Minnesota’s top 10-year-olds win North America’s most prestigious youth tournament

by Bryan Zollman, Let’s Play Hockey
(Photos Courtesy of Team Minnesota)

There are a lot of tournaments in Minnesota. And then there is The Tournament.That would be the Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament.

In Edmonton and throughout North American youth hockey there are a lot of tournaments. And then there is The Tournament.

That would be The Brick.

The Brick Invitational celebrated its 37th year this summer. In 30 of those 37 years Minnesota teams have competed but never won.

Until now.

Team Minnesota, comprised of 16 of the state’s best players born in 2016, defeated the Detroit Jr. Red Wings in the championship on Sunday, July 5. It was Minnesota’s first title in the tournament’s 37-year history.

“We knew we had put together the group this year that could get it done. We started putting the pieces together two to three years ago, and felt like everything was in place from a roster, staff, commitment and development perspective”, said Team Minnesota Head Coach Billy Hengen. “We went to work with long practices, hill runs and video sessions. We just tried to keep our heads down til we crossed the finish line in Edmonton.”

Team Minnesota opened the tournament with an 8-1 win over the Connecticut Junior Rangers. They followed up with a 7-0 win over Team Pennsylvania and then another lopsided victory over CCM Chicago 10-1. They then defeated Western Selects 7-2 before beating the British Columbia Jr. Canucks 3-1 to advance to the title game against the Detroit Jr. Red Wings.

They carried the momentum that led them to outscoring their opponents 35-5 into the championship game where they staked themselves to an early 5-0 lead. After the Jr. Wings rallied for a pair of goals, Team Minnesota sealed the deal with a 7-2 win.

Hengen, who was wearing shorts and sunglasses on the bench as part of their ongoing themes for each game, was doused with Gatorade after the final buzzer sounded.

For Hengen, the championship was something he had strived to bring home to Minnesota for years. His first team was the 2003 (birth year) team with the likes of Jackson Blake, Chaz and Cruz Lucius, and Jack Peart.

After his initial experience at The Brick, he phoned Jaime Fransway, President of the Minnesota Blades, the main feeder program for Team Minnesota.

“I told her if we ever go with a permanent Brick coach like a lot of the organizations do, call me,” he said. “I’d love to go there every summer. And now I have been going back since the 2008 group. It’s been a blast.”

Hengen, 45, has lived a life full of hockey, both as a player and coach. As an offensive player, he attended high school at Holy Angels finishing as their all-time leading scorer and playing in the 1999 AA Boys HS State Tournament. 

He then ventured to the Lincoln Stars of the USHL winning two Anderson Cups, and finished his playing career at St. Cloud State University as one of the school’s career assist leaders. 

After SCSU he joined the Holy Angels boys bench and was mentored to be a coach by Holy Angels late legendary coach, Greg Trebil. 

In recent years as a Head Coach, Hengen won the Boys Class A Minneosta High School State Tournament and Girls Class AA MN State Tournament with Gentry Academy. His latest winter coaching experience was as Assistant for St Cloud State Women’s hockey in 2023. But his hockey passion has been finding and then guiding the state’s top 10-year-olds to compete in The Brick.

“I’ve coached in the boys state high school tournament and the girls,” said Hengen. “The Brick has always had my heart.”

As a Minnesotan, the grandeur of the High School State hockey tournament combined with the electric section hockey games is unparalleled. According to thsoe who have experienced it, The Brick is the coolest and most unique youth hockey experience, and it’s not even close.

“It’s just different,” said Joe Stewart, who’s son Colton led Team Minnesota in scoring and became the tournament’s all-time leading scorer. “The hockey is unbelievable. It’s kind of like the Little League World Series in baseball. It’s just unbelievable.”

The mall itself creates a unique atmosphere. Fans watch from tiered floors and a large sunroof allows the sun to creep in and cast a natural light along the ice. Hengen’s sunglasses weren’t worn just for looks. The sun has the capability of being in a coach’s eyes. Parents are on top of the action and are able to stand above the glass and reach down  and give players high fives after a goal.

“From a spectator’s standpoint it’s by far the coolest thing you can imagine,” said Cory Petersen, whose son Jude played on the team. “The play is going on and you’re leaning over the glass, communicating with the players, giving high fives. You feel like you’re part of the entertainment experience. It actually merges fans into the playing environment.”

The tournament is also the first glimpse at some potential Division I and NHL talent. In it’s first 35 years of existence, 737 players who played in The Brick went on to be selected in the NHL Draft. Those players include Macklin Celebrini, Cole Caufield, Jack Hughes, Quinn Hughes, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, Zack Werenski, and Matt Boldy. This year’s top pick, Gavin McKenna, was also a Brick player.

It’s hard to say if any of this year’s Team Minnesota players will one day play in the NHL, but it’s likely. Many of the players play together throughout the previous summer in anticipation of playing for Team Minnesota. Some kids play multiple years in The Brick if they are good enough to play as a 9-year-old. But most players get one shot and must survive The Brick 30, which occurs in March after the initial list of players is narrowed down to the final 30. From that 30, 14 skaters are chosen along with two goalies.

