7A 2015-2016 Prediction

[Sats81]

Who is more hated? Hermantown or Luverne? ......OR the defending state champs?!?

[OGEE OGELTHORPE]

Hermantown finally takes first!

[Hermhawkey]

Hated or admired?

[Hermhawkey]

I will say this...if Hermantown wins this year. I will vote for moving up. That being said...I have no vote.

[rainier]

Hated or admired?

Admired for sure, but that balloon continues to lose more and more air with each passing season that they stay in A.

[northwoods oldtimer]

Everybody up here in Shooks township hates Hermantown.

[Hermhawkey]

Everybody up here in Shooks township hates Hermantown.

I hate the Packers but also admire them.

[elliott70]

Everybody up here in Shooks township hates Hermantown.

I've been to Shooks. Never stayed in the motel, though.

[Hermhawkey]

Everybody up here in Shooks township hates Hermantown.

All 3 of you?

[northwoods oldtimer]

Everybody up here in Shooks township hates Hermantown.

All 3 of you?

190

[Defensive Zone]

Enrollment? I watched your Squirt A team beat Andover yesterday. 7 out of 14 kids on that roster, including the brand new goalie, are Duluth and Proctor Kids. That's half the team. Add up the enrollments of Hermantown, Proctor and Denfeld and you are right around 1900, same as Edina.

There is not open enrollment in youth hockey. So, unless these families moved into Hermantown and established residency with the district and association, there are issues. If they did establish residency, then your point is mute. Move ins don't force a co-op. So which is it.

I'm not following you. If you open-enroll into a school, you are allowed to play hockey for that Association. Six of the kids are open-enrollees and One moved in last year. My point is that enrollment means nothing when you get the top players from the other schools in the area.

Agree. This happens all the time. A few years ago, Lakeville Hockey had an influx of players on the south side. This padded their Pee Wee, Bantam and HS team.

[Mite-dad]

So.........are there any other teams in 7A?

[rainier]

So.........are there any other teams in 7A?

My prediction hasn't changed much since the last update.

1. Hermantown-Loaded up and down the roster. The only question I can even conceive of for this team is chemistry. As long as they get their top six forwards in the right spots, then they will once again waltz to the title game.

2. Hibbing-Lost their #2 and #3 defenseman, which takes them down a peg. They still have their superstar in Perunovich, Jarrett Lee led the prep development league in scoring as a sophomore this fall, junior Zach DeBoom-who scored 20 goals last season-will be even more of an offensive force, and Jake Bestul is a talented senior who should provide good leadership.

The Jackets will have one excellent line and the second line should be solid also. The questions for them are:
a. Goaltending: Freshman Ryan Ullan is one of-if not the best for his age group and he was a top bantam goalies as a seventh grader (and eighth), so he is no stranger to playing a couple years ahead. But it remains to be see how fast he can adjust to the varsity game.
b. Defensive depth: Even though they lost some talent here, the two brothers were not on the bantam team from two years ago that was top ten in AA, so there are others who have shown they can play well at the youth levels. How fast and to what level can these kids step in and play?
c. Hermantown: Who can sneak into the team dinner before next year's 7A final and sprinkle Ex-lax powder on their buffet?

3. Greenway- Not that the Raiders had a great season last year, but they did show potential and now those players are upperclassmen, so there should be a good jump here. Lantz and Troumbly are a great combo which will form the nucleus of a top line, and the defense should be tough. They also have a goalie in LaDoux who has the potential to completely shut the door at times. New coach Clafton worked with DeCenzo at Hibbing for years, so he learned from a good one.
We'll see how it all comes together, but I think they will get the 3# seed at the end of the year, and with Hibbing's defense taking a hit, they should feel better about getting a chance to play in the 7A final.

4. Virginia-The Blue Devils were awful last season, but now they have some talent that is a year older and should assemble at least a very good top unit. Sophomore forward Jake Seitz is very, very good, and junior Jason Murray can also play. Sophomore Wyatt Phaneuf excelled at the youth levels and should inject some talent to the D corps. Goalie is an unknown, as four year starter Lucas Murray graduated, leaving a huge question mark.
Virginia should be talented enough in their first unit that they can upset some teams, but their top talents are still young, so they may also drop a few to lesser teams.

