Mr. Hockey 2014

[WarmUpTheBus]

My Merry X-mas Mr Hockey thoughts:

1. Jake Wahlin..White Bear Lake...kids tearing it up with 17 goals and 13 assists in 9 games. He's doing exactly what he should do being the most dynamic scorer east of the Mississippi

2. Spinner..EP..everyone loves Snuggerud but personally I think as Spinner goes is as EP goes..kids a gamer

3. Slattery..HILL...we all know Hill is only as good as the STillwater imports they have, but this year may be an exception. Joey Anderson will have to wait his turn..Slatts is the guy (shout out to Sharp, Yancek, Kreuger..go Ponies!)

4. Cline..Blaine...small, gritty kid leading a very very good Blaine team, belongs in the conversation at least.

5. Snuggerud..he has to go on here and frankly he may be Mr Hockey, probably is.

6. Fidler/Munson..Edina. The Hornets have never had a Mr. Hockey..if the award goes to the best player on the "best" team..these two will have to be considered. Does Grampa Nanne get a vote in this?

7. Gravelle..FLAKE...kids have a great year leading an up and coming work horse team. He's got good numbers and is THE guy..Mr Hockey maybe not, but Most Valuable Player..possibly

Waylon

Wahlin is only a Junior therefore not eligible for Mr Hockey

[agreatdayforhockey]

From followthepuck.com the leading point scorers in the senior class are:
1. Rusty Axtman (Tartan)
2. Brady O'sullivan (Tartan)
3. Zach Ledman (Tartan)
4. Spencer Naas (Benilde)
5. Brett Gravelle (Forest Lake)
6. Tyler Cline (Blaine)
7. Hayden Ashworth (Rochester Century)
8. Joey Lau (Blaine)

[bemused]

From followthepuck.com the leading point scorers in the senior class are:
1. Rusty Axtman (Tartan)
2. Brady O'sullivan (Tartan)
3. Zach Ledman (Tartan)
4. Spencer Naas (Benilde)
5. Brett Gravelle (Forest Lake)
6. Tyler Cline (Blaine)
7. Hayden Ashworth (Rochester Century)
8. Joey Lau (Blaine)

and this has what to do with the Mr. Hockey conversation?

[The Exiled One]

and this has what to do with the Mr. Hockey conversation?

...very little.

The favorites are about the same as they were. Incredible stats are helpful. However, because of who the voters are, the candidate will still have to be a legit college/pro prospect.

So, my shortlist at the moment is Peterson, Slattery, Spinner, Snuggerud, and Naas.

The Blaine boys and the Edina boys are vote-splitting, but the EP boys aren't. Is it fair? Probably not, but the EP boys started with very high expectations and are living up to them.

Good job and best of luck to Forest Lake's Gravelle and the boys from Tartan, but they're never going to realistically enter into the conversation.

The Greyhound fans are keen on their boy Beaulieu, and he's probably a legit D1 talent, but the strength of their team may drag his chances down. He's in the same boat as Travis Brown from Rogers and both are fantastic defensemen.

[Sats81]

"I would say at this point between Snuggerud, Spinner and Avery Peterson.

I would say Snuggerud is the front runner."

I guess you would have to consider Munson and Fidler if Spinner, Avery and Snuggerud are the front runners. They outplayed and outscored these guys all weekend. Not to mention Edina's schedule is probably twice as difficult.

Definitely wouldn't say twice as difficult.

[headshackers]

"So, my shortlist at the moment is Peterson, Slattery, Spinner, Snuggerud, and Naas."

Average ranking of competition according to "My Hockey Rankings"
Shouldn't this play a role in the decision.

Benild St. Margaret 40
Hill Murray 33
Grand Rapids 27
Eden Prairie 21.62
Edina 11.88

I would say Edina has a much more difficult schedule and those kids are putting up the same points as any of these players.

[The Exiled One]

Average ranking of competition according to "My Hockey Rankings"
Shouldn't this play a role in the decision.

