Best PageStat Era Class AA Champions

[Stang5280]

Why not start up a separate debate for AA? (I already had this mostly cooked up, but apparently there was some controversy on the Class A thread.) This is a lot more subjective than the Class A side, in part due to the greater parity of top AA teams most seasons. Accordingly, I didn’t set any strict rules and started out by just eyeballing teams that were memorable and/or had stellar records. Here was the initial list of contenders I compiled.

1999 Roseau (27-1-0)
2001 Elk River (29-1-1)
2004 Centennial (30-1-0)
2007 Roseau (28-2)
2008 Hill-Murray (27-3-1)
2009 Eden Prairie (28-3)
2011 Eden Prairie (23-5-2)
2014 Edina (25-4-1)
2015 Lakeville North (31-0)
2018 Minnetonka (27-2-2)
2019 Edina (27-2-1)

From there, I tried to whittle things down by looking at rosters, schedules, and postseason performance. One thing I found jarring was the lack of D1 talent on the earlier championship teams from the list. Even 2004 Centennial, with its historic three-shutout run, basically featured Tom Gorowsky, RJ Anderson, and an otherworldly performance by Stutz in net. The Breck team from that year actually had more high-end talent. It wasn’t until 2008 Hill-Murray where we started to see a larger collection of D1 caliber players. So I knocked off the earlier champions from the list as a preliminary cut.

As Karl and blueblood stated in the other thread, there are three pretty obvious candidates which stand out based on their combination of excellent play and sheer talent: 2014 Edina, 2015 Lakeville North, and 2018 Minnetonka. I won’t do a detailed analysis like on the Class A side, but will just leave things up for debate. Do either of the Eden Prairie teams stack up? Who do you rate as the best overall among this list?

[elliott70]

1999 Roseau Rams

[bardown27]

I’d also throw in the 2010 Skippers team. 1 in PS rankings, 27-2-2, handful of D1 guys. Lost a state championship game after a 4OT semi final win

[Sparlimb]

I’d also throw in the 2010 Skippers team. 1 in PS rankings, 27-2-2, handful of D1 guys. Lost a state championship game after a 4OT semi final win

That semi-final game still stings.

[WestMetro]

If you’re not gonna go back to 1993 Jaguars, then I have to go with 2015 Lakeville north. Just because of the enormity of what they accomplished at 31-0. Also I think they are closing in on 10 division one kids if they haven’t got there already

I probably saw them 4-5 times that year, and then at the state tournament. If I remember right they had a early season one goal win over Edina at a sold out Ames

Their final regular season game was at Shakopee. I went to the game just for the experience of seeing a team go 25-0 in the regular season. Poehling parents left early and were focused on the State Title

[Sparlimb]

93 Jags were the best team I've ever seen in 40 years of watching high school hockey. I watched them absolutely dismantle Moorhead in the Christmas tourney that year and Moorhead was the second best team in the state with a few NHL players themselves. And it was like 8-1.

I'd be remiss, in memory of Neutron, to not mention his 2004 Centennial team which shut out the field at state (finished the season with 1 loss). That was an incredibly good team as well.

[WestMetro]

Yeah , that Centennial 3 shutout title will never be repeated

[Slap Shot]

2010 Tonka.

2019 if Brink had stayed....

[Stang5280]

93 Jags were the best team I've ever seen in 40 years of watching high school hockey. I watched them absolutely dismantle Moorhead in the Christmas tourney that year and Moorhead was the second best team in the state with a few NHL players themselves. And it was like 8-1.

Yeah, there’s not really any argument against 1993 Jefferson being the best team of the two-class era, and perhaps ever. I only was able to catch their section semi and final and state tournament games in person, but those Jags were awe-inspiring to behold. I dug up a stat that Jefferson outscored their opposition 188-30 in 28 games that year, which equates to a 6.71 to 1.07 average. The only opponent to come within one goal was Park Center, which I believe was a 5-4 barn burner, but otherwise the Jags just embarrassed some very good teams throughout the season.

As a related question, does anyone know who finally beat Jefferson in the 93-94 regular season? I am curious to know who broke that streak.

[chester1991]

93 Jags were the best team I've ever seen in 40 years of watching high school hockey. I watched them absolutely dismantle Moorhead in the Christmas tourney that year and Moorhead was the second best team in the state with a few NHL players themselves. And it was like 8-1.

