A sizeable amount of the MN hockey fandom isn't particularly attached to USA Hockey; might just be a casualty of already following NHL, NCAA and HS. There's also an underlying ethnocentrism about hockey in MN (which is admittedly understandable given the aspects you listed) that no matter how many MN kids are on the team, people want it to be like Team USA in Mighty Ducks 2 with only a few randoms from other states. Personally, I grew up in the cities and didn't start following WJC until the 2012 lockout when it was the only hockey to watch.