AA Preseason Rankings 2013-2014

[karl(east)]

Welcome to season six of these rankings. As usual, preseason rankings are a lot of educated guesswork, and all of this gets thrown out the window as soon as we can replace it with actual, on-ice results. Still, last season’s preseason edition had some issues, so I’ve tried to fix that this season. The goal here is constant improvement, so we’ll revisit these in March.

Shameless self-promotion: I’ve launched a hockey-related Twitter account. Here it is: https://twitter.com/KarlEastHockey

As usual, I’ve ranked the top 15, given comments on the next ten, and I have a brief look at every section. The “schedule” is through the end of November; the first in-season rankings will come out December 1. After that, they’ll be out every Sunday of the regular season, with looks at the sections every other week or so. Without further ado:

1. Wayzata
-For the first time in a while, there is no obvious preseason favorite, and the Trojans take the top spot in large part due to their lack of weaknesses. They have a couple of top-end forwards, a very experienced defense, a talented goalie, and one of the deepest feeder programs out there. They also have a coach who did an excellent job of getting everyone to buy into his defensive scheme last season; this season will pose a different challenge, though, as Zimmer and Freytag age into legitimate stars. Do they stick with the defense-first approach that got them to State last year, or do they grow more adventurous now that they have the talent to do so? They have a very busy start to the season; their annual Thanksgiving tournament will pit them against two quality teams, including a possible match-up with Edina, and their road trip to the Duluth area should be a good test as well.
Schedule: Wayzata Turkey Trot—11/22 vs. #12 Maple Grove, 11/23 vs. #4 Edina/Holy Family; 11/26 at Champlin Park, 11/29 at Hermantown, 11/30 at Duluth East

2. Hill-Murray
-After two straight second place finishes, the Pioneers are once again sitting at #2. They are a bit stronger than Wayzata up front, with Mitch Slattery, Willie Brown, and Joey Anderson leading the attack. As usual, they have the depth to match anyone in the state. The defense and goaltending are a bit more unproven, however, so they settle into the second spot for the time being. Consistent effort could be the key to their season, which opens with a test against Burnsville on an unusually early date.
Schedule: 11/21 at #9 Burnsville

3. Benilde-St. Margaret’s
-Besse and friends may be gone, but Benilde still has a lot of talent stockpiled here, and with Spencer Naas and Carter Roo leading the charge, they should once again score plenty of goals. With some good talent on defense, they could be a much more balanced team than last season, though that may require a change in style from the past few years. Teams that fall short with great senior classes often follow that up with a better-than-expected subsequent season as they fly under the radar, so we’ll see if they can stick with that pattern. The Red Knights’ first couple games should allow them to ease into the season.
Schedule: 11/26 vs. Rochester Lourdes, 11/29 at Duluth Denfeld

4. Edina
-The defending champs may have lost a boatload of players, but this is Edina. They still have some quality front-line talent in Dylan Malmquist, Tyler Nanne, and Cullen Munson, and no one out there can match this program’s ability to reload overnight. With a loaded bantam group coming in plus some other players buried on JV due to their depth, Coach Giles will once again have a deep rotation to wear down the opposition. There will probably be some bumps in the road; they don’t return anyone who actually played defense last season, and they’ll need to find the right balance on the lower lines. Still, they’re the 2AA frontrunners until someone beats them. The early schedule is busy and difficult, with four ranked opponents, including a potential clash with Wayzata.
Schedule: Wayzata Turkey Trot—11/22 vs. Holy Family, 11/23 vs. #1 Wayzata/#12 Maple Grove; 11/26 vs. #13 Centennial, 11/30 at #8 Elk River

5. Blaine
-The Bengals probably have the strongest senior class of any team in the state, and have depth and experience at every position. There’s a good argument for putting them higher, but it’s been a while since a Bengal playoff run ended on a positive note, with several upsets and ugly losses in recent years. The talent is there, but they need to assert themselves and deliver some results. The Bengals head north to start the season, where they’ll play two teams with at least some chance at an upset.
Schedule: 11/29 at Roseau, 11/30 at Moorhead

6. Eden Prairie
-The Eagles are a talented team at every position, with two legitimate Mr. Hockey candidates in Steven Spinner and Luc Snuggerud and a decent supporting cast. Still, it’s worth remembering that this team, while competitive with many of the state’s best last season, was a stride behind from start to finish. They need to show they have the depth of their rivals in the Lake Conference and 6AA, and while this program is probably strong enough for them to do that, they do have more question marks in that part of their roster than the five teams above them. Their early schedule is not overly demanding.
Schedule: 11/26 vs. Osseo

