Post
by Stang5280 » Thu Nov 21, 2019 7:04 pm
I wanted to squeeze in my updated rankings with write ups for the top 10 teams before the main action starts tomorrow. I made a few minor changes, in moving up EGF and Delano one spot each. As with Karl, next rankings will be December 1 after everyone has a few games under their belt.
1. St. Cloud Cathedral (27-4-0, State Champions)
The Crusaders return nearly everyone of consequence from last year's state title run, and are in prime position to defend their crown. The only real question marks are in net, with Noah Amundson lost to graduation (though scoring 5.5 goals per game helps that concern), along with the health of Nate Warner. While there is plenty of talent across the roster, Cathedral was not the same team with Warner out of the lineup last year. After a bit of a warm up contest, they head northwest to take on two fellow top five foes.
Schedule: 11/26 vs Fergus Falls, 11/29 @ Warroad, 11/30 @ EGF
2. Hermantown (22-4-2, 7A finalist)
Despite last year’s stinging overtime defeat at the hands of Greenway, the Hawks are once again heavy favorites to come out of 7A. Hermantown returns the dynamic duo of Biondi and Pierce, two of the best players in either class. The back end will be a bit of a question mark, as the top defensive pairing was lost to graduation, along with the dependable goaltending of Manahan. Still, this is a program that reloads with its incredible depth, and returning Pierce to his natural position on the blue line will help shore up the defense. The Hawks have a sectional game right off the bat before starting their usual AA slate.
Schedule: 11/26 vs Eveleth-Gilbert, 11/29 vs Wayzata, 11/30 @ Lakeville South
3. East Grand Forks (21-10-0, State 4th place)
At first glance, the Green Wave appeared to be primed for regression after graduating their top three scorers (Tanner Mack, Carter Beck, and Jake Hjelle) and goalie Tucker Brown. However, EGF has managed to collect some serious talent from across the Red River, in the form of freshman forward Jaksen Panzer and senior goalie Austin Cooley. These two join some fine returning talent, most notably sophomore defenseman Trey Ausmus and junior forward Landon Parker. So the Wave will be fairly young, but have some serious upside. EGF starts out with a long road trip to take on the two projected top teams in 2A before hosting the defending champs the following weekend.
Schedule: 11/22 @ Orono, 11/23 @ Delano, 11/26 @ Detroit Lakes, 11/30 vs SCC
4. Mahtomedi (23-7-1, State 3rd place)
While the Zephyrs lack the star power of the teams above, they have program depth that would be the envy of many AA teams. So the loss of four 20+ point scorers to graduation is not nearly as much of an issue as it would be for other Class A squads. There is still plenty of talent on board here, led by Nikolai Dulak up front and the diminutive Ben Dardis in net. Dardis asserted himself right away as a freshman and posted stellar stats against stiff competition. As always, the schedule is difficult, and Mahtomedi opens with a decent Sartell squad before facing longtime section rival TG, newly departed to AA.
Schedule: 11/26 vs Sartell, 11/30 @ Totino-Grace
5. Warroad (15-10-2, 8A finalist)
An often enigmatic bunch last season, the Warriors looked poised to put things together and take a step forward. The only significant loss is defenseman Hunter Pelland, and a huge percentage of scoring returns, including star forwards Grant Slukynsky and Owen Meeker, the former a Northern Michigan commit. Goaltending looks to be stable after Zach Foster established himself as the starter down the stretch. Add in a small but talented group of sophomores who were Bantam A state champions, and Warroad could well challenge for the 8A crown. The highlight of the early schedule is a showdown against the defending champions.
Schedule: 11/26 vs Bemidji, 11/29 vs SCC, 11/30 vs Sartell
6. Thief River Falls (15-9-3, 8A semifinalist)
The Prowlers may not play a pretty brand of hockey, but they are a tough out. The defense was the stingiest in all of Class A last season, surrendering only 1.56 goals per game, but TRF only scored about three goals per contest. Essentially the whole gang is back, headlined by SCSU commit Evan Bushy and stellar netminder Noah Rupprecht. Forwards Skime, Hartmann, and Masseth all scored over 20 points last year, and look to take a step forward as seniors. If TRF can generate more offense this year, they have a shot at making it out of brutal 8A. The early schedule has a parade of teams visiting the mini-Ralph, but we likely won’t learn much about the Prowlers until December.
Schedule: 11/22 vs Gentry, 11/23 vs Mounds View, 11/26 vs Roseau, 11/29 vs Little Falls, 11/30 vs SP Johnson
7. North Branch (20-9-2, State 6th place)
Almost lost among the dramatic finals run of Greenway and the feel-good story of Minnesota River was the Vikings making their first state tournament appearance. Though not a shock given the talent on the roster, it was probably a year ahead of schedule. Now a bit older, this team is loaded with juniors and seniors, the expectations are much higher as North Branch now takes on the role of the hunted in 5A. The schedule is light throughout the season, so the Turkey Trot games will actually be some of their more challenging matchups.
Schedule: 11/26 vs Sauk Rapids; Simley Turkey Trot, 11/29 vs Minn River, 11/30 vs Simley or Dodge County
8. Greenway (17-14-0, State 2nd place)
The Raiders captured the hearts of the state in putting together a magical run to the championship game. A significant portion of that group graduated, most notably leading scorers Donte Lawson and Nikolai Rajala. There is still plenty of talent on hand, however, led by SCSU commits Ben Troumbly and Christian Miller. Logan Wright also returns between the pipes after stepping up as the starter during the playoff run.
Schedule: 11/26 vs Virginia, 11/29 vs Ely, 11/30 vs Minnetonka
9. Alexandria (20-6-0, 6A finalist)
A year after making their own surprise run to the state championship game, the Cardinals could not overcome rival SCC to return to St. Paul. Alex suffers some major losses up front in the form of Ben Doherty and Jack Westlund. Goaltender Bailey Rosch also graduates after stepping up nicely in his final year. Still, the cupboard is far from bare, as senior playmaker Caleb Strong (17G, 27A) is back up front, and four defensemen return. Given the depth of Alexandria's system, it is foolish to count them out, though this may be a rebuilding year by their high standards. The Cardinals start out with three tough road games against similarly ranked foes, including an important 6A game.
Schedule: 11/22 @ Delano, 11/23 @ Orono, 11/26 @ Little Falls
10. Orono (18-10-0, 2A finalist)
The Spartans return the bulk of their scoring punch from last season, led by senior Zack Simon. Also back is capable senior backstop Finn Grandy, who started all three section playoff games and posted a .915 save percentage for the year. The defensive corps suffered heavy graduation losses, but if that issue can be shored up, then Orono looks to be the favorite again in 2A. The schedule starts out with a bang, with the Spartans hosting two highly ranked opponents during the opening weekend, before settling into a more manageable groove.
Schedule: 11/22 vs EGF, 11/23 vs Alexandria, 11/26 @ Monticello, vs Minneapolis
Next 10:
11. Duluth Denfeld (14-9-3, 7A semifinalist)
12. Mankato East (16-10-1, 1A semifinalist)
13. Delano (19-10-2, State 5th place)
14. Little Falls (13-11-0, 6A quarterfinalist)
15. Tartan (13-12-1, 4AA quarterfinalist)
16. Monticello (17-9-1, 5A semifinalist)
17. Eveleth-Gilbert (12-12-1, 7A quarterfinalist)
18. Sartell (18-8-0, 6A semifinalist)
19. St. Paul Academy (15-13-1, 4A semifinalist)
20. Breck (13-14-1, 2A semifinalist)