teams to beat in 2016-17
Moderators: Mitch Hawker, east hockey, karl(east)
teams to beat in 2016-17
Who are the teams to beat next year in each section?
Am not super familiar with several sections but here goes a little something:
1AA: Feels like LS and Dodge graduated some of their more important players...
2AA:
Tonka graduated a bunch of players including Ms Hockey. Will a deep youth program help with the reload? I know that they have a REALLY good D that should be a significant contributor for the next couple of years. She most likely could have played a regular shift on about 60%+ of the Varsity teams in the state.
EP has some nice players returning...there is a rumor (yes rumor) that one of their nice players may be headed to the east side of town. Feels like their coach always has his girls ready to play when it counts late in the season so am guessing regardless they will be in the mix for the section title.
3AA: Snodgrass has at least one more year and I would think that she has to be an early favorite for Ms Hockey but its 11:30 at night and I am not thinking especially clearly at this time. She seems to score lots of big goals...
4AA:
Hill Murray is Hill Murray. Great goal tending and appear to have a solid core remaining after graduating a bunch of great players. Who knows who might arrive on campus to play next year.
Does WBL have some nice younger players? Don't want to take the time to breakdown their roster but it feels like they have some nice pieces that are still young.
5AA:
Maple Grove/Centennial/Blaine/SLP-CR. Wow. This has to be the early choice for toughest section for 16/17. Even Anoka has a solid core with some nice younger kids coming up from their very good u15 squad.
6AA:
Will the Hornet be the 16/17 State Champion? They have to be the early favorite or at least in the top 3. With or without a coach...will be interesting to see who ends up on the bench at Braemar. After reading a potential reason why the CDH coach(es) are gone might they be in the mix to coach in the bubble? Power couple to a perennial power...
CDH has a great goalie and some nice younger pieces.
Wayzata returns their leading scorer and has a HUGE youth program back filling that team (3 U15 teams I think?!?).
Hopkins/Park returns all of their top scorers and goalie. They could certainly have a say in the battle to the championship for the section against Edina.
7AA:
FLAKE is young and on the rise...they could be very good for YEARS with all of their younger kids...Elk River appears to be the other strong favorite to win the section.
8AA:
Sorry don't know enough to make an educated guess on that section.
I will do my best on the A sections:
1A: Red Wing has Heise...but they graduated a TON of girls that scored many of the other goals. Heise is really good and will only be a Jr. Appears to be a tossup with a handful of schools in that section.
2A: New Prague has a lot returning in addition to future Gopher Skaja. Am guessing that Mound Westonka will be their strongest section foe. NP should be back to state next year.
3A:Luverne won the section but graduated their top 2 scorers. No idea about the others.
4A: SPU has to be the overwhelming favorite. But...they graduated their Ms Goalie candidate. But...they have some horsepower returning...will they play a tougher schedule to get ready for the state tourney? SSP & Mahtomedi? Not very familiar with either.
5A: Blake or Breck? Who is going to score the 42 or whatever # of goals that Bullock scored? Goaltending and D should be very solid for Blake. The best player in the state plays for Breck (according to YHH/Game On) and will score A LOT of goals and her rising 10th grade line mate will score a ton as well but who will be the goalie?!? Graduated 2 Ms Goalie candidates!
6A: No idea
7A: Sorry don't know much about anyone other than the Mirage was the section champ this year.
8A: Warroad has 2/3 leading scorers returning. Some think that if they could have stayed out of the box (not making a comment about the refs) they might have been a better opponent for Blake in the championship. Who knows but they do return a couple of nice players.
My work/speculation is done here!
1AA: Feels like LS and Dodge graduated some of their more important players...
2AA:
Tonka graduated a bunch of players including Ms Hockey. Will a deep youth program help with the reload? I know that they have a REALLY good D that should be a significant contributor for the next couple of years. She most likely could have played a regular shift on about 60%+ of the Varsity teams in the state.
EP has some nice players returning...there is a rumor (yes rumor) that one of their nice players may be headed to the east side of town. Feels like their coach always has his girls ready to play when it counts late in the season so am guessing regardless they will be in the mix for the section title.
3AA: Snodgrass has at least one more year and I would think that she has to be an early favorite for Ms Hockey but its 11:30 at night and I am not thinking especially clearly at this time. She seems to score lots of big goals...
4AA:
Hill Murray is Hill Murray. Great goal tending and appear to have a solid core remaining after graduating a bunch of great players. Who knows who might arrive on campus to play next year.
Does WBL have some nice younger players? Don't want to take the time to breakdown their roster but it feels like they have some nice pieces that are still young.
5AA:
Maple Grove/Centennial/Blaine/SLP-CR. Wow. This has to be the early choice for toughest section for 16/17. Even Anoka has a solid core with some nice younger kids coming up from their very good u15 squad.
6AA:
Will the Hornet be the 16/17 State Champion? They have to be the early favorite or at least in the top 3. With or without a coach...will be interesting to see who ends up on the bench at Braemar. After reading a potential reason why the CDH coach(es) are gone might they be in the mix to coach in the bubble? Power couple to a perennial power...
CDH has a great goalie and some nice younger pieces.
Wayzata returns their leading scorer and has a HUGE youth program back filling that team (3 U15 teams I think?!?).
Hopkins/Park returns all of their top scorers and goalie. They could certainly have a say in the battle to the championship for the section against Edina.
7AA:
FLAKE is young and on the rise...they could be very good for YEARS with all of their younger kids...Elk River appears to be the other strong favorite to win the section.
8AA:
Sorry don't know enough to make an educated guess on that section.
I will do my best on the A sections:
1A: Red Wing has Heise...but they graduated a TON of girls that scored many of the other goals. Heise is really good and will only be a Jr. Appears to be a tossup with a handful of schools in that section.
2A: New Prague has a lot returning in addition to future Gopher Skaja. Am guessing that Mound Westonka will be their strongest section foe. NP should be back to state next year.
3A:Luverne won the section but graduated their top 2 scorers. No idea about the others.
4A: SPU has to be the overwhelming favorite. But...they graduated their Ms Goalie candidate. But...they have some horsepower returning...will they play a tougher schedule to get ready for the state tourney? SSP & Mahtomedi? Not very familiar with either.
5A: Blake or Breck? Who is going to score the 42 or whatever # of goals that Bullock scored? Goaltending and D should be very solid for Blake. The best player in the state plays for Breck (according to YHH/Game On) and will score A LOT of goals and her rising 10th grade line mate will score a ton as well but who will be the goalie?!? Graduated 2 Ms Goalie candidates!
6A: No idea
7A: Sorry don't know much about anyone other than the Mirage was the section champ this year.
8A: Warroad has 2/3 leading scorers returning. Some think that if they could have stayed out of the box (not making a comment about the refs) they might have been a better opponent for Blake in the championship. Who knows but they do return a couple of nice players.
My work/speculation is done here!
I heard from an team parent, that her mom was saying the coach from the east side team called her to discuss her transferring. Didn't think coaches were allowed to do that? Also sounds like most parents believe it is just a ploy to get her daughter named as a captain and she won't be going anywhere.Mavs wrote:Good stuff, thank you
East Side of town like Hill Murray I assume?
I thought HM graduated their goalie and like 9 players? They will just reload, I'm sure and like you said they get new kids on campus all the time.
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MNHockeyFan
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPnZZTVp_2AHockey987 wrote:I heard from an team parent, that her mom was saying the coach from the east side team called her to discuss her transferring.
Damn, you made me laugh so hard, nice comment.MNHockeyFan wrote:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPnZZTVp_2AHockey987 wrote:I heard from an team parent, that her mom was saying the coach from the east side team called her to discuss her transferring.
Not quite how it went down...Mom was telling people at Worlds and local arenas prior to the State Tourney that she was transferring to HM this summer due to a move to the Stillwater area. Hockey friends at HM were talking about it, but sounds like mom is no longer moving to East Side. Mom probably realized HM skates 6 D, not 3.Hockey987 wrote:I heard from an team parent, that her mom was saying the coach from the east side team called her to discuss her transferring. Didn't think coaches were allowed to do that? Also sounds like most parents believe it is just a ploy to get her daughter named as a captain and she won't be going anywhere.Mavs wrote:Good stuff, thank you
East Side of town like Hill Murray I assume?
I thought HM graduated their goalie and like 9 players? They will just reload, I'm sure and like you said they get new kids on campus all the time.
Either way East Side School will be just fine...