Class AA Preseason Rankings

[High Heat]

Why not get this debate going. Obviously still uncertainty with where some players are going to end up. So here we go, let the debate begin.


1. Moorhead
2. Minnetonka
3. St. Thomas
4. Hill Murray
5. Rogers
6. Wayzata
7. Cretin Derham Hall
8. Maple Grove
9. Rosemount
10. Benilde St. Margaret’s
11. White Bear Lake
12. Holy Family
13. Shakopee
14. Andover
15. Holy Angels
16. Edina
17. Stillwater
18. Eden Prairie
19. Totino-Grace
20. Centennial

HM: Prior Lake, Blaine, Elk River, Chanhassen, Duluth East, Grand Rapids

[headsupsticksdown]

Ummm… Are the hornets going to be THAT bad?

[BP]

Why not get this debate going. Obviously still uncertainty with where some players are going to end up. So here we go, let the debate begin.


1. Minnetonka
2. Moorhead
3. St. Thomas
4. Hill Murray
5. Rogers
6. Wayzata
7. Cretin Derham Hall
8. Maple Grove
9. Rosemount
10. Benilde St. Margaret’s
11. White Bear Lake
12. Holy Family
13. Shakopee
14. Andover
15. Stillwater
16. Holy Angles
17. Edina
18. Eden Prairie
19. Totino-Grace
20. Centennial

HM: Prior Lake, Blaine, Elk River, Chanhassen, Duluth East, Grand Rapids

Might be unclear on who is leaving and coming - lots of teams losing guys.

[mnpuckster]

Cretin seems to be losing Chorlton and Max Anderson. Not a top5 team if that is the case.

Hill is #1, absolutely loaded, unless they lose kids as well.

Seems more kids are leaving this year more than other years. The hockey 'advisors' dreams coming true. You'll never succeed in life hockey without leaving your entire lives behind at 16/17 years old and play against 18-20 year Olds as a 4th liner 8 minutes/game.

[Sparlimb]

Cretin seems to be losing Chorlton and Max Anderson. Not a top5 team if that is the case.

Hill is #1, absolutely loaded, unless they lose kids as well.

Seems more kids are leaving this year more than other years. The hockey 'advisors' dreams coming true. You'll never succeed in life hockey without leaving your entire lives behind at 16/17 years old and play against 18-20 year Olds as a 4th liner 8 minutes/game.

Totally a "not a dink" take. Clearly a well thought out opinion.

[Lino Lakes Hockey]

More HS kids leaving than in past years. 2nd year USHL kids going to the WHL. Seems weird that colleges want 20 year old freshmen but kids are in a hurry to leave high school more than ever.

[stpaul]

Cretin seems to be losing Chorlton and Max Anderson. Not a top5 team if that is the case.

Hill is #1, absolutely loaded, unless they lose kids as well.

Seems more kids are leaving this year more than other years. The hockey 'advisors' dreams coming true. You'll never succeed in life hockey without leaving your entire lives behind at 16/17 years old and play against 18-20 year Olds as a 4th liner 8 minutes/game.

HM has lost Juniors Caden Zasada (21 goals as a Soph.) to Spokane WHL and Carson Scott (6-3, 200 lb D-man) to the NTDP.

[BSUBeaver]

I just read today (can't find the link) that the WHL is starting to offer kids from Minnesota the ability to do the "before and after" like the USHL and NAHL.

EDIT: Found It: https://x.com/JonKeenNLSports/status/19 ... 3022530711

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

Caden Zasada is playing out west but will return for the high school season.

[Sparlimb]

Caden Zasada is playing out west but will return for the high school season.

More wonderful words won't be spoken this pre-season.

[Slap Shot]

How about Caden Lindsay?

[BP]

How about Caden Lindsay?

Before and After

[blueblood]

Any Section 8AA news?

[Joe2015]

Any Section 8AA news?

Youth Hockey Hub via their Junior Hockey Pod reports that both Zac Zimmerman and Tyden Bergeson will be coming back to Moorhead

I imagine this makes the Spuds the clear favorites in 8AA and gives them a decent chance to repeat.

[O-townClown]

Ummm… Are the hornets going to be THAT bad?

No, Edina at 16 is clearly delusional. Most teams would kill to have as much returning.

Tucker Johnson, Bode McConnell, Alex White, Dylan Dubuc, David Varecka, Sam Peckham, Brady Peterson and Brady Mullman played on the state Bantam champs in 2023 and last year's Varsity that finished third. Ditto goalies Chase Bjorgaard & Wyatt Spindler. Becker Wenkus was all-tournament as a freshman. Drew Botts was a solid player on that Bantam team as an 8th grader and is capable of playing a big role if needed as a junior off JV. Sophomore Nash Paine should be productive immediately.

