A primary mission of the MHSAA’s 100-year anniversary has been to connect today’s athletes, administrators, coaches, game officials and spectators with their roles in the ever-growing story of school sports in Michigan.

Indeed, together, we are the MHSAA.

Over the last 10 months and with today’s 44^th and final installment, our “Century of School Sports” series also has sought to tell a deeper and more detailed story of how the MHSAA has arrived at this moment. As our work becomes new with the start of every school year, and with every family experiencing educational athletics for the first time, it’s a story that must always be updated, expanded and retold.

But at the heart of most organizations is a fundamental statement. So to close this celebration, we below break down what is literally the “About” of the MHSAA – as we prepare to build on these values in adding to our story again and again during the century to come.

The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation …

Although the MHSAA has built a thriving relationship with the Michigan Department of Education over the last many decades – and, in fact, the state superintendent or designee has a non-voting position on the Representative Council – the MHSAA also has maintained its autonomy since its start and even before, as a legislative takeover attempt of the former Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Association led to the MHSAA’s formation in December 1924.

The MHSAA was first incorporated in 1972 and is classified as a 501(c)(3) organization. In the most basic terms, as a non-profit corporation the MHSAA must reinvest all revenue it receives back into its mission of administering school sports. Put another way, whatever money the MHSAA makes must be spent to conduct its tournament events and the several other educational, leadership, etc., programs the MHSAA provides for students, coaches, officials and others who contribute to educational athletics.

… of voluntary membership …

Through their boards of education, member schools voluntarily join the MHSAA each and every year, vowing by formal school board resolution to abide by and enforce the MHSAA’s rules for educational athletics. Membership is optional; schools may conduct a complete program of interscholastic athletics and may participate against MHSAA member schools in regular-season competition without joining the MHSAA. But the great majority of high schools in Michigan approve that membership annually.

… by more than 1,500 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools …

Over the last several years, the MHSAA has counted about 750 high schools and 800 junior high or middle schools, or elementary schools with 6^th-grader participation, among its membership. For 2024-25, those totals were 754 high schools, 777 junior high/middle schools and 63 elementary schools with participating sixth graders.

… which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition.

This drove the original formation of school sports associations across the nation going back to the late 1800s, including the Michigan State Teachers Association’s first inroad into athletic administration in 1895. The MHSAA Handbook, updated annually with rules and other changes voted upon by the Representative Council, is the rulebook for all MHSAA member schools – public and nonpublic – with rules for general topics like student eligibility but also specific to each sport to regulate scheduling and other intricacies.

No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA …

In maintaining that independence noted above, the MHSAA receives no funding from local, state or federal governments. The MHSAA’s income is derived primarily from ticket sales at postseason events, with smaller portions from sponsors and advertising, officials and coaches education registration fees – and again, with all money brought in by the MHSAA going back into those tournament events and programs to support students, athletic directors, coaches and officials.

… which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools.

These have long been points of pride for the MHSAA; membership remains and has been completely free since the mid-1940s, after the end of World War II, and member schools may enter MHSAA Tournaments for free.

Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments …

In adopting and upholding MHSAA rules as their own, school districts agree to promote a standard of competitive equity necessary to keep MHSAA Tournament events fair for all involved.

… which attract more than 1.4 million spectators each year.

Over the last 35 years, attendance at MHSAA Tournament events has reached at least 1.1 million spectators annually (not counting the COVID-affected 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years), with a high of 1.68 million during the 2005-06 school year. Attendance during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years began climbing again toward 1.5 million spectators, those last two years’ ticket totals ranking among the highest over the last 15.

School sports have a massive footprint in Michigan, which has a population just above 10 million residents. Sure, attendance figures likely count the same spectators several times – the same person might buy tickets for several rounds of several sports over the course of a school year – but a one-to-one comparison using athlete totals also is powerful.

Conservatively, Michigan has at least 160,000 high school athletes. Add in parents of those athletes, grandparents, other relatives with significant interest, and that’s a huge block – let’s say at least 5 percent of the state’s population have some current tie to the athletes playing at the local high school. That’s not even covering athletes at MHSAA junior highs and middle schools, coaches and athletic directors at all levels, and more than 8,000 game officials who make those contests possible. And our groups of athletes are rolling over at least every four years, meaning many tens of thousands more have had at least recent direct contact as participants in our programs.