Maybe it should, but it probably won't. Just like Blaine, the two clear cut senior studs at this point are both forwards, thus splitting hype. Fidler is throwing a wrench into the works with his breakout season too. "Mr. Hockey" doesn't appreciate when things don't go according to script. However, if Nanne was a clear-cut star... who knows?

I'm not saying it's fair, just that it makes a difference.

[Traxler]

Average ranking of competition according to "My Hockey Rankings"
Shouldn't this play a role in the decision.

Maybe it should, but it probably won't. Just like Blaine, the two clear cut senior studs at this point are both forwards, thus splitting hype. Fidler is throwing a wrench into the works with his breakout season too. "Mr. Hockey" doesn't appreciate when things don't go according to script. However, if Nanne was a clear-cut star... who knows?

I'm not saying it's fair, just that it makes a difference.

Who votes for Mr. Hockey?

[Nuts&Bolts]

If I were voting the nod goes to Slatterly by a nose over Peterson and Spinner. Top overall player on a top team that makes an impact. These three all make those around them better players. As for the other EP player it's all about him playing a hybrid f/d position and frankly he's on the ice too much and runs out of gas. If you saw the game against Edina he was on the ice for at least 3 of Edina's 4 goals and looked at a teammate in disgust when they collided at the offensive blue before the Hornets picked the puck up and went to the other end and score. Not to include Munson and Nanne in consideration is a bit of a shame and Cline from Blaine should garner more attention followed by Naas.

[The Exiled One]

Who votes for Mr. Hockey?

http://www.minnesotaminutemen.com/news_ ... 15701-news

The Mr. Hockey Award, given each year to the outstanding senior hockey player in the state of Minnesota, is selected by a panel of judges, including National Hockey League scouts, Division I coaches and selected media members from around the state.

[Traxler]

Thanks a lot for the answer.

[Sats81]

Average ranking of competition according to "My Hockey Rankings"
Shouldn't this play a role in the decision.

Maybe it should, but it probably won't. Just like Blaine, the two clear cut senior studs at this point are both forwards, thus splitting hype. Fidler is throwing a wrench into the works with his breakout season too. "Mr. Hockey" doesn't appreciate when things don't go according to script. However, if Nanne was a clear-cut star... who knows?

I'm not saying it's fair, just that it makes a difference.

I will say Fidler has surprised some people thus far, but as a lot of Edina people will tell you, probably not a HUGE surprise as he was a bit of a youth hockey phenom.

[TheInsider]

Spencer Naas has to be a front runner. Most natural goal scorer ive seen yet this year.

[Sartellcelly]

I have seen live many of the guys mentioned so far. I would say Naas is clearly the best. I would not put the EP duo even in the top 5, particularly the D man among the two. While I haven't seen Avery Peterson, the reports I read certainly indicate he should be in the hunt.

[agreatdayforhockey]

Spencer Naas has to be a front runner. Most natural goal scorer ive seen yet this year.

According to Jack Jablonski's twitter page, Naas scored his 100th career goal last week. Pretty impressive

[old goalie85]

Forest Lakes Gravalle still hanging tough.

[The Exiled One]

Official finalist list will be released tomorrow, but some are already leaking out. Tyler Cline is a finalist per Blaine Hockey's Twitter account.

[Nevertoomuchhockey]

Cline! Cline! Cline!
Good luck to all the players, but even though its unlikely, my vote (which counts for nothing!) is Cline.

[UNDSioux5]

I've had the chance to catch a few Rapids games this winter, and Peterson definitely deserves to be a finalist for Mr. Hockey. Great player, constantly produces even with teams keying in on him. I'm not saying he should win it by any means (I know rapids has played some "easy" teams that have allowed him to pad the stats a bit), but he should be a finalist without a doubt.

Now only if he was coming out to Grand Forks instead of going to Omaha.......(dam you Deam Blais!!!)

