Sequence - Strongest to Weakest Sections in “A” and “AA” ?

[Stealth]

How would you classify the toughest section in each class to the weakest?

[hockeyjunkie2]

AA Rankings:

1. 6AA- 5 top 20 quality teams, Minneapolis East team that's 14-7-2(didn't play much of anyone), and also Armstrong show even more depth.
2. 2AA- 4 top 25 caliber teams- 3 of which are top 10, and also Chaska after that big drop.
3. 4AA- 5 teams I would consider to be top 30-35, also Mounds View and SP Johnson to maybe spice things up.
4. 5AA- 3 top 10 teams, but not alot after them for depth here.
5. 3AA- 5 teams again I would call top 30-35 in the state, the drop off after these five is big.
6. 7AA- East and ER, St. Francis team that has a decent record but very unproven and also Grand Rapids.
7. 8AA- Moorhead, Roseau class of this section, after that SCT.
8. 1AA- Mayo, Lakeville South, Owatonna if they get off this recent skid, and Century. No real top end talent.

[karl(east)]

AA Rankings:

1. 6AA- 5 top 20 quality teams, Minneapolis East team that's 14-7-2(didn't play much of anyone), and also Armstrong show even more depth.
2. 2AA- 4 top 25 caliber teams- 3 of which are top 10, and also Chaska after that big drop.
3. 4AA- 5 teams I would consider to be top 30-35, also Mounds View and SP Johnson to maybe spice things up.
4. 5AA- 3 top 10 teams, but not alot after them for depth here.
5. 3AA- 5 teams again I would call top 30-35 in the state, the drop off after these five is big.
6. 7AA- East and ER, St. Francis team that has a decent record but very unproven and also Grand Rapids.
7. 8AA- Moorhead, Roseau class of this section, after that SCT.
8. 1AA- Mayo, Lakeville South, Owatonna if they get off this recent skid, and Century. No real top end talent.

I might switch section 4 with section 5 and section 3 with section 7, but it all depends on how much weight you give strength at the top vs. overall depth. The rest makes sense.

[hockeyjunkie2]

AA Rankings:

1. 6AA- 5 top 20 quality teams, Minneapolis East team that's 14-7-2(didn't play much of anyone), and also Armstrong show even more depth.
2. 2AA- 4 top 25 caliber teams- 3 of which are top 10, and also Chaska after that big drop.
3. 4AA- 5 teams I would consider to be top 30-35, also Mounds View and SP Johnson to maybe spice things up.
4. 5AA- 3 top 10 teams, but not alot after them for depth here.
5. 3AA- 5 teams again I would call top 30-35 in the state, the drop off after these five is big.
6. 7AA- East and ER, St. Francis team that has a decent record but very unproven and also Grand Rapids.
7. 8AA- Moorhead, Roseau class of this section, after that SCT.
8. 1AA- Mayo, Lakeville South, Owatonna if they get off this recent skid, and Century. No real top end talent.

I might switch section 4 with section 5 and section 3 with section 7, but it all depends on how much weight you give strength at the top vs. overall depth. The rest makes sense.

I was a little torn but I went with overall depth instead of the top tier teams otherwise your right on the switches that would make sense.

[MrBoDangles]

AA Rankings:

1. 6AA- 5 top 20 quality teams, Minneapolis East team that's 14-7-2(didn't play much of anyone), and also Armstrong show even more depth.
2. 2AA- 4 top 25 caliber teams- 3 of which are top 10, and also Chaska after that big drop.
3. 4AA- 5 teams I would consider to be top 30-35, also Mounds View and SP Johnson to maybe spice things up.
4. 5AA- 3 top 10 teams, but not alot after them for depth here.
5. 3AA- 5 teams again I would call top 30-35 in the state, the drop off after these five is big.
6. 7AA- East and ER, St. Francis team that has a decent record but very unproven and also Grand Rapids.
7. 8AA- Moorhead, Roseau class of this section, after that SCT.
8. 1AA- Mayo, Lakeville South, Owatonna if they get off this recent skid, and Century. No real top end talent.

