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“When I heard all of them come in and speak… it made me want to get my sons into hockey,” McBride said. “That’s the kind of people that it produces, these men.”

She was in search of male role models for her sons. Enter hockey and the Richfield Little Spartans, a new youth hockey program for various ages, experience levels and diverse backgrounds. The diversity piece was huge for McBride, who moved to Minnesota for medical school in 2015 and said she’s “never felt a part of this community.”

“In every sector I go it’s, unfortunately, diversity really does make a difference for me feeling comfortable,” McBride said.

Terri McBride and her son, Xavier, take in the Blues vs. Wild game on March 23 at Xcel Energy Center. (Photo courtesy of Anthony Walsh)

Hockey came at the perfect time for her family last fall. Her son Xavier started hockey in December with the Little Spartans.

“It’s really been like perfect timing that we had a new family and new structure to come to every weekend,” McBride said.

McBride and her son attended their first Wild game with a group of other Little Spartans participants and their parents/guardians, thanks to InSports Foundation, on March 23 when Minnesota hosted the St. Louis Blues at Xcel Energy Center. Xavier loved the peanuts and the music, his mom said, and he gave his approval of the game with a thumbs-up signal from his seat in the lower bowl behind the Wild’s net.

It was also fitting that the Blues were in town because Xavier was born in St. Louis. He came two months early while McBride was in the area for her Coast Guard drills. While Xavier was in the NICU in St. Louis for a month, Blues fans celebrated the team’s Stanley Cup run in 2019.

“We’re not hockey people,” McBride said. “We’ve never been to a game. I don’t even understand the rules. We want to learn.”

McBride and her son have started to learn through being part of the Little Spartans program. This winter was the first season for the program, with Anthony Walsh, Edina graduate and author of the children’s book “Hockey is for Everybody,” as a coach. The program met each weekend in the mornings starting in December at Richfield Ice Arena with anywhere between 40 to 65 kids participating.

Nine-year-old Carlos Martinez took in the Blues vs. Wild action as well, as part of the Little Spartans group. It was his first Wild game, and he said he liked seeing the players up close. His favorite thing about playing hockey? “Skating fast.”

Walsh recalls how Martinez couldn’t skate – he’d never tried before – when he first joined the program.

“Now, this kid is flying around,” Walsh said. “One-timers, putting it home. It’s incredible.”

Brian Boyer, another coach with the Little Spartans, attended the game with his 5-year-old son, Remi. March 23 wasn’t Remi’s first Wild game. He got interested enough to start playing hockey after coming to a lot of Wild games in the past, his dad said. Now, Remi loves getting on the ice with the Little Spartans.

“We wake him up Saturday morning, and he just jumps out of bed,” Boyer said. “We just count down the days of the week until Saturday… and he gets to play. He’s obsessed.”

They’re going to continue to stay involved with the Little Spartans, and Boyer said he looks forward to coaching more, too.

“It’s been really fun to watch him really fall in love with hockey, and then really focus on something,” Boyer said. “For a 5-year-old, there’s not a lot that interested him. It’s been really fun. He wants to play as much hockey as he possibly can.”

Special visitor
Before the Wild game that day, a game ultimately won by the Blues 5-4 in overtime, the Little Spartans had a special guest at their practice at Richfield Ice Arena. Former Wild defenseman and Elk River native Nate Prosser stopped by and was on the ice with the young players.

Boyer said that while a lot of the kids didn’t realize who Prosser was, it was the parents who were excited to see the former NHLer working with their kids, since they remember when Prosser played for the Wild from the 2009-10 to 2016-17 seasons. Boyer added that the kids were all excited about which former NHL player was going to see them, taking guesses in the locker room the previous week, Boyer said, “but their guesses were far from accurate.”

Parent Owen Fors noticed more parents than usual at the special morning practice with Prosser in attendance.

“He had a really nice way of working with the kids,” Fors said. “Obviously, a lot of hockey experience. Knows the nitty gritty details. So, he knows how to make the kids focus on those little details but still have fun while doing it.”