Someone is either asleep at the wheel or suffers from acute stinger envy to have the Hornets outside the Top 5. Compare this to every other team besides Moorhead and the Hornets stack up nicely. Football reaching the end means a late start for Geyer, White, Bjorgaard. Once late-December rolls around Edina should be as good as anyone except the Spuds.

[Rich Clarke]

If Edina loses Schneider, West, Pittsley, and Vandertop as has been predicted, it will be by far the greatest talent exodus Edina has suffered in history. In past years, the loss of one or two star players has been enough to drop the Hornets from being a state championship contender, while in others (for example the loss of Conner Hurley in 2014, or Budish in 2009) Edina has had enough depth to either win state or be a favorite that came up short. I don't see how a roster that loses its top four forwards will have much of a chance given the high level of play in section six and the rest of the state. For that reason, I do not think a pre-season ranking of Edina in the teens is at all inappropriate. I can see their defense being very solid, especially if the Wenkus brothers return, and Bjorgaard should be a force in goal. But the while the returning forwards played on a state championship team, they were excellent support players behind Schneider, Pittsley, and Vandertop. I also recall an Amir Chebaclo being a star on that team, but who moved on before high school. This team's roster reminds me of the 2020 team, which had several star defensemen and returned Lauden Haug in net but returned several good but not great forwards. They added sophomore phenom Jimmy Clarke but lost or tied 13 regular-season games, winning just 12. In regions they were no match for Blake, who was led by, among others, two star Edina transfers (Dexheimer and Sabre). Karl had them ranked 13th in his final rankings, and for some reason LPH moved them from 15th to 10th for its final poll. Regardless, I think a similar ranking for this team would be fair, at least until we see whether the returnees can step up on offense. I did see that the 2015 Edina team that battled for the no. 1 spot with Lakeville all year and was derailed when leading scorer Dylan Malmquist was injured late in the quarterfinals actually did lose Kieffer Bellows, Jack Walker, Ryan Zuhlsdorf, and Calvin Pugh. But what that team had coming back was far deeper than this team unless some of the predicted losses fail to materialize. I'm not saying they won't be a tough team by late February given their defensive strength, but I think it's more likely that they end up outside the top ten than in the top five.

[Rich Clarke]

If Edina loses Schneider, West, Pittsley, and Vandertop as has been predicted, it will be by far the greatest talent exodus Edina has suffered in history. In past years, the loss of one or two star players has been enough to drop the Hornets from being a state championship contender, while in others (for example the loss of Conner Hurley in 2014, or Budish in 2009) Edina has had enough depth to either win state or be a favorite that came up short. I don't see how a roster that loses its top four forwards will have much of a chance given the high level of play in section six and the rest of the state. For that reason, I do not think a pre-season ranking of Edina in the teens is at all inappropriate. I can see their defense being very solid, especially if the Wenkus brothers return, and Bjorgaard should be a force in goal. But the while the returning forwards played on a state championship team, they were excellent support players behind Schneider, Pittsley, and Vandertop. I also recall an Amir Chebaclo being a star on that team, but who moved on before high school. This team's roster reminds me of the 2020 team, which had several star defensemen and returned Lauden Haug in net but returned several good but not great forwards. They added sophomore phenom Jimmy Clarke but lost or tied 13 regular-season games, winning just 12. In regions they were no match for Blake, who was led by, among others, two star Edina transfers (Dexheimer and Sabre). Karl had them ranked 13th in his final rankings, and for some reason LPH moved them from 15th to 10th for its final poll. Regardless, I think a similar ranking for this team would be fair, at least until we see whether the returnees can step up on offense. I did see that the 2015 Edina team that battled for the no. 1 spot with Lakeville all year and was derailed when leading scorer Dylan Malmquist was injured late in the quarterfinals actually did lose Kieffer Bellows, Jack Walker, Ryan Zuhlsdorf, and Calvin Pugh. But what that team had coming back was far deeper than this team unless some of the predicted losses fail to materialize. I'm not saying they won't be a tough team by late February given their defensive strength, but I think it's more likely that they end up outside the top ten than in the top five.

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

Maple Grove 4, Hornets 3, ot

O-ver RAT-ed!

[SpreadOut!]