Yeah, there’s not really any argument against 1993 Jefferson being the best team of the two-class era, and perhaps ever. I only was able to catch their section semi and final and state tournament games in person, but those Jags were awe-inspiring to behold. I dug up a stat that Jefferson outscored their opposition 188-30 in 28 games that year, which equates to a 6.71 to 1.07 average. The only opponent to come within one goal was Park Center, which I believe was a 5-4 barn burner, but otherwise the Jags just embarrassed some very good teams throughout the season.

As a related question, does anyone know who finally beat Jefferson in the 93-94 regular season? I am curious to know who broke that streak.

Blake beat them in 1994. Blake was a Class A at that time.

[Stang5280]

As a related question, does anyone know who finally beat Jefferson in the 93-94 regular season? I am curious to know who broke that streak.

Blake beat them in 1994. Blake was a Class A at that time.

Thanks! That was a bit after my high school days, but I probably should have known that one. Blake was very good in 1994, far better than the Breck team that advanced to state, but they flopped in the section final. I believe the Bears’ only regular season loss was to Mahtomedi, who finished third at state.

[chester1991]

As a related question, does anyone know who finally beat Jefferson in the 93-94 regular season? I am curious to know who broke that streak.

Blake beat them in 1994. Blake was a Class A at that time.

Thanks! That was a bit after my high school days, but I probably should have known that one. Blake was very good in 1994, far better than the Breck team that advanced to state, but they flopped in the section final. I believe the Bears’ only regular season loss was to Mahtomedi, who finished third at state.

Minneapolis Edison beat Blake in the section final that year. Edison is the last Minneapolis public school to make the state tourney.

[ozz]

I don't know that it's fair to say there was a jarring lack of D1 talent on those earlier teams. That Centennial team was more than Gorowsky, Anderson, and Stutz. Mike Montgomery played at Duluth. Travis Vermeulen played at St. Lawrence. Ryan Flynn was a sophomore and left after that year for Ann Arbor. Jordan Van Guilder played 2 years in the USHL, played for some good Hamline teams, and was probably D1 caliber.

The top line on that ER team was Trevor Stewart (UConn), Joel Hanson (Mankato), and Kelly Plude (also played 2 years in the USHL and for the same Hamline teams - nobody who watched the '01 tournament would say he wasn't D1 caliber). Barny Birkeland played at Lake State. Chris Nathe played a couple years for Bemidji. Tim Madsen played at Niagara. Brent Solei finished his career as a Gopher. Brandon Longley was a sophomore and left after that year, played 3 years in the USHL, and won 2 national championships at St. Norbert.

Maybe not the D1 stables that these later teams had, but I just thought it was a lot of talent being glossed over pretty quickly.

[Stang5280]

I don't know that it's fair to say there was a jarring lack of D1 talent on those earlier teams. That Centennial team was more than Gorowsky, Anderson, and Stutz. Mike Montgomery played at Duluth. Travis Vermeulen played at St. Lawrence. Ryan Flynn was a sophomore and left after that year for Ann Arbor. Jordan Van Guilder played 2 years in the USHL, played for some good Hamline teams, and was probably D1 caliber.

The top line on that ER team was Trevor Stewart (UConn), Joel Hanson (Mankato), and Kelly Plude (also played 2 years in the USHL and for the same Hamline teams - nobody who watched the '01 tournament would say he wasn't D1 caliber). Barny Birkeland played at Lake State. Chris Nathe played a couple years for Bemidji. Tim Madsen played at Niagara. Brent Solei finished his career as a Gopher. Brandon Longley was a sophomore and left after that year, played 3 years in the USHL, and won 2 national championships at St. Norbert.

Maybe not the D1 stables that these later teams had, but I just thought it was a lot of talent being glossed over pretty quickly.

Thank you for the correction. That was mainly a bad oversight on my part, relying too much on limited internet information from that era. (And I generally know less about AA.) I thought it seemed odd that there was a paucity of college talent on those championship teams you mentioned, and I am glad someone with more knowledge stepped up and set the record straight. I agree that the more recent vintage teams have tended to have greater collections of talent, but obviously the ER, Centennial, etc. group were much better than I presented them as.

[karl(east)]

I have number of D-I players for each state champion from 1987-2015. Haven't pulled numbers on more recent teams since of their players are still in juniors or even HS. Of course, not all D-I players are the same, and some also had great players who didn't play D-I hockey for whatever reason, but it gives you some idea of the overall trends...which, outside of perhaps a brief stretch in the mid-00s, are not trending downward.