The MHSAA always has provided opportunities to compete and win championships, but more importantly to learn life lessons gleaned from simply taking part in the process.  

This work is important; its impact is significant. And just as our predecessors surely felt beginning this endeavor 100 years ago, we remain eager and enthused to play our part.

Previous “Century of School Sports” Spotlights

June 25: All-Time ‘Parade of Champions’ – Read
June 17: Top Performers Tell Us What High School Sports Mean to Them – Read
June 10: ‘The Mitten’ Becomes Sought-After Symbol of MHSAA Greatness – Read
June 3: MHSAA’s Move to TV, Now Internet, 60 Years Old & Growing – Read
May 27: Upper Peninsula Helps Make Michigan’s School Sports Story Unique – Read
May 20: From Nearly A to Z, Schools Repped by 221 Nicknames – Read
May 13: These Record-Setters were Nearly Impossible to Defeat – Read
May 6: 200+ Representatives Fill All-Time Council Roster – Read
April 29: MHSAA Programs Prioritize Health & Safety – Read
April 23: Patches Signify Registered Officials’ Role in MHSAA Story – Read
April 16: Student Advisory Council Gives Voice to Athletes – Read
April 9: State’s Storytellers Share Spring Memories – Read
April 2: Sharp Leadership Synonymous with MHSAA Success – Read
March 25: Athletic Directors Indispensable to Mission of School Sports – Read
March 18: 2025 Finals Begin Next Half-Century of Girls Hoops Championships – Read
March 11: Boys Basketball’s Best 1st to Earn MHSAA Finals Titles – Read
March 5: Everything We Do Begins with Participation – Read
Feb. 25: Slogans & Logos Remain Unforgettable Parts of MHSAA History – Read
Feb. 19: MHSAA Tickets Continue to Provide Fan-Friendly Value – Read
Feb. 11: We Recognize Those Who Make Our Games Go – Read
Feb. 4: WISL Conference Continues to Inspire Aspiring Leaders – Read
Jan. 28: Michigan’s National Impact Begins at NFHS’ Start – Read
Jan. 21: Awards Celebrate Well-Rounded Educational Experience – Read
Jan. 14: Predecessors Laid Foundation for MHSAA’s Formation – Read
Jan. 9: MHSAA Blazes Trail Into Cyberspace – Read
Dec. 31: State’s Storytellers Share Winter Memories – Read
Dec. 17: MHSAA Over Time – Read
Dec. 10: On This Day, December 13, We Will Celebrate – Read
Dec. 3: MHSAA Work Guided by Representative Council – Read
Nov. 26: Finals Provide Future Pros Early Ford Field Glory – Read
Nov. 19: Connection at Heart of Coaches Advancement Program – Read
Nov. 12: Good Sports are Winners Then, Now & Always – Read
Nov. 5: MHSAA’s Home Sweet Home – Read
Oct. 29: MHSAA Summits Draw Thousands to Promote Sportsmanship – Read
Oct. 23: Cross Country Finals Among MHSAA’s Longest Running – Read
Oct. 15: State’s Storytellers Share Fall Memories – Read
Oct. 8: Guided by 4 S’s of Educational Athletics – Read
Oct. 1: Michigan Sends 10 to National Hall of Fame – Read
Sept. 25: MHSAA Record Books Filled with 1000s of Achievements – Read
Sept. 18: Why Does the MHSAA Have These Rules? – Read
Sept. 10: Special Medals, Patches to Commemorate Special Year – Read
Sept. 4: Fall to Finish with 50th Football Championships – Read
Aug. 28: Let the Celebration Begin – Read

The U.S. will begin its quest for an unprecedented three consecutive gold medals at the World Junior Championship in late July. USA Hockey announced the 42-player roster for its annual World Junior Summer Showcase event, which will help the decision makers evaluate the players in the running to be on Team USA’s roster at the 2026 World Juniors held in the Twin Cities.

This year’s Summer Showcase, normally held at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan, will be at the University of Minnesota’s Ridder Arena. USA will have their candidates, while teams from Sweden, Finland and Canada will also participate in a round-robin style event.