Owen Fors took his son Kyllian to his first Minnesota Wild game as part of the Little Spartans outing on March 23. (Photo courtesy of Anthony Walsh)

While young Remi was already a veteran fan of Wild hockey games, Fors’ son, Kyllian, sat nearby at the X on March 23 and held a souvenir certificate marking his very first Wild game. Kyllian sat with his dad. The tradition of Richfield hockey is a generational activity for the Fors family.

Owen Fors was on the last varsity team for Richfield, and now his son Kyllian is part of the rebirth of the program. The Richfield program merged with Kennedy during Owen’s squirt year of hockey, he said, so he didn’t get a chance to play out of mites with Richfield. But by eighth grade, he had an opportunity to play on Richfield’s last varsity team; he was only one of a dozen players who returned the next season, meaning they couldn’t have a team.

Owen is happy to have a youth hockey program back in Richfield for his son, and he noted the benefits of a city having its own team.

“It kind of just builds pride in the program and the school,” Owen said.

Father-son hockey traditions
Six-year-old Dominic had also been to Wild games before, but he took in the action on this day with his Little Spartans cohorts. He said he likes “to learn” when he’s watching the Wild. As a player, Dominic likes to skate, score and make new friends.

Besides the Little Spartans, Dominic, who’s been skating since he was 3 years old, plays within Edina’s youth organization as well. But his dad, Tony DeRocha, wants his son to keep skating with the Little Spartans in hopes that he’ll learn a lot of basic hockey skills.

Little Spartans are diverse, from age to hockey skills to ethnic and economic backgrounds. DeRocha also played hockey, for Cretin-Derham Hall where he’s currently on the coaching staff for the football team. His grandparents were immigrants.

“Just think generationally,” DeRocha said. “When they become parents, what the game will look like.”

It’s exciting to see kids have this opportunity with the Little Spartans, DeRocha said.

“They’ve got a good thing going,” DeRocha said. “It’s important as a parent to see him see other kids making those strides.”

Little Spartans on the ice at Richfield Ice Arena. (Photo courtesy of Anthony Walsh)

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Every year during the spring, the DinoMights organization brings in kids ages seven and eight (1st and 2nd grade) from Minneapolis and St. Paul to teach them how to ice skate. During this six week program they teach kids the basics of skating in a very inclusive and encouraging environment.

Skating for the first time, which is the case for most of the kids they serve, can be a very anxious task. With the help of the DinoMights staff and many amazing volunteers they help minimize any self doubts about stepping into the unfamiliar world of hockey.  Their smiles and confidence grow throughout the course of the program and, if you volunteer, you will be a part of many unforgettable and important moments that these kids can share and experience for the rest of their lives.

Although there are still many barriers that prevent kids from being able to join the world of hockey, DinoMights provides a solution by bringing in kids from areas that often get overlooked to both participate in and enjoy our Learn 2 Skate program.

The DinoMights are seeking groups and individuals to volunteer to help tie skates, and to give a hand on the ice. They hope to see you!

Here is the link to sign up to volunteer:

https://signup.com/client/invitation2/secure/4110193960127/false#/invitation 

Above details provided by Scott Harman, DinoMights Executive Director

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For 50 years, the St. Paul Capitals Hockey Association has provided generations of players – from mini-mites to Bantams – the opportunity to learn, compete and enjoy the sport on hometown rinks in their own community.

The organization has evolved from its inception as the Highland Hockey Association, which, in 1973, was one of many organizations supporting neighborhood and local park teams.

Highland joined forces with the Midway neighborhood of St. Paul in 1987, eventually becoming the Highland Central Capitals. In 2014, its current incarnation, the St. Paul Capitals as it is known today, became permanent.

Much has changed since the early days of the organization, but much has stayed the same, according to Capitals board president Julie Bustos, who’s been involved for years as a board member as well as a parent, having three kids participate in the program.

In the buildup to the 50th anniversary celebration, Bustos connected with a number of people involved in the early years of the association and heard first-hand how their shared experiences forged lasting bonds.

