AA Rankings for 11/30/25

[karl(east)]

High school hockey is already in peak form: everyone ranked 2 through 11 in the preseason rankings managed to either tie or lose in the opening week and a half. Here’s a first attempt at in-season rankings, trying to reflect the results without reading too much in to any one game:

1. Moorhead (4-0)
-The Spuds made their position clear with two explosive wins in the Wayzata Turkey Trot, and they followed it up by taking care of business on an overnight visit to the far north. They’re averaging six goals per game, which is gaudy, though if we want to pick at the obvious number one at all, they have leaked a few goals, too. This week they’ve got a section opponent that made an early impression by downing Rogers; we’ll see just how competitive anyone can be with them in 8AA.
This week: Thurs vs. St. Michael-Albertville

2. Hill-Murray (1-0-1)
-The Pios are off to a respectable start compared to their competition for the second spot in these rankings, but it’s not world-beating either, as they gave up some goals to Eden Prairie and then settled for a tie with Class A power Hermantown. It’s not a bad result—early returns suggest Hermantown and Hibbing could be top five teams in a two-class ranking—but it does underscore the volatility somewhat. The week ahead is an interesting one; Mahtomedi is looking good so far, and it’s hard to know what to expect out of Rogers.
This week: Wed at Mahtomedi, Sat at #11 Rogers

3. Minnetonka (3-0-1)
-The tie against White Bear is a blemish on the Skippers’ record, but they have otherwise acquitted themselves well so far, with a heavy shot edge in that game and shutout wins over Rogers and section rival Shakopee. Their depth and balance are enough to trouble anyone, and enough other things are going on that the tie really doesn’t hurt them at this point. Up next: a Stillwater team fresh off a big upset of St. Thomas.
This week: Thurs at #10 Stillwater, Sat vs. Buffalo

4. St. Thomas Academy (3-1)
-Did the expected in their two opening games, blanked a good Holy Angels team to claim a quality top-10 win, and then…got blanked by Stillwater in an ugly reminder of how last season ended. With so many good teams losing I’m not punishing them too much, but the loss says a lot about how the top ten will probably go this season. A couple of mid-tier teams are up next.
This week: Tues vs. Eastview, Thurs at Holy Family

5. Maple Grove (4-0)
-The Crimson are among the early winners as they’ve rattled off four wins against quality competition, including two of their new Lake Conference friends, one of their chief rivals for 5AA, and a decent Grand Rapids team. They’re finding ways to win tight games, and will look to continue that against another traditional Lake Conference power that is finding its way in the new landscape.
This week: Sat vs. Eden Prairie

6. Edina (1-2)
-The Hornets went 0-2 in the Turkey Trot, but they played alright in the absence of their touchdown-scoring goaltender, and they throttled Holy Family to send a message in a week when many other contenders did not. With Rogers’ struggles they’re looking pretty good in 6AA in the early going, and they can build on that with a win over Benilde this week.
This week: Thurs at St. Louis Park, Sat vs. Benilde-St. Margaret’s

7. Holy Angels (1-1)
-The Stars saw St. Thomas pull away from them but followed that up with a solid win over Holy Family, two results that point to them belonging somewhere in this 6-10 range. They’re into one of their easier stretches over the next couple weeks.
This week: Thurs vs. Minneapolis, Fri at Duluth East

8. White Bear Lake (1-0-1)
-The Bears are the biggest risers of the start of the season, as they’ve shown great team defense in a tie with Minnetonka and a win over Rogers, both of whom were in the preseason top five. They’re walking a bit of a tightrope as they do it, but the results are a very encouraging early sign. They have a chance to go on a bit of a run now.
This week: Tues vs. Centennial, Thurs vs. Mounds View, Sat at Park of Cottage Grove

9. Cretin-Derham Hall (1-2)
-The Raiders dropped games against the top two Class A schools; given their talent levels they’re not bad losses and we’ll get a better sense of how they stack up over time, but a top five-ish AA team should probably at least split those. Lakeville South this week is a moderate test, and after that one they settle into a run of conference play that should let them build up the record.
This week: Tues at Lakeville South, Sat at Roseville

10. Stillwater (3-0)
-The Ponies join conference-mate White Bear as an early season surprise, stunning St. Thomas Academy and also beating a decent Centennial team. They’ve reloaded nicely from losing nearly all the big contributors to their runner-up team a season ago. If they can do something against Minnetonka this coming week, look out.
This week: Tues vs. East Ridge, Thurs vs. #3 Minnetonka, Sat vs. Woodbury