7. St. Thomas Academy
-The Cadets are set to make their debut in the big leagues, and they’ve got one of the state’s best players in Tommy Novak to help them do it. Like Edina, they lose a whole bunch of players off a championship team, but when it comes to attracting talent and building a strong private school program, they are right on the heels of Hill and Benilde. The biggest question is probably one of how they’ll hold up in the playoffs against deeper, more defensive opponents—teams they didn’t see too often in Class A. They kick off their season with a bunch of games against private schools, and the opener against Duluth Marshall could be a good one.
Schedule: 11/23 vs. Duluth Marshall, 11/30 vs. Holy Angels

8. Elk River
-The Elks have the look of a well-balanced squad, with a very deep group of forwards returning and a strong goaltender in Maclean Berglove. If there’s a weakness, it’s on defense, but it isn’t a glaring one, and they look to be the sort of team that can grind opponents into submission. It’s a golden opportunity for this program to get back to State; for all their success, they haven’t gone since 2005. A home game against Edina will be a great season opener.
Schedule: 11/30 vs. #4 Edina

9. Burnsville
-The Blaze have a solid one-two punch in Brock Boeser and Cole Borchardt, and this deep program has a healthy core of returning forwards. However, they’ve shown a repeated inability to get over the hump in the 2AA title game, and with a couple of key early departures, they may have lost their best shot to get past Edina. Still, there is enough top-end talent here to give the Hornets a good run, and if they can find a good goaltender and some depth on defense, they’ll be right up there with all of the other state title contenders. They open with a tough test against Hill before settling into some South Suburban action.
Schedule: 11/21 vs. #2 Hill-Murray, 11/26 vs. Rosemount, 11/30 at Lakeville North

10. White Bear Lake
-The Bears are a bit younger than the group of teams ahead of them, but there is a respectable amount of experience here, and Jake Wahlin headlines a team that should be a solid favorite in the Suburban East Conference. They have talent at every position; the eternal question is whether there’s enough to bring down Hill, and while their odds may not be great, they are better than usual. The Bears have a relatively soft December schedule, with the opening week battle with Lakeville South being the first test of any magnitude.
Schedule: 11/23 vs. Woodbury, 11/30 vs. Lakeville South

11. Prior Lake
-It’s hard to know what to do with the Lakers. They don’t have any household names, but they do return a number of effective forwards. They have a very successful youth program feeding in, and they’ve been hovering on the brink of a breakout for the past two seasons. Can this be the year they finally turn some heads, or are they still going to be stuck in the shadows of Burnsville and Edina? They only have one November game, and they should win it.
Schedule: 11/30 vs. Chanhassen

12. Maple Grove
-After a tumultuous season, the Crimson regroup with a good group of forwards who will carry the scoring load and a deep program that should be able to fill out most of the holes in the lineup. They don’t quite have the experience of their two 5AA rivals, though, particularly on defense. They start the season with a serious challenge in the Wayzata Turkey Trot, taking on the state’s top-ranked team in the opener and a capable opponent in the second game.
Schedule: Wayzata Turkey Trot—11/22 vs. #1 Wayzata, 11/23 vs. #4 Edina/Holy Family

13. Centennial
-I’m of two minds on the Cougars. On the one hand, I think they overachieved somewhat during the regular season last year; they also went two-and-out at State, and their most dangerous 5AA rival was upset in the semifinals. The goaltender who carried them at times is gone, as are two members of their prolific top line. Still, they do have Ryner Gorowsky and a lot of last season’s supporting cast back in the fold. This program is no slouch, and second-year Coach Ritch Menne sure looked like he knew what he was doing last season. I’ll take the middle ground on the Cougars, and we’ll see if the season opener against Edina gives us any more clues.
Schedule: 11/26 at #4 Edina

14. Eagan
-Like a number of teams in this part of the rankings, the Wildcats are not especially deep, but their top unit, which includes talented defensemen Nick Wolff and Tommy Muck, should give them a fighting chance against most teams. Combine that with junior goaltender Andrew Lindgren and this program’s tendency to get a lot out of their less talented players than others, and they’ll have a decent shot at avenging last season’s section title game loss. The Wildcats are at home for the first three weeks of the season, with Lakeville South offering the first decent test.
Schedule: 11/26 vs. Lakeville South, 11/30 vs. Farmington

