Media Advisory

Saint Paul, Minn. –For the first time in its history, Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS) will field one consolidated boys high school hockey team, beginning this month. Saint Paul will play its first game at a tournament in River Falls, Wisc., the weekend of November 28, and will play its first game in its home city on Tuesday, Dec. 2.

There is a long tradition of high school hockey in the State of Hockey’s capital city. At the end of last year’s hockey season, SPPS consolidated the remaining programs at Johnson, Highland Park and Central high schools into one program moving forward.

Johnson first started playing high school hockey in 1913. The Governors won four state championships, had 12 All-Americans, and featured alumni such as Herb Brooks, coach of the 1980 Miracle on Ice team. Highland Park, which included student athletes from Central, resurrected its dormant program in 2010.

The team will wear white and royal blue “Capital City” jerseys with an interlocking “STP.” They’ll play their home games at Charles M. Schulz-Highland Arena. The program will pay homage to its history as well with a game at Johnson’s Phalen Arena on Tuesday, Dec. 2, against Rochester Lourdes. Saint Paul will play in the Tri-Metro conference against Minneapolis, which consolidated to one team several years ago, as well as Irondale and Holy Angels.

Saint Paul is coached by Paul Ryan, who coached the Highland Park and Central team the last three seasons. A longtime fixture in Saint Paul hockey, Ryan also coached the St. Paul Capitals Bantam A team to a state championship.

Saint Paul Hockey sports a strong booster club program, supported by local businesses. The program is constructing a junior varsity locker room in conjunction with Ramsey County and the support of Commissioner Rafael Ortega and The Friends of St. Paul Hockey organization. This critical project provides a secure place for underclassmen to store their gear and travel safely across town for practices.

Follow the team and the new program’s progress at SaintPaulHockey.com.

Other storylines this season include:

• Highland Park and Central upset Southwest Christian in a section quarterfinal game in 2025.

• Saint Paul’s districtwide hockey team fields a full varsity and junior varsity roster.

• This year’s program has players from Central, Como, Highland Park, Humboldt and Johnson High Schools.

• Academics is at the core of this program. Saint Paul Hockey player Will Chatterjea is a National Merit Scholar. Former player Benny Waud is a sophomore at the Naval Academy.

Please contact Ryan Stanzel in the Office of Communications at ryan.stanzel@spps.org or 612-364-3493 if you are interested in attending a practice leading up to the first game.