 For much of the team's recent history, there has been a strong emphasis on recruiting native Minnesotan high school and junior hockey players, as opposed to out-of-state, Canadian, or European players.This helped high school ice hockey grow in Minnesota, particularly starting with Hall of Famer John Mariucci, who refused to recruit players from Canada.Minnesota high school ice hockey programs grew from a handful in the 1950s to over 150 in 1980.