5. Denfeld-I may be completely wrong about the Hunters, but I just don't see how they can be good at all this season. They lost a TON of scoring and I just don't see any reinforcements coming to the rescue. They have made a living of of transfers the past few seasons, so perhaps there are a few new kids in town, but I guess will see.
They do, however, have on outstanding goalie in Alander, and Denfeld will need him to be near flawless this season. Good to see Alander stick with his team even though they are likely to be in a down year; I thought he might end up at Marshall.

6. Proctor-I may be underestimating the Rails, as they did well last season against some of the teams I have ranked above them. I'll defer to Froggy when it comes to their players; I don't know a lot and they may be better than I think.

7.Eveleth-Gilbert-Don't know how good the Bears can be.
8. North Shore-They have some kids who can play, but I don't know much about them.
9. I-Falls-Sucks to see this program so down. Hopefully they can piece something together this season and show some improvement.
10. Ely-The Wolves do well in baseball and football, so there are athletes at this small school, but hockey is not their strong suit.

In 7A play, I think Hermantown will go undefeated, Hibbing will only lose to Hermantown, Greenway will split with Virginia, and Denfeld will still be able to beat the teams I have ranked below them.

I base my predictions on the few games I saw from most of these non-Hibbing teams last year, Hub stats, forum chatter, and my own incredible clairvoyant powers. In other words, I could be way off on a few of these squads, so feel free to shove it in my face this season when Denfeld storms to the #2 seed or Greenway and Virginia both beat Hibbing.

7A waits for Hermantown to opt up to AA, as the youth ranks are showing some excellent teams in Greenway, Virginia, and Eveleth, teams that in a few years could make it to state for HS, have a good showing there, and really give their programs a boost. It would be nice to see this happen.

[Froggy Richards]

So.........are there any other teams in 7A?

My prediction hasn't changed much since the last update.

1. Hermantown-Loaded up and down the roster. The only question I can even conceive of for this team is chemistry. As long as they get their top six forwards in the right spots, then they will once again waltz to the title game.

2. Hibbing-Lost their #2 and #3 defenseman, which takes them down a peg. They still have their superstar in Perunovich, Jarrett Lee led the prep development league in scoring as a sophomore this fall, junior Zach DeBoom-who scored 20 goals last season-will be even more of an offensive force, and Jake Bestul is a talented senior who should provide good leadership.

The Jackets will have one excellent line and the second line should be solid also. The questions for them are:
a. Goaltending: Freshman Ryan Ullan is one of-if not the best for his age group and he was a top bantam goalies as a seventh grader (and eighth), so he is no stranger to playing a couple years ahead. But it remains to be see how fast he can adjust to the varsity game.
b. Defensive depth: Even though they lost some talent here, the two brothers were not on the bantam team from two years ago that was top ten in AA, so there are others who have shown they can play well at the youth levels. How fast and to what level can these kids step in and play?
c. Hermantown: Who can sneak into the team dinner before next year's 7A final and sprinkle Ex-lax powder on their buffet?

3. Greenway- Not that the Raiders had a great season last year, but they did show potential and now those players are upperclassmen, so there should be a good jump here. Lantz and Troumbly are a great combo which will form the nucleus of a top line, and the defense should be tough. They also have a goalie in LaDoux who has the potential to completely shut the door at times. New coach Clafton worked with DeCenzo at Hibbing for years, so he learned from a good one.
We'll see how it all comes together, but I think they will get the 3# seed at the end of the year, and with Hibbing's defense taking a hit, they should feel better about getting a chance to play in the 7A final.

4. Virginia-The Blue Devils were awful last season, but now they have some talent that is a year older and should assemble at least a very good top unit. Sophomore forward Jake Seitz is very, very good, and junior Jason Murray can also play. Sophomore Wyatt Phaneuf excelled at the youth levels and should inject some talent to the D corps. Goalie is an unknown, as four year starter Lucas Murray graduated, leaving a huge question mark.
Virginia should be talented enough in their first unit that they can upset some teams, but their top talents are still young, so they may also drop a few to lesser teams.

5. Denfeld-I may be completely wrong about the Hunters, but I just don't see how they can be good at all this season. They lost a TON of scoring and I just don't see any reinforcements coming to the rescue. They have made a living of of transfers the past few seasons, so perhaps there are a few new kids in town, but I guess will see.
They do, however, have on outstanding goalie in Alander, and Denfeld will need him to be near flawless this season. Good to see Alander stick with his team even though they are likely to be in a down year; I thought he might end up at Marshall.

