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The Minnesota Blades
AAA Hockey Club

Established 1989

Mission Statement
To provide exceptional youth hockey players the opportunity to develop advanced individual and team skills by playing with and against players and teams of equal or superior skill.

History & Philosophy
The Minnesota Blades AAA Hockey Club is a non-profit youth hockey association that originated in 1989, initially as the Minnesota Stars. The founders, John Arko and Dennis Postregna, wanted to give talented Minnesota youth hockey players the opportunity, in the off-season, to travel outside the state and country to complete at the Tier I level --- experiences not normally available to Minnesota players during the regular season. They started with two select teams, playing hockey across Europe with 1976 and 1977 birth years players.

Since then, the organization has grown to include boys and girls teams from Mites to Midgets, ages nine to nineteen. Funding for the Blades activities comes from parents, corporate sponsors, and the annual Blades-sponsored Spring AAA tournament, the Minnesota Super Series.

Part of the Blades philosophy is that the best competition challenges players to be their best. The strength of this concept lies in the belief that highly skilled players, playing with others of similar skills, are able to learn more about teamwork and the game of hockey, because their coaches are teaching a team of players who can all execute and understand at the same level. Blades coaches stress skill and systems development, play making and teamwork. The tournaments that Blades teams participate in are selected based on the strength of the competition, the dates, and the location. To assess the success of the Blades program, check out the ever-expanding list of our alumni accomplishments.

Excellent coaching, highly-competitive tournaments, and international travel all serve to "stretch" Blades players' abilities and attitudes, building self esteem in a variety of areas. The tournament travel experience alone can be extraordinarily educational. Playing in a hockey tournament in Toronto, for instance, will still allow our young players time to visit the Hockey Hall of Fame, or to have lunch at Gretzky's restaurant. In Boston, they may have the opportunity to see a Red Sox game or visit the Harvard campus. Every aspect of the Blades schedule, from player selection to practices to competition, is designed to help the individual improve as a hockey player. Additional benefits include the expansion of life experience and the development of self-confidence, all while having fun with their friends!

Announcements


	Did You Know.....just under 300 MN Blades played/are playing D1 hockey?
	Click here to view!

	MN Blades Victorious at the NAHL Tournament in Blaine!
	TWO MN Blades teams, Midget Major U18 & Bantam U14, win the NAHL Tournament in Blaine September 16th-20th. Congratulations! On USAHockey.com, the Bantam U14 team is the Youth Hockey Feature Of The Week. Click here to view article. Congratulations also goes out to the MN Blades Midget Minor U16 team (a team of all U15 players) for being a finalist at the NAHL Tournament.

	'95 MN Blades Win the Golden Walley Classic for the Second Consecutive Year!
	The 95 Minnesota Blades won the Golden Walleye Classic for the second consecutive year. The 95s also won the Easton Cup earlier this month. For the second year in a row, the 95 Blades were undefeated in tournaments in the United States. Since coaches Scott Steffen and Jamie Huffman took over the team in 2008, the 95 Blades have built a 28-0 record and won six consecutive tournaments in the USA. Great job!

	'96 Girls MN Blades (U12) Win U14 National Division at the USA International Cup!
	The 1996 Minnesota Blades took home the U14 National Division Championship at the USA International Cup Tournament. This is a big accomplishment as all the girls are U12 eligible! In the Championship Game they faced Thunder Bay. The Blades brought their best game forward. The girls did a great job moving the puck and taking quality shots on a tough goaltender. The defense fought off two 5 on 3’s penalty kills and the Blades capitalized on 2 power play goals in their 3-1 victory. Team Members Include: Riley Anderson, MiKayla Goodin, Emily Gunderson, Reagan Haley, Kate Hallett, Laura Johnson, Alexis Joyce, Casey McGarvey, Abbey Miller, Blair Parent, Erica Power, Danielle Sadek, Nicole Schammel, Amy Schlagel, Boomer Sonnek, Taylor Williamson and Heidi Winiecki. Head Coach Dean Williamson, Asst. Coaches: Steve Johnson & Tony Winiecki. *Congratulations Girls!*

	2000 MN Blades are the Champions in the Lake Superior Ice Cup & the USA International Cup!
	In both tournaments the 2000 MN Blades went 5-0 for the weekend! CONGRATULATIONS!