The Americans will be led by head coach Bob Motzko, who previously led the U.S. to gold and bronze medals as World Junior head coach in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

Here’s a look at who was invited to the camp including nine members of last year’s gold-medal winning roster and nine first-round NHL Draft picks.

Team USA World Junior Summer Showcase Roster

Forwards

• Kamil Bednarik, Boston University (NYI)
• Trevor Connelly, Providence (VGK)
• Cole Eiserman, Boston University (NYI)
• Kristian Epperson, Saginaw Spirit/Denver (LAK)
• James Hagens, Boston College (BOS)
• Will Horcoff, Michigan (PIT)
• Ben Kevan, Des Moines Buccaneers/Arizona State (NJD)
• Jacob Kvasnicka, U.S. National Under-18 Team/Penticton Vees (NYI)
• Ryker Lee, Madison Capitols/Michigan State (NSH)
• Cole McKinney, U.S. National Under-18 Team/Michigan (SJS)
• Brendan McMorrow, Waterloo Black Hawks/Denver (LAK)
• LJ Mooney, U.S. National Under-18 Team/Minnesota (MTL)
• Will Moore, U.S. National Under-18 Team/Boston College (BOS)
• Jack Murtagh, U.S. National Under-18 Team/Boston University (PHI)
• Aidan Park, Green Bay Gamblers/Michigan (EDM)
• Max Plante, Minnesota Duluth (DET)
• Cullen Potter, Arizona State (CGY)
• AJ Spellacy, Windsor Spitfires (CHI)
• Teddy Stiga, Boston College (NSH)
• Mac Swanson, North Dakota (PIT)
• Shane Vansaghi, Michigan State (PHI)
• Will Zellers, Green Bay Gamblers/North Dakota (BOS)
• Brodie Ziemer, Minnesota (BUF)

Defensemen

• Henry Brzustewicz, London Knights (LAK)
• EJ Emery, North Dakota (NYR)
• Blake Fiddler, Edmonton Oil Kings (SEA)
• Elliot Groenewold, Quinnipiac (BOS)
• Tanner Henricks, Lincoln Stars/St. Cloud State (CBJ)
• Caeden Herrington, Lincoln Stars/Vermont (LAK)
• Logan Hensler, Wisconsin (OTT)
• Cole Hutson, Boston University (WSH)
• Adam Kleber, Minnesota Duluth (BUF)
• Sam Laurila, Fargo Force/North Dakota (NYI)
• Luke Osburn, Youngstown Phantoms/Wisconsin (BUF)
• Jacob Rombach, Lincoln Stars/Minnesota (NSH)
• Will Skahan, Boston College (UTA)
• John Whipple, Minnesota (DET)

Goalies

• Nick Kempf, Notre Dame (WSH)
• Kam Hendrickson, Waterloo Black Hawks/UConn 
• Cale Heil, Madison Capitols/North Dakota (TBL)
• Jack Parsons, Chicago Steel/Providence
• Patrick Quinlan, U.S. National Under-18 Team/Sarnia Sting/Notre Dame

Instant Analysis

The U.S. is going to have a harder time to make it three straight gold medals as there will be some roster drop-off from the previous two entries. They will have the benefit of home ice advantage and there will also be a number of returning players to guide the next group forward.

USA is a little shallow on the blue line and woefully shallow in net with no clear-cut No. 1 goalie in the mix just yet after having the World Juniors’ best goaltending tandems in each of the last two trips. The forwards have plenty of offensive firepower, but also have the benfit of balance as there are a number of bigger players that can fit into depth roles.

I would anticipate each of USA’s nine returnees to make the roster if healthy, but beyond that, there are a lot of holes to fill. Top-four defense spots, some top-six options and the starting goaltender position could be battled for all the way through to the December camp just before the tournament begins.

The important steps in finding out who the serious contenders for those spots are will begin now, however.

USA comes into the tournament with plenty of pressure on them to keep the first-ever gold-medal streak going, but they’re definitely going to have to punch above their weight in a tournament field that should include high-end rosters from Canada and Sweden, among other nations. 

The World Junior Summer Showcase is going to provide a great early glimpse of where this U.S. player pool is and where it will need to get to when the puck drops for real on Dec. 26 in St. Paul.

Notable Omissions

There are always going to be a few players who are not invited that are at least notable for one reason or another. 