1987 Kennedy: 6
1988 Edina: 7
1989 Jefferson: 4
1990 Roseau: 5
1991 Hill-Murray: 6
1992 Jefferson: 7
1993 Jefferson: 10
1994 Jefferson: 9
1995 Duluth East: 8
1996 Apple Valley: 6
1997 Edina: 6
1998 Duluth East: 6
1999 Roseau: 8
2000 Blaine: 5
2001 Elk River: 6
2002 Holy Angels: 8
2003 Anoka: 3
2004 Centennial: 6
2005 Holy Angels: 5
2006 Cretin: 4
2007 Roseau: 5
2008 Hill-Murray: 6
2009 Eden Prairie: 6
2010 Edina: 8
2011 Eden Prairie: 5
2012 Benilde: 8
2013 Edina: 10
2014 Edina: 11
2015 Lakeville North: 9

[WestMetro]

All time record was 1982 Edina?

[karl(east)]

For giggles, here are 2nd place teams from 91-15:

1991 Duluth East: 7
1992 Moorhead: 4
1993 Hill-Murray: 4
1994 Moorhead: 6
1995 Moorhead: 8
1996 Edina: 5
1997 Duluth East: 10
1998 Anoka: 3
1999 Hastings: 4
2000 Duluth East: 4
2001 Moorhead: missing
2002 Hill-Murray: 4
2003 Roseville: 4
2004 Moorhead: 6
2005 Moorhead: 7
2006 Grand Rapids: 2
2007 Grand Rapids: 3
2008 Edina: 8
2009 Moorhead: 1
2010 Minnetonka: 8
2011 Duluth East: 6
2012 Hill-Murray: 7
2013 Hill-Murray: 8
2014 Lakeville North: 8
2015 Duluth East: 2 (with 2 more set to start this winter and a 5th possible)

[DubCHAGuy]

2015 Lakeville North followed closely by 1999 Roseau.
Obviously the 93 Jags if you include them.

2004 Centennial’s 3 shutouts will never be done again. Great team they just weren’t all that exciting to watch.

2001 Elks were dominant but nowhere near as good as the year before when they got upset in the section semi’s. The 2000 Elks and the 2012 Hounds are the 2 best teams I’ve seen not win a title.

[chester1991]

For giggles, here are 2nd place teams from 91-15:

1991 Duluth East: 7
1992 Moorhead: 4
1993 Hill-Murray: 4
1994 Moorhead: 6
1995 Moorhead: 8
1996 Edina: 5
1997 Duluth East: 10
1998 Anoka: 3
1999 Hastings: 4
2000 Duluth East: 4
2001 Moorhead: missing
2002 Hill-Murray: 4
2003 Roseville: 4
2004 Moorhead: 6
2005 Moorhead: 7
2006 Grand Rapids: 2
2007 Grand Rapids: 3
2008 Edina: 8
2009 Moorhead: 1
2010 Minnetonka: 8
2011 Duluth East: 6
2012 Hill-Murray: 7
2013 Hill-Murray: 8
2014 Lakeville North: 8
2015 Duluth East: 2 (with 2 more set to start this winter and a 5th possible)

Great insight!

[Duluthguy]

All time record was 1982 Edina?

This seems to be correct.

There was a thread on this, with the most recent post in 2015:

http://www.ushsho.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=33047

Toward the end of the thread, a list was compiled by Westy (which is probably why his memory is so good on this!):

15 - 1982 Edina (increased from 14)
13 - 1976 Grand Rapids
12 - 1996 Duluth East
12 - 1977 Edina (East)
11- 1975 Grand Rapids
10- 1997 Duluth East
10- 2010 Minnetonka
10- 1993 Jefferson
10- 1986 Edina

Since this list was compiled in 2015, based on info above in this current thread, the 2013 and 2014 Hornets should be added.

Interestingly, of the 9 teams in the 2015 list, 5 did not win the state tournament ('96 DE, '77 EE, '97 DE, '10 Tonka, '86 Edina).

[karl(east)]

All time record was 1982 Edina?

This seems to be correct.