I might switch section 4 with section 5 and section 3 with section 7, but it all depends on how much weight you give strength at the top vs. overall depth. The rest makes sense.

I would think strength at the top would make it a lot harder to get out of sections compared to a bunch of average teams.

[karl(east)]

AA Rankings:

1. 6AA- 5 top 20 quality teams, Minneapolis East team that's 14-7-2(didn't play much of anyone), and also Armstrong show even more depth.
2. 2AA- 4 top 25 caliber teams- 3 of which are top 10, and also Chaska after that big drop.
3. 4AA- 5 teams I would consider to be top 30-35, also Mounds View and SP Johnson to maybe spice things up.
4. 5AA- 3 top 10 teams, but not alot after them for depth here.
5. 3AA- 5 teams again I would call top 30-35 in the state, the drop off after these five is big.
6. 7AA- East and ER, St. Francis team that has a decent record but very unproven and also Grand Rapids.
7. 8AA- Moorhead, Roseau class of this section, after that SCT.
8. 1AA- Mayo, Lakeville South, Owatonna if they get off this recent skid, and Century. No real top end talent.

I might switch section 4 with section 5 and section 3 with section 7, but it all depends on how much weight you give strength at the top vs. overall depth. The rest makes sense.

I would think strength at the top would make it a lot harder to get out of sections compared to a bunch of average teams.

I'd agree. Hence the suggested changes.

There should be at least 2 good teams, though. Last year some people tried to argue that 8AA was one of the "toughest sections" because Roseau so far ahead of everyone else. The logic there doesn't make much sense to me; how are we to know that rest of the section isn't just bad? (The results at State seemed to indicate that, to a degree, as well.)

We don't really have that issue this year though. No section is a foregone conclusion.

[northhockey23]

All it depends on is people's opinions of "toughest"

Either a section is the toughest because of the depth
Example:6AA

Eden Praire
Minnetonka
Benilde
Hopkins
Wayzata

Or its the toughest because of the top 2-3 teams
Example:2AA,5AA

Edina Centennial
Jefferson Blaine
Holy Angels Maple Grove

In my opinion it would be good 2-3 teams so toughest section goes to 2AA then 5AA

[scarface]

Nobody cares about A?? I'll look into it.......

[The51]

All it depends on is people's opinions of "toughest"

Either a section is the toughest because of the depth
Example:6AA

Eden Praire
Minnetonka
Benilde
Hopkins
Wayzata

Or its the toughest because of the top 2-3 teams
Example:2AA,5AA

Edina Centennial
Jefferson Blaine
Holy Angels Maple Grove

In my opinion it would be good 2-3 teams so toughest section goes to 2AA then 5AA

no 6aa is definately tougher
there are 5 teams that could win that section

[dueling21]

1. Section 4A -- (It starts at the top with the defending state champions of St. Thomas Academy and continues right on through with Classic Suburban rivals South St. Paul and Mahtomedi. Don't sleep on Totino-Grace either.)
2. Section 7A -- (Four elite ranked teams will make this one of the best section semifinal showdowns in the state in Virginia, Hibbing, International Falls and Duluth Marshall).
3. Section 5A -- (Two great teams in St. Cloud Cathedral and Hermantown and one very good club in Duluth Denfeld).
4. Section 6A -- (They've got the No. 1 team in Little Falls and two pretty good challengers in Alexandria and Sartell-St. Stephen.)
5. Section 8A -- (Warroad is a state championship-type team and Thief River Falls is very good. Bemidji could pull some surprises and lurks on the verge as a top-20ish team).
6. Section 1A -- (No superstar team unless you think Red Wing is now putting it together in time for the playoffs, but plenty of depth with the Wingers, New Prague, Rochester Lourdes and Albert Lea).
7. Section 2A -- (Sure Breck is great, but there is a drop off to the second tier of clubs like STMA, Orono, Mound-Westonka, etc.)
8. Section 3A -- (They sent a sub-.500 team to state last year, but that shouldn't happen this season with New Ulm, Hutch and Redwood Valley as contenders -- unless my preseason pick Willmar pulls off some upsets. Still, it's awfully weak).