After the previous summer of many of them skating together, players venture to their hometown associations, but still participate in “Brick” practices over the winter, usually early on Saturday mornings. Come mid-March the top 30 compete for those final spots.

“You have the big tryout to see who has stepped up and maybe see who has fallen off,” said Stewart. “You want the best 14 kids because it’s hard to win. You have to be firing on all cylinders.”

Once the team is chosen, they play in four tournaments leading up to The Brick. This year’s squad played in Nashville and won, played in Pittsburgh and won, played in Chicago and won, and played in Minneapolis and lost in the semifinals.

“There’s a lot of sacrifice,” said Petersen. “We’ve gotten on airplanes three times this summer. It’s fun. But it’s also a grind, and expensive.”

Families typically spend up to 10 days in Edmonton, taking advantage not just of the great hockey, but the Edmonton area and being with other hockey families from around North America.

Petersen recalled the semifinal game against British Columbia. It was July 4 so all of the parents were decked out in patriot attire and chanting U.S.A. before the game started. The team got to choose their pre-game music and chose Born in the USA by Bruce Springsteen. One of the players, Evan Tofte, circled the ice with an American Flag while Springsteen blasted over the loud speakers.

“That was one of the best experiences of our life,” said Petersen.

Team Minnesota had a different theme for every game where parents dressed up and cheered on their boys. Themes included Spirit Day, White Out, Black Out, Western Day, and Hawaiian Day.

“We took the Brick to a new level of fun,” said Hengen. “To me, it’s not always about business. I like to have fun.”

Hengen said Team Minnesota started their themes and fitchecks with the 2009 group and that the tournament officials thank them every year.

“They said before we got there it was a little too serious for 10-year olds,” Hengen said. “They said Minnesota brought the tournament an element of fun and excitement it hadnt previously had. That’s the best compliment we could have gotten.”

Stewart said the atmosphere is “epic.” The two levels of the mall give fans a unique vantage point. Fans are literally on top of the players, giving those skating a unique experience as well. For the championship game there were more than 1,000 in attendance, standing five deep to try and get a glimpse of the action on the ice.

“It’s a big commitment, but you see your kid in that atmosphere and that kind of excitement,” said Stewart. “When it’s game time there is nothing like it. For youth hockey it is the pinnacle for a 10-year-old.”

The Brick has been a big part of the Stewart family’s hockey experience. Colton is the third of four brothers and led the tournament in scoring with 14 goals and seven assists in just six games. He is now the all-time leading scorer in the tournament’s history.

His two older brothers have excelled at hockey, playing at Shattuck-St. Mary’s.

“He’s got older brothers who have shown him what it takes,” Joe said. “He puts a ton of time in at home. Shoots hundreds of pucks a day. He’s been power skating since he was two. I’ve never seen a kid his age work as hard as him. He’s obsessed with it.”

Petersen said the Stewart family has played a big role in the team’s success with Joe helping set up the out-of-town tournaments so they could play against top competition before heading to Edmonton. Being Colton played on Team Minnesota at The Brick in 2025, Hengen decided to name him captain.”

“We never put a C on a kids jersey before,” Hengen said.

Petersen said going into this Brick, Colton had already earned a strong reputation in North American hockey as an amazing player.

“We are glad everyone got to see that,” he said. “He’s incredibly humble and the hardest working kid on the team.”

While Colton was the leader on and off the ice, it took a special group to finally bring a Brick title home to Minnesota. For the Petersens, Stewarts and all families involved, it was an incredibly special time. Not only was a tournament won, new friends were made and family experiences were had.

Despite the commitment and costs, it was all worth it and then some once the final buzzer sounded.

“Everybody sacrificed a lot,” said Petersen. “So to achieve the outcome they did makes it that much more special. It is truly one of the best family experiences we’ve had.”

Upon returning home, the family was at a local grocery store when an older gentleman noticed The Brick logo on Jude’s hat and asked if he was on the team. He told Jude he was proud of him and his teammates for winning the title and representing Minnesota well.

“When you hear things like that you start to feel emotional about the whole thing,” he said.

Stewart said the coaching staff deserved a lot of the credit for The Brick title. The staff included former NHLer Kyle Okposo, who’s son Odin was on the team. 

“I couldn’t be more happy for Billy,” he said. “We’ve gotten to be good friends. He is very passionate. Him and (assistant coach) Ryan Ess love the tourney and he’s been so close so many times. I was super excited for him to get the win. He’s a good guy and a great coach and has done a great job.”

For Hengen, nothing made him happier than seeing the smiles on the face of the kids who put in the work and got the result they wanted.

As for his coaching career, he said he’d love to one day be back behind the bench of a boys high school hockey team to make a run at the boys AA title, or coach Division I women’s hockey again.

But his wife is currently pregnant with their fourth child, so those commitments will have to wait. 

The Brick, however? He’s always in.

“For me, The Brick is going to be my jam for the next couple years,” he said.

That’s a good thing. Because for the first time in the tournament’s history, Team Minnesota has a title to defend.

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