The Minnesota Blades

Team Minnesota Announced for 2012 Brick Invitational Hockey Tournament

Team Minnesota for the 23rd annual 2012 Brick Invitational Super Novice Hockey Tournament has been announced. The Brick tournament is the most prestigious tournament for 10year olds in North America (for 2002 birth year players).

Minneapolis, MN, May 31, 2012 – The team representing Minnesota at the 23rd annual 2012 Brick Invitational Super Novice Hockey Tournament has been selected. The team of elite players will compete in Edmonton, Canada in July against North America’s best ten year olds. This year’s tournament will feature 8 teams from Canada and 6 from the U.S. Team Minnesota was selected after open tryouts for top players in the Minnesota and greater Minnesota area, and includes elite players from the Twin Cities, greater Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Team Minnesota will be coached by Greg Dornbach, Head Coach of the 2002 Minnesota Blades AAA Hockey Team, along with Assistant Coaches Karl Dexheimer, Bill Thoreson and Andy Tucker, also of the 2002 Minnesota Blades Team. Dornbach has coached in the Brick Tournament in 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2011. “I am humbled and excited to lead this elite group of Minnesota 10 year old hockey players. Our young athletes will get to compete against and witness firsthand the best competition that exists today in all of North America in a 9?day period. There are 2 youth hockey tournaments a North American amateur aspires to play in, The Brick as a 10 year old and The U20 World Junior Championships,” said Dornbach. “It is a privilege to coach them and we hope to represent Minnesota proudly,” Dornbach explained. Team Minnesota is accepting sponsorships for this exciting event. Sponsorships are an important way to support the boys and gain recognition among the youth hockey community represented in Edmonton. Interested parties can contact Linda Dornbach at linda@minnesotablades.com.

The Brick Invitational is one of the most unique and competitive hockey tournaments in North America because it features just one age level: ten?year olds. It is a weeklong event with six round robin games per team, followed by semi?finals and finals for those who advance. The last day of the tournament features a skills competition and closing ceremonies during which players exchange jerseys. Some of the top stars in the National Hockey League cite playing in The Brick Invitational among their greatest hockey memories. Past Brick participants include accomplished Minnesotans like Blake Wheeler, Jack Hillen, Derek Stepan and Erik Johnson, and other NHL stars like Steven Samkos, Jonathan Toews, Mark Messier, Danny Heatley, Dion Phaneuf and Dustin Byfuglien. Additional information is available at: www.brickinvitational.pointstreaksites.com/view/brickinvitational

The Minnesota Blades AAA Hockey Club is a non?profit 501(c)(3) youth hockey association founded in 1989 by John Arko and Dennis Postregna to give talented Minnesota youth hockey players the opportunity to travel outside the state and country to compete at the Tier I level in the off?season. Part of the Blades philosophy is that the best competition challenges players to be their best. Every year, more than 250 players compete for the Blades. The organization includes boys and girls teams from Mites to Midgets, ages nine to nineteen. The Blades have helped more than 300 Minnesota kids obtain Division I scholarships, and more than a quarter of these players have moved on to professional hockey. Additional information may be found at: www.minnesotablades.com.

The 2012 Team Brick Minnesota roster includes:

Carson Bantle, Ramsey Bell, Ben Dexheimer, Henry Eischen, Wyatt Kaiser, Luke Kron, Grant Kwapick, Daniel Laatsch, Zach Michaelis, Joe Miller, Sam Newpower, Corbin Hillman, Gunnar Thoreson, John Tucker, Mason Wordelman and C.J. Zins.