15. Minnetonka
-No team lost as much as to graduation as the Skippers did, and there are question marks up and down the lineup for the defending Lake Conference champs. They do have some real assests, though: a strong goaltender, a D-I defenseman, a quality transfer at forward, and a reliable feeder program. Like Eagan, the Skippers tend to get a lot out of the players they have, at least during the regular season. The first few games aren’t overly challenging, which should allow them to ease in all of the new players.
Schedule: 11/26 vs. Anoka, 11/29 at Hibbing

The Next Ten

Duluth East
-The Hounds lost an awful lot of scoring from last year’s squad, but their defense, led by Phil Beaulieu, should once again be good enough to keep them in most games against top teams. Like Minnetonka, they’ll likely take their lumps in the early going, but the program is still reasonably deep, and the Hounds have a lot of inertia on their side. Goaltending is their biggest question mark. After a warm-up in Cambridge, they’ll face the team they beat for 3rd place last year under very different circumstances.

Holy Family
-The Fire return a bunch of young, talented players and should have a very good top unit and strong goaltending. They fail to make the top 15, however, due to their lack of proven depth; for all the talent here, they were thumped by Eden Prairie in Sections last year, and losing Gersich can’t help, either. There is potential here, but they need a big win or two before they make the leap. They have improved their strength of schedule this season, which will help us get a better handle on some of those impressive statistics they put up in Wright County Conference play, and may better prepare them for some playoff success, too. They start out in the Wayzata Turkey Trot before a bunch of games against private schools.

Eastview
-Last season’s surprise 3AA champions return a decent number of players, most importantly goaltender Zach Driscoll and a bunch of experienced defensemen. The offensive output may be a concern, and it’s hard to say if there’s a much help on the horizon in this upstart program, but if they stick to their strengths, a repeat isn’t out of the question. They open against Lakeville North and East Ridge, two decent teams that will tell us if the Lightning belong in the top 20 or not.

Roseau
-There’s no doubting the Rams’ top-end talent, with Zach Yon, Alex Strand, and Cole Bjugson leading the way. The issue in recent years has been their depth, though, and they’ll need to find some people to take at least some of the burden off those top few players. The pieces are certainly there for a 34th State Tournament berth, but I’ve been expecting a breakout from this program for the past few years, and it hasn’t quite happened yet. An early test against a deep Blaine team will be instructive.

Grand Rapids
-After star Avery Peterson, the Thunderhawks have a very inexperienced squad. Even so, there are a bunch of talented young forwards to add to the mix, and with an excellent goaltender in Hunter Shepard, they’re a contender in 7AA. Defense is going to be the biggest concern for first-year coach John Rothstein. Their Nov. 30 game against Forest Lake is an important early game for section placement.

Cretin-Derham Hall
-Like section rival Eastview, the Raiders are strongest in back, where they return a bunch of defensemen and their goalie. They were hovering in contention for most of last season before being dumped in the section quarterfinals, and if they can develop some depth on offense, they’ll be in good shape for a run through 3AA. They open against Mahtomedi on Nov. 30.

Lakeville North
-The defending 1AA champ returns a fairly deep group, and while there isn’t much in the way of overwhelming talent here, they don’t have any obvious weaknesses, either. They won’t be a thrilling team, but they should be able to hang with most of the other good teams they play, and in 1AA, that’s often enough to earn a State Tournament berth. The early schedule isn’t easy, with Eastview and Burnsville up in the first week.

Brainerd
-After two consecutive 8AA title game losses, this is the year for the Warriors to take the next step. Their prolific top line returns intact, along with defenseman Chris Pohlkamp; they do have some holes to fill in goal and beyond their one top defenseman. With by far the weakest schedule of any ranked team, the Warriors have a chance to be one of the last undefeated teams and build up a very impressive record.

Bloomington Jefferson
-The Jaguars lose a lot from a team that came close to beating Edina in sections last year, though they do have a handful of top-end players, and the program is strong enough that they’re not going to fall off a cliff. They are the only top 2AA team with a returning goalie, which could help them steal a game in sections. They open against two mid-level teams, East Ridge and Cloquet.

Lakeville South
-The Cougars have more in the way of front-end forward talent than their crosstown rival North, but they aren’t nearly as deep, so I have them behind the Panthers for now, as depth usually seems to win out over thin teams with star power. That said, the gap between the two is small, and it would hardly be an upset for South to head back to State. They’ve tended to be on the wrong end of the Lakeville rivalry of late, however. Their first five games are against top 15 teams, which might make for an ugly start.