	*Girls U19 MN Blades Win Mint Cup* in the Two Nations Female Hockey League!**
	This spring the Girls U19 Blades team played in the Two Nations Female Hockey League. 13 teams from US and Canada competed for the “Mint Cup” in the U19 division. The U19 Blades won the Cup finishing the last 10 games without a loss, winning 4-3 in OT over the U19 Icecats.

	MN Blades Head to Ann Arbor
	The MN Blades are happy to announce that 4 Blades players have accepted offers for the National Team Development Program and will be heading to Ann Arbor. Travis Boyd, Dan Carlson, Matt McNeely and Matt VanVoorhis have all signed contracts. Congratulations Travis, Dan, Matt and Matt! There are a few other Blades players who have offers and have not signed, and others who are still waiting to hear. Other MN Blades currently in the program are: Nick Mattson, U18 NTDP; and Justin Faulk, U17 NTDP.

	'95 MN Blades Win Nike Bauer Regional 2009 in Chicago!
	The team went 5-0. Congratulations!

	'97 MN Blades Win the Cougars Classic in Chicago!


	'98 MN Blades Finish 3rd at the Prospects Tournament in Toronto


	Congratulations '97 MN Blades!
	Congratulations goes out to the '97 MN Blades for winning the 2009 Showdown in Motown Tournament in Detroit.

	2009 Stars and Stripes - '99 Blades Win!
	Congratulations '99 Blades for achieving 1st place in the Stars and Stripes Tournament.

	2009 MN Meltdown Tournament
	Congratulations to our runner ups: '96 Blades, '98 Blades and 2000 Blades. Way to work!

	The Brick Super Novice Highlights! http://brickhockeyhighlights.com
	For the first time, everyone can get a sense of the quality of play at the Brick Super Novice Hockey Tournament in West Edmonton Mall. There is no better tournament in the world for ten-year olds! You can view highlights of the 2008 Blades or the 2007 Blades (finalists). Remember, these kids are ten years old!

	MN Blade in NHL Playoffs
	Phil Kessel, a former MN Blade, plays for the Boston Bruins and scored his first two goals in the Boston vs. Carolina series on May 10, 2009.....it was his second multiple-goal and third multiple-point game of the '09 playoffs. The series is tied at 3-3 and game 7 is tomorrow. GOOD LUCK PHIL!

	Our own......
	Our own *MN Blades's player, Blake Wheeler, made his playoff debut with the Boston Bruins! Wheeler is in his 1st NHL season with the Bruins and doing great! More highlights to follow.....below is a picture of Wheeler's first NHL Hat Trick back in November! "Congratulations Blake!"*

	*Another pair of Blades* make the big time!"**
	Our own MN Blade's player, Taylor Chorney, made his NHL debut this month with the Edmonton Oilers. Taylor is 21 years old and played at Shattuck St. Mary's and went on to play collegiate hockey at University of North Dakota. Congratulations Taylor - well done!

	Six Minnesota Blades chosen in 2008 NHL Entry Draft
	This year’s Minnesota Blades NHL draft class includes six players, led by, defenseman Jake Gardiner in the first round. Gardner was chosen 17^th overall by the Anaheim Ducks. Gardiner enjoyed a meteoric rise from a being solid player as a junior forward at Minnetonka to becoming Mr. Hockey as a senior defenseman. That year included playing in the spring for the Minnesota Blades. Two Blades with the same birthday were chosen in the second round. Derek Stepan of Hastings and Shattuck was chosen 51^st overall by the New York Rangers. Danny Kristo of Edina and the National Development program was chosen 56^th by the Montreal Canadians. Although both were born on June 18, 1990, there is no truth to the rumor that their draft-day horoscope read "In the second round you shall be chosen". Corey Fienhage, of Eastview was chosen in the third round (81^st) by the Buffalo Sabers. St. Thomas Academy’s Nick Larson went to Calgary in the fourth round (108^th) and Edina’s Joe Gleason was taken by the Chicago Blackhawks in the seventh round (192nd). The 2008 class brings to 71 the total of Minnesota Blades who have been drafted by NHL teams. Gardiner is the 17^th Blade taken in the first round of the draft. The first Blade ever drafted was Ben Clymer in the first round in 1997.

	11 Blades taken in 2007 NHL Draft
	Eleven Minnesota Baldes Alumni were picked in the 2007 NHL draft. The first round picks included 2007 Mr. Hockey Ryan McDonagh, Angelo Espisito and Minnesota gophers; Patrick White and Jim O'Brien. These 11 bring the total of drafted Minnesota Blades Alumni to 65 since the 1997 draft.