There are distinct tiers in this grouping, as well. Both Section 4A and 7A have depth and excellent top teams and are clearly the 1-2 sections, although the order could easily be switched. Sections 5A, 6A and 8A are very, very similar in my mind with three good teams...important sections to have the No. 1 seed for sure. Section 1A has the good depth, while Section 2A is all Breck. Section 3A? Well, I think everyone has their own opinion there.

[HasNoMoves]

how can you put 7A ahead of chathedral/hermantown and LF/alex? on drugs?

[mnhockeynumber1]

1. Section 4A -- (It starts at the top with the defending state champions of St. Thomas Academy and continues right on through with Classic Suburban rivals South St. Paul and Mahtomedi. Don't sleep on Totino-Grace either.)
2. Section 7A -- (Four elite ranked teams will make this one of the best section semifinal showdowns in the state in Virginia, Hibbing, International Falls and Duluth Marshall).
3. Section 5A -- (Two great teams in St. Cloud Cathedral and Hermantown and one very good club in Duluth Denfeld).
4. Section 6A -- (They've got the No. 1 team in Little Falls and two pretty good challengers in Alexandria and Sartell-St. Stephen.)
5. Section 8A -- (Warroad is a state championship-type team and Thief River Falls is very good. Bemidji could pull some surprises and lurks on the verge as a top-20ish team).
6. Section 1A -- (No superstar team unless you think Red Wing is now putting it together in time for the playoffs, but plenty of depth with the Wingers, New Prague, Rochester Lourdes and Albert Lea).
7. Section 2A -- (Sure Breck is great, but there is a drop off to the second tier of clubs like STMA, Orono, Mound-Westonka, etc.)
8. Section 3A -- (They sent a sub-.500 team to state last year, but that shouldn't happen this season with New Ulm, Hutch and Redwood Valley as contenders -- unless my preseason pick Willmar pulls off some upsets. Still, it's awfully weak).

There are distinct tiers in this grouping, as well. Both Section 4A and 7A have depth and excellent top teams and are clearly the 1-2 sections, although the order could easily be switched. Sections 5A, 6A and 8A are very, very similar in my mind with three good teams...important sections to have the No. 1 seed for sure. Section 1A has the good depth, while Section 2A is all Breck. Section 3A? Well, I think everyone has their own opinion there.

can anyone tell me when and where sectoin 5a of hermantown and cathedral play their section finals game at.. is it at the MAC like section 6a or not since that would be an "unfair" advantage to st cloud if they make it

[karl(east)]

1. Section 4A -- (It starts at the top with the defending state champions of St. Thomas Academy and continues right on through with Classic Suburban rivals South St. Paul and Mahtomedi. Don't sleep on Totino-Grace either.)
2. Section 7A -- (Four elite ranked teams will make this one of the best section semifinal showdowns in the state in Virginia, Hibbing, International Falls and Duluth Marshall).
3. Section 5A -- (Two great teams in St. Cloud Cathedral and Hermantown and one very good club in Duluth Denfeld).
4. Section 6A -- (They've got the No. 1 team in Little Falls and two pretty good challengers in Alexandria and Sartell-St. Stephen.)
5. Section 8A -- (Warroad is a state championship-type team and Thief River Falls is very good. Bemidji could pull some surprises and lurks on the verge as a top-20ish team).
6. Section 1A -- (No superstar team unless you think Red Wing is now putting it together in time for the playoffs, but plenty of depth with the Wingers, New Prague, Rochester Lourdes and Albert Lea).
7. Section 2A -- (Sure Breck is great, but there is a drop off to the second tier of clubs like STMA, Orono, Mound-Westonka, etc.)
8. Section 3A -- (They sent a sub-.500 team to state last year, but that shouldn't happen this season with New Ulm, Hutch and Redwood Valley as contenders -- unless my preseason pick Willmar pulls off some upsets. Still, it's awfully weak).