The only 2025 NHL Draft first-rounder from the U.S. not invited is Chicago Blackhawks pick Mason West. The 6-foot-6 center from Edina High School still has plans to play high school football in the fall, so it really was no surprise to see that he did not make Team USA’s camp roster. It might have been worth bringing him in to see where he’s at relative to the class as a just-in-case, but with him playing football it’s hard to imagine him jumping into a World Junior-caliber tournament with a month’s preparation.

One player I was hoping to see in camp, though not surprised he isn’t is Chase Reid of the Soo Greyhounds. Reid is a late 2007 birth year, who was invited to try out for the U.S. Under-18 Team at last year’s World U18 Championship, but ultimately didn’t make the roster. I think he has a chance at being a very high pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and would be an additional puck-mover that could be worth a longer look. Reid started last season in the NAHL before moving to the O and becoming a point-per-game, minutes-munching defenseman. He is absolutely a player they should keep tabs on.

Lukas Fischer, a St. Louis Blues prospect who was in the Summer Showcase last year and had a good showing, was not invited this time around. I think he may have been edged out by some players that simply had better seasons. Fischer didn’t take a huge step forward with the Sarnia Sting this year, but I figured he’d be in the mix as the U.S. has plenty of question marks on their blue line at this point.

Avalanche prospect Tory Pitner was another player who was in last year’s camp, but not invited this time around. He saw limited action at the University of Denver last season, registering just one assist. 

Where Is The World Junior Summer Showcase?

The World Junior Summer Showcase will be held at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on the campus of the University of Minnesota. The event will feature teams from the U.S., Sweden, Finland and Canada.

When Is The World Junior Summer Showcase?

The World Junior Summer Showcase will run from July 25 to August 2. The first games of the WJSS will be held on July 27 with the final games played on Aug. 2.

World Junior Summer Showcase Game Schedule

Sunday, July 27

• USA White vs. Finland, 1 p.m. CT
• USA Blue vs. Sweden, 4:30 p.m. CT

Monday, July 28

• Finland vs. USA Blue, 1 p.m. CT
• Sweden vs. USA White, 4:30 p.m. CT

Tuesday, July 29

• Canada Red vs. Canada White, 4:30 p.m. CT

Wednesday, July 30

• Sweden vs. USA, 1 p.m. CT
• Canada vs. Finland, 4:30 p.m. CT

Friday, Aug. 1

• Canada vs. Sweden, 1 p.m. CT
• Finland vs. USA, 4:30 p.m. CT

Saturday, Aug. 2

• Sweden vs. Finland, 1 p.m. CT
• USA vs. Canada, 4:30 p.m. CT

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Gavin McKenna, the projected 2026 No. 1 pick, announced Tuesday he is committing to play for Penn State University for the 2025-26 season, leaving the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers.

McKenna’s name, image, and likeness rights are expected to be around $700,000, sources tell Daily Faceoff.

In 2024-25, McKenna scored 41 goals and 88 assists for 129 points in just 56 regular-season games, then added 38 points in the playoffs to help the Tigers win the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL Champions.

On Wednesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and former NHL defenseman Colby Cohen discuss McKenna’s decision to move to college hockey and what it means for the future of the game.

Tyler Yaremchuk: There is a part of me that is sad that this is the new normal in the hockey world, where the top prospect goes and plays college hockey instead of playing things out in the CHL. But I also think it’s pretty clear to see why this is not just best for McKenna, but best for the sport, as well.

Colby Cohen: I live in a world where everybody can play in the sand box. I can understand people from the town of Medicine Hat that are probably very disappointed today, they’ve spent a lot of time watching McKenna the last couple seasons, they’ve invested money in the jerseys. State college is not an easy place to get to from Alberta, and I do recognize and understand that.

But at the end of the day, I think this just makes the NHL better. I think these kids now have an opportunity to move up a level and play against older, more mature hockey players. Bigger guys, stronger guys, which is what you’re going to get at the next level in the pros, anyway.

Look at what McKenna did in junior last year. You tell me: what is best for him? To score 220 points and not have to worry about habits? Or go to the NCAA, get in the gym, spend a lot of time practicing and then playing against an average of 21-, 22- and 23-year old players all season?

You can watch the full episode here…