There was a thread on this, with the most recent post in 2015:

http://www.ushsho.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=33047

Toward the end of the thread, a list was compiled by Westy (which is probably why his memory is so good on this!):

15 - 1982 Edina (increased from 14)
13 - 1976 Grand Rapids
12 - 1996 Duluth East
12 - 1977 Edina (East)
11- 1975 Grand Rapids
10- 1997 Duluth East
10- 2010 Minnetonka
10- 1993 Jefferson
10- 1986 Edina

Since this list was compiled in 2015, based on info above in this current thread, the 2013 and 2014 Hornets should be added.

Interestingly, of the 9 teams in the 2015 list, 5 did not win the state tournament ('96 DE, '77 EE, '97 DE, '10 Tonka, '86 Edina).

2015 Edina will also make the list (and the list of those that didn't win it all). Currently sitting at 11, with a 12th set to start D-I this winter as well.

I think they're the only addition to the list from the past few years, though more recent Edina and Tonka teams will certainly bear watching. 2015 STA hit 9 but doesn't appear to have anyone else who might yet go D-I.

[Stang5280]

For giggles, here are 2nd place teams from 91-15:

1991 Duluth East: 7
1992 Moorhead: 4
1993 Hill-Murray: 4
1994 Moorhead: 6
1995 Moorhead: 8
1996 Edina: 5
1997 Duluth East: 10
1998 Anoka: 3
1999 Hastings: 4
2000 Duluth East: 4
2001 Moorhead: missing
2002 Hill-Murray: 4
2003 Roseville: 4
2004 Moorhead: 6
2005 Moorhead: 7
2006 Grand Rapids: 2
2007 Grand Rapids: 3
2008 Edina: 8
2009 Moorhead: 1
2010 Minnetonka: 8
2011 Duluth East: 6
2012 Hill-Murray: 7
2013 Hill-Murray: 8
2014 Lakeville North: 8
2015 Duluth East: 2 (with 2 more set to start this winter and a 5th possible)

If you can trust my research after my stupidity above, it appears that 2001 Moorhead had only two D1 players: Bryan Becker (Air Force) and Mark Buchholz (Findlay briefly). They had a ton of D3 guys, particularly at Concordia, and Scott Bjorklund was all-MIAC all four years at St. John’s.

[SEC Scotty]

93 Jags were the best team I've ever seen in 40 years of watching high school hockey. I watched them absolutely dismantle Moorhead in the Christmas tourney that year and Moorhead was the second best team in the state with a few NHL players themselves. And it was like 8-1.

I'd be remiss, in memory of Neutron, to not mention his 2004 Centennial team which shut out the field at state (finished the season with 1 loss). That was an incredibly good team as well.

Totally agree on the 93 Jaguar team.

[karl(east)]

For giggles, here are 2nd place teams from 91-15:

1991 Duluth East: 7
1992 Moorhead: 4
1993 Hill-Murray: 4
1994 Moorhead: 6
1995 Moorhead: 8
1996 Edina: 5
1997 Duluth East: 10
1998 Anoka: 3
1999 Hastings: 4
2000 Duluth East: 4
2001 Moorhead: missing
2002 Hill-Murray: 4
2003 Roseville: 4
2004 Moorhead: 6
2005 Moorhead: 7
2006 Grand Rapids: 2
2007 Grand Rapids: 3
2008 Edina: 8
2009 Moorhead: 1
2010 Minnetonka: 8
2011 Duluth East: 6
2012 Hill-Murray: 7
2013 Hill-Murray: 8
2014 Lakeville North: 8
2015 Duluth East: 2 (with 2 more set to start this winter and a 5th possible)

If you can trust my research after my stupidity above, it appears that 2001 Moorhead had only two D1 players: Bryan Becker (Air Force) and Mark Buchholz (Findlay briefly). They had a ton of D3 guys, particularly at Concordia, and Scott Bjorklund was all-MIAC all four years at St. John’s.

There we go, thanks! I expected it to be low since that was something of a surprise run by the Spuds, and sure enough. I have rosters for every Tourney team the late 00s on and most of the 90s, but I have this weird hole in the early 00s where the data is incomplete.

[Stang5280]

There we go, thanks! I expected it to be low since that was something of a surprise run by the Spuds, and sure enough. I have rosters for every Tourney team the late 00s on and most of the 90s, but I have this weird hole in the early 00s where the data is incomplete.

Here is a great resource, with rosters for every team since the dawn of the state tournament: https://history.vintagemnhockey.com/pag ... ar-by-year

There is some great information all over that site if you dig around (it isn’t the best layout).