2010 MIHL Prep Hockey Showcase Press Release |
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| Posted by (pronayne) on Feb 01 2010 | |
| News >> MIHL Prep Showcase |
The Tenth Annual MIHL Prep Hockey Showcase
The Michigan Interscholastic Hockey League (MIHL) will team up with The City of Trenton and Trenton Public Schools to present the Tenth Annual MIHL Prep Hockey Showcase. The Showcase, which will feature 36 top ranked high school hockey teams and players in the state, will be held over three days: Thursday, February 11th, Friday, February 12th and Saturday, February 13th.
The MIHL Prep Hockey Showcase is a continuation of the mission of the MIHL. League President, Andy Weidenbach states, “We formed our league to promote high quality high school hockey, strong competition and sportsmanship. The Showcase was a natural offshoot of that mission. The first nine Showcases were great successes and we are very optimistic about this year’s event. High school hockey in Michigan has experienced tremendous growth in the last few years, both in the number of teams participating and in the quality of play. Accordingly, we have expanded the Showcase so that we can continue our mission of providing exposure for the best of high school hockey. There were 12 teams in the first Showcase and now there are 36 teams competing”.
The MIHL Prep Hockey Showcase, clearly the “biggest high school hockey event of the season”, benefits the teams, the players, the fans and the scouts. The competition is at a very high level and the fans will see some very entertaining games. The individual players will get exposure to Junior A and college scouts and in turn the scouts will be able to observe the largest accumulation of high school hockey talent in the state. Most of the Top Ten Rated (MHSHCA Poll) teams in each division will be participating in The Showcase: All of the Top Ten rated Teams in Division I, 7 of the Top Ten rated Teams in Division II and 5 of the Top Ten rated Teams in Division III.
Two years ago the teams for the Showcase were selected in the fall but the game schedule was not completed until early January. This policy made it possible to schedule very competitive games based on mid-year results. “We were very pleased with the matchups that were scheduled the last two years and decided to do it again this year,” commented Weidenbach on the scheduling procedure.
Striving to get the best 36 teams has kept the selection committee very busy. “This year three teams are making their first appearance in the MIHL Prep Hockey Showcase – Grandville, Plymouth Salem and Saginaw Heritage. Three teams who were not selected last year, but did participate in earlier ones, have returned to the schedule – Davison, Farmington and Grand Rapids Catholic Central. It is getting more competitive every year and the trend of seeing teams making their first appearance will continue”, observed CC Head Coach Todd Johnson.
According to Jeff Blashill, former Assistant Coach, Miami University, and presently General Manager and Head Coach, Indiana Ice (USHL), the MIHL Prep Hockey Showcase is quite an event, “Over the last few years, we‘ve seen some positive developments in Michigan high school hockey. The number of teams participating has increased, the overall skill level of the players has improved and the quality of the coaches has grown. Each year, more and more Michigan high school players are showing up on the rosters of USHL teams and Division I colleges. The MIHL Prep Hockey Showcase is a great opportunity to see this talent assembled at one event”.
“In discussions with other coaches and scouts, both from the junior level and the collegiate level, they have all commented on how well the Showcase is organized – it is very accommodating to their schedules and it is well run,” said Todd Johnson.
Ticket prices for the Showcase are: Adults - $6.00 per day or $10.00 for a weekend pass; seniors and students - $3.00 per day or $5.00 for a weekend pass.
Check Showcase Alumni section for current year updates.
Last changed: Feb 01 2010 at 10:09 AM
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