Section 8AA Class AA 20-21

[chester1991]

1) Roseau

2) Moorhead

3) Rogers

4) St Michael Albertville

5) Brainerd

6) St Cloud

7) Bemidji

Buffalo

[Falcon_hockey]

I wouldn't be surprised if Rogers ends up with the 2 seed going into sections next year. They had a top 2 Bantam AA team this past year and there goalie was named Goaltender of the year by YHH. Roseau in my mind is the favorite coming out of section 8.

[elliott70]

I might (might) put Moorhead up,
I think Brainerd my be up,
Bemidji will be better but are still a year or more away from challenging.

[InThePipes]

I might (might) put Moorhead up,
I think Brainerd my be up,
Bemidji will be better but are still a year or more away from challenging.

I like Moorhead over Roseau, but it's close

[defense]

I just want to see another Rams run. Or if Moorhead could break their spell.

[jdh]

I wouldn't be surprised if Rogers ends up with the 2 seed going into sections next year. They had a top 2 Bantam AA team this past year and there goalie was named Goaltender of the year by YHH. Roseau in my mind is the favorite coming out of section 8.

Only losing 7 from this year’s runner up team.

[7TIMECHAMPS]

1) Roseau

2) Moorhead

3) Rogers

4) St Michael Albertville

5) Brainerd

6) St Cloud

7) Bemidji

Buffalo

This is pretty much exactly what I would have. I am tempted to move Brainerd ahead of STMA though. STMA loses most of their high impact players other than the younger Laylin brother. At this point I would almost put the teams into 3 brackets where each could jockey within that bracket but has a smaller chance of jumping outside that bracket. My brackets would look something like this.

A. Roseau, Moorhead, Rogers
B. STMA, Brainerd, St Cloud
C. Bemidji, Buffalo

As far as who wins the section I think the biggest unknown factor is how quickly the very strong bantam classes from Moorhead and Rogers can step in and make an impact. As stated Roseau returns the most (5 of top 6 forwards, top D pair, and starting goaltender) and fared well against Moorhead as bantams. However, Moorhead and Rogers have two of the best sophomore classes in the state coming in. The degree to which those classes can contribute is the biggest unknown factor that influences the ultimate winner. I envision this Moorhead team as being a little different in that they don't have a lot of upper class stars, but with the depth the sophomores will provide can roll lines with virtually no drop in talent. Rogers isn't too far behind but I don't think they quite match Moorhead's depth yet. As always it will be interesting to see how it plays out.

[Goose21]

Looking at returning varsity rosters, Roseau appears to be the preseason favorites. But I wouldn’t be surprised to see Moorhead number one at the end of the season. A senior heavy team kept almost all the sophomore class waiting in the wings on JV. And as mentioned, they bring in a very good Bantam group. I have Rogers at 3 with the potential to challenge for 2.
I trust STMA a little more than St. Cloud and Brainerd. I expect Bemidji to be noticeable better and that moves them out of the basement and ahead of Buffalo.