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17 MARCH 2 0 2 6 | M H J ON L I N E . C O M 11 628 50% Photos / Contributed by the Associations From there, each of the 11 associations took the puck and skated it forward, activating local programs designed to grow community hockey participation by encouraging even more Minnesota kids to play the game and making it more affordable and accessible for first-time players (Skate It Forward helped cover registration fees for first-year players under the age of 8, who registered for the 2025-26 season, in all 11 pilot associations). Fast forward to today, and you'd be hard-pressed to find many involved that wouldn't consider Year One of Skate It Forward to be a smashing success. "We're ecstatic with what the pilot hockey associ- ations have accomplished in their communities," said Mike Snee, Vice President of the Minnesota Wild Foundation and Community Relations. "The Minnesota Wild and the Minnesota Wild Foundation, along with our generous partner TRIA, provided a grant to each of the 11 community associations. But the success in each of these 11 communities has been because of the passionate people making it happen in the respective asso- ciations. The spectacular results certainly makes us excited about future potential growth in the years to come." Year One Highlights A great example of the Skate It Forward initiative being brought to life took place in Anoka, which welcomed 74 first-year players this season, compared to 34 first-year players in 2024-25, good for 118% growth. "Skate It Forward aligned extremely well with a pipeline we've been intentionally building in Anoka," said J.P. West, Anoka Area Hockey Association's Recruitment and Retention Director. "We have a model that works, but we didn't have the funding and the resources to do it full scale. Because of Skate It Forward we $200,000 300 IN JANUARY OF 2025, THE MINNESOTA WILD AND MINNESOTA WILD FOUNDATION INTRODUCED SKATE IT FORWARD, a philanthropic campaign inspired by the "pay it forward" movement, with the mission of preserving, strengthening and celebrating community hockey throughout the state. Later that Fall, thanks in part to a generous contribution from founding partner TRIA Orthopedics, 11 pilot community hockey associations received financial grants to support growth initiatives. YEAR ONE: BY THE NUMBERS 210 Player Increase NEARLY WHAT WORKED Pilot Community Associations First Year Players Recruited Boost of New Players Overall Raised on Hockey Day Minnesota for Community Hockey WOW! "Hockey Is For Me" Books Distributed to Brooklyn Park First-Graders Billboard Campaign in Saint Paul Veterans Association Partnership Elementary School Newsletter Advertisements SO MUCH MORE!