Watch list: Stillwater, Forest Lake, Moorhead, Rosemount, East Ridge, Andover

Section Previews

1AA
(22) Lakeville North
(25) Lakeville South
Farmington
Rochester Mayo
Key games: 12/7 Farmington at Rochester Mayo, 12/17 Lakeville South at Lakeville North, 1/28 Rochester Mayo at Lakeville South, 2/1 Lakeville North at Lakeville South

-As has been the case for a while now, the Lakevilles are the frontrunners here, and they look as evenly matched as they’ve ever been. The team to really watch, though, is Farmington, which has had some good youth teams and returns a lot of talent, bitter goalies notwithstanding. Rochester Mayo also returns a healthy core from a team that nabbed the 2-seed last season, but they have a ways to go before they close the gap with their suburban rivals. Farmington plays all three Rochesters in the early going, which could help sort out some of the seeding.

2AA
4 Edina
9 Burnsville
11 Prior Lake
(24) Bloomington Jefferson

-The order might look very familiar, but Edina had enough turnover that the other teams have a decent shot at them in the playoffs. For once, Burnsville may be able to match the Hornets’ depth, though they aren’t without their weaknesses. The wild card in this section is Prior Lake; can they jump up with the top two and make this a very tight race, or will they remain an interesting outsider? It wouldn’t be beyond Jefferson’s ability to pull an upset, either.
Key games: 12/3 Prior Lake at Edina, 12/21 Prior Lake at Burnsville, 1/2 Edina at Burnsville, 1/7 Burnsville at Jefferson, 1/9 Jefferson at Prior Lake, 1/21 Prior Lake at Jefferson, 2/6 Burnsville at Prior Lake, 2/8 Jefferson at Burnsville

3AA
7 St. Thomas Academy
14 Eagan
(18) Eastview
(21) Cretin-Derham Hall
East Ridge
Rosemount

-The addition of St. Thomas to 3AA gives this section an immediate new frontrunner, and also strengthens a section that otherwise would have been down a bit. Eagan still has enough of the core from their fine run over the past three years to have a shot at the top, and there’s a fairly crowded tier of teams beyond that, too. We already know Eastview has enough to win it, Cretin looks decent and has the rivalry factor with St. Thomas, East Ridge could make some noise, and a rising Rosemount program might be ready to take the next step.
Key games: 11/30 East Ridge at Eastview, 12/10 Eagan at Rosemount, 12/23 Eagan at Cretin, 1/7 Eastview at Rosemount, 1/11 Eagan at Eastview, 1/25 Eagan at Rosemount, 1/28 St. Thomas at Cretin, 2/8 Rosemount at Eastview, 2/11 Eastview at Eagan

4AA
2 Hill-Murray
10 White Bear Lake
Stillwater

-While teams rise and fall in all the other sections, this one hardly ever seems to change. The gap between Hill and White Bear is smaller than it has been in a while, though the Bears still have to prove they have the depth to handle the Pioneers. The annual Hill-White Bear meeting is later than usual this season, which might be a good thing for White Bear, as they almost always perform better in this rivalry in the playoffs than they have in December. This is a thin section beyond those top two; it’s worth watching Stillwater to see if they can finally build on their good youth teams in the post-Housley era, and Roseville will probably be somewhere in the mix as usual.
Key games: 12/19 White Bear at Stillwater, 1/16 White Bear at Hill-Murray, 1/30 Stillwater at White Bear

5AA
5 Blaine
12 Maple Grove
13 Centennial

-This section has the makings of a pretty good three-team race; Blaine may have the most horses in the stable, but Centennial and Maple Grove are well within striking distance. Beyond the big three, Champlin Park returns a decent amount of last season’s surprise section finalist, though they’ll miss their goalie, and Anoka has a netminder who could steal a few games. Worth mentioning: 5AA has not won a State Tournament game since 2009. Every other section (even 1AA!) has at least four Tourney wins over that time period.
Key section games: 12/7 Centennial at Blaine, 12/19 Centennial at Maple Grove, 12/26 Blaine vs. Maple Grove, 1/23 Maple Grove at Centennial, 2/1 Blaine at Centennial, 2/15 Maple Grove at Blaine

6AA
1 Wayzata
3 Benilde-St. Margaret’s
6 Eden Prairie
15 Minnetonka
(17) Holy Family