“There’s a lot of pride built into that,” Bustos said. “It was amazing to hear their stories about how much hockey meant to players both on the ice, as well as skills and things that they applied in their life off the ice, the friendships that they made that they still have.”

Matt Funk is the athletic director and boys hockey coach at Cretin-Derham Hall and knows the value the Capitals provide not just the community, but his program as well. Funk’s grandfather, Bill, coached at the University of St. Thomas, and in 1973, was one of the founders of the association, creating opportunities for three generations of Funks who went to play and coach in St. Paul high schools and colleges.

The St. Paul Capitals Hockey Association started as the Highland Hockey Association. (Photo courtesy of St. Paul Capitals Hockey Association)

“We’re rooted in St. Paul hockey. It’s not just a game. It’s about the lifelong skills you learn and the memories and friends you make,” Funk said. “The history here is remarkable and we need to keep that going for generations to come.”

Mike Vannelli also knows all about hockey friendships and lasting traditions. The Vannelli family is synonymous with hockey in St. Paul. Mike’s father, Tom Vannelli, played for Herb Brooks at the University of Minnesota, and was a freshman in 1974 when the Gophers won their first national championship. As a sophomore, the elder Vannelli was second in scoring for the WCHA champion Gophers.

Tom was head coach at Cretin-Derham Hall and co-head coach with his brother, Greg, at St. Thomas Academy. Mike played his high school hockey for his father at Cretin; and he played four years for the Gophers under Don Lucia, where he won a national championship before several seasons in Europe.

But prior to skating at Mariucci – or for the perennially powerful Raiders – Mike Vannelli came of age with the Highland Central Capitals.

“There’s a phenomenal sense of community,” Mike Vannelli said. “There’s a lot of kids that are playing in the association that are second, third, some are even fourth generation. And so, it’s pretty special in that regard. And it’s a very tight knit community.”

Today, Mike Vannelli’s son and daughter play in the Capitals program, where he is doing double time as vice president of boys hockey, as well as coach of his son’s squirt team.

“There’s so many things that as a parent and coach that you see that they’re able to get out of it,” Mike Vannelli said. “First and foremost, it seems like they’ve built some amazing friendships that they’ll be able to carry with them the rest of their lives.”

Mike Vannelli points to the fun he sees his kids having with teammates – in practices and in games, both structured and unstructured, inside arenas and outdoors in parks – as invaluable experiences, providing not just enjoyment, but lifetime lessons.

“The qualities that they begin to get instilled in them through competition, accountability, just learning to be a good teammate; what that means, essentially translates to being a good person on and off the ice,” he said.

How can the Capitals keep moving forward? 
After decades of creating those experiences for thousands of St. Paul kids, the Capitals are now faced with an existential challenge: how to keep the organization vital and thriving for the next 50 years and beyond. Ice time has grown scarce, and expensive, while participation costs continue to increase.

During the 2023-24 season, fees for squirt and 10U were $1,220; and that number only rises for older players.

The Capitals are working to keep the program viable for future generations. (Photo courtesy of St. Paul Capitals Hockey Association)

“We’re challenged with finding ways to try and keep that cost as manageable as possible,” Mike Vannelli said. “And there’s some folks within our association that have done an amazing job with some fundraising efforts that they’ve kicked off.”

With rising costs and dwindling numbers already having claimed most of St. Paul’s youth programs, the Capitals are working in-season and out to keep their program viable for future generations.

“It’s a little bittersweet to be honest with you,” said Jim Runyon, director of fundraising for the Capitals and a lifelong St. Paul resident who grew up playing in the Central Hockey Association.

Runyon can’t help but think of the thriving programs in the parks and recreation system when he was growing up. Associations like Battle Creek, Phalen and Conway, among numerous others, no longer exist.

“There were probably 25 organizations in St. Paul that offered really good, quality competitive hockey,” Runyon said. “So, to celebrate our 50th was great because you feel like ‘Wow, this is a long time that kids have been playing hockey here,’ but you also look at who’s still around and it’s kind of sad to see.”