11. Rogers (2-3)
-No one can accuse the Royals of being boring over their first five games. They did muster two quality wins in beating Andover and Rosemount, but didn’t generate much against Minnetonka, got frustrated by White Bear Lake, and laid an egg against St. Michael-Albertville. The tough tests keep coming with Wayzata and Hill both on the schedule this week.
This week: Tues vs. #14 Wayzata, Thurs vs. Buffalo, Sat vs. #2 Hill-Murray

12. Rosemount (3-1)
-The Irish worked methodically through three wins against middling competition before giving up a third period lead and falling to up-and-down Rogers. The week ahead features a home-and-home with Lakeville North sandwiching a visit to their foremost competition for South Suburban frontrunner status, Shakopee.
This week: Tues vs. Lakeville North, Thurs at #13 Shakopee, Fri at Lakeville North

13. Shakopee (2-1)
-The Sabers are averaging out as expected so far, logging a nice win over Andover but failing to bust through Minnetonka and finding themselves in clear second position in 2AA. With that battle for the top spot in the section now complete, they have the rest of the season to figure out systems and develop some players that would help them at least keep pace with the Skippers depth-wise. The week ahead is an interesting one, as they battle Rosemount and Class A frontrunner Hibbing.
This week: Thurs vs. #12 Rosemount, Sat at Hibbing

14. Wayzata (2-2)
-The Trojans had a tough Turkey Trot but took care of a couple of 7AA teams and evened up their record in the process. A big section battle with Rogers is up next as we start making sense of the ordering in 6AA.
This week: Tues at #11 Rogers, Sat at St. Michael-Albertville

15. Blaine (4-0)
-The Bengals are piling up steady wins against lower-ranked teams, the highlight so far being an overtime affair with Mahtomedi. The stakes start getting higher this week when they face a wounded but tough Andover team and section rival Centennial.
This week: Thurs vs. Andover, Sat vs. Centennial

The Next Ten

Lakeville South (0-1)
-Dropped their opener to Minnetonka, as one might have expected. They get another shot to prove something against a quality team when they face Cretin this week.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s (1-0)
-Slipped by Gentry in overtime, which reaffirms their initial ranking in this zone. A battle with Edina looms.

Rock Ridge (2-2)
-Spotting seven goals to Sartell was not a great opening week result for this 7AA contender; they did manage to give Wayzata a fairly close game, which prevents any further drop for the time being. They face two of Class A’s best, Hermantown, and Warroad, this coming week.

Prior Lake (1-0-1)
-Beat a decent Centennial team and fought back to tie Eden Prairie, holding them steady in this neighborhood. Conference play kicks off this week with games against Eagan and Apple Valley/Burnsville.

Eden Prairie (0-1-1)
-No wins yet, but the Eagles gave Hill an okay game and let one slip away for a tie against Prior Lake; there is some very young talent here that could influence things in 2AA before all is said and done. Maple Grove highlights the week ahead.

Grand Rapids (0-1-1)
-The Thunderhawks could only tie Duluth East and didn’t produce any offense against Maple Grove, so like Rock Ridge, they’re drifting backward in the rankings. Warroad highlights a three-game week that includes their regular venture up to the northwest.

Andover (0-3-1)
-The Huskies appear interested in repeating last season’s ugly start, with rough 7-1 losses to Rogers and Shakopee and a tie with a Chanhassen team that was not really on my top 25 radar. And yet they pushed Maple Grove to overtime, showing they are a bounce away from winning 5AA. Blaine will be an interesting test this week.

Elk River (0-0)
-The Elks get going this coming week with a visit to Spring Lake Park/Coon Rapids.

Holy Family (1-2)
-Won their game against weaker competition comfortably, but got handled by Holy Angels and soundly beaten by Edina. We’ll wait for a few more data points before making any conclusions. St. Thomas provides another tough test on Thursday.

Duluth Marshall (3-0)
-Rolling past weaker competition and have to be encouraged by some of the other early 7AA results. They get their first semblance of a test against Gentry this week.

[Brodziak Fan Club]

Karl, I don’t think it can be said enough what a great job you do with this weekly piece of writing. Such an asset to Minnesota high school hockey.

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

It has been a pretty fast start to the season. No one is easing into the season by warming up against 2 or 3 bottom dwellers. White Bear is definitely the big surprise on the up side. I need more than one good win from Stillwater to speak similarly of them.

One of the nice features of this weekly post is that it's a reminder of non-Hill games I might want to see, even if it's a free stream on the big screen here at the posh, lavish lakeside villa. For myself, I'll pass on the drive to Stillwater for the HM-Zephs game but make the longer drive to the Saturday matinee at Rogers. (Dinner suggestions for somewhere southwest of there would be appreciated.)

One improvement in the weekly post I'd like to see is the specific mention of the past weeks opponents, as opposed to a more generic mention such as "...two of their new Lake Conference friends, one of their chief rivals for 5AA, and a decent Grand Rapids team...".