[north_bear]

Avery is definitely one of the front runners. He has one of the highest upsides of any player for his post high school career. He is big, strong, has speed, great hands, great shot and can control the puck like no other. He is a team first kind of guy and isn't selfish about passing the puck. He plays aggressive but smart; evidence from his 46 penalty min as a sophomore to 8 penalty min over the last 2 seasons. He is a versatile player that can play center, wing and defense on the penalty kill. He is dominant in the faceoff circle rarely losing a draw.

Right now Avery is 4th in AA among seniors in pts (55), 1st in goals (30), 5th among seniors in AA and A in pts and 2nd in goals.

For his career he is approaching the 200 point plateau, at 187 right now. He will get close and possibly surpass that mark. If he does I believe he would be the highest scoring player in Grand Rapids history.

It is truly a treat to watch him on the ice. I wish the rest of the state were as privileged to watch him as often as I am able. Best of luck Avery.

[upnorthfan]

Very exciting to have Zach Yon as a Top 10 finalist for Mr. Hockey. Zach along with teammate Alex Strand lead the state in AA scoring for seniors. Zach has always been a standout player, but his game from the blue line back has really improved this year, I dare say he is one of the most explosive skaters in the state and he has a shot and quick release that rivals most that are already playing division 1. This honor along with signing with UND have made this quite a week for this great student and hockey player. It is going to be fun to watch him finish out his senior year, with hopefully a trip to the state tournament and then to follow him eventually at UND. Congrats to Zach and his teammates as the Mr. Hockey announcement is really an honor for the entire team, as no one gets to where they are at without help and support along the way. Good luck to the Rams down the stretch!

[Sats81]

Very exciting to have Zach Yon as a Top 10 finalist for Mr. Hockey. Zach along with teammate Alex Strand lead the state in AA scoring for seniors. Zach has always been a standout player, but his game from the blue line back has really improved this year, I dare say he is one of the most explosive skaters in the state and he has a shot and quick release that rivals most that are already playing division 1. This honor along with signing with UND have made this quite a week for this great student and hockey player. It is going to be fun to watch him finish out his senior year, with hopefully a trip to the state tournament and then to follow him eventually at UND. Congrats to Zach and his teammates as the Mr. Hockey announcement is really an honor for the entire team, as no one gets to where they are at without help and support along the way. Good luck to the Rams down the stretch!

All very true.

[SiouxCityMayor]

[quote="Nuts&Bolts"]If I were voting the nod goes to Slatterly by a nose over Peterson and Spinner. Top overall player on a top team that makes an impact. These three all make those around them better players. As for the other EP player it's all about him playing a hybrid f/d position and frankly he's on the ice too much and runs out of gas. If you saw the game against Edina he was on the ice for at least 3 of Edina's 4 goals and looked at a teammate in disgust when they collided at the offensive blue before the Hornets picked the puck up and went to the other end and score. Not to include Munson and Nanne in consideration is a bit of a shame and Cline from Blaine should garner more attention followed by Naas.[/quote

Agreed with the Hybrid f/d player from EP. Watch a game, he is absolutely gassed in the thrid, would love to see his plus/minus. I seen three games and he was on the ice for all but one goal against.

[wayfncold]

Very exciting to have Zach Yon as a Top 10 finalist for Mr. Hockey. Zach along with teammate Alex Strand lead the state in AA scoring for seniors. Zach has always been a standout player, but his game from the blue line back has really improved this year, I dare say he is one of the most explosive skaters in the state and he has a shot and quick release that rivals most that are already playing division 1. This honor along with signing with UND have made this quite a week for this great student and hockey player. It is going to be fun to watch him finish out his senior year, with hopefully a trip to the state tournament and then to follow him eventually at UND. Congrats to Zach and his teammates as the Mr. Hockey announcement is really an honor for the entire team, as no one gets to where they are at without help and support along the way. Good luck to the Rams down the stretch!

Zach gets my vote, I just wish that ment somthing, because I don't think he's going to get the credit he deserves. I'd give Avery Peterson a very close 2nd, but believe Yon has the better overall game.