-As usual, this is the state’s toughest section, and even though Wayzata is #1, that guarantees nothing: 6AA hasn’t had a repeat champion since the mid-1990s. At the moment I’d call it a three-team race, with Holy Family and Minnetonka needing to prove a bit more before we can lump them in with their more battle-tested rivals. There are plenty of games to help sort things out, though most of them are in 2014. In any other section, Hopkins would merit mention as a decent mid-level team, but it’s hard to see them cracking though in this one.
Key section games: 12/21 Minnetonka at Holy Family, 1/2 Benilde at Wayzata, 1/4 Wayzata at Holy Family, 1/11 Benilde at Minnetonka, 1/16 Wayzata at Eden Prairie, 1/18 Eden Prairie at Minnetonka, 1/21 Benilde at Eden Prairie, 1/23 Minnetonka at Wayzata, 2/1 Eden Prairie at Wayzata, 2/6 Minnetonka at Eden Prairie, 2/8 Wayzata at Minnetonka, 2/8 Eden Prairie at Benilde

7AA
8 Elk River
(16) Duluth East
(20) Grand Rapids
Forest Lake

-On paper this is the Elks’ section to lose, but if the two northern powers reload quickly enough, there could be some thrillers in Duluth come February. Forest Lake, which returns a bunch of forwards and has good goaltending, is certainly worth watching. They may not have the standouts of some of the other teams here, but if they can develop some defensemen and a good team concept, they’ll be a legitimate contender. Andover disappointed last season, but they have some good players, and have at least some chance at a rebound year; Cloquet, meanwhile, must overcome a large exodus at the end of last season.
Key section games: 11/30 Forest Lake at Grand Rapids, 12/7 Andover at Elk River, 12/10 Elk River at Duluth East, 12/21 Andover at Duluth East, 12/21 Grand Rapids vs. Elk River, 12/28 Forest Lake at Elk River, 1/2 Andover at Forest Lake, 1/9 Duluth East at Grand Rapids, 1/21 Duluth East at Forest Lake, 2/1 Elk River at Andover

8AA
(19) Roseau
(23) Brainerd
Moorhead

-8AA is a three-team race, and very open for the taking. Brainerd and Roseau are very similar teams, with flashy top lines and a single excellent returning defenseman; I have the Rams ahead of the Warriors because they have experience in goal. Moorhead lost an awful lot of scoring from last season and doesn’t appear as deep as they usually are, but they do have a couple of quality junior defensemen and a good goaltender. If they can generate enough offense, their strength in back could easily lead them back to St. Paul. There’s some good talent in this section, but whoever can get the most out of their lower lines will be in the best shape come February. Bemidji is on the young side, but if enough things come together, the top teams have enough weaknesses that they could crash the party; mid-tier teams like St. Cloud Tech have some chance at an upset, too.
Key section games: 12/10 Roseau at Moorhead, 1/4 Brainerd at Roseau, 1/9 Moorhead at Brainerd, 1/17 Roseau at Brainerd, 1/21 Moorhead at Roseau, 1/30 Brainerd at Moorhead

This has the potential to be a changing-of-the-guard sort of year. We’ve seen an awful lot of Edina, Hill-Murray, Duluth East, and Moorhead in recent State Tournaments, yet they all are facing their biggest challenges in years. There is no single AA team that looks capable of blowing the rest out of the water or threatening to have an undefeated season. I don’t think there is any clear reason for this: it’s just a well-balanced year. That should make for an exciting—and chaotic—season in AA. We’ll do our best to sort it out every week here, so let’s get the discussion going.

[C-dad]

Minor point of correction. Roo for BSM is Carter Roo, not T.J.

[karl(east)]

Minor point of correction. Roo for BSM is Carter Roo, not T.J.

Of course there had to be something somewhere. Thanks--I fixed it.

[east hockey]

The Cadets are set to make their debut in the big leagues

I like how you phrased that.

Lee

[almostashappy]

Doubling down on ranking Burnsville and Prior Lake ahead of Eagan in your pre-season poll? Worked so well last year...

Thanks for the extensive, informative and entertaining post. Minor typo...Eastview second key game is against East Ridge, rather than "Eastview". It's also a "home" game at Eagan Civic Arena.

[bemused]

The Cadets are set to make their debut in the big leagues

I like how you phrased that.

Lee

Not as much as I'm going to enjoy watching Elk River at the
X this year!

[karl(east)]

Doubling down on ranking Burnsville and Prior Lake ahead of Eagan in your pre-season poll? Worked so well last year...