I have a few thoughts on live streams. First, a hat tip to the Cadets for a fairly high quality stream that is available free of charge. I was able to catch a few minutes of yesterday's Ponies game; it features the score across the top, and I can't recall if the banner also showed the time or just the period.

Next, it's mildly annoying that two services, NSPN.TV and MNHOCKEY.TV, have a lot of games/teams I want to see split between them. NSPN is $33/month, and the other is $27/month. I believe that is for a calendar month(?) and not for 30 days from the day you subscribe. It's only in the last few years that games have been scheduled before December 1, but it makes it a pricey proposition to pony up for November, and February is also a short month as far as regular season games. I think NSPN has a price for individual games, but I can't see that option at the moment. For $33/month, a skin flint like me needs to watch at least 3 games and preferably 4. And the only way I'd pay a combined $60/month unless I was laid up with a broken ankle or something similar. All of which makes the free streams that much better, be it via STA or muni cable systems.

[CrimsonCakeEater]

I can’t say I envy you having to put together a ranking this week. Just an absolute mess after Moorhead

[stpaul]

It has been a pretty fast start to the season. No one is easing into the season by warming up against 2 or 3 bottom dwellers. White Bear is definitely the big surprise on the up side. I need more than one good win from Stillwater to speak similarly of them.

One of the nice features of this weekly post is that it's a reminder of non-Hill games I might want to see, even if it's a free stream on the big screen here at the posh, lavish lakeside villa. For myself, I'll pass on the drive to Stillwater for the HM-Zephs game but make the longer drive to the Saturday matinee at Rogers. (Dinner suggestions for somewhere southwest of there would be appreciated.)

One improvement in the weekly post I'd like to see is the specific mention of the past weeks opponents, as opposed to a more generic mention such as "...two of their new Lake Conference friends, one of their chief rivals for 5AA, and a decent Grand Rapids team...".

I have a few thoughts on live streams. First, a hat tip to the Cadets for a fairly high quality stream that is available free of charge. I was able to catch a few minutes of yesterday's Ponies game; it features the score across the top, and I can't recall if the banner also showed the time or just the period.

Next, it's mildly annoying that two services, NSPN.TV and MNHOCKEY.TV, have a lot of games/teams I want to see split between them. NSPN is $33/month, and the other is $27/month. I believe that is for a calendar month(?) and not for 30 days from the day you subscribe. It's only in the last few years that games have been scheduled before December 1, but it makes it a pricey proposition to pony up for November, and February is also a short month as far as regular season games. I think NSPN has a price for individual games, but I can't see that option at the moment. For $33/month, a skin flint like me needs to watch at least 3 games and preferably 4. And the only way I'd pay a combined $60/month unless I was laid up with a broken ankle or something similar. All of which makes the free streams that much better, be it via STA or muni cable systems.

NSPN is $33 for a year. It's well worth it.

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

It has been a pretty fast start to the season. No one is easing into the season by warming up against 2 or 3 bottom dwellers. White Bear is definitely the big surprise on the up side. I need more than one good win from Stillwater to speak similarly of them.

One of the nice features of this weekly post is that it's a reminder of non-Hill games I might want to see, even if it's a free stream on the big screen here at the posh, lavish lakeside villa. For myself, I'll pass on the drive to Stillwater for the HM-Zephs game but make the longer drive to the Saturday matinee at Rogers. (Dinner suggestions for somewhere southwest of there would be appreciated.)

One improvement in the weekly post I'd like to see is the specific mention of the past weeks opponents, as opposed to a more generic mention such as "...two of their new Lake Conference friends, one of their chief rivals for 5AA, and a decent Grand Rapids team...".

I have a few thoughts on live streams. First, a hat tip to the Cadets for a fairly high quality stream that is available free of charge. I was able to catch a few minutes of yesterday's Ponies game; it features the score across the top, and I can't recall if the banner also showed the time or just the period.

Next, it's mildly annoying that two services, NSPN.TV and MNHOCKEY.TV, have a lot of games/teams I want to see split between them. NSPN is $33/month, and the other is $27/month. I believe that is for a calendar month(?) and not for 30 days from the day you subscribe. It's only in the last few years that games have been scheduled before December 1, but it makes it a pricey proposition to pony up for November, and February is also a short month as far as regular season games. I think NSPN has a price for individual games, but I can't see that option at the moment. For $33/month, a skin flint like me needs to watch at least 3 games and preferably 4. And the only way I'd pay a combined $60/month unless I was laid up with a broken ankle or something similar. All of which makes the free streams that much better, be it via STA or muni cable systems.

NSPN is $33 for a year. It's well worth it.

Ah, you are correct sir! I'm always willing to stand corrected, which my kids do both daily and mercilessly. It's $12/month.