If Edina loses Schneider, West, Pittsley, and Vandertop as has been predicted, it will be by far the greatest talent exodus Edina has suffered in history. In past years, the loss of one or two star players has been enough to drop the Hornets from being a state championship contender, while in others (for example the loss of Conner Hurley in 2014, or Budish in 2009) Edina has had enough depth to either win state or be a favorite that came up short. I don't see how a roster that loses its top four forwards will have much of a chance given the high level of play in section six and the rest of the state. For that reason, I do not think a pre-season ranking of Edina in the teens is at all inappropriate. I can see their defense being very solid, especially if the Wenkus brothers return, and Bjorgaard should be a force in goal. But the while the returning forwards played on a state championship team, they were excellent support players behind Schneider, Pittsley, and Vandertop. I also recall an Amir Chebaclo being a star on that team, but who moved on before high school. This team's roster reminds me of the 2020 team, which had several star defensemen and returned Lauden Haug in net but returned several good but not great forwards. They added sophomore phenom Jimmy Clarke but lost or tied 13 regular-season games, winning just 12. In regions they were no match for Blake, who was led by, among others, two star Edina transfers (Dexheimer and Sabre). Karl had them ranked 13th in his final rankings, and for some reason LPH moved them from 15th to 10th for its final poll. Regardless, I think a similar ranking for this team would be fair, at least until we see whether the returnees can step up on offense. I did see that the 2015 Edina team that battled for the no. 1 spot with Lakeville all year and was derailed when leading scorer Dylan Malmquist was injured late in the quarterfinals actually did lose Kieffer Bellows, Jack Walker, Ryan Zuhlsdorf, and Calvin Pugh. But what that team had coming back was far deeper than this team unless some of the predicted losses fail to materialize. I'm not saying they won't be a tough team by late February given their defensive strength, but I think it's more likely that they end up outside the top ten than in the top five.

FYI: I watched the CCX Media stream of the Edina v Maple Grove game today. Giles was interviewed between the 2nd and 3rd periods. He said “six players from the football team are still going through tryouts.” For whatever that’s worth…

[SpreadOut!]

If Edina loses Schneider, West, Pittsley, and Vandertop as has been predicted, it will be by far the greatest talent exodus Edina has suffered in history. In past years, the loss of one or two star players has been enough to drop the Hornets from being a state championship contender, while in others (for example the loss of Conner Hurley in 2014, or Budish in 2009) Edina has had enough depth to either win state or be a favorite that came up short. I don't see how a roster that loses its top four forwards will have much of a chance given the high level of play in section six and the rest of the state. For that reason, I do not think a pre-season ranking of Edina in the teens is at all inappropriate. I can see their defense being very solid, especially if the Wenkus brothers return, and Bjorgaard should be a force in goal. But the while the returning forwards played on a state championship team, they were excellent support players behind Schneider, Pittsley, and Vandertop. I also recall an Amir Chebaclo being a star on that team, but who moved on before high school. This team's roster reminds me of the 2020 team, which had several star defensemen and returned Lauden Haug in net but returned several good but not great forwards. They added sophomore phenom Jimmy Clarke but lost or tied 13 regular-season games, winning just 12. In regions they were no match for Blake, who was led by, among others, two star Edina transfers (Dexheimer and Sabre). Karl had them ranked 13th in his final rankings, and for some reason LPH moved them from 15th to 10th for its final poll. Regardless, I think a similar ranking for this team would be fair, at least until we see whether the returnees can step up on offense. I did see that the 2015 Edina team that battled for the no. 1 spot with Lakeville all year and was derailed when leading scorer Dylan Malmquist was injured late in the quarterfinals actually did lose Kieffer Bellows, Jack Walker, Ryan Zuhlsdorf, and Calvin Pugh. But what that team had coming back was far deeper than this team unless some of the predicted losses fail to materialize. I'm not saying they won't be a tough team by late February given their defensive strength, but I think it's more likely that they end up outside the top ten than in the top five.

FYI: I watched the CCX Media stream of the Edina v Maple Grove game today. Giles was interviewed between the 2nd and 3rd periods. He said “six players from the football team are still going through tryouts.” For whatever that’s worth…

Also, my thoughts on the game, which MG won 4-3 in OT…

The game was very even. Maple Grove had the better goalie today, and in my opinion, MG’s Skanson (an all state linebacker playing football next year for Air Force) is an upgrade over Price (MG’s goalie past two seasons). Price was not good all last season. Skanson should have gotten more time last season.

MG is a top 10 team for sure, and definitely the favorite in 5AA. They went 2-0 this weekend. Their top line is excellent, two first-time varsity players (a sophomore and junior) on the 2nd or 3rd line today were excellent, their top 4 D are strong, and Skanson looks very good and calm in net.

