Section 7AA 2015-16

The Latest 400 or so Topics

Moderators: Mitch Hawker, east hockey, karl(east)

Post Reply
TheHockeyDJ
Posts: 2245
Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2007 8:41 am
Location: Orange County, California
Contact:

Section 7AA 2015-16

Post by TheHockeyDJ » Wed Aug 12, 2015 8:33 am

General consensus out there has East, Rapids, and Elk River as top 10 teams this year. Anyone think Duluth Marshall or another 7AA team can compete with them for a top 3 seed this year?
YouTube.com/BarbellMedicine

kniven
Posts: 2978
Joined: Sun Feb 20, 2011 3:40 pm
Location: Duluth area

Re: Section 7AA 2015-16

Post by kniven » Wed Aug 12, 2015 10:35 am

TheHockeyDJ wrote:General consensus out there has East, Rapids, and Elk River as top 10 teams this year. Anyone think Duluth Marshall or another 7AA team can compete with them for a top 3 seed this year?
It will be another dog fight! 7AA is quite a section. The rivalries, competition, and skill is pretty awesome :)

ThePuckStopsHere
Posts: 418
Joined: Fri Feb 06, 2009 12:09 pm

Re: Section 7AA 2015-16

Post by ThePuckStopsHere » Wed Aug 12, 2015 2:35 pm

kniven wrote:
TheHockeyDJ wrote:General consensus out there has East, Rapids, and Elk River as top 10 teams this year. Anyone think Duluth Marshall or another 7AA team can compete with them for a top 3 seed this year?
It will be another dog fight! 7AA is quite a section. The rivalries, competition, and skill is pretty awesome :)
I wouldn't count on the Elk's as a Top 10 team, that is if they even have a team. Rink talk has half the players trying to find other teams to play on. As much as I disliked that group through the youth years sad to see what's going on.

alcloseshaver
Posts: 1494
Joined: Mon Dec 17, 2012 9:29 am
Location: Met Center Press Box

Post by alcloseshaver » Wed Aug 12, 2015 2:45 pm

Lot's of rink talk this time of year, which is just rink talk...

kniven
Posts: 2978
Joined: Sun Feb 20, 2011 3:40 pm
Location: Duluth area

Re: Section 7AA 2015-16

Post by kniven » Wed Aug 12, 2015 3:24 pm

TheHockeyDJ wrote:General consensus out there has East, Rapids, and Elk River as top 10 teams this year. Anyone think Duluth Marshall or another 7AA team can compete with them for a top 3 seed this year?
what publication, internet or other, has the first pre-season rankings? if you know, would you place the link here. thanks

CornerBar
Posts: 104
Joined: Sat Jul 25, 2015 1:32 am

Post by CornerBar » Wed Aug 12, 2015 3:43 pm

Highly doubt that Duluth Marshall will contend for the state tournament, barring any major transfers. Just too deep of a section this year. Give them a few more years and they will be back at the X

rainier
Posts: 1599
Joined: Sat Feb 26, 2011 10:30 pm
Location: Earth

Post by rainier » Wed Aug 12, 2015 5:20 pm

CornerBar wrote:Highly doubt that Duluth Marshall will contend for the state tournament, barring any major transfers. Just too deep of a section this year. Give them a few more years and they will be back at the X
I think Marshall will have a very good D corps, but their offensive talent will be mostly underclassmen and their goalie is unproven. I'd be shocked if they were any higher than the 4 seed come playoff time.

GPGT
Posts: 278
Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2012 8:24 pm

Post by GPGT » Wed Aug 12, 2015 11:16 pm

How does DUluth East look this year? Any new players, or transfers? Like the past few years, I'm guessing some big time scoring will not be seen?

CornerBar
Posts: 104
Joined: Sat Jul 25, 2015 1:32 am

Post by CornerBar » Thu Aug 13, 2015 1:10 pm

rainier wrote:
CornerBar wrote:Highly doubt that Duluth Marshall will contend for the state tournament, barring any major transfers. Just too deep of a section this year. Give them a few more years and they will be back at the X
I think Marshall will have a very good D corps, but their offensive talent will be mostly underclassmen and their goalie is unproven. I'd be shocked if they were any higher than the 4 seed come playoff time.
Agreed, East Grand Rapids, and Elk River will probably be the top 3 seeds. Maybe one of them will slip up but regardless Marshall won't be able to beat 2 of those teams in a row to get to the X.

kniven
Posts: 2978
Joined: Sun Feb 20, 2011 3:40 pm
Location: Duluth area

Post by kniven » Thu Aug 13, 2015 2:53 pm

CornerBar wrote:
rainier wrote:
CornerBar wrote:Highly doubt that Duluth Marshall will contend for the state tournament, barring any major transfers. Just too deep of a section this year. Give them a few more years and they will be back at the X
I think Marshall will have a very good D corps, but their offensive talent will be mostly underclassmen and their goalie is unproven. I'd be shocked if they were any higher than the 4 seed come playoff time.
Agreed, East Grand Rapids, and Elk River will probably be the top 3 seeds. Maybe one of them will slip up but regardless Marshall won't be able to beat 2 of those teams in a row to get to the X.
And CEC gets 2 cracks at Grand Rapids and Duluth East every year during the regular season. I am looking forward to the challenge :)

observer
Posts: 2225
Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2008 8:45 pm

Post by observer » Thu Aug 13, 2015 3:27 pm

What's the problem in ER?
And, where would a cocky player (dad) go?

CCM68
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2015 4:37 pm

Re: Section 7AA 2015-16

Post by CCM68 » Fri Aug 14, 2015 12:38 am

ThePuckStopsHere wrote:
kniven wrote:
TheHockeyDJ wrote:General consensus out there has East, Rapids, and Elk River as top 10 teams this year. Anyone think Duluth Marshall or another 7AA team can compete with them for a top 3 seed this year?
It will be another dog fight! 7AA is quite a section. The rivalries, competition, and skill is pretty awesome :)
I wouldn't count on the Elk's as a Top 10 team, that is if they even have a team. Rink talk has half the players trying to find other teams to play on. As much as I disliked that group through the youth years sad to see what's going on.
You have no idea what you are talking about! One player is leaving! A second is possible. That is it!

TheHockeyDJ
Posts: 2245
Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2007 8:41 am
Location: Orange County, California
Contact:

Re: Section 7AA 2015-16

Post by TheHockeyDJ » Fri Aug 14, 2015 9:22 am

kniven wrote:
TheHockeyDJ wrote:General consensus out there has East, Rapids, and Elk River as top 10 teams this year. Anyone think Duluth Marshall or another 7AA team can compete with them for a top 3 seed this year?
what publication, internet or other, has the first pre-season rankings? if you know, would you place the link here. thanks
nothing official, just word from some very respected scouts I've talked to via twitter.
YouTube.com/BarbellMedicine

alcloseshaver
Posts: 1494
Joined: Mon Dec 17, 2012 9:29 am
Location: Met Center Press Box

Re: Section 7AA 2015-16

Post by alcloseshaver » Fri Aug 14, 2015 10:41 am

CCM68 wrote:
ThePuckStopsHere wrote:
kniven wrote:
TheHockeyDJ wrote:General consensus out there has East, Rapids, and Elk River as top 10 teams this year. Anyone think Duluth Marshall or another 7AA team can compete with them for a top 3 seed this year?
It will be another dog fight! 7AA is quite a section. The rivalries, competition, and skill is pretty awesome :)
I wouldn't count on the Elk's as a Top 10 team, that is if they even have a team. Rink talk has half the players trying to find other teams to play on. As much as I disliked that group through the youth years sad to see what's going on.
You have no idea what you are talking about! One player is leaving! A second is possible. That is it!
This is accurate, Kiersted is gone and will be a big loss but this group was a top five team in bantams and has some small but very skilled players. Will need good goaltending to compete with East and Rapids. Can't afford to lose any more top end players of which one is considering this option.

TheHockeyDJ
Posts: 2245
Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2007 8:41 am
Location: Orange County, California
Contact:

Post by TheHockeyDJ » Sat Aug 15, 2015 7:28 am

That is a huge loss for the Elks. Sad to see guys like that leave early.
YouTube.com/BarbellMedicine

kniven
Posts: 2978
Joined: Sun Feb 20, 2011 3:40 pm
Location: Duluth area

Re: Section 7AA 2015-16

Post by kniven » Sat Aug 15, 2015 12:53 pm

TheHockeyDJ wrote:General consensus out there has East, Rapids, and Elk River as top 10 teams this year. Anyone think Duluth Marshall or another 7AA team can compete with them for a top 3 seed this year?
Question. If Duluth East, Grand Rapids, and Elk River played a combination of their Bantam and JV squads for their varsity teams, would these three power houses still dominate section 7AA? The varsity teams of East, Rapids, and Elk River would play NAHL teams for 30 games.

And I'm not talking just this year. This would be a permanent thing every year. Would these 3 still dominate 7AA high school hockey.

karl(east)
Posts: 6462
Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2007 9:03 pm
Contact:

Post by karl(east) » Sat Aug 15, 2015 6:40 pm

I started to go through some rosters today in preparations for the Breakdown's annual handbook predictions. Might as well toss out a very early 7AA list:

1. Grand Rapids
Pros: Incredibly deep at forward, with a full lineup of returners, including a great all-senior top line, and two very good bantams coming in. This should be Rapids' most talented team since the early 90s, if not earlier.
Cons: The D is decent but not especially deep. Goaltender hyped but has yet to play a high school game.
Big question: Can they conquer any mental demons and finally get by East?

2. Duluth East
Pros: Returning a lot of bodies, including their top scoring line and 5 defensemen. Deep program as always. They've been there before.
Cons: Don't have the overwhelming offensive talent of Rapids. The D may return a lot, but had some issues last season. Inexperience in goal.
Big question: Can last year's talented freshmen break out this season and make this team deep enough for another title run?

3. Elk River
Pros: Some very good junior forwards get to step into the limelight. Return a goalie and a couple D. Program depth means they should have no trouble filling out the lineup with respectable players.
Cons: There are a lot of holes left by graduation and departure, and they leaned an awful lot on their top players last season. No glaring issues, but need people to step up across the board.
Big question: The Elks crumbled with the "favorite" tag last season. Can they fly under the radar this year and surprise people?

4. Cloquet
Pros: Return a very good forward, respectable depth, and two goalies. Should start seeing the fruits of some very strong youth teams feeding in.
Cons: Will be inexperienced, and probably lack the depth of the three above them, at least for this year.
Big question: What sort of season is this for the Jacks--the start of a youth movement, or will they just ride Bender as far as they can?

5. Duluth Marshall
Pros: The defense will be good. A handful of young forwards worth watching. Could easily flip them with Cloquet.
Cons: Have to replace a ton, including most of the offense and a good goalie. Not the ideal year to make the jump to a much deeper section.
Big question: How do they adjust to life in AA?

6. Andover
Pros: Zach Sitarz. A couple other returners with decent point totals.
Cons: Not much in the cupboard here beyond that handful of players. No more Maddie Rooney, either.
Big question: Do they have any chance at anything higher than a 6 seed?

7. Forest Lake
Pros: Return a few more bodies than Andover, including a goalie, and could give them a run.
Cons: No impressive point totals among the returners, and no obvious help on the horizon.
Big question: Can they still make Grand Rapids' life interesting even when the talent gap between them is this big?

8/9. The usual suspects, the usual questions.

kniven
Posts: 2978
Joined: Sun Feb 20, 2011 3:40 pm
Location: Duluth area

Post by kniven » Sat Aug 15, 2015 8:14 pm

karl(east) wrote:I started to go through some rosters today in preparations for the Breakdown's annual handbook predictions. Might as well toss out a very early 7AA list:

1. Grand Rapids
Pros: Incredibly deep at forward, with a full lineup of returners, including a great all-senior top line, and two very good bantams coming in. This should be Rapids' most talented team since the early 90s, if not earlier.
Cons: The D is decent but not especially deep. Goaltender hyped but has yet to play a high school game.
Big question: Can they conquer any mental demons and finally get by East?

