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WITH THE HELP of the thousands of volunteers we continue to make great strides toward our vision of "creating a positive experience so all participants enjoy, excel and develop a lifelong pas- sion for ice hockey." By partnering with community hockey associations, districts, programs and leagues, Minnesota Hockey provides the leadership, structure, education and programs to grow participation, develop hockey and life skills of all participants in a positive and safe environment. The success of our community-based model is shown every year as Minnesota can boast having more registered play- ers than any other state in the nation at every classification, including the num- ber of elite players in the NHL and college hockey. Minnesota Hockey continues to grow, too! Our base of Mite and 8U Girls increased for the fourth consecutive year setting yet another record of 18,002. Every season we strive to improve the experience of all players in the State of Hockey, and last year was a great year of progress. Our CCM High Performance programs enhanced the development opportunities for the state's top play- ers with the inaugural season of our Fall Tier 1 Leagues and the addition of a High Performance 14 summer development camp. We partnered with the Minnesota Wild on a Holiday Mite Jamboree at Xcel Energy Center with 32 8U Girls and Mite teams participating and collaborated with Titan Sports to conduct a spotlight event for "C" and "B2" players with games and skill development sessions. Our Rec Hockey League, in its eighth season, grew by 15% to 675 players, who most likely would not be playing hockey if not for the League. We also enhanced the support of our affiliates by hosting our second Association Leader Excellence Conference and Hockey Director Conference and significantly expanded our player development clinics. In 2017-18, we look forward to build- ing on those accomplishments as well as hosting the following events and programs: • In November, Minnesota will be host- ing the NHL Sled Classic at Plymouth Ice Center with over 30 teams from across the USA and Canada participating. • The announcement of the Minnesota Development Model Association pro- gram to recognize those associations who have ascribed to the structure and practices of age-appropriate training. • Next spring the Wayzata Youth Hockey Association will be hosting the USA Hockey National High School Championship. Minnesota Hockey, community hock- ey associations and programs continue to provide all participants the opportunity to experience the excitement and fun of playing hockey, from 4-year-olds to the adult player, the recreational player to the elite player as well as athletes with dis- abilities. Hockey is indeed for everybody. We owe a heartfelt thanks to our vol- unteers, Minnesota Hockey staff and our partners who make it possible for Minnesota Hockey to be the premier hockey program in the United States. Very best wishes for an exciting, rewarding and fun-filled 2017-18 hockey season. Thank you for making Minnesota Hockey … The Home Ice Advantage! Dave Margenau President, Minnesota Hockey 14 WELCOME TO ANOTHER EXCITING SEASON OF HOCKEY IN MINNESOTA. MHJ || 2 0 1 7 - 2 0 1 8 M I N N E S O TA H O C K E Y S E A S O N P R I M E R PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE