The Hermantown Thread

[ironranger2]

I am pretty sure the list was done by Howie Hanson, a local blogger. If you are a familiar with his postings, the list isn't that surprising.

The news station would have been better off getting someone like Karl to do the list.

[Schotzy]

I am pretty sure the list was done by Howie Hanson, a local blogger. If you are a familiar with his postings, the list isn't that surprising.

The news station would have been better off getting someone like Karl to do the list.

I know exactly who it was, but it was not Howie. If you look at the original post, it was from CBS3 Sports. If Karl wants to put himself out there, I am sure he would be utilized.

[kniven]

Stray call from left field. How good Hermantown is going to be this year is being overstated in this thread. Could be wrong.....but that’s my call.

I am not saying we are not overstating, or that we are overstating, but they do have 4 kids on the 7A/AA All-Preseason team.

2018-19 CBS 3 Section 7AA/7A All-Preseason High School Boys Hockey Team

First Team
F — Ricky Lyle, Duluth East senior
F — Blake Biondi, Hermantown junior (Bulldogs recruit)
F — Ryder Donovan, Duluth East senior (North Dakota recruit)
D — Darian Gotz, Hermantown senior (Bulldogs recruit)
D — Joey Pierce, Hermantown sophomore
G — Cole Manahan, Hermantown senior

Second Team
F — Gavin Rasmussen, Cloquet senior
F — Logan Anderson, Duluth East junior
F — Donte Lawson, Greenway senior
D — Frederick Hunter Paine, Duluth East senior
D — Jack Peart, Grand Rapids sophomore
G — Carter Clafton, Greenway sophomore

Preseason Player of the Year
F — Blake Biondi, Hermantown

Now, this is a "All-Preseason team, so its not a great representation of the kids summer development, but still something to utilize for speculation.

Link for other reading.

https://cbs3duluth.com/sport/high-schoo ... -the-year/

It’s going to be stressed year for me. CEC’s schedule is brutally difficult. I just hope for the best for the purple.

[hockey59]

Stray call from left field. How good Hermantown is going to be this year is being overstated in this thread. Could be wrong.....but that’s my call.

I am not saying we are not overstating, or that we are overstating, but they do have 4 kids on the 7A/AA All-Preseason team.

2018-19 CBS 3 Section 7AA/7A All-Preseason High School Boys Hockey Team

First Team
F — Ricky Lyle, Duluth East senior
F — Blake Biondi, Hermantown junior (Bulldogs recruit)
F — Ryder Donovan, Duluth East senior (North Dakota recruit)
D — Darian Gotz, Hermantown senior (Bulldogs recruit)
D — Joey Pierce, Hermantown sophomore
G — Cole Manahan, Hermantown senior

Second Team
F — Gavin Rasmussen, Cloquet senior
F — Logan Anderson, Duluth East junior
F — Donte Lawson, Greenway senior
D — Frederick Hunter Paine, Duluth East senior
D — Jack Peart, Grand Rapids sophomore
G — Carter Clafton, Greenway sophomore

Preseason Player of the Year
F — Blake Biondi, Hermantown

Now, this is a "All-Preseason team, so its not a great representation of the kids summer development, but still something to utilize for speculation.

Link for other reading.

https://cbs3duluth.com/sport/high-schoo ... -the-year/

It’s going to be stressed year for me. CEC’s schedule is brutally difficult. I just hope for the best for the purple.

No need to sandbag kniven, this is likely the Jacks best team in 11-12 years . And yes, they do have a tough schedule, but will be battle tested come playoffs

[Schotzy]

I am pretty sure the list was done by Howie Hanson, a local blogger. If you are a familiar with his postings, the list isn't that surprising.

The news station would have been better off getting someone like Karl to do the list.

I know exactly who it was, but it was not Howie. If you look at the original post, it was from CBS3 Sports. If Karl wants to put himself out there, I am sure he would be utilized.

I stand completely corrected and humbly admit that it was indeed Howie. It was written for the CBS 3 audience however, and should be viewed in that respect.

[rainier2]

I am pretty sure the list was done by Howie Hanson, a local blogger. If you are a familiar with his postings, the list isn't that surprising.

The news station would have been better off getting someone like Karl to do the list.

I know exactly who it was, but it was not Howie. If you look at the original post, it was from CBS3 Sports. If Karl wants to put himself out there, I am sure he would be utilized.

I stand completely corrected and humbly admit that it was indeed Howie. It was written for the CBS 3 audience however, and should be viewed in that respect.

Yep, anything from Howie needs to be taken with a truckload of salt.

[kniven]

I know exactly who it was, but it was not Howie. If you look at the original post, it was from CBS3 Sports. If Karl wants to put himself out there, I am sure he would be utilized.

I stand completely corrected and humbly admit that it was indeed Howie. It was written for the CBS 3 audience however, and should be viewed in that respect.

Yep, anything from Howie needs to be taken with a truckload of salt.

Agreed

[Jeffy95]

Time to resuscitate this thread.

Hermantown should be in AA!!!

Actually, it will be fascinating to see if they finally make the move. They would likely be top 3 in 7AA most years and instantly become a fan favorite if they do, and if not, it will be fun to watch the statewide disgust multiply as they continue to stack A trophies while playing a AA-heavy schedule in which they beat top AA teams.

I wish they'd let the players decide.c

I don't know about the players, but I don't believe most of the parents and decision makers want to go AA (but all it takes is a couple to make that decision). There is a different mindset there when it comes to A vs AA when compared with opt-ups like Cloquet, Rapids, and Roseau. The success at A vs Mike Randolph/Duluth East/7AA/AA is the major factor.

I am also vey interested to see what the decision will be and of course, the result.

You are correct. There is no support within the program to move to AA. It was starting to become pretty common knowledge but finally confirmed by a good source this weekend. They are staying in Class A.

[greenwayraider]

Gee, what a surprise.

[kniven]

Time to resuscitate this thread.

Hermantown should be in AA!!!

Actually, it will be fascinating to see if they finally make the move. They would likely be top 3 in 7AA most years and instantly become a fan favorite if they do, and if not, it will be fun to watch the statewide disgust multiply as they continue to stack A trophies while playing a AA-heavy schedule in which they beat top AA teams.

I wish they'd let the players decide.c

I don't know about the players, but I don't believe most of the parents and decision makers want to go AA (but all it takes is a couple to make that decision). There is a different mindset there when it comes to A vs AA when compared with opt-ups like Cloquet, Rapids, and Roseau. The success at A vs Mike Randolph/Duluth East/7AA/AA is the major factor.

I am also vey interested to see what the decision will be and of course, the result.

You are correct. There is no support within the program to move to AA. It was starting to become pretty common knowledge but finally confirmed by a good source this weekend. They are staying in Class A.

Excellent news for CEC.

[WestMetro]

Maybe covered in the last week or two in this thread, but will Joey Pierce be playing forward, or staying at D?

[Jeffy95]

Sorry, Didn't mean to come across like I had some big scoop. The guy I talked to doesn't make any decisions and obviously it's one guy's opinion on a message board. All speculation and nothing is official until March. But they're staying in Class A.

[Louie22]

Hopefully someone tells Carter Clafton that he's a Grand Rapids junior and not a Greenway sophomore.

[defense]

Time to resuscitate this thread.

Hermantown should be in AA!!!

Actually, it will be fascinating to see if they finally make the move. They would likely be top 3 in 7AA most years and instantly become a fan favorite if they do, and if not, it will be fun to watch the statewide disgust multiply as they continue to stack A trophies while playing a AA-heavy schedule in which they beat top AA teams.

I wish they'd let the players decide.c

I don't know about the players, but I don't believe most of the parents and decision makers want to go AA (but all it takes is a couple to make that decision). There is a different mindset there when it comes to A vs AA when compared with opt-ups like Cloquet, Rapids, and Roseau. The success at A vs Mike Randolph/Duluth East/7AA/AA is the major factor.

I am also vey interested to see what the decision will be and of course, the result.

You are correct. There is no support within the program to move to AA. It was starting to become pretty common knowledge but finally confirmed by a good source this weekend. They are staying in Class A.

My argument is old and tired. But if we are going to have classes based on enrollment, we need integrity and having the schools who belong in class a based on enrollment actually play class a is integrity. Class a has become a different animal since the beginning and is a good competitive league now, and could be more interesting if the dominant schools stayed put. That said, I am all for a school bettering itself by striving to play tougher competition. And all else equal, a class aa team has a deeper roster generally, and deeper feeder programs. I'm good either way with Hermantown, STA, B-SM, Warroad ( no one remembers the calls for Warroad to move up) Roseau to do what they want. Just enjoy hockey.

[hockey59]

I don't know about the players, but I don't believe most of the parents and decision makers want to go AA (but all it takes is a couple to make that decision). There is a different mindset there when it comes to A vs AA when compared with opt-ups like Cloquet, Rapids, and Roseau. The success at A vs Mike Randolph/Duluth East/7AA/AA is the major factor.

I am also vey interested to see what the decision will be and of course, the result.

You are correct. There is no support within the program to move to AA. It was starting to become pretty common knowledge but finally confirmed by a good source this weekend. They are staying in Class A.

My argument is old and tired. But if we are going to have classes based on enrollment, we need integrity and having the schools who belong in class a based on enrollment actually play class a is integrity. Class a has become a different animal since the beginning and is a good competitive league now, and could be more interesting if the dominant schools stayed put. That said, I am all for a school bettering itself by striving to play tougher competition. And all else equal, a class aa team has a deeper roster generally, and deeper feeder programs. I'm good either way with Hermantown, STA, B-SM, Warroad ( no one remembers the calls for Warroad to move up) Roseau to do what they want. Just enjoy hockey.

For the 1,000,000 time...when your PeeWee AA team is consistently top 10 in MN...and your Bantam AA team is consistently top 10 in MN...there is NO INTEGRITY choosing to play HS single A hockey...And no PRIDE either...end of story! The sh-t storm of criticism they will be on the receiving end of (if they fail to come to their collective senses) and corresponding fail to move up to AA following the 2018-2019 season will be EPIC...to say the least.

[Jeffy95]

I don't know about the players, but I don't believe most of the parents and decision makers want to go AA (but all it takes is a couple to make that decision). There is a different mindset there when it comes to A vs AA when compared with opt-ups like Cloquet, Rapids, and Roseau. The success at A vs Mike Randolph/Duluth East/7AA/AA is the major factor.

I am also vey interested to see what the decision will be and of course, the result.

You are correct. There is no support within the program to move to AA. It was starting to become pretty common knowledge but finally confirmed by a good source this weekend. They are staying in Class A.

My argument is old and tired. But if we are going to have classes based on enrollment, we need integrity and having the schools who belong in class a based on enrollment actually play class a is integrity. Class a has become a different animal since the beginning and is a good competitive league now, and could be more interesting if the dominant schools stayed put. That said, I am all for a school bettering itself by striving to play tougher competition. And all else equal, a class aa team has a deeper roster generally, and deeper feeder programs. I'm good either way with Hermantown, STA, B-SM, Warroad ( no one remembers the calls for Warroad to move up) Roseau to do what they want. Just enjoy hockey.

I agree with a lot of what you say. I don't agree with people calling for a team to move up just because they're good. If you're doing things better and getting great results, more power to you and play wherever you want. If Hermantown was playing with Hermantown kids and dominating Class A, I would be a fan. We all know that's not the case. Parents are attracted to the program. But if that's your situation, it's tough to justify staying in Class A and dominate year after year. Pat Andrews is a good guy who knows the hockey climate in the area. But he has zero support from anyone else in the school admin or the parents in the association to move to AA even if he wanted to, which nobody really knows. It is what it is.

Yes, AA teams do have a larger feeder program. Hermantown is the largest in the area. Because of all the kids, they have three, full roster Bantam teams. East has two. Cloquet scraped together two with 24 kids. Denfeld and Proctor can only field one. I'd say they're doing okay.

[kniven]

I heard from a Hermantown friend at turkey day dinner yesterday that a group presented to the city/school board a plan for a new arena for Hermantown Hockey. It would connect to the existing rink and take out an outdoor rink or two.

[defense]

You are correct. There is no support within the program to move to AA. It was starting to become pretty common knowledge but finally confirmed by a good source this weekend. They are staying in Class A.

My argument is old and tired. But if we are going to have classes based on enrollment, we need integrity and having the schools who belong in class a based on enrollment actually play class a is integrity. Class a has become a different animal since the beginning and is a good competitive league now, and could be more interesting if the dominant schools stayed put. That said, I am all for a school bettering itself by striving to play tougher competition. And all else equal, a class aa team has a deeper roster generally, and deeper feeder programs. I'm good either way with Hermantown, STA, B-SM, Warroad ( no one remembers the calls for Warroad to move up) Roseau to do what they want. Just enjoy hockey.

For the 1,000,000 time...when your PeeWee AA team is consistently top 10 in MN...and your Bantam AA team is consistently top 10 in MN...there is NO INTEGRITY choosing to play HS single A hockey...And no PRIDE either...end of story! The sh-t storm of criticism they will be on the receiving end of (if they fail to come to their collective senses) and corresponding fail to move up to AA following the 2018-2019 season will be EPIC...to say the least.

This is very similar to what was said of Warroad in the 90's. We didnt have AA youth hockey and their youth teams weren't always that great. But they benefited
a lot from out of towners. Now Warroad and Hermantown are not the same situation, but in the 90's people were screaming for Warroad to move up. Because they were too good. Had players not from there. That they should have pride etc.
The integrity of the two class system is playing in a league based on your enrollment. Not the enrollment of the youth club. Not the domination you have had in your league. Not the success you've had at higher levels by
your local youth club. Hut based on enrollment of the school as judged by the governing body of that league.
They are playing within the rules and enjoy what they are doing so thumbs up to them.

[defense]

You are correct. There is no support within the program to move to AA. It was starting to become pretty common knowledge but finally confirmed by a good source this weekend. They are staying in Class A.

My argument is old and tired. But if we are going to have classes based on enrollment, we need integrity and having the schools who belong in class a based on enrollment actually play class a is integrity. Class a has become a different animal since the beginning and is a good competitive league now, and could be more interesting if the dominant schools stayed put. That said, I am all for a school bettering itself by striving to play tougher competition. And all else equal, a class aa team has a deeper roster generally, and deeper feeder programs. I'm good either way with Hermantown, STA, B-SM, Warroad ( no one remembers the calls for Warroad to move up) Roseau to do what they want. Just enjoy hockey.

I agree with a lot of what you say. I don't agree with people calling for a team to move up just because they're good. If you're doing things better and getting great results, more power to you and play wherever you want. If Hermantown was playing with Hermantown kids and dominating Class A, I would be a fan. We all know that's not the case. Parents are attracted to the program. But if that's your situation, it's tough to justify staying in Class A and dominate year after year. Pat Andrews is a good guy who knows the hockey climate in the area. But he has zero support from anyone else in the school admin or the parents in the association to move to AA even if he wanted to, which nobody really knows. It is what it is.

Yes, AA teams do have a larger feeder program. Hermantown is the largest in the area. Because of all the kids, they have three, full roster Bantam teams. East has two. Cloquet scraped together two with 24 kids. Denfeld and Proctor can only field one. I'd say they're doing okay.

But if they weren't successful, no one would care.

[rainier2]

My argument is old and tired. But if we are going to have classes based on enrollment, we need integrity and having the schools who belong in class a based on enrollment actually play class a is integrity. Class a has become a different animal since the beginning and is a good competitive league now, and could be more interesting if the dominant schools stayed put. That said, I am all for a school bettering itself by striving to play tougher competition. And all else equal, a class aa team has a deeper roster generally, and deeper feeder programs. I'm good either way with Hermantown, STA, B-SM, Warroad ( no one remembers the calls for Warroad to move up) Roseau to do what they want. Just enjoy hockey.