6. Proctor-I may be underestimating the Rails, as they did well last season against some of the teams I have ranked above them. I'll defer to Froggy when it comes to their players; I don't know a lot and they may be better than I think.

7.Eveleth-Gilbert-Don't know how good the Bears can be.
8. North Shore-They have some kids who can play, but I don't know much about them.
9. I-Falls-Sucks to see this program so down. Hopefully they can piece something together this season and show some improvement.
10. Ely-The Wolves do well in baseball and football, so there are athletes at this small school, but hockey is not their strong suit.

In 7A play, I think Hermantown will go undefeated, Hibbing will only lose to Hermantown, Greenway will split with Virginia, and Denfeld will still be able to beat the teams I have ranked below them.

I base my predictions on the few games I saw from most of these non-Hibbing teams last year, Hub stats, forum chatter, and my own incredible clairvoyant powers. In other words, I could be way off on a few of these squads, so feel free to shove it in my face this season when Denfeld storms to the #2 seed or Greenway and Virginia both beat Hibbing.

7A waits for Hermantown to opt up to AA, as the youth ranks are showing some excellent teams in Greenway, Virginia, and Eveleth, teams that in a few years could make it to state for HS, have a good showing there, and really give their programs a boost. It would be nice to see this happen.

You're not wrong on Denfeld, they will most likely struggle this year as they lost pretty much all of their top forwards and D. Outside of Alander, not a lot to get excited about. Not aware of any transfers this year but unless they moved into the District they would have to sit a year anyway. Unless the returning players make some huge strides, it could be a long year for the Hunters.

I would put Proctor at #4, with a good chance to knock off Greenway and move up to #3. They didn't lose much from last year and their top forward line of Malec, Dahlgren and Aase is as good as any in the section. Depth is always a concern for the Rails but from what I'm hearing, their 2nd and 3rd lines look to be better than in recent years. They should be at Amsoil in February.

[rainier]

So.........are there any other teams in 7A?

My prediction hasn't changed much since the last update.

1. Hermantown-Loaded up and down the roster. The only question I can even conceive of for this team is chemistry. As long as they get their top six forwards in the right spots, then they will once again waltz to the title game.

2. Hibbing-Lost their #2 and #3 defenseman, which takes them down a peg. They still have their superstar in Perunovich, Jarrett Lee led the prep development league in scoring as a sophomore this fall, junior Zach DeBoom-who scored 20 goals last season-will be even more of an offensive force, and Jake Bestul is a talented senior who should provide good leadership.

The Jackets will have one excellent line and the second line should be solid also. The questions for them are:
a. Goaltending: Freshman Ryan Ullan is one of-if not the best for his age group and he was a top bantam goalies as a seventh grader (and eighth), so he is no stranger to playing a couple years ahead. But it remains to be see how fast he can adjust to the varsity game.
b. Defensive depth: Even though they lost some talent here, the two brothers were not on the bantam team from two years ago that was top ten in AA, so there are others who have shown they can play well at the youth levels. How fast and to what level can these kids step in and play?
c. Hermantown: Who can sneak into the team dinner before next year's 7A final and sprinkle Ex-lax powder on their buffet?

3. Greenway- Not that the Raiders had a great season last year, but they did show potential and now those players are upperclassmen, so there should be a good jump here. Lantz and Troumbly are a great combo which will form the nucleus of a top line, and the defense should be tough. They also have a goalie in LaDoux who has the potential to completely shut the door at times. New coach Clafton worked with DeCenzo at Hibbing for years, so he learned from a good one.
We'll see how it all comes together, but I think they will get the 3# seed at the end of the year, and with Hibbing's defense taking a hit, they should feel better about getting a chance to play in the 7A final.

4. Virginia-The Blue Devils were awful last season, but now they have some talent that is a year older and should assemble at least a very good top unit. Sophomore forward Jake Seitz is very, very good, and junior Jason Murray can also play. Sophomore Wyatt Phaneuf excelled at the youth levels and should inject some talent to the D corps. Goalie is an unknown, as four year starter Lucas Murray graduated, leaving a huge question mark.
Virginia should be talented enough in their first unit that they can upset some teams, but their top talents are still young, so they may also drop a few to lesser teams.