But Runyon is quick to call out the silver lining the Capitals have sought: New fundraising efforts which are now the lifeblood of the program.

Kelly Rand, the association’s gambling coordinator, has set the course for the Capitals to raise funds as suburban programs like Woodbury, White Bear Lake, Eagan and Edina have through legalized gambling or, more specifically, pull-tabs and Bingo, through exclusive agreements with local establishments.

“A year and a half ago, we became licensed. We started with one bar, and a bar and restaurant,” Runyon said. “We now have two up and running and we’re trying to play catch up.”

Creating financial stability as hockey costs rise
The goal is to generate more than just fast funding – which is needed – but to create generational stability for the association.

“The costs of hockey are going up too fast,” Runyon said. “And in order to sustain it, we had to put on the brakes, and the only way to do that was to set up some sort of endowment.”

The growing need inspired the St. Paul Capital’s Legacy Fund, which will maintain proceeds for investment, with a small percentage coming out each year to fund the program.

“We have to work a little bit harder, but more importantly, we have to be smarter about what we do with our money,” Runyon said. ‘That money is dedicated and restricted so that for the next 50 years, kids in St. Paul will have an opportunity to play hockey.”

The results are encouraging for coaches, parents and their kids. And for leaders like Bustos, who’s seen hockey evolve since her playing days, before girls hockey was ever a thought.

Bustos competed exclusively with boys in the Tartan Area youth league until Bantams. So for her, the focus is always about providing opportunities for kids to participate – now and well into the future.

“How do we keep this association and the service that it brings to the community alive and vibrant?” she asked, rhetorically. “We want to produce the same kind of emotional connections and life connections and athletic development that we’ve been providing for the last 50 years.

“My dad coached me and now I’m coaching my kid and I want to make sure that my kid has a chance to coach their kids.”

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Class AA
(Rank-Team-Section-Dec. 18 rank)

1. Minnetonka 2AA 1
2. Wayzata 6AA 2
3. Benilde-St. Margaret’s 6AA 5
4. Edina 6AA 3
5. Maple Grove 5AA 9
6. Chanhassen 2AA 4
7. St. Thomas Academy 3AA NR
8. Holy Family 2AA NR
9. Shakopee 2AA 10
10. Rosemount 3AA 8

Class A
(Rank-Team-Section-Dec. 18 rank)

1. Hermantown 7A 1
2. Warroad 8A 3
3. Delano 2A NR
4. St. Cloud Cathedral 5A 2
5. East Grand Forks 8A 5
6. Mahtomedi 4A 6
7. Orono 2A 4
8. Northfield 1A 8
9. Cloquet 7A 7
10. Monticello 5A NR

Bantam AA
(Rank-Team-District-Last Week)

1. Moorhead 15 WWWWWWW
2. Osseo/Maple Grove 3 WWWWLL
3. Minnetonka 6 LWWWWW
4. Wayzata 3 WWWLWLW
5. Prior Lake 6 LWLTWW
6. Rosemount 8 WT
7. Hermantown 11 LWLWW
8. White Bear Lake 2 WTLWLWL
9. Edina 6 LWWWL
10. Centennial 10 W

Moorhead has established itself as the favorite to win state in Grand Rapids in March. They are arguably one of the best Bantam teams in the country.

Tonka and Wayzata both move up after impressive post-holiday success. Skippers win the Edina Invitational and the Trojans beat previous #2 Prior Lake and gain the Grand Forks final before losing to the Spuds.

Bantam A
(Rank-Team-District-Last Week)

1. Shakopee 6 WLLLT
2. Hopkins 3 WWWWWWWW
3. Warroad 16 WWLW
4. Rock Ridge 12 WWW
5. St. Louis Park 3 WWWTWWL
6. Osseo/Maple Grove 3 WWTWLW
7. Northern Lakes 15 DNP
8. Moorhead 15 WWW
9. Mankato 9 WWTL
10. New Ulm-Sleepy Eye 4

After a 2-week holiday ranking hiatus, the top nine stays the exact same. There is a new team at No. 10, and that team is New Ulm- Sleepy Eye, as the Eagles went 10-0-1 in the month of December.