For the 1,000,000 time...when your PeeWee AA team is consistently top 10 in MN...and your Bantam AA team is consistently top 10 in MN...there is NO INTEGRITY choosing to play HS single A hockey...And no PRIDE either...end of story! The sh-t storm of criticism they will be on the receiving end of (if they fail to come to their collective senses) and corresponding fail to move up to AA following the 2018-2019 season will be EPIC...to say the least.

This is very similar to what was said of Warroad in the 90's. We didnt have AA youth hockey and their youth teams weren't always that great. But they benefited
a lot from out of towners. Now Warroad and Hermantown are not the same situation, but in the 90's people were screaming for Warroad to move up. Because they were too good. Had players not from there. That they should have pride etc.
The integrity of the two class system is playing in a league based on your enrollment. Not the enrollment of the youth club. Not the domination you have had in your league. Not the success you've had at higher levels by
your local youth club. Hut based on enrollment of the school as judged by the governing body of that league.
They are playing within the rules and enjoy what they are doing so thumbs up to them.

So you're saying you'd welcome STA and all the other metro privates back to Class A with open arms? An STA-BSM Class A title game every season would be awesome!!!

[kniven]

For the 1,000,000 time...when your PeeWee AA team is consistently top 10 in MN...and your Bantam AA team is consistently top 10 in MN...there is NO INTEGRITY choosing to play HS single A hockey...And no PRIDE either...end of story! The sh-t storm of criticism they will be on the receiving end of (if they fail to come to their collective senses) and corresponding fail to move up to AA following the 2018-2019 season will be EPIC...to say the least.

This is very similar to what was said of Warroad in the 90's. We didnt have AA youth hockey and their youth teams weren't always that great. But they benefited
a lot from out of towners. Now Warroad and Hermantown are not the same situation, but in the 90's people were screaming for Warroad to move up. Because they were too good. Had players not from there. That they should have pride etc.
The integrity of the two class system is playing in a league based on your enrollment. Not the enrollment of the youth club. Not the domination you have had in your league. Not the success you've had at higher levels by
your local youth club. Hut based on enrollment of the school as judged by the governing body of that league.
They are playing within the rules and enjoy what they are doing so thumbs up to them.

So you're saying you'd welcome STA and all the other metro privates back to Class A with open arms? An STA-BSM Class A title game every season would be awesome!!!

Interesting. Hermantown did yelp a lot when STA was in A. The metro private’s could easily move back to A.

[Upfan111]

Kniven- what happened with your 4th predication of Hermantown going AA? They will never go AA.

[kniven]

Kniven- what happened with your 4th predication of Hermantown going AA? They will never go AA.

Well. Never say never, but coach Andrews is outnumbered by a lot in the A vs. AA. I can’t see a move from what I’m hearing. I’d rather have them stay in A.

[northwoods oldtimer]

This is very similar to what was said of Warroad in the 90's. We didnt have AA youth hockey and their youth teams weren't always that great. But they benefited
a lot from out of towners. Now Warroad and Hermantown are not the same situation, but in the 90's people were screaming for Warroad to move up. Because they were too good. Had players not from there. That they should have pride etc.
The integrity of the two class system is playing in a league based on your enrollment. Not the enrollment of the youth club. Not the domination you have had in your league. Not the success you've had at higher levels by
your local youth club. Hut based on enrollment of the school as judged by the governing body of that league.
They are playing within the rules and enjoy what they are doing so thumbs up to them.

So you're saying you'd welcome STA and all the other metro privates back to Class A with open arms? An STA-BSM Class A title game every season would be awesome!!!

Interesting. Hermantown did yelp a lot when STA was in A. The metro private’s could easily move back to A.

They sure as heck did which doubled down on the statewide loathing of the little carpetbagging team from the north.

[ILTG]

7a needs four coaches/schools to opt up and play in 7aa. Leave Hermy in 7a to do what they do. Make 7aa all northern schools. What the difference?