Minnesota Junior Hockey League

The Minnesota Junior Hockey League (MnJHL) was a USA Hockey Tier III sanctioned junior ice hockey league operated out of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota. The league had seventeen member teams (with 3 being inactive) in upper midwest region of the United States for its final season. The league's purpose was to develop 16-20 year olds hockey skills to prepare athletes for career advancement in a collegiate and/or professional opportunity, while providing them secondary school educational opportunities. 
==History==
Established in 1974, the MnJHL developed players 20 years old and younger for over 40 years. Many MnJHL players, coaches and officials alumni have moved on to college hockey and professional hockey leagues.
Since the inaugural season, the MnJHL had expanded up to 17 teams in the 2014–15 season with teams in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri and Ohio.
The league has a history of USA Hockey national championship teams. League members won national championships six times in the 1990s.
In 2012, the MnJHL expanded outside of the Minnesota and Wisconsin areas adding teams from the Great Lakes Junior Hockey League. The GLJHL switched from USA Hockey to the Amateur Athletic Union and eight of its teams refused to go with it. The eight Great Lakes Division teams formed their own division in the MnJHL while the original teams compete in the Minnesota Division. The Great Lakes Division would be renamed the Central Division prior to the 2014–15 season.
The league also expanded into southern Minnesota for 2012–13. Steele County Blades, based in Owatonna, were approved by the league board and play out of Four Seasons Centre.
The United States Premier Hockey League announced on December 18, 2014 the formation of a Midwest Division to begin in the 2015–16 season by adding the entire Central Division of the MnJHL. By the end of the season most of the remaining teams in the MnJHL (all teams other than the Rochester Ice Hawks and the dormant Twin Cities Northern Lights) had announced their intentions to join the USPHL Midwest. On April 29, 2015, it was announced that the league had disbanded for the 2015–16 season. On May 21, 2015, the Rochester Ice Hawks were approved to join the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) to begin playing in the 2015–16 season. In June, the Wooster Oilers would drop out of the USPHL and only field a team in the NA3HL using the Cleveland Jr. Lumberjacks franchise it had purchased on February 12, 2015. Prior to starting their first season in the USPHL, the Ironwood Fighting Yoopers and Minnesota Owls announced they would go dormant for the 2015–16 season due to lack of players, the Crystal Lake Rampage were replaced with the Chicago Cougars, the Fort Wayne Federals were replaced with the Indiana Attack but ceased operations prior to their first season, the Hudson Crusaders were renamed the SCV Magicians, the St. Louis Frontenacs were renamed the St. Louis Storm but ceased operations prior to their first season, and the Maple Grove Energy were relocated to become the Blaine Energy
==Teams at the conclusion of the 2014–15 season==
Minnesota Division 	Minnesota Division 	Minnesota Division 	Minnesota Division 	Minnesota Division 	Minnesota Division 	Minnesota Division 	Minnesota Division 	Minnesota Division 	Minnesota Division 	Minnesota Division
Team 	City 	Arena 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Dells Ducks 	Lake Delton, Wisconsin 	Poppy Waterman Ice Arena 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Forest Lake Lakers 	Forest Lake, Minnesota 	Forest Lake Sports Center 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Hudson Crusaders 	Hudson, Wisconsin 	Hudson Civic Center 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Ironwood Fighting Yoopers 	Ironwood, Michigan 	Pat O'Donnell Center 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Maple Grove Energy 	Maple Grove, Minnesota 	Maple Grove Ice Arena and Community Center	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Minnesota Owls 	Isanti, Minnesota 	David Johnson Civic Arena 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Rochester Ice Hawks 	Rochester, Minnesota 	Rochester Olmstead Recreation Center 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Steele County Blades 	Owatonna, Minnesota 	Four Seasons Centre 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Central Division 	Central Division 	Central Division 	Central Division 	Central Division 	Central Division 	Central Division 	Central Division 	Central Division 	Central Division 	Central Division
