The 2010-11 Mite Season is getting underway! The registration information for the pre-season clinics and the Mite season are located on the Registration - Mites page.

 Information on the Tonka Mite Development Plan for 3rd & 4th Year Mites is located on the Mite Preseason Clinic page.

A second session has been added to Rookie Camp which has already been filled by kids from our waiting list.  Please check the Rookie Camp page for additional details and the updated schedule. 

The following are dates you, as parents, will certainly be interested in.  Please start updating your calendars.  (Dates are subject to change so please continue to check this site)

Mite Registration Opens - 9/3/2010

Boys Round-Up @ Pagel Arena - 9/11/2010

Girls U6/U8 Round-Up @ Pagel Arena - 9/11/2010

"Rookies" Clinics Begin (See below for age range, more info on the Mite Rookie page) - 9/11/2010

Pre-season Clinic registration closes - 10/10/2010

Girls - U6/U8 Clinics begin - 10/14/2010

Boys - Mite Levels 1-4 Clinics begin - 10/14/2010 

 Mite Season Registration Closes - 10/30/2010 ($50 late fee added starting 10/31/2010)

Our Annual Mite Round-Up is a fun event for kids and an information gathering/registration opportunity for parents.  It is open to all Girls in the U6 and U8 programs (11:45AM - 12:45PM) and Boys entering Mite 1 or Mite 2 programs (1PM - 2PM).

What you will find:

• Information on our programs and the upcoming season
• MYHA representatives/parents available for questions
• Walk-in registration with computers where you can register your child for the upcoming season
• Equipment Exchange on the Pagel Track
• Ice time for the kids
• Boys and Girls High School players on the ice with the kids
• Hanus Sports with deals on Mite Equipment Packages (even a skate leasing program)
• Christian Hockey is bringing sticks and taking custom orders
• Give-aways
• Good times!

What to bring:

• In order to be on the ice your child must have skates and helmet!  NO STICKS!
• Original Birth Certificate for registration if new to Tonka Hockey
• If registering for the season and/or clinics; Checkbook and/or Credit Card 

MINNeTONKA YOUTH HOCKEY AGES FOR 2010-2011 SEASON

The link below is a list of the equipment required for Mite hockey. We encourage you to purchase equipment through our sponsors: Hanus Sports, Sports World USA and Westwood Sports.

*Hockey Socks will not be provided by MYHA this season.

Goalie equipment is provided by MYHA.

**Please check out the MITE EQUIPMENT EXCHANGE page for a great opportunity to donate and/or receive equipment from other families in the association. 

Playing hockey on a cross-ice or half-size “rink” seems to make sense for the 8 and under crowd. All other youth sports—football, basketball, baseball, soccer—reduce the size of the playing area. But since this spring, when USA Hockey announced it as the official new norm for all 8 and under players, you can’t go to a rink without overhearing plenty of chatter, questions and complaints on this topic. We asked a USA Hockey representative for help with parents’ biggest concerns.

Benefits: Get in the Game

First, let’s take a quick look at the potential benefits of playing cross-ice of half-ice hockey as proscribed in USA Hockey’s American Development Model (ADM).

• Every player should get to touch the puck more.
• Every player should have the chance to score.
• Goalies should face more shots.
• Average players get in the game.
• Higher-level players face more of a challenge than just taking advantage of breakaways.

I’ve actually seen the benefits of playing cross-ice in action as I have one son who learned before the ADM was in place (and played on full ice from age 5), and one who is learning now. But I overhear tons of talk about the smaller playing area and realize that it’s a concern for other parents. So I jotted down some of the most common questions and brought them to Joe Doyle, a USA Hockey Manager for the American Development Model.

Q: What if my kid—who is extra special—is ready for full ice?
A: USA Hockey’s position is that no 8 and Under players are “ready” to play full ice games. “Ready” is in no way a knock on the players’ skill level or skating ability. It is merely the fact that the smaller surface is age appropriate, and it is in the best interest of any 7- or 8-year-old—developmentally and fun wise.

Think of it this way: Could an 8-year-old run 90 feet down the first base path? Yes, but what would his stride look like the last 30 feet? That is why Little League baseball diamonds have 60 foot base paths—not to mention a shorter distance from the mound to home plate, 210 foot fences instead of 400 feet fences, etc. Soccer, basketball and football all shrink their playing surface and ball because it’s in the KIDS best interest in learning that particular sport’s fundamental skills.

Q: Is my super star being held back to benefit the average kids?
A: The “super star” is, in fact, put in a more challenging environment due to having less time and space with the puck—an environment that will more readily put her on the path to super stardom! At cross-ice and half-ice, he is required to play around and through players, learning real puck protection skills.

For Mites, full-ice hockey is commonly called “breakaway hockey” for good reason. The better player picks up the puck in his end, makes maybe one move, and then skates three-quarters of the length of the ice on a breakaway. That is not real hockey. The number of pivots, shots on goal, saves and true hockey plays that occur increase exponentially in cross-ice and half-ice games.

Q: How will my player get fit enough to skate full ice when the time comes?
A: This is exactly why they NEED to play cross-ice/half-ice at ages 8 and under—their bodies aren’t ready muscularly, physically, etc., to skate 200 feet and then have the energy to make a play once they get there. As their bodies grow and develop, they will become more physically able to play on the same surface that 6’4” men play on.

Q: How will they learn off-sides for when they become Squirts?
A: They’ll learn off-sides at the time they need to learn off sides—when they are Squirts. And it will likely take less than one practice or game for most of them to learn, especially for the kids who watch hockey on TV or who have older siblings who play.

The Goalie Clinics will cover all aspects of goaltending with emphasis on the following: basic stance, net work, save selection, staying square to the puck/horseshoe, puckhandling and helping out the defensemen and rebound control. MYHA goaltending coaches will be running the clinics.

**If you want to try the goalie position, here’s your chance to do it. Goalie equipment will be provided but please bring your own skating equipment and helmet. 

The goalie clinic fee is free for all players but you need to register to reserve your spot.  Online registration will be open soon. Only online registrations will be accepted.