There are distinct tiers in this grouping, as well. Both Section 4A and 7A have depth and excellent top teams and are clearly the 1-2 sections, although the order could easily be switched. Sections 5A, 6A and 8A are very, very similar in my mind with three good teams...important sections to have the No. 1 seed for sure. Section 1A has the good depth, while Section 2A is all Breck. Section 3A? Well, I think everyone has their own opinion there.

can anyone tell me when and where sectoin 5a of hermantown and cathedral play their section finals game at.. is it at the MAC like section 6a or not since that would be an "unfair" advantage to st cloud if they make it

It's in Cloquet, I believe.

[totaldominance]

section 1AA should def be at the top of this list for AA, i mean lakeville south are you kidding they dominated last year, and with weber "walking on water" they will win state

[Roseauverrated]

section 1AA should def be at the top of this list for AA, i mean lakeville south are you kidding they dominated last year, and with weber "walking on water" they will win state

Agreed, we might as well not even play the tournament; it's pretty much a lock for the unstoppable Cougars.

[Slap Shot]

Example:6AA

Eden Praire
Minnetonka
Benilde

Example:2AA,5AA

Edina Centennial
Jefferson Blaine
Holy Angels Maple Grove

I think the top 3 of 6AA would do be able to compete head-to-head against 2 and 5.

[buddish4mrhockey]

this might be a dumb question but.. how are the sections decided? does the MSHSL just pick them? or what?

thanks for any help

[karl(east)]

this might be a dumb question but.. how are the sections decided? does the MSHSL just pick them? or what?

thanks for any help

Yes. They meet every 2 years to realign them, though usually there won't be too much big change. They will be realigned after this year, too.

This link shows the map of how they decide the sections. As you can see, it's almost entirely a geographical thing and doesn't take quality of teams into account much if at all. You can switch to AA using the tab at the top, and also view individual sections.

http://www.mshsl.org/mshsl/googlemap.as ... 0&dclass=A

[KOHOHO]

section 1AA should def be at the top of this list for AA, i mean lakeville south are you kidding they dominated last year, and with weber "walking on water" they will win state

2 AA and 6 AA at the top for sure.

1 AA rep will again be the weakest link, but Mayo tender could make life tough for some one. Reminds me of Kanagass at Century a few years back !

As for Weber " Walking on Water ". Isn't LS struggling again this year ? Nice team with talent just cant seem to beat anyone respectable.

Go Hounds !!

[2good4u]

1. Section 4A -- (It starts at the top with the defending state champions of St. Thomas Academy and continues right on through with Classic Suburban rivals South St. Paul and Mahtomedi. Don't sleep on Totino-Grace either.)
2. Section 7A -- (Four elite ranked teams will make this one of the best section semifinal showdowns in the state in Virginia, Hibbing, International Falls and Duluth Marshall).
3. Section 5A -- (Two great teams in St. Cloud Cathedral and Hermantown and one very good club in Duluth Denfeld).
4. Section 6A -- (They've got the No. 1 team in Little Falls and two pretty good challengers in Alexandria and Sartell-St. Stephen.)
5. Section 8A -- (Warroad is a state championship-type team and Thief River Falls is very good. Bemidji could pull some surprises and lurks on the verge as a top-20ish team).
6. Section 1A -- (No superstar team unless you think Red Wing is now putting it together in time for the playoffs, but plenty of depth with the Wingers, New Prague, Rochester Lourdes and Albert Lea).
7. Section 2A -- (Sure Breck is great, but there is a drop off to the second tier of clubs like STMA, Orono, Mound-Westonka, etc.)
8. Section 3A -- (They sent a sub-.500 team to state last year, but that shouldn't happen this season with New Ulm, Hutch and Redwood Valley as contenders -- unless my preseason pick Willmar pulls off some upsets. Still, it's awfully weak).