Team 	City 	Arena 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Illiana Blackbirds 	Dyer, Indiana 	Midwest Training & Ice Center 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Marquette Royales 	Marquette, Michigan 	Lakeview Arena 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
St. Louis Frontenacs 	St. Louis, Missouri 	FSI Shark Tank Arena 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Tri-City Ice Hawks 	Bay City, Michigan 	Bay County Civic Arena 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Wisconsin Rapids RiverKing 	Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin 	South Wood County Rec center 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Wooster Oilers 	Wooster, Ohio 	Alice Noble Ice Arena 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Dormant for 2014–15 season	Dormant for 2014–15 season	Dormant for 2014–15 season 	Dormant for 2014–15 season	Dormant for 2014–15 season	Dormant for 2014–15 season	Dormant for 2014–15 season	Dormant for 2014–15 season	Dormant for 2014–15 season	Dormant for 2014–15 season	Dormant for 2014–15 season
Crystal Lake Rampage 	Crystal Lake, Illinois 	Crystal Ice House (CIH) 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Ft. Wayne Federals 	Fort Wayne, Indiana 	Lutheran Health Sportscenter 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Twin Cities Northern Lights 	Bloomington, Minnesota 	Bloomington Ice Garden 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
===Former teams===
* Dubuque Thunderbirds (2000-2006) - moved to CSHL
* Edina Jr. Stingers - folded
* Granite City Lumberjacks (2007-2011) - moved to NA3HL
* Iron Range Yellow Jackets (1999-2002) - folded
* Minnesota Flying Aces (2007-2011) - moved to NA3HL
* Jr. Kodiaks (?-2000) - folded
* North Suburban Hawks - folded
* St. Louis Lightning (2004-2005) - sold & relocated to Maple Grove (Wildcats)
* Shattuck-St. Mary's Sabres (?-2003) - team now plays a Midget Major schedule in CSDHL
* Tri-Metro Whalers - folded
* Wisconsin Mustangs (2004-2010) - moved to SIJHL
==Playoff champions==
Season 	League/Bush Cup Champion 	National Tournament Qualifier
1973–74	North St. Paul 	
1974–75	West St. Paul 	
1975–76	West St. Paul 	
1976–77	Bloomington 	
1977–78	West St. Paul 	
1978–79	Wayzata 	
1979–80	West St. Paul 	
1980–81	Wayzata 	
1981–82	North Suburban 	
1982–83	North Suburban 	
1983–84	West St. Paul 	
1984–85	North Suburban 	
1985-86	Edina Jr. Stingers 	Edina Jr. Stingers
1986–87	Tri-Metro Whalers 	
1987–88	Tri-Metro Whalers 	
1988–89	North Suburban Hawks 	
1989–90	West Suburban Kodiaks 	Northland Voyageurs
1990–91	Tri-Metro Whalers 	
1991–92	Northland Voyageurs 	
1992–93	West Suburban Kodiaks 	
1993–94	North Metro Owls 	
1994–95	Minneapolis Kodiaks 	
1995–96	Minneapolis Kodiaks 	
1996–97	Jr. Kodiaks 	
1997–98	North Metro Owls 	South Suburban Steers
1998-99	East Metro Lakers 	—
1999–00	Iron Range Yellow Jackets 	—
2000—01	Iron Range Yellow Jackets 	—
2001–02	Iron Range Yellow Jackets 	—
2002–03	Twin Cities Northern Lights	Dubuque Thunderbirds
2003–04	Dubuque Thunderbirds 	Minnesota Ice Hawks
2004–05	Minnesota Ice Hawks 	Dubuque Thunderbirds
2005–06	Minnesota Ice Hawks 	Twin Cities Northern Lights
2006–07	Minnesota Ice Hawks 	Minnesota Owls
2007–08	Minnesota Ice Hawks 	Minnesota Owls
2008–09	Minnesota Ice Hawks 	Granite City Lumberjacks
2009–10	Rochester Ice Hawks 	Twin Cities Northern Lights
2010–11	Granite City Lumberjacks 	Hudson Crusaders, Rochester Ice Hawks
2011–12	Twin Cities Northern Lights	Rochester Ice Hawks
2012–13	Twin Cities Northern Lights	—
2013–14	Marquette Royales 	Dells Ducks
2014–15	Dells Ducks 	Dells Ducks
== National champions ==
* 1989–90: Northland Voyageurs
* 1991–92: Northland Voyageurs
* 1992–93: West Suburban Kodiaks
* 1994–95: Minneapolis Kodiaks
* 1996–97: Jr. Kodiaks
* 1998–99: East Metro Lakers
==See Also==
List of Minnesota Junior Hockey League seasons
==External links==
* mnjhl.com (deadlink)
* Crusaders
* Flying Aces
* Ice Hawks
* Lakers
* Lumberjacks
* Mustangs
* Northern Lights
* Owls
Category: Ice hockey leagues
Category:Ice hockey in the United States
Category:Minnesota Junior Hockey League
Category:Established in 1974
Category:Disestablished in 2015
Category:Defunct ice hockey leagues