5. Denfeld-I may be completely wrong about the Hunters, but I just don't see how they can be good at all this season. They lost a TON of scoring and I just don't see any reinforcements coming to the rescue. They have made a living of of transfers the past few seasons, so perhaps there are a few new kids in town, but I guess will see.
They do, however, have on outstanding goalie in Alander, and Denfeld will need him to be near flawless this season. Good to see Alander stick with his team even though they are likely to be in a down year; I thought he might end up at Marshall.

6. Proctor-I may be underestimating the Rails, as they did well last season against some of the teams I have ranked above them. I'll defer to Froggy when it comes to their players; I don't know a lot and they may be better than I think.

7.Eveleth-Gilbert-Don't know how good the Bears can be.
8. North Shore-They have some kids who can play, but I don't know much about them.
9. I-Falls-Sucks to see this program so down. Hopefully they can piece something together this season and show some improvement.
10. Ely-The Wolves do well in baseball and football, so there are athletes at this small school, but hockey is not their strong suit.

In 7A play, I think Hermantown will go undefeated, Hibbing will only lose to Hermantown, Greenway will split with Virginia, and Denfeld will still be able to beat the teams I have ranked below them.

I base my predictions on the few games I saw from most of these non-Hibbing teams last year, Hub stats, forum chatter, and my own incredible clairvoyant powers. In other words, I could be way off on a few of these squads, so feel free to shove it in my face this season when Denfeld storms to the #2 seed or Greenway and Virginia both beat Hibbing.

7A waits for Hermantown to opt up to AA, as the youth ranks are showing some excellent teams in Greenway, Virginia, and Eveleth, teams that in a few years could make it to state for HS, have a good showing there, and really give their programs a boost. It would be nice to see this happen.

You're not wrong on Denfeld, they will most likely struggle this year as they lost pretty much all of their top forwards and D. Outside of Alander, not a lot to get excited about. Not aware of any transfers this year but unless they moved into the District they would have to sit a year anyway. Unless the returning players make some huge strides, it could be a long year for the Hunters.

I would put Proctor at #4, with a good chance to knock off Greenway and move up to #3. They didn't lose much from last year and their top forward line of Malec, Dahlgren and Aase is as good as any in the section. Depth is always a concern for the Rails but from what I'm hearing, their 2nd and 3rd lines look to be better than in recent years. They should be at Amsoil in February.

Good to hear on Proctor. Should be some solid parity within teams 2-6, which makes for a fun season.

Hermantown is loaded like a steakhouse potato, but hopefully one on the other teams will pull off the upset!

[Mite-dad]

Thanks for the posts. Will get to see Perunovich and the Hibbing boys in Little Falls tonight. Is Ullan the starter for sure?

[rainier]

Thanks for the posts. Will get to see Perunovich and the Hibbing boys in Little Falls tonight. Is Ullan the starter for sure?

From what I have heard, yes.

[greenway1969]

Lot of hockey yet to be played but observations of the first weekend in Section 7A are

1. Biggest surprise: The Falls tie with Virginia. Shots on goal were just about even and the game was in Virginia. Either Falls is better than expected or Virginia is not as good as expected.
2. Hibbing - The first two periods of the Mound game I didn't see a team that had a chance to compete with Hermantown. The last period they showed that they might be able to compete.
3. Biggest disappointment: Proctor losing to Forest Lake 6-3. I thought Proctor would compete for the #3 seed but this result is not a good one.
4. Nice win for North Shore as they defeated Chaska in overtime although they were outshot.
5. Ely beat Wadena, any win is a good win for Ely.
6. Greenway got a nice win over Mound.

Key games this week: Wayzata at Hermantown and Bloomington Jefferson at Denfeld. It will be interesting to see if Denfeld is a top 20 team or is going to be a middle of the pack team in the Section. Virginia at Greenway should be the best game between teams in the section.