Here are some notes on the rest of the top ten.

-No. 1 Shakopee dropped a few games to AA squads, the Sabers are safe at No. 1 for now.

-Hopkins impresses this weekend as they won the Edina invitational tournament over No. 6 Osseo/Maple Grove.

Bantam B
(Rank-Team-District-Last Week)

1. Hermantown (Blue) 11 WWWTWW
2. Mahtomedi 2 WL
3. Bemidji (Blue) 16 WW
4. Woodbury (Black) 8 WWWWL
5. Roseville 2 WWW
6. Edina (White) 6 LWWWW
7. Morris-Benson 15 WW
8. Osseo/Maple Grove (Black) 3 WLLWW
9. Lakeville North 8 WWLW
10. Eden Prairie 6 L
10. Hastings 8 WWTLT

Edina White is the biggest story in this weeks top 10, as the Hornets swarm from unranked to No. 6. Edina White defeated two top-10 teams on their way to a title in the Edina invitational this past weekend. Lakeville North is another team that went unranked to ranked this past week. The Panthers took 3rd place on the Edina invitational with two top-10 wins as well. Hermantown Blue is the new No. 1 team at the Bantam B level. The Hawks went an impressive 5-0-1 since the last time we did rankings. One notable score is Roseville defeating previous No. 1 Mahtomedi, which bumped the Raiders to No. 5.

Peewee AA
(Rank-Team-District-Last Week)

1. Minnetonka AA 6 DNP
2. Moorhead AA 15 W
3. Woodbury AA 8 WL
4. White Bear Lake AA 2 W
5. East Grand Forks 16 WW
6. Stillwater AA 2 WW
7. Osseo/Maple Grove AA 3 TW
8. Prior Lake 6 WW
9. Wayzata 3 LWWWW
10. Edina 6 WWWL

A fairly uneventful couple weeks in AA. The Thief River Falls Prowlers take the Paul Bunyan International in Bemidji beating Hibbing, Champlin Park and Spring Lake Park to win. Wayzata jumps into the top-10 after winning the Edina Invitational with good wins over Rogers, Rochester and Edina to hoist the trophy.

Peewee A
(Rank-Team-District-Last Week)

1. Northfield 9 WTWW
2. Warroad 16 L
3. Park-Cottage Grove 8 WTL
4. Proctor 11 WW
5. Roseville 2 WTWW
6. River Lakes 5 WW
7. Marshall 4 WW
8. Bloomington Jefferson 6 WWWW
9. Thief River Falls 16 LWWWW
10. Mounds View/Irondale 12 WLW

Not many changes this week in PWA, but here are some things to note: Warroad drops a game to EGF, opening the door for Northfield to take the No. 1 spot back. Roseville moves one spot up this week to No. 5. The Raiders are 27-2-4 overall on the season. No. 8 Bloomington Jefferson had a big week, as the Jaguars won the Edina Invitational with some big wins.

Peewee B
(Rank-Team-District-Last Week)

1. Edina White 6 TLWWWW
2. Osseo/Maple Grove (Black) 3 WWLWWW
3. East Metro 8 WLW
4. Minnetonka (Blue) 6 W
5. East Grand Forks (Green) 16 WWWWW
6. Minnetonka (Black) 6 TWTWWL
7. Hermantown 11 WWLW
8. Eastview 8 LWW
9. Bemidji (Blue) 16 WLWWW
10. Coon Rapids 10 WWTWW

Edina White goes unranked to No. 1 in the two weeks there hasn’t been rankings. Why? The Hornets won the Edina Invitational, rattling off wins against two top-five teams, including a victory over previously top-ranked Osseo-Maple Grove Black.

East Grand Forks Green is back among the top five, as the Green Wave won all five of their games this past week. Coon Rapids is back in the rankings this week at No. 10, as they recently defeated last week’s No. 10 Elk River.

All content in this article is provided by Youth Hockey Hub.

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