wisconsin, North and South Dakota, and Iowa are certainly in Let’s Play Hockey’s footprint, so why not recognize the elite players that are coming out of those fine states?
Off to college
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- Last Updated on Thursday, 12 July 2012 17:31
As of Dec. 8, over 100 Minnesota natives have committed to play college hockey at an NCAA Division I institution
By Kevin Kurtt
Let’s Play Hockey Editor
From Nov. 10-17, thousands of athletes in numerous sports signed their name to a National Letter of Intent (NLI), fulfilling a dream of earning a scholarship to play Division I or II college athletics. That dream has become a reality for countless hockey players over the years in Minnesota and this season is no different.
As of Dec. 8, 103 Minnesotans (61 boys, 42 girls) have capped their recruiting process and have officially become scholarship college athletes. Among those 103 are 44 high school hockey players (6 boys, 38 girls) who will continue their career at the Division I level. Hundreds more will play college hockey at one of the nation’s many Division III institutions. The numbers should only grow as the hockey season wears on with more NLI signings to come in the spring and summer.
The state of hockey players
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- Last Updated on Thursday, 12 July 2012 17:31
By Kevin Kurtt
Let’s Play Hockey Editor
Pick up nearly any issue of Let’s Play Hockey and you’ll see various lists of Minnesotans in various levels of hockey.
Upon compiling those lists, it became incredibly clear the sheer volume of hockey players that Minnesota produces on an annual basis to numerous hockey leagues is staggering.
Without taking into account the thousands upon thousands of youth, high school, club and recreational hockey players that exist throughout the state, Minnesota develops an amazing number of elite hockey players.
From our calculations, there are 1,369 Minnesotans currently playing hockey at the pro, college and junior level in North America and Europe.
A Team in Turmoil?
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- Last Updated on Thursday, 12 July 2012 17:31
Early departures have taken their toll on the Gopher men’s hockey program. Is something amiss at Mariucci Arena?
By Kevin Kurtt
Let’s Play Hockey Editor
Within a span of about an hour on Tuesday, July 27, news broke that the University of Minnesota men’s hockey program was losing a pair of sophomores-to-be to the NHL and Major Juniors. Though in the rumor mill for weeks, it was finally confirmed that afternoon that defenseman Nick Leddy would sign with the Chicago Blackhawks and forward Josh Birkholz was leaving for the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League.
The pair of early departures added just another chapter to a troubling period for the Golden Gopher hockey program under head coach Don Lucia. In fact, since the end of the 2006-07 season, Minnesota has seen 15 players leave Dinkytown early in favor of the NHL, AHL, Major Junior or other college hockey teams.
From college to the NHL
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- Last Updated on Thursday, 12 July 2012 17:31
Nearly a third of all NHL players in 2008-09 honed their skills in college before making the leap to the pros
By Kevin Kurtt
Let’s Play Hockey Editor
If you’ve watched nearly any NCAA sporting event on television in the past few years, you’ve seen the ad. You may even be able to recite the tagline: “There are 380,000 NCAA student-athletes, and just about all of them will be going pro in something other than sports.”
It’s a noble campaign directed at educating the masses that most athletes in college will see their athletic careers come to an end at graduation.
In the world of NCAA hockey, the vast majority of players on the 58 Division I and 78 Division II/III men’s teams will not make the jump to the NHL, AHL, ECHL or any other of the various professional hockey leagues around the world. But for a select few, college hockey is merely a steppingstone to the bright lights of the National Hockey League.
