High school boys ice hockey in Minnesota

The Minnesota High School Boys Hockey program is a high school ice hockey program in the state of Minnesota. Based on tournament attendance, hockey is the most popular high school sport in the state. Approximately 256 schools and over 6,500 participants in total (due to cooperative team arrangements) field sanctioned varsity teams competing in the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL). These teams are divided into two classes, AA and A. Each class is also divided into eight sections.

Attendance has been strong throughout the years, with 22 tournaments eclipsing the 100,000+ barrier, and in 2015 a record-setting total of 135,618 (both classes). In the 2006 State Tournament, the average attendance per game in the championship brackets was 18,000 people. The Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament is currently the largest state sports tournament in terms of viewing and attendance, beating the Florida's State High School Football Tournament and Indiana's State High School Basketball Tournament.

History
High school hockey players throughout Minnesota participate in a maximum of 25 contests, excluding the section tournaments and the Minnesota State Boys' High School Hockey Tournament. Teams currently play three 17-minute periods to comprise a game. A lengthened period time was adopted by the Minnesota State High School League in 2003.

Boys hockey concludes their season with a four-day tournament in March that features sixteen teams competing for championships in both classes. From 1945 through 1991 the tournament consisted of a single class, eight team tournament instead of the present day two class (AA and A) tournament. Private schools were not allowed to play in the Tournament until the 1974–75 season. In 1992–93, the tournament was composed of Tier I and II teams. This two-year experiment sent the top teams from each of the eight sections to the Tier I portion of the tournament and the remaining teams conducted a playoff to determine who would be included in the Tier II tournament. In 1994, the dual class system was adopted and teams were placed into a class structure based on school enrollments.

Since 1994, the MSHSL's process to determine section assignments for boys' hockey is based on school enrollments and activity classifications. The basic premise is to place the largest 64 schools into Class AA and the remaining high schools in Class A. Both Classes are then divided into 8 sections each. Teams are placed into their section assignments with geographic location as a primary consideration. High schools initially placed in Class A have the option to play at the Class AA level.

Beginning with the 2007 state tournament, the top five teams in each class are seeded. Coaches of the participating schools vote to determine the seeded teams the Saturday before the state tournament. The four teams are then bracketed so that if the seeded teams advance, the top seed plays the fourth seed while the second and third seeds play each other. The quarterfinal opponents of the seeded teams are determined by a blind draw.

Historical timeline

 * 1905 – Saint Paul Academy fields what is believed to be the oldest varsity team in the state
 * 1930s – High school hockey played at approximately 25 schools in Minnesota.
 * 1945 – First MSHSL Boys State High School Hockey Tournament (the first of its kind in the United States) held at St. Paul Auditorium.
 * 1949–1964 – Prep. School Hockey Tournament (for Private Schools)
 * 1965–1970 – Catholic School Hockey Tournament
 * 1969 – The tournament moves to Met Center in Bloomington, home of the Minnesota North Stars NHL team.
 * 1970–1974 – Independent School Hockey Tournament
 * 1974–Present public schools and private schools can play in the same tournament
 * 1976 – The tournament moves to the St. Paul Civic Center.
 * 1992 – Tier I and Tier II structure adopted; the Target Center in Minneapolis hosted the Tier II tournament.
 * 1994 – Class AA and A structure adopted.
 * 1999 – The tournament moved to the Target Center in Minneapolis.
 * 2001 – The tournament moved to the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, home of the new Minnesota Wild NHL team.
 * 2003 – Period length changed from 15 to 17 minutes.
 * 2007 – Coaches seed top four teams in each class.
 * 2008 – 19,559 fans attended the 2008 State Boys' Hockey Tournament Class AA semifinals at Xcel Energy Center, March 7, setting a new record for the largest crowd to ever attend a hockey game in the state of Minnesota.
 * 2015 – 21,609 fans attended the 2015 State Boys' Hockey Tournament Class AA semifinals at Xcel Energy Center, March 6, setting a new record for the largest crowd to ever attend a hockey game in the state of Minnesota.
 * 2016 – 22,244 fans attended the 2016 State Boys' Hockey Tournament Class AA semifinals at Xcel Energy Center, March 4, setting a new record for the largest crowd to ever attend a hockey game in the state of Minnesota.