2. Duluth East
Pros: Returning a lot of bodies, including their top scoring line and 5 defensemen. Deep program as always. They've been there before.
Cons: Don't have the overwhelming offensive talent of Rapids. The D may return a lot, but had some issues last season. Inexperience in goal.
Big question: Can last year's talented freshmen break out this season and make this team deep enough for another title run?

3. Elk River
Pros: Some very good junior forwards get to step into the limelight. Return a goalie and a couple D. Program depth means they should have no trouble filling out the lineup with respectable players.
Cons: There are a lot of holes left by graduation and departure, and they leaned an awful lot on their top players last season. No glaring issues, but need people to step up across the board.
Big question: The Elks crumbled with the "favorite" tag last season. Can they fly under the radar this year and surprise people?

4. Cloquet
Pros: Return a very good forward, respectable depth, and two goalies. Should start seeing the fruits of some very strong youth teams feeding in.
Cons: Will be inexperienced, and probably lack the depth of the three above them, at least for this year.
Big question: What sort of season is this for the Jacks--the start of a youth movement, or will they just ride Bender as far as they can?

5. Duluth Marshall
Pros: The defense will be good. A handful of young forwards worth watching. Could easily flip them with Cloquet.
Cons: Have to replace a ton, including most of the offense and a good goalie. Not the ideal year to make the jump to a much deeper section.
Big question: How do they adjust to life in AA?

6. Andover
Pros: Zach Sitarz. A couple other returners with decent point totals.
Cons: Not much in the cupboard here beyond that handful of players. No more Maddie Rooney, either.
Big question: Do they have any chance at anything higher than a 6 seed?

7. Forest Lake
Pros: Return a few more bodies than Andover, including a goalie, and could give them a run.
Cons: No impressive point totals among the returners, and no obvious help on the horizon.
Big question: Can they still make Grand Rapids' life interesting even when the talent gap between them is this big?

8/9. The usual suspects, the usual questions.
Spot on Karl, as usual =)

rainier
Posts: 1599
Joined: Sat Feb 26, 2011 10:30 pm
Location: Earth

Post by rainier » Sun Aug 16, 2015 2:24 am

karl(east) wrote:
1. Grand Rapids
Pros: Incredibly deep at forward, with a full lineup of returners, including a great all-senior top line, and two very good bantams coming in. This should be Rapids' most talented team since the early 90s, if not earlier.
Cons: The D is decent but not especially deep. Goaltender hyped but has yet to play a high school game.
Big question: Can they conquer any mental demons and finally get by East?
Makes me wonder if Klatt will move one or two of the talented forwards to defense. Or they could just do the ol' "the best defense is a good offense" routine and aim to put up 50 SOGs every game.

TheHockeyDJ
Posts: 2245
Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2007 8:41 am
Location: Orange County, California
Contact:

Post by TheHockeyDJ » Sun Aug 16, 2015 6:48 am

rainier wrote:
karl(east) wrote:
1. Grand Rapids
Pros: Incredibly deep at forward, with a full lineup of returners, including a great all-senior top line, and two very good bantams coming in. This should be Rapids' most talented team since the early 90s, if not earlier.
Cons: The D is decent but not especially deep. Goaltender hyped but has yet to play a high school game.
Big question: Can they conquer any mental demons and finally get by East?
Makes me wonder if Klatt will move one or two of the talented forwards to defense. Or they could just do the ol' "the best defense is a good offense" routine and aim to put up 50 SOGs every game.
Not just goaltender, but goaltenders. Holum is very good as well, but I think Stejskal will start. At D, Stampohar is D1 caliber, Dunnel also has size and uses it. Anderson is experienced. I expect bantam Hietcamp to round out top 4, he is another great talent. Then I'd imagine a forward will move back to be a 5th d-man.
YouTube.com/BarbellMedicine