Thanks for the extensive, informative and entertaining post. Minor typo...Eastview second key game is against East Ridge, rather than "Eastview". It's also a "home" game at Eagan Civic Arena.

Thanks again. Too many Easts out there.

If you have any interest in the work that goes into these, here's a description: http://apatientcycle.com/2013/11/13/pre ... and-bolts/

[almostashappy]

Doubling down on ranking Burnsville and Prior Lake ahead of Eagan in your pre-season poll? Worked so well last year...

Thanks for the extensive, informative and entertaining post. Minor typo...Eastview second key game is against East Ridge, rather than "Eastview". It's also a "home" game at Eagan Civic Arena.

Thanks again. Too many Easts out there.

If you have any interest in the work that goes into these, here's a description: http://apatientcycle.com/2013/11/13/pre ... and-bolts/

Nice link...who knew that it leads to a blog that is as informative about Duluth City politics as high school hockey?

It didn't look like you tweaked your formula this year...did I miss something? And it's nice to see that while looking at Bantam rankings for the different year-classes that you take account of imports and freshmen who played in the high school program. It's too easy just to look up past years' youth hockey rankings and blindly extrapolate.

[hshockeyfan8]

Heard today that Willie Brown has been kicked off of Hill and will be playing for Tartan this season. Does this effect their ranking at all?

[karl(east)]

Nice link...who knew that it leads to a blog that is as informative about Duluth City politics as high school hockey?

It didn't look like you tweaked your formula this year...did I miss something? And it's nice to see that while looking at Bantam rankings for the different year-classes that you take account of imports and freshmen who played in the high school program. It's too easy just to look up past years' youth hockey rankings and blindly extrapolate.

I have diverse interests. Or maybe just too much free time. But someone has to keep those politicians in line and make sure they're not closing the neighborhood rinks.

There weren't any real changes in method this year, though I did try to do a better job of keeping up on transfers and so on--that's what led to to underrate Eagan so badly last year, for example. I also put a little less emphasis on Elite League selections, which I think misled me on teams like Cloquet last season.

But yes, after going to East and watching people around the program have inflated expectations for the Hounds based on the results of youth teams that often had a few players go to Marshall and maybe one or two leave early--I'm sensitive to the changes that can happen between bantams and high school.

Heard today that Willie Brown has been kicked off of Hill and will be playing for Tartan this season. Does this effect their ranking at all?

If true, it might drop Hill a little. I'd have to go back and reassess. And for that matter, it might be enough to put Tartan on the bubble, too.

[thespellchecker]

Will a suspension need to be served ?

[hshockeyfan8]

Will a suspension need to be served ?

Would be surprised if they get past it with the private to public claim. All of a sudden after 3 years, his parents probably won't be able to pay tuition.

[Pioneerprideguy]

Heard today that Willie Brown has been kicked off of Hill and will be playing for Tartan this season. Does this effect their ranking at all?

Wille has been on a short leash with Lechner since last year and the decision was made pretty easy recently. I'm sure Lechner views it as addition by subtraction. The gap between HM & White Bear just became even smaller.

[koolio]

Is there a family move into the Tartan HS District in the works? No Move = No Eligibility in conjunction with transfer.

[BP]

Is there a family move into the Tartan HS District in the works? No Move = No Eligibility in conjunction with transfer.

Might be better off heading to USHL or NAHL if he can.

[green4]

4. Edina
-The defending champs may have lost a boatload of players, but this is Edina. They still have some quality front-line talent in Dylan Malmquist, Tyler Nanne, and Cullen Munson, and no one out there can match this program’s ability to reload overnight. With a loaded bantam group coming in plus some other players buried on JV due to their depth, Coach Giles will once again have a deep rotation to wear down the opposition. There will probably be some bumps in the road; they don’t return anyone who actually played defense last season, and they’ll need to find the right balance on the lower lines. Still, they’re the 2AA frontrunners until someone beats them. The early schedule is busy and difficult, with four ranked opponents, including a potential clash with Wayzata.
Schedule: Wayzata Turkey Trot—11/22 vs. Holy Family, 11/23 vs. #1 Wayzata/#12 Maple Grove; 11/26 vs. #13 Centennial, 11/30 at #8 Elk River

Just a quick correction they do still return #3 Ben Foley who will be a Junior this year. Played with Reno a lot but by state time he was down on the 3rd pairing. and depending on what Giles does this year with incoming players, Nanne can still play defense like he did in the tournament and parts of last year.
Good read Karl!

