Top 3 in Junior Gold History.
1. Bill Smith has been the head coach of the Edina Junior gold A program for an astonishing twenty six seasons. He cares greatly about Junior gold hockey and has done a lot for Edina’s program winning five state championships as well as making five appearances in the National championship. Most notably Bill Smith is still on the search for his sixth championship which would cement his legacy as one of the best coaches in Junior Gold history.
2. Thomas Wright has been head coach of the Minnetonka Junior gold A program for thirty seasons and has been nothing short of successful. The Minnetonka Warriors are consistently considered a top team in the league and highly competitive all because of Thomas Wright. He has sacrificed years dedicated to the Minnetonka Junior gold A program. Most recently Minnetonka won their sixth championship, Coach Wright’s fourth.
3. The battle between Edina and Wayzatas Junior gold A teams has gone on for years, leading up to one of the most historical Junior Gold A games ever played. Wayzata and Edina had been neck and neck the entire 2015-2016 season competing for the top seed in state that year. Edina came out on top earning the number one seed and Wayzata getting the two seed. The teams met in the state championship where Wayzata would show that they deserved the top seed by winning the state championship in double overtime. With such a great season for both teams, Wayzata and Edina were selected to play in the 2016 national championship, against Al, odds both teams met yet again but this time in the national championship. Edina got their revenge and took home the national championship, making them one of the best Junior gold A teams of all time, with the Wayzata team right behind them.
Why Play Junior Gold?
Out of all of the greatest highschool sports in America, nothing stands out more than high school hockey in Minnesota. The entire state selling out a pro hockey arena every year is something that doesn’t happen anywhere, showing the love for hockey in Minnesota. There are thousands of hockey players in Minnesota, which means making a varsity or junior varsity team extremely difficult, leaving many players without a team. For the players who don’t make a varsity or JV team, have a chance to continue playing competitive hockey and also compete for their own state championship.
The Junior Gold Hockey League is a highly competitive high school league, consisting of three different levels, u16, Junior Gold B, and Junior Gold A. All of these levels have a 40 game season with tournaments and a State Tournament.
This league gives hockey players an opportunity to continue playing and have an opportunity to win a state championship at the Junior Gold level. With Junior Gold players can still have a high school hockey experience and have all of the same opportunities as a varsity hockey player. Junior gold can also serve as a way for players to improve their skills with hopes to make a JV or Varsity team the following year. The league has established its own community making it just as passionate for players and fans, and allows friends from school to continue playing with each other and keep their friendship through the passion of hockey. Minnesota has this tradition unlike any other state where players never lose their passion and hopes of playing highschool hockey, as it’s highly influenced by the community around them.
Dream Big, Skate Harder
For most hockey players, especially goalies, dreams of playing in the NHL are usually cut short after not making their varsity hockey team. For Adam Carlson this was never the case. Growing up in Edina, Minnesota, hockey was life, he had always aspired to be between the posts for his varsity team, in youth hockey he had always been on the top teams. When he was seventeen it was finally time to put all his work to the test and try out for the varsity hockey team. Adam had to face a devastating experience that many players around the state of Minnesota also face, being cut from the varsity hockey team. After being the last goalie to be cut Adam felt confused and embarrassed, but he never lost sight of his dream of playing in the NHL. After the tryout he had an interview with his head coach, “he told me that I had made vast improvements and had a bright future in hockey. ‘Keep on truckin with this game, Adam,” these words Adam remembers his coach saying only drove his passion for hockey. He joined the Junior gold A team, a level below varsity and JV hockey but debatably better than some JV and Varsity teams. Adam took his game to the next level this year and trained relentlessly to reach the next level of hockey. It wasn’t easy but he took his team to the Junior Gold A state championship where he won. Adam argues that Junior Gold A teams are just as good as varsity teams, “I’d still be willing to bet that our Junior Gold-A team could compete with a number of varsity teams in Minnesota.” Although his highschool hockey was done, he knew his hockey career wasn’t. He began to tryout for numerous minor league hockey teams where he fell short once again, he was told he didn’t have enough experience on his resume without playing varsity hockey. Carlson didn’t give up and set his eyes on the Minnesota Junior Hockey League. He was picked up by the Steele County Blades and after a season of proving what he could do in the net, he was given a shot in the NAHL as the starter and after yet another great season he was selected to play in the NAHL showcase, a four game series where the best players in the NAHL would play in front of virtually every division 1 coach. In the showcase he played his heart out showing all the work he had put in, and started to gain interest from division 1 coaches. In one of his final games of the season he played his best hockey game with a 56 save shutout against one of their rivals. “Right after that shutout against Janesville, I had interest from multiple colleges,” as Adam remembers he instantly had offers from some of the best programs in the country such as Michigan, Boston University, and Minnesota. Adam followed his fathers advice to go where he felt most wanted, which was Mercyhurst University in Lake Erie Pennsylvania. This was the right decision as he was able to start right away and make an impact for the team. In his first division one game he played great, only allowing 2 goals on 33 shots. After the performance his dreams turned into reality as he was called by the goalie coach for the Washington Captains in the NHL. He was blown away by the news that a scout had followed him to his game. It wasn’t a ticket to the NHL yet but he was surely on his way. After finishing his freshman season he was on vacation golfing when he was called again by the Washington Capitals but this time was different, he was offered a maximum entry level contract to the NHL. Adam was stunned, all of his work that he had put into his training had paid off. He was quickly sent to the Capitals affiliate team in the AHL. All his dedication to the game he loved had paid off, he was under an NHL salary and had the opportunity to play for several AHL teams for Several years until eventually retiring in 2022. Adam did the unthinkable and was the first ever Junior Gold hockey player to go to the NHL, giving hope to Junior gold players in years to come.