Edina, while going 0-2 this weekend, will absolutely be fine. Keep in mind that their top goalie rushed for 350 yards and scored 6 touchdowns last night in winning state football championship. He obviously didn’t play this weekend. This kid is an athletic stud and will be strong in net once he gets in. Edina is likely—at least right now—not as good as Rogers, who I’d peg as the 6AA favorite. But the Hornets will be right there come the end of the season. Even with their depleted, rebuilt lineup, they scored three on Moorhead Friday night and three on MG today on 30-some shots (against an excellent goalie). Again, Edina will be totally fine.

[SpreadOut!]

If Edina loses Schneider, West, Pittsley, and Vandertop as has been predicted, it will be by far the greatest talent exodus Edina has suffered in history. In past years, the loss of one or two star players has been enough to drop the Hornets from being a state championship contender, while in others (for example the loss of Conner Hurley in 2014, or Budish in 2009) Edina has had enough depth to either win state or be a favorite that came up short. I don't see how a roster that loses its top four forwards will have much of a chance given the high level of play in section six and the rest of the state. For that reason, I do not think a pre-season ranking of Edina in the teens is at all inappropriate. I can see their defense being very solid, especially if the Wenkus brothers return, and Bjorgaard should be a force in goal. But the while the returning forwards played on a state championship team, they were excellent support players behind Schneider, Pittsley, and Vandertop. I also recall an Amir Chebaclo being a star on that team, but who moved on before high school. This team's roster reminds me of the 2020 team, which had several star defensemen and returned Lauden Haug in net but returned several good but not great forwards. They added sophomore phenom Jimmy Clarke but lost or tied 13 regular-season games, winning just 12. In regions they were no match for Blake, who was led by, among others, two star Edina transfers (Dexheimer and Sabre). Karl had them ranked 13th in his final rankings, and for some reason LPH moved them from 15th to 10th for its final poll. Regardless, I think a similar ranking for this team would be fair, at least until we see whether the returnees can step up on offense. I did see that the 2015 Edina team that battled for the no. 1 spot with Lakeville all year and was derailed when leading scorer Dylan Malmquist was injured late in the quarterfinals actually did lose Kieffer Bellows, Jack Walker, Ryan Zuhlsdorf, and Calvin Pugh. But what that team had coming back was far deeper than this team unless some of the predicted losses fail to materialize. I'm not saying they won't be a tough team by late February given their defensive strength, but I think it's more likely that they end up outside the top ten than in the top five.

FYI: I watched the CCX Media stream of the Edina v Maple Grove game today. Giles was interviewed between the 2nd and 3rd periods. He said “six players from the football team are still going through tryouts.” For whatever that’s worth…

Also, my thoughts on the game, which MG won 4-3 in OT…

The game was very even. Maple Grove had the better goalie today, and in my opinion, MG’s Skanson (an all state linebacker playing football next year for Air Force) is an upgrade over Price (MG’s goalie past two seasons). Price was not good all last season. Skanson should have gotten more time last season.

MG is a top 10 team for sure, and definitely the favorite in 5AA. They went 2-0 this weekend. Their top line is excellent, two first-time varsity players (a sophomore and junior) on the 2nd or 3rd line today were excellent, their top 4 D are strong, and Skanson looks very good and calm in net.

Edina, while going 0-2 this weekend, will absolutely be fine. Keep in mind that their top goalie rushed for 350 yards and scored 6 touchdowns last night in winning state football championship. He obviously didn’t play this weekend. This kid is an athletic stud and will be strong in net once he gets in. Edina is likely—at least right now—not as good as Rogers, who I’d peg as the 6AA favorite. But the Hornets will be right there come the end of the season. Even with their depleted, rebuilt lineup, they scored three on Moorhead Friday night and three on MG today on 30-some shots (against an excellent goalie). Again, Edina will be totally fine.

Okay, I hadn’t seen that Rogers followed up their impressive win over Andover last night with a complete dud today, losing 3-2 to STMA (which is so on brand for Rogers if you’ve followed them the past 4-5 seasons). Given this, I’m predicting Edina absolutely will win section 6AA this season. Giles will have them playing their best hockey of the season and they’ll be the best team in 6AA come postseason.

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

Yeah I would agree, how Edina plays the two or three weeks is not very representative of how they will be this season. The Rogers score is much more significant, even given how early we are in the season. Edina players don't assume they will win the section, they know they're capable of it. Rogers players just can't have the same level of confidence in their capabilities. And a veteran coach who has won a half a dozen (or more) section titles can get far more mileage out of team than a less experienced coach.

So Edina is overrated for now, but I expect them to earn a higher ranking by January 1. And Giles knows it doesn't matter in the least what the rankings are now.