The Exiled One wrote:Code: Select all
SO - F - Kyle Osterberg - Lakeville South - NTDP
JR - F - Nate Arentz - Lakeville North - Fargo-USHL
JR - F - Austyn Young - S St. Paul - Sioux Falls-USHL
SR - F - Tanner Lane - Detroit Lakes - Fargo-USHL
SR - F - Drew Anderson - Rochester Century - Russel Stover AAA
JR - F - Jake Horton - Tartan - Janesville-NAHL
SR - F - Evan Hesse - Monticello - Alaska-NAHL
JR - D - Matt Pilot - S St. Paul - Austin-NAHL
JR - D - Zach Adams - New Prague - Russel Stover AAA
SR - D - Connor Faupel - Rochester Century - Russel Stover AAA
JR - D - Mike Reilly - Holy Angels - Shattuck St. Mary's
SR - D - Ben Marshall - Mahtomedi - Omaha-USHL
SR - D - Andy Welinski - Duluth East - Green Bay-USHL
JR - D - Brady Skjei - Lakeville North - NTDP
SR - D - Charlie Donlin - Holy Family - Colorado Rampage AAA
JR - D - Brandon Parker - Fairibault - Russel Stover AAA
SR - G - Matt LaPrade - Holy Family - Colorado Rampage AAA
JR - G - Brock Kautz - Rochester Century - Owatonna-NAHL
SR - G - Adam Wilcox - S St. Paul - Green Bay-USHL
JR - G - Collin Olson - Apple Valley - NTDP
Updates made.
Most of these moves aren’t surprising and Elite League could do little to stop these defections.
Surprises (players that would have developed fine):
Osterberg (Lake Conference, tough schedule with exposure and easy road to state tourney exposure, always could go NTDP next year as a junior)
Arentz (Lake Conference, tough schedule with exposure, could leave senior year and still get USHL exposure)
Reilly (Decent AA schedule, chance to show stepped up leadership, Holy Angels going to be way down with graduations and other defections so maybe that is why the move).
Welinski (Duluth East) (Good schedule (12-13 season games against top 20 teams), decent team, with state tourney potential. A lot of exposure and credits go to the #1 defenseman on a decent team. Unless Green Bay is promising PP and PK opportunities and a lot of ice, DE may have been a better option.)
Not Surprised:
Marshall (Mahtomedi) – No surprise. Would be unchallenged and waste of a year.
Young, Wilcox, Pilot – The core of SSP. One goes, they all bail. Weak schedule (with the exception of Hill and STA), Class A, been there done that.
Lane (Detroit Lakes) – Not challenged playing and racking up points against Prairie Centre, Wadena-Deer Creek, Northern Lakes. Time to see if he can play and develop vs men.
Anderson, Faupel, Kautz (Century) – Section 1, weak schedule with little development. Kautz good move to NAHL – passed up by many metro goalies in last year with difficult schedules or more exposure. Playing against Albert Lea, Austin, Mankato East/West, Owatonna, Mayo/JM, and Winona will do little for development or exposure for any of these players in comparison to what many Metro players get.
Horton (Tartan) – Could have stayed around, Tartan has a moderately difficult schedule, but almost all of the top ten players last year graduated – gutting the program. Rebuilding and not sticking around to rebuild. Could have been a big leader, but a USHL spot can’t hurt.
Hesse (Monticello), Adams (New Prague), Donlin (HF), LaPrade (HF) – Weak schedules, class A, minimal exposure.
Skjei (Lakeville North) – One of the best Dmen out there. Will be an 18yr old D1 player. Might as well push the envelope.
Parker (Faribault) – Section 1 weak schedule had nothing to offer.
Olson (Apple Valley) – Back up goalie last year to a Junior. At best would have shared the crease this year. NTDP a good move and leap upward.
Goes to show that although the Elite League is an excellent option for most of the players in the state, there are exceptions that make it more worthwhile to leave for greener pastures rather than lose a season. Circumstances affect each player differently. Short of Minnesota scrapping the high school program for an “elite league” that plays 50 games, many of these kids weren’t getting the opportunities they needed to try to advance their hockey.
Some of these kids are among the best in the state, but for every one that goes away there are five blue chippers that remain in Minnesota Hockey (e.g. Michaelson, Horn, Sit, Everson, Rau, Kroska, Reid, Kloos, Fogarty, Randolph, Bahe, etc. etc.). More than enough good hockey players to watch this winter.