[pioneers]

Heard today that Willie Brown has been kicked off of Hill and will be playing for Tartan this season. Does this effect their ranking at all?

Doubt he could play being it would be a transfer during the school year.

[almostashappy]

Heard today that Willie Brown has been kicked off of Hill and will be playing for Tartan this season. Does this effect their ranking at all?

Doubt he could play being it would be a transfer during the school year.

As obliquely noted above, he could play if his family is granted an economic hardship exemption to the transfer rules. The idea behind this exemption is that a kid shouldn't be penalized if his family can no longer afford to pay private school tuition.

Which raises the question....does H-M allow families to pay in monthly installments, or is it an SSM situation (all tuition and fees due before hockey tryouts).

[Slammer]

Love the rankings. Nice work

[bsubeaver94]

Sad day for true Hill fans with Willie Brown leaving.. New site SlapShots.com launching next week had full story on their beta website which is now down during pre-launch transition..I love the addition by subtraction comment by someone here on Forum. Shows ultimate ignorance.

HILL MURAY. Willie Brown . The misinformation here is saddening. Plus , as Loren Nelson just said in Encylopedia - Hill will take state based on upper echelon talent of Mitch Slattery, Willie Brown and Joey Anderson, - didnt mention anything else about team said that was 'more than enough to take home ultimate prize'. While Section 4AA preview said "..No better trio than Willie Brown, Mitch Slattery & super-frosh Joey Anderson. The Encyclopedia also had Willie as "Hardest Shot in State" so how is that addition by subtraction again? Ask Joey A if that's true. Willie and Joey were a thing of beauty to watch in last 10 games of season last year and through sectionals as well..Same with Joey, Willie and Tommy Novak in Elite League's CCM IIT (MN White) semi & championship game wins last month. Sad day for true Hill fans who've watched Brown since he played on 1st line with Guentzel and Lavalle as Soph, netting 17 in reg. season and helping them upset MGrove & get to Finals...

Willie Brown was not kicked off team and no suspension would need to be served if he went to public school - and he would go to WBL with Wahlin & co before Tartan, (and to whoever asked, Hill charges monthly so he could easily go hardship transfer)- But after another negative interaction with Lechner word is he is headed to Juniors - which he was on fence about before season anyways (was drafted in USHL draft last year by SF - and coincidentally one spot ahead of Slattery and 11 spots after Joey - Point being this was a very special trio of players who are all super talented). However, seeing Lechners true colors again (pats you on back with a knife) apparently made it a fairly easy decision. We'll miss #17 blowing that snapshot past goalies this year.. Good luck Willie.. I hope he doesnt end up at WBL as Hill will already have a challenge getting by the Bears - as usual - without 'Wahlin & Willie' (Sorry, old country music ref - 'waylen & willie and the boys' - hope thats all it is).

[Bluewhitefan]

- But after another negative interaction with Lechner

Probably where the "addition by subtraction" comment came from. Kids that can't get along with the coach can be a major distraction. Good luck to him.

[Pioneerprideguy]

"Addition by subtraction" is primarily based on the incident last year involving tweets Willie & his mother made. That didn't go over well in Lechner's world. Not questioning the young man's talent, but it appeared an alternative place to play hockey would serve everyone's best interest. He now becomes a former Pioneer & I wish him & his family nothing but the best.

[Sk8 Str8]

bsubeaver/Granttenn/WallyWorld/BogeyMan/Mr Brown/Mrs Brown/Everybody else that lives in the house...

Sad day for true Hill fans with Willie Brown leaving.. New site SlapShots.com launching next week had full story on their beta website which is now down during pre-launch transition..I love the addition by subtraction comment by someone here on Forum. Shows ultimate ignorance.

HILL MURAY. Willie Brown . The misinformation here is saddening. Plus , as Loren Nelson just said in Encylopedia - Hill will take state based on upper echelon talent of Mitch Slattery, Willie Brown and Joey Anderson, - didnt mention anything else about team said that was 'more than enough to take home ultimate prize'. While Section 4AA preview said "..No better trio than Willie Brown, Mitch Slattery & super-frosh Joey Anderson. The Encyclopedia also had Willie as "Hardest Shot in State" so how is that addition by subtraction again? Ask Joey A if that's true. Willie and Joey were a thing of beauty to watch in last 10 games of season last year and through sectionals as well..Same with Joey, Willie and Tommy Novak in Elite League's CCM IIT (MN White) semi & championship game wins last month. Sad day for true Hill fans who've watched Brown since he played on 1st line with Guentzel and Lavalle as Soph, netting 17 in reg. season and helping them upset MGrove & get to Finals...