kniven
Posts: 2978
Joined: Sun Feb 20, 2011 3:40 pm
Location: Duluth area

Post by kniven » Sun Aug 16, 2015 12:01 pm

kniven wrote:
CornerBar wrote:
rainier wrote:
CornerBar wrote:Highly doubt that Duluth Marshall will contend for the state tournament, barring any major transfers. Just too deep of a section this year. Give them a few more years and they will be back at the X
I think Marshall will have a very good D corps, but their offensive talent will be mostly underclassmen and their goalie is unproven. I'd be shocked if they were any higher than the 4 seed come playoff time.
Agreed, East Grand Rapids, and Elk River will probably be the top 3 seeds. Maybe one of them will slip up but regardless Marshall won't be able to beat 2 of those teams in a row to get to the X.
And CEC gets 2 cracks at Grand Rapids and Duluth East every year during the regular season. I am looking forward to the challenge :)
Here is some recent history. Lumberjacks vs. Greyhounds from Cloquet 2012-2013! A great rivalry!! I love and respect it!!! http://youtu.be/229_FxM-Ejs

kniven
Posts: 2978
Joined: Sun Feb 20, 2011 3:40 pm
Location: Duluth area

Post by kniven » Sun Aug 16, 2015 2:38 pm

kniven wrote:
CornerBar wrote:
rainier wrote:
CornerBar wrote:Highly doubt that Duluth Marshall will contend for the state tournament, barring any major transfers. Just too deep of a section this year. Give them a few more years and they will be back at the X
I think Marshall will have a very good D corps, but their offensive talent will be mostly underclassmen and their goalie is unproven. I'd be shocked if they were any higher than the 4 seed come playoff time.
Agreed, East Grand Rapids, and Elk River will probably be the top 3 seeds. Maybe one of them will slip up but regardless Marshall won't be able to beat 2 of those teams in a row to get to the X.
And CEC gets 2 cracks at Grand Rapids and Duluth East every year during the regular season. I am looking forward to the challenge :)
I am uploading the game video from the 2012-2013 game in Grand Rapids vs. Cloquet/E/C. I'll post it here when uploaded.

kniven
Posts: 2978
Joined: Sun Feb 20, 2011 3:40 pm
Location: Duluth area

Post by kniven » Sun Aug 16, 2015 11:52 pm

kniven wrote:
kniven wrote:
CornerBar wrote:
rainier wrote:
CornerBar wrote:Highly doubt that Duluth Marshall will contend for the state tournament, barring any major transfers. Just too deep of a section this year. Give them a few more years and they will be back at the X
I think Marshall will have a very good D corps, but their offensive talent will be mostly underclassmen and their goalie is unproven. I'd be shocked if they were any higher than the 4 seed come playoff time.
Agreed, East Grand Rapids, and Elk River will probably be the top 3 seeds. Maybe one of them will slip up but regardless Marshall won't be able to beat 2 of those teams in a row to get to the X.
And CEC gets 2 cracks at Grand Rapids and Duluth East every year during the regular season. I am looking forward to the challenge :)
I am uploading the game video from the 2012-2013 game in Grand Rapids vs. Cloquet/E/C. I'll post it here when uploaded.
http://youtu.be/5gkNxlc92qQ

kniven
Posts: 2978
Joined: Sun Feb 20, 2011 3:40 pm
Location: Duluth area

Post by kniven » Tue Aug 18, 2015 12:44 am

2013-2014 Cloquet/E/C at Duluth East

http://youtu.be/8m8q_dsY4oI

alcloseshaver
Posts: 1494
Joined: Mon Dec 17, 2012 9:29 am
Location: Met Center Press Box

Post by alcloseshaver » Tue Aug 18, 2015 10:38 pm

Grand Rapids is so loaded that they have players committing to Minn-Twin Cities without even playing a HS game. Congrats to Blake, he must have had a big summer and Model camp.

Post Reply