[rainier]

Lot of hockey yet to be played but observations of the first weekend in Section 7A are

1. Biggest surprise: The Falls tie with Virginia. Shots on goal were just about even and the game was in Virginia. Either Falls is better than expected or Virginia is not as good as expected.
2. Hibbing - The first two periods of the Mound game I didn't see a team that had a chance to compete with Hermantown. The last period they showed that they might be able to compete.
3. Biggest disappointment: Proctor losing to Forest Lake 6-3. I thought Proctor would compete for the #3 seed but this result is not a good one.
4. Nice win for North Shore as they defeated Chaska in overtime although they were outshot.
5. Ely beat Wadena, any win is a good win for Ely.
6. Greenway got a nice win over Mound.

Key games this week: Wayzata at Hermantown and Bloomington Jefferson at Denfeld. It will be interesting to see if Denfeld is a top 20 team or is going to be a middle of the pack team in the Section. Virginia at Greenway should be the best game between teams in the section.

Agreed. Not that I expected Virginia to blow out Falls, but I sure didn't expect them to outshoot Virginia in Virginia, as the Blue Devils always seem to be a goal or two better when playing at home. Like you said, we will see if Falls is better than expected or if VMIB is worse than anticipated.

Even though their games were against inferior opponents, I was quite please at how well Hibbing was able to bottle up their opponents for long stretches. They had serious advantages in zone time in both games, and even though it took awhile for the flood gates to open vs Mound, the near constant pressure was great to see. All three lines were effective at possessing the puck. However, the defense needs some work as they did have some errors and lapses that a better team would have made them pay for. Sophomore forward Jarrett Lee was outstanding all weekend and although freshaman goalie Ullan wasn't tested much, starting your varsity career off with a .976 sv% over two games isn't too shabby.

I can't fault Proctor for losing to Forest Lake, as FL is a AA team that is usually a 5 or 6 seed in 7AA. Looks like the shots were even in that game and if the goaltending can be better, then maybe they can beat some good teams.

Greenway came out and left no doubt vs Mound. Seems like they played great defense as they held Mound to shots in the low teens. If Clafton can extract the best from this group, they will be challenging Hibbing for that #2 spot.

Looking forward to the games you mentioned and especially the Greenway-Denfeld game on Dec 4th, as that should provide a good answer as to how Denfeld will stack up vs the rest of 7A this season.

[greenway1969]

I can't wait for the first Greenway/Hibbing game at Hodgins/Berardo Arena. It could be a full house.

[hockeyfan2612]

Hermantown finally takes first!

I completely agree with you. This year will be the best hockey team Bruce Plante has ever had. It will be real enjoyable to watch Hermantown play Wayzata, a power house AA team that beat Edina. How ever this game goes I still see the Hawks as a top 3 team in the state regardless of class.

[InYourFace09]

Hermantown finally takes first!

I completely agree with you. This year will be the best hockey team Bruce Plante has ever had. It will be real enjoyable to watch Hermantown play Wayzata, a power house AA team that beat Edina. How ever this game goes I still see the Hawks as a top 3 team in the state regardless of class.

The Hawks better take down the SHIP this year!!

[rainier]

So after two weekends of play, here is my updated list of 7A rankings.

Team-[Overall Record (7A Record)]

1. Hermantown- [2-0 (0-0)] The Hawks beat two AA squads this weekend, including a very strong Wayzata team that beat Edina, thus the "small town" school that is physically connected to Duluth demonstrated that they can play with the best in AA. Fortunately for the Hawks, they play only a paltry 6 games vs 7A opponents yet they will face off with AA teams 12 times this regular season, so they should be more than ready to step back down to "where they belong" once the 7A playoffs begin.

2. Hibbing-[2-0 (0-0)] The Bluejackets were idle this weekend, but they retain the #2 spot. They have their first 7A matchup this Friday against a surprisingly good I-Falls team, and will follow that with a game vs Roseau on Saturday. How the Broncos fare against Hibbing may tell us how good this Falls team can actually be, and a win for Hibbing against Roseau may indicate that the Bluejackets are finally capable of beating some good A teams.

3. Greenway-[3-0 (2-0)] The Raiders have had the most impressive start among the teams in 7A that are actually single A programs. They've outscored their opponents 16-1 and they made a statement in 7A by handing Virginia a 4-1 beating. The Raiders travel to Duluth on Tuesday to take on Denfeld, and if they are able to beat down the Hunters also, then Greenway will have clearly separated themselves from the rest of the 7A teams below them on this list.