There are distinct tiers in this grouping, as well. Both Section 4A and 7A have depth and excellent top teams and are clearly the 1-2 sections, although the order could easily be switched. Sections 5A, 6A and 8A are very, very similar in my mind with three good teams...important sections to have the No. 1 seed for sure. Section 1A has the good depth, while Section 2A is all Breck. Section 3A? Well, I think everyone has their own opinion there.

can anyone tell me when and where sectoin 5a of hermantown and cathedral play their section finals game at.. is it at the MAC like section 6a or not since that would be an "unfair" advantage to st cloud if they make it

it will be in cloquet, also how do u figure Little Falls section higher than warroads? no offense but thats a joke, there hasnt been a close section final game there for years, i wouldnt put it below section 3 but not higher than any others

[southernmnscout]

section 1AA should def be at the top of this list for AA, i mean lakeville south are you kidding they dominated last year, and with weber "walking on water" they will win state

2 AA and 6 AA at the top for sure.

1 AA rep will again be the weakest link, but Mayo tender could make life tough for some one. Reminds me of Kanagass at Century a few years back !

As for Weber " Walking on Water ". Isn't LS struggling again this year ? Nice team with talent just cant seem to beat anyone respectable.

Go Hounds !!

Yaggy is not even close to what Kangas was when he was at Century. He is way too inconsistent. Although he has been playing a little better lately except for the 5 he gave up against AL.

There is no comparison in Yaggy and Kangas in my opinion.

[ACTUALFORMERPLAYER]

I know I'm in the minority but the toughest section is the one with the best team. Most teams have a goal of just getting to state. Section 2 is the toughest because all the other teams have to get by Edina to get to state. Parity in a section does not make it tough.

[defense]

1. Section 4A -- (It starts at the top with the defending state champions of St. Thomas Academy and continues right on through with Classic Suburban rivals South St. Paul and Mahtomedi. Don't sleep on Totino-Grace either.)
2. Section 7A -- (Four elite ranked teams will make this one of the best section semifinal showdowns in the state in Virginia, Hibbing, International Falls and Duluth Marshall).
3. Section 5A -- (Two great teams in St. Cloud Cathedral and Hermantown and one very good club in Duluth Denfeld).
4. Section 6A -- (They've got the No. 1 team in Little Falls and two pretty good challengers in Alexandria and Sartell-St. Stephen.)
5. Section 8A -- (Warroad is a state championship-type team and Thief River Falls is very good. Bemidji could pull some surprises and lurks on the verge as a top-20ish team).
6. Section 1A -- (No superstar team unless you think Red Wing is now putting it together in time for the playoffs, but plenty of depth with the Wingers, New Prague, Rochester Lourdes and Albert Lea).
7. Section 2A -- (Sure Breck is great, but there is a drop off to the second tier of clubs like STMA, Orono, Mound-Westonka, etc.)
8. Section 3A -- (They sent a sub-.500 team to state last year, but that shouldn't happen this season with New Ulm, Hutch and Redwood Valley as contenders -- unless my preseason pick Willmar pulls off some upsets. Still, it's awfully weak).

There are distinct tiers in this grouping, as well. Both Section 4A and 7A have depth and excellent top teams and are clearly the 1-2 sections, although the order could easily be switched. Sections 5A, 6A and 8A are very, very similar in my mind with three good teams...important sections to have the No. 1 seed for sure. Section 1A has the good depth, while Section 2A is all Breck. Section 3A? Well, I think everyone has their own opinion there.

can anyone tell me when and where sectoin 5a of hermantown and cathedral play their section finals game at.. is it at the MAC like section 6a or not since that would be an "unfair" advantage to st cloud if they make it

it will be in cloquet, also how do u figure Little Falls section higher than warroads? no offense but thats a joke, there hasnt been a close section final game there for years, i wouldnt put it below section 3 but not higher than any others

Section 8a is pretty tough. TRF, EGF,Croookston,Bemidji(unfortunately),Warroad, those should be the top teams...maybe LOW could be added.
Section 6a is Little Falls, Alexandria, Sartell(upstart),Fergus Falls, St. Cloud Apollo.
It would probably be tougher to make it into the semi's in 8a than 6a, but into the finals has to be pretty close either way and we might just see who the better section champ is.

[buddish4mrhockey]

thanks karl

[gophers101]

how can you put 7A ahead of chathedral/hermantown and LF/alex? on drugs?

Cathedral and Hermantown are very good team's but thats all this section has. Little Falls and Alex are very good team's but thats all that section has. 7A has 4 teams that are ranked in the Top 20 and could win the section.