Youth Bandy Camps
USA Youth Bandy Camp 2012
2013 Camp A Huge Success!
145 Kids attended our 2013 Youth Bandy Camp including 15 kids from the Tillberga Bandy Club out of Vasteras, Sweden!
Mark your calendars now for 2014 -- August 4-9th!
Online Registration to open up in late February 2014. This camp fills up fast, so keep checking back!
13th Annual Swedish American International Bandy Camp
This Camp Always fills up fast....with the added players coming from Sweden for the 2013 camp....we will fill up even faster! Get registered today!
August 5-9, 2013
8:00am - 4:30pm
$225.00
Ages 5-14
Richfield Ice Arena, Richfield, MN
Instructors:
Lars Wennerholm - Swedish Bandy Federation - Director of Youth Programs
Anna Klingborg - Swedish National Women's Team - 2003-2008
Stefan Erixon - Among the best bandy players in the world at this time. Eriksson has played professionally in Sweden and Russia. He has won the World Championships several times for Sweden, and recently, his Hammarby team won the Swedish National Championships in front of 40,000 spectators.
Plus many USA Men's and Women's National Team current and former players.
The Minneapolis Storm hockey program strives to be more than just any other hockey association in the state of Minnesota. We have set up a 'sister' program relationship with the Västerås Hockey Klub and the Tillberga Bandy Klub (Tillberga is a 'suburb' of Västerås). As part of this relationship, the Storm sends over a group of kids to Sweden every other year to play hockey, bandy, learn Swedish Culture, and make new friends. More on these cultural trips can be found by clicking on Sweden Blog on the left hand side of this page.
In addition, the Storm members have created, supported, and attended the Swedish/American Bandy Camp each summer in order to provide a cultural opportunity to our members. In 1999, Washburn Hockey Association's Chris Middlebrook founded the Swedish/American Bandy camp as a way to introduce the popular Scandinavian/Russian sport to Minneapolis kids. Each year, two of Sweden's top youth intructors are flown here to teach our kids bandy for a week. In addition, current and former USA National Bandy Team members assist at the camp. The camp has grown to 90 participants - with almost all of them being Storm families. In 2007, thirty Tillberga youth bandy players also attended the camp and visited Minneapolis. They plan on returning for the 2013 camp - the Tillberga Youth Bandy Klub is featured in the video above).
This camp is open to Storm and non-Storm families. It will fill up fast. Last year, we turned away approximately 20 'late registrants'. Players are grouped by age/skill levels and camp is open to mites/6U through Bantams/14U (youngest players must have attended kindergarden). This year, it will be held at Richfield Hockey Arena. As part of the program, there will also be Swedish language lessons, Swedish culture, and other activities including swimming at the Richfield facilities for camp attendees. Parent help on-site with skate tightening, etc. is appreciated!
Youth Bandy Camp News
Hockey Concussions/Injuries & Fun Driving Skaters to Bandy....
Recent blog article on bandy and its growth in the United States:
http://blog.redcurrent.com/2015/02/23/could-the-state-of-hockey-become-the-state-of-bandy/
Player draft to set team rosters for 29th Annual Tournament
The draft room was buzzing all evening at Rink Bandy Central in Minnetonka on Wednesday night. The NAC Chairman and high-level USA Bandy officials presided over the player draft by the 4 captains to determine team rosters for the 29th Annual North American Cup of Rink Bandy.
Andrew Knutson made the picks for the storied and gloried Minneapolis Bandoliers. Davis Plaunt will introduce his Duluth-Minneapolis fusion bandy style into the tournament with the Lowry Hill Lizards. Chris Halden brought his decades of bandy expertise together when drafting the Bakial Lakers. John Arundel picked the Dinkytown Dukes, soon to be a household name.
After Wednesday's player draft a flurry of big names were being offered on the trading block. Pieces for a blockbuster deal between the Dukes, Bandoliers, and Lakers in order to keep family members together would have seen several first round picks change sides. However, the deal fell apart with at least one of the managers walking away from the table, happy with the team he picked, and at the end of the day all 4 rosters remain as the managers originally drafted.
The Cup may well have been won or lost already after Wednesday evening’s player draft. Questions running through managers minds the next several days include: late round sleeper team coming to play; an early round flop dragging a team under (more than a few candidates).
Which one of these teams will be able to come together quick enough during the two day tournament to advance to the NAC Championship match on Monday, September 15th?
Who will be able to keep it all together and raise the North American Cup of Rink Bandy for the 29th time?
Sharpen your steel, tape up your Klubban, and dust off your chinstrap; the 29th annual North American Cup of Rink Bandy is ready to hit the ice!