High school ice hockey in Missouri
High school hockey in Missouri consists of two leagues centered in the two largest cities in the state, St. Louis, Missouri and Kansas City, Missouri. The majority of the schools are located in the St. Louis metro area, those teams are members of the Mid-States Club Hockey Association (MSCHA), the larger of the two leagues in Missouri. Schools in the northwest, southwest, central and western portions of Missouri are members of the Mid America High School Hockey League (MAHSHL). High school ice hockey in Missouri is not sanctioned by the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) but is sanctioned by USA Hockey.
NHL Alumni
- Ben Bishop (Chaminade)
- Chris Butler (Chaminade)
- Neil Komadoski (Chaminade)
- Yan Stastny (Chaminade)
- Paul Stastny (Chaminade)
- Chris Wideman (Chaminade)
- Matthew Tkachuk (Chaminade)
- Mike McKenna (Parkway South)
- Cal Heeter (Christian Brothers College High School)
- Phil McRae (Christian Brothers College High School)
- Joe Vitale (Christian Brothers College High School)
- Patrick Maroon (Oakville Senior High)
- Brandon Bollig (Francis Howell North)
- Cam Janssen (Eureka)
- Glenn Patrick (Ladue)
Leagues
Mid-States Club Hockey Association (MSCHA)
The Mid-States Club Hockey Association (MSCHA) is the main high school hockey league in Missouri (and is often referred to as Mid-States). The league is made up of teams in the St. Louis, Missouri metro area, all teams are located in Missouri except for one team, Edwardsville High School, located in Illinois. The MSCHA is a non-profit organization dedicated to the development of high school hockey.
History
Originally known as the Area High School Club Hockey League, the MSCHA was founded in 1971 with significant seed money and sponsorship from Union Electric, as well as support from the St. Louis Blues, including the donation of the Challenge Cup for the league's winner, and free usage of The Arena for the final. At the time, organized youth hockey was experiencing a boom in the St. Louis area, mostly caused by the Blues' arrival and subsequent appearance in three Stanley Cup finals. Eight teams contested that first season, with DeSmet winning the first championship. Of the eight teams that played that first year, only three can claim to have been in every Mid-States season: SLUH, CBC, and DeSmet. The league grew quickly, achieving a high of over 50 teams in its second year (when it also changed its name to the current MSCHA), but it also experienced a high rate of attrition, as clubs were disbanded due to loss of players or the removal of school support. Nevertheless, throughout the '70s the league enjoyed great success. Plans were tabled for expansion to Kansas City and Columbia, but they were dropped following a dispute over travel costs and the loss of Columbia's ice rinks.
During the 1980s, the league went through several periods of change; a JV league was established for younger players, schools from new population centers such as West St. Louis County and St. Charles County joined. The playoff format was also changed after the 1984 season into the current system.
The 1990s saw a shift in the balance of power from North County teams such as the Hazelwood schools to newer West County sides, as well as those in St. Charles. In addition to new schools quickly forming teams (resulting in a brief experiment in tiered competition), several former clubs rejoined, including charter member Whitfield. Police presence at games was increased, alcohol was barred from the bleachers, and the league began to cooperate further with schools and encourage faculty/administrative presence at games to curb problems in student sections.
The new millennium presented MSCHA with a large set of opportunities: the St. Louis hockey scene was booming, with players such as the Stastny brothers Paul and Yan and goaltender Ben Bishop honing their NHL-bound skills on high school teams. The league had signed a television contract with local cable provider Charter Communications (via its CCIN channel), allowing both league and playoff games, including Finals, to be seen in homes around the area. However, a series of ugly incidents cast a shadow on this success, including the paralyzing of a Priory skater during a game against Affton, further brawls among fans (most notably at Clayton-Ladue games, where the riot police has been called in several times), and a game where a Fort Zumwalt South player physically assaulted a referee, only to be hit back by the official. Two new post-season competitions were introduced, the Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Cup and Founders Cup, both for teams that finished lower on the league ladder.
Challenge Cup Champions1972- De Smet 1973- Kirkwood 1974- Kirkwood 1975- Affton 1976- De Smet 1977- Lindbergh 1978- De Smet 1979- Vianney 1980- De Smet 1981- Kirkwood 1982- Kirkwood 1983- CBC 1984- Hazelwood East 1985- De Smet 1986- De Smet 1987- CBC 1988- CBC 1989- De Smet 1990- De Smet 1991- Kirkwood 1992- Parkway Central 1993- CBC 1994- Parkway South 1995- Parkway South 1996- Vianney 1997- De Smet 1998- De Smet 1999- De Smet 2000- De Smet 2001- CBC 2002- De Smet 2003- CBC 2004- CBC 2005- CBC 2006- Oakville 2007- CBC 2008- CBC 2009- CBC 2010- De Smet 2011- Francis Howell Central 2012- CBC 2013- SLUH 2014- CBC 2015- CBC 2016- CBC St. Charles Conference
Municipal conference
Central Conference
Suburban Conference
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Mid America High School Hockey League (MAHSHL)
The league is made up of teams from Arkansas, Oklahoma, northern, western and central Missouri and teams from eastern and southern Kansas and was established for the 2009–2010 season. the MAHSHL replaces the Kansas City Metro Area High School Hockey League (KCMAHSHL) which ceased operations for 2008-09.
Teams
- Rockhurst Hawklets
- Springfield Spirit
- Saint Joseph Griffons
- Wichita Warriors (KS)
- Kansas City Fighting Saints
- Kansas City Stars
- Tulsa Flames (OK)
- Springdale Ice Hogs (AR)
- Missouri Jr. Mavericks
- Mid-Missouri Tigers
Former teams
- Des Moines Jr. Buccaneers (Des Moines, Iowa)
- Jefferson City Capitals