TryoutEngine was born on the benches of Anoka youth hockey — where an engineer who coached, volunteered, and served on the board saw a system that needed to be better. So he built one.
Michael Nagel is a biomedical engineer by training, with advanced degrees from the University of Minnesota and the University of St. Thomas. For nearly a decade he has worked at Boston Scientific as a Fellow R&D Engineer, applying statistical methods, measurement system analysis, and process validation to some of the most regulated products in healthcare.
But before he was solving engineering problems at work, he was solving them at the rink. Michael coached youth hockey for years in the Anoka Area Hockey Association — Bantam A, Bantam AA, eventually stepping into the role of Bantam A Head Coach. He served on the AAHA Board of Directors as Tryout Director.
The problem was the process. Tryouts were fully pen-and-paper. Data had to be entered manually after long nights. Sometimes judges missed scoring players entirely — gaps that were difficult to reconcile and even harder to defend.
Michael recognized that the same statistical rigor he applied in medical device development — measurement system bias, evaluator variability, confidence intervals — could transform how hockey tryouts worked. What began as a spreadsheet evolved into a full cloud platform with algorithm-calculated rotations, automatic bias correction, and statistically validated rankings.
TryoutEngine launched in 2016 through Summit Innovations LLC. Since then it has evaluated over 29,000 players across 49+ associations with zero overturned placements.
Hockey is a microcosm of life — it teaches kids about competition, resilience, teamwork, and how to handle both success and disappointment. When the evaluation process is fair and transparent, families can focus on what actually matters: growth, development, and the love of the game.
M.B.A., Carlson School (U of M). M.S. Mechanical Engineering (St. Thomas). B.BME Biomedical Engineering (U of M).
Fellow R&D Engineer at Boston Scientific. Nearly a decade in medical device development, statistical process control, and design assurance.
Board of Directors & Tryout Director, Anoka Area Hockey Association. Head Coach and Assistant Coach at Bantam A and AA levels.
Same measurement system bias analysis, z-score normalization, and confidence intervals used in regulated medical devices — adapted for player evaluation.
10 seasons of platform refinement. Every algorithm update driven by real association feedback and validated against actual tryout data.
Industry Advisor for U of M BME capstone. Engineering mentor at Totino-Grace High School for 12+ years.
Graphics by Tommy Dwelly
Hockey teaches kids about competition, resilience, and teamwork. When the evaluation process is fair and transparent, families can focus on what actually matters — growth, development, and the love of the game.— Michael Nagel, Founder