Willie Brown was not kicked off team and no suspension would need to be served if he went to public school - and he would go to WBL with Wahlin & co before Tartan, (and to whoever asked, Hill charges monthly so he could easily go hardship transfer)- But after another negative interaction with Lechner word is he is headed to Juniors - which he was on fence about before season anyways (was drafted in USHL draft last year by SF - and coincidentally one spot ahead of Slattery and 11 spots after Joey - Point being this was a very special trio of players who are all super talented). However, seeing Lechners true colors again (pats you on back with a knife) apparently made it a fairly easy decision. We'll miss #17 blowing that snapshot past goalies this year.. Good luck Willie.. I hope he doesnt end up at WBL as Hill will already have a challenge getting by the Bears - as usual - without 'Wahlin & Willie' (Sorry, old country music ref - 'waylen & willie and the boys' - hope thats all it is).

The shameless self promotion is comical. Clear up the misinformation...what is the true story...are we to believe the day before tryouts he quit because he did not like the coach, but has no backup plan or MJ team ready to bite?

Will you move to the Juniors forum if he can get a roster spot with the TC Steel?

[BodyShots]

Heard today that Willie Brown has been kicked off of Hill and will be playing for Tartan this season. Does this effect their ranking at all?

Doubt he could play being it would be a transfer during the school year.

As obliquely noted above, he could play if his family is granted an economic hardship exemption to the transfer rules. The idea behind this exemption is that a kid shouldn't be penalized if his family can no longer afford to pay private school tuition.

Which raises the question....does H-M allow families to pay in monthly installments, or is it an SSM situation (all tuition and fees due before hockey tryouts).

Love it. NOT due before school starts, but when hockey tryouts begin.

Only in PIONEER land!

[BodyShots]

bsubeaver/Granttenn/WallyWorld/BogeyMan/Mr Brown/Mrs Brown/Everybody else that lives in the house...

Sad day for true Hill fans with Willie Brown leaving.. New site SlapShots.com launching next week had full story on their beta website which is now down during pre-launch transition..I love the addition by subtraction comment by someone here on Forum. Shows ultimate ignorance.

HILL MURAY. Willie Brown . The misinformation here is saddening. Plus , as Loren Nelson just said in Encylopedia - Hill will take state based on upper echelon talent of Mitch Slattery, Willie Brown and Joey Anderson, - didnt mention anything else about team said that was 'more than enough to take home ultimate prize'. While Section 4AA preview said "..No better trio than Willie Brown, Mitch Slattery & super-frosh Joey Anderson. The Encyclopedia also had Willie as "Hardest Shot in State" so how is that addition by subtraction again? Ask Joey A if that's true. Willie and Joey were a thing of beauty to watch in last 10 games of season last year and through sectionals as well..Same with Joey, Willie and Tommy Novak in Elite League's CCM IIT (MN White) semi & championship game wins last month. Sad day for true Hill fans who've watched Brown since he played on 1st line with Guentzel and Lavalle as Soph, netting 17 in reg. season and helping them upset MGrove & get to Finals...

Willie Brown was not kicked off team and no suspension would need to be served if he went to public school - and he would go to WBL with Wahlin & co before Tartan, (and to whoever asked, Hill charges monthly so he could easily go hardship transfer)- But after another negative interaction with Lechner word is he is headed to Juniors - which he was on fence about before season anyways (was drafted in USHL draft last year by SF - and coincidentally one spot ahead of Slattery and 11 spots after Joey - Point being this was a very special trio of players who are all super talented). However, seeing Lechners true colors again (pats you on back with a knife) apparently made it a fairly easy decision. We'll miss #17 blowing that snapshot past goalies this year.. Good luck Willie.. I hope he doesnt end up at WBL as Hill will already have a challenge getting by the Bears - as usual - without 'Wahlin & Willie' (Sorry, old country music ref - 'waylen & willie and the boys' - hope thats all it is).

The shameless self promotion is comical. Clear up the misinformation...what is the true story...are we to believe the day before tryouts he quit because he did not like the coach, but has no backup plan or MJ team ready to bite?

Will you move to the Juniors forum if he can get a roster spot with the TC Steel?

I miss WallyWorld. Or is it Wally's World