4. Denfeld-[1-1 (0-0)] After blasting Red Wing, I thought the Hunters may be better than I expected, but after getting blasted by Jefferson the next day, I went back to thinking that the Westsiders are probably as bad as I thought. Jefferson appears to be a good AA team, but if Denfeld was going to be in the mix for a #2 or #3 seed in 7A, I think they would have had a better showing vs the Jags. Luckily for us we will find out how Denfeld stacks up against a top 7A team when Greenway comes to town on Tuesday.

5. VMIB-[1-1-1 (0-1-1)] The Blue Devils were likely taken by surprise when I-Falls came into their building and outshot them, leading to a 3-3 tie. They may have been less surprised when they went to Greenway and watched the new look Raiders take it to them by a 4-1 margin. I still think this team belongs in the top 5 in 7A, as they have some very good talent, but the best of that talent is still young. Therefore, I expect this young squad to take some lumps this season, but I will not be shocked if they pull off an upset or two along the way.

6. North Shore-[2-0 (1-0)] The Storm surprised me by winning a 7-6 shootout vs Proctor. Along with their 3-2 victory over Chaska, this team looks to be better than I thought, but we won't get to see them play any non-Ely 7A teams until January 5th, so ranking them will be an exercise in guesswork. I'm very intrigued to see how the Storm can do against the teams above them on this list, because it would be fun to see them rise into the top 4-5 in 7A.

7. Proctor-[2-2 (0-1)] The Rails lost the track meet to North Shore, but they rebounded by scoring 17 goals in their next two games. The top line is stacking up some serious points, but it remains to be seen if their defense can improve. This is yet another team that could find themselves up near the 4-5 range once they start playing more 7A teams. They play I-Falls and Greenway over the next 8 days, so we won't have to wait long to get a better idea of where the Rails stand.

8. I Falls-[1-1-1 (0-0-1)] The Broncos have already shown that they are better than most thought they would be, as their tie at Virginia turned a lot of heads. They lost to an okay Little Falls team in OT, then blew out a Highland Park team that is likely terrible, so I'm not ready to get too excited yet. They will waste no time getting into the meat of their 7A schedule, as they will play a whopping three section games this week, facing off against Eveleth, Hibbing, and Proctor. They should beat Eveleth, the Proctor game is huge for seeding, and Hibbing should not take this team lightly considering how the Broncos did against Virginia.

9. Eveleth-Gilbert-[0-1 (0-1)] The Golden Bears were not so golden in the one game they have played this season, as not only were they taken to the woodshed by Greenway 8-1, but then they were also forced to sweep out the woodshed and restock it with several cords of wet logs. But they will have a chance to redeem themselves if they can beat I Falls on Tuesday. This may be a tough year for E-G, but they have some good talent arriving soon from the youth ranks, so there is light at the end of the tunnel.

10. Ely-[3-0 (0-0)] The Timberwolves have won all three of their games, but they were close games against some of the weakest programs in the state, so I wouldn't order the ticker tape just yet. However, they will get a chance to rise out of the 7A basement on Tuesday as they play North Shore. If Ely can win that game, then spots 6-10 on this list may be completely discombobulated, which is actually kind of fun.

7A Game of the Week: Greenway at Denfeld-As the paths of the rising Raiders and falling Hunters cross, we will see where they meet. Both teams have outstanding goaltenders, and Greenway's known talent will be up against Denfeld's unknown remainders from last season's excellent team. Are the Raiders all hype? Have the Hunters jumped the shark? Find out this week!

[greenway1969]

It definitely will be interesting to see how the Greenway/Denfeld game plays out. I certainly didn't expect Denfeld to beat Jefferson, but I also didn't think they'd get outshot 51-10. Proctor is a mystery. Their defensive play sure is a question mark. One of the good things about the Greenway/Eveleth game is that seven different players scored goals in the 8-1 win.

[rainier]

It definitely will be interesting to see how the Greenway/Denfeld game plays out. I certainly didn't expect Denfeld to beat Jefferson, but I also didn't think they'd get outshot 51-10. Proctor is a mystery. Their defensive play sure is a question mark. One of the good things about the Greenway/Eveleth game is that seven different players scored goals in the 8-1 win.

With Greenway, I've also been impressed that they are scoring so much without Lantz needing to carry the load. When he heats up, watch out.