The ranking criteria consisted of quality Coaching, Ownership, Billeting, Opportunity, Access, and Development
ALEXANDRIA — In mid-April, the Alexandria Blizzard was named one of the top five NA3HL organizations by Stephen Heisler of
JuniorHockey.io . Heisler’s ranking criteria consisted of quality Coaching, Ownership, Billeting, Opportunity, Access, and Development. “When it comes to doing things the right way, St Cloud Norsemen owner Chris Canavati has been doing exactly that for the last 20+ years. That includes the operation of two NA3HL clubs in Willmar and Alexandria, Minnesota. Blizzard head coach Jeff Crouse elected to stay in Alexandria as the head coach of the NA3HL team when the NAHL team moved to South Dakota in 2012. Unlike many other NAHL-operated NA3HL teams, Crouse has excellent relationships with several NAHL teams and coaches, not just the boss’s team in St Cloud. Getting his players to those teams in-season has never been an issue. The new reality for 3HL coaches is relationships within the game, and that has to include coaches from college club programs. While other guys were ignoring the club coaches in the past, Crouse has always extended the same level of professional courtesy to the club programs as he did NCAA schools. That was a smart move. Since 2012, they’ve only had one complaint in 13 years. That’s not bad, coach, not bad at all.” The Blizzard had a 27-16-3-1 record in the 2024-25 season (58 points).