Notable alumni

 * Wendell Anderson (Saint Paul Johnson) former Governor of Minnesota (1971-6) and United States Senator (1976-8). Olympic Silver Medalist in 1956.
 * Mike Antonovich (Greenway of Coleraine) former professional NHL player for the Minnesota North Stars, Hartford Whalers, and New Jersey Devils. Mayor of Coleraine, Minnesota.
 * David Backes (Spring Lake Park) professional NHL player for the Saint Louis Blues and Boston Bruins. Two-time Olympian and Silver medalist in 2010.
 * Bill Baker (Grand Rapids) former professional NHL player for the Montreal Canadiens, Colorado Rockies, Saint Louis Blues, and New York Rangers. Olympic Gold Medalist in 1980.
 * Nick Bjugstad (Blaine) professional NHL player for the Florida Panthers. Nephew of Scott Bjugstad.
 * Scott Bjugstad (Irondale) former professional NHL player for the Minnesota North Stars, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Los Angeles Kings. One time Olympian in 1984. Uncle of Nick Bjugstad.
 * Brandon Bochenski (Blaine) professional NHL and KHL player for the Ottawa Senators, Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Bruins, Anaheim Ducks, Nashville Predators, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Barys Astana. Plays internationally for Kazakhstan.
 * Brian Bonin (White Bear Lake Area) former professional NHL player for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Minnesota Wild.
 * Henry Boucha (Warroad) former professional NHL player for the Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota North Stars, Kansas City Scouts, and Colorado Rockies. Olympian and Silver Medalist in 1972. Second cousin of Gary Sargent and T.J. Oshie.
 * Justin Braun (White Bear Lake Area) professional NHL player for the San Jose Sharks.
 * Herb Brooks (Saint Paul Johnson) former Olympic, NHL, and NCAA coach. Olympic Gold (1980) and Silver (2002) Medalist. Three-time NCAA National Champion (1974, 1976, 1979).
 * Aaron Broten (Roseau) former professional NHL player for the Colorado Rockies/New Jersey Devils, Minnesota North Stars, Quebec Nordiques, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Winnipeg Jets. Brother of Neal Broten and Paul Broten.
 * Neal Broten (Roseau) former professional NHL player for the Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars, New Jersey Devils, and Los Angeles Kings. NCAA champion in 1979. Olympic Gold Medalist in 1980. Brother of Aaron Broten and Paul Broten.
 * Paul Broten (Roseau) former professional NHL player for the New York Rangers, Dallas Stars, and St. Louis Blues. Brother of Aaron Broten and Neal Broten.
 * Warren Burger (Saint Paul Johnson) Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, 1969-1986
 * Dave Christian (Warroad) former professional NHL player for the Winnipeg Jets, Washington Capitals, Boston Bruins, Saint Louis Blues, and Chicago Blackhawks. Olympic Gold Medalist in 1980. Co-founder of Christian Brothers Hockey Co. Uncle of Brock Nelson.
 * Steve Christoff (Richfield) former professional NHL player for the Minnesota North Stars, Calgary Flames, and Los Angeles Kings. Olympic Gold Medalist in 1980.
 * Mike Crowley (Bloomington Jefferson) former professional NHL player for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.
 * Matt Cullen (Moorhead) professional NHL player for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, Nashville Predators, and Pittsburgh Penguins. Three-time Stanley Cup Champion (2006, 2016, 2017).
 * Mark Dayton (The Blake School) United States Senator (2001-2007) and Governor of Minnesota (2011–2019).
 * François-Henri Désérable (Wayzata) French author.
 * Jake Gardiner (Minnetonka) professional NHL player for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
 * Phil Housley (South Saint Paul) former professional NHL player for the Buffalo Sabres, Winnipeg Jets, St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames, New Jersey Devils, Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, and Toronto Maple Leafs. Current coach of the Buffalo Sabres.
 * Matt Hendricks (Blaine) professional NHL player for the Winnipeg Jets, Colorado Avalanche, Washington Capitals, Nashville Predators and the Edmonton Oilers.
 * Steve Janaszak (Hill-Murray) former professional NHL player for the Minnesota North Stars and Colorado Rockies. Olympic Gold Medalist in 1980.
 * Jamie Langenbrunner (Cloquet) former professional NHL player for the Dallas Stars, New Jersey Devils, and St. Louis Blues. Two-time Stanley Cup champion in 1999 and 2003.
 * Reed Larson (Minneapolis Roosevelt)
 * Nick Leddy (Eden Prairie)
 * Anders Lee (Saint Thomas, Edina)
 * Brian Lee (Moorhead)
 * Chris Locker (Duluth East)
 * Paul Martin (Elk River Area)
 * John Mayasich (Eveleth)
 * Rob McClanahan (Mounds View)
 * Ryan McDonagh (Cretin-Derham)
 * Brock Nelson (Warroad)
 * Craig Norwich (Edina)
 * T. J. Oshie (Warroad)
 * Mark Parrish (Bloomington Jefferson)
 * George Pelawa (Bemidji)
 * Matt Peterson (Maple Grove)
 * Mike Ramsey (Minneapolis Roosevelt)
 * Tim Pawlenty (South Saint Paul) Governor of Minnesota (2003-2011) and 2012 candidate for President.
 * John Pohl (Red Wing)
 * Tom Preissing (Rosemount)
 * Gary Sargent (Bemidji) former professional NHL player for the Los Angeles Kings and Minnesota North Stars. Second cousin of Henry Boucha and first cousin of T. J. Oshie.
 * Dave Spehar (Duluth East)
 * Pete Stauber (Duluth Denfeld) U.S. Representative (2019-)
 * Alex Stalock (South Saint Paul)
 * Terry Steinbach (New Ulm) former professional MLB player. Three-time MLB All-Star and once World Series champion in 1989.
 * Chris Weinke (Cretin-Derham Hall) former professional football and baseball player. Heisman Trophy winner in 2000.
 * Blake Wheeler (Breck)
 * Doug Woog (South Saint Paul)
 * Doug Zmolek (Rochester Marshall)