Top Peewee A players for 2007-08

[frederick61]

I thought it would be worth while to list the top ten peewee A players I saw this season. But first, I want to relate a true story. In a program that I was involved with 20 years ago, there was an outstanding peewee player. Among his skills, he had such a great hard shot, so hard that once I threw him out on the ice just as a puck came loose in our offensive zone. He picked up the puck 5 feet inside the blue line and fired a hard shot that hit the upper part of the goalie’s stick and snapped it off. The startled goalie who played on with the shattered stick, but the refs quickly whistled the play dead and brought the pieces to our bench. I seriously gave thought to having the kid sign the pieces. He was going to be a star in my mind. He never was. He barely played high school.

I saw all the teams play ranked in the top 80 except Crookston, St. Francis, Brainerd and Warroad (Hudson is a Wisconsin team) on Mnrankings.com. Of the remaining 21 listed on that site, I have seen only six teams. For players on those teams I have not seen, my apologies for I can not include you, so if you go on to become the next NHL star, send me a broken stick, signed, saying Fred you were wrong. It won’t be sold on Ebay.

On all of the teams I saw, there are always good players that could skate and skate with those listed here. But these players are outstanding because of a number of attributes. Speed was always one factor, but not most significant one. An understanding of the play and game situation such that the player makes the right play at the right time is the most significant to me. That requires a good stick, an awareness of how to play the puck on the ice surface and in the vertical, an innate ability to make a leading pass at the right speed through traffic, and a quick shot. The players listed below meet that criteria.

No.1: #24 Apple Valley is a big winger that plays defense, wing and center when called on. He played in one of the toughest districts in the state and drew the attention of special coaching by his opponents. One coach canceled a tournament to practice with a dad (former D1 player) skating in the practice wearing #24. The coach would blow the whistle and yell where’s #24? The team would have to stop and point to #24. The opponent coaches needed to do that, to essentially gang tackle him, to contain his play. It is unfortunate that the Eagles, playing with a short bench most of the season, could not rest him more. Most of Apple Valley loses were in the final minutes of the game.

No.2:#12 Wayzata is another winger with an exceptional shot and good skating ability. He is very strong in his skates and is difficult to knock off the puck. His game awareness is keen, but it reflects a play like that of a bird of prey. He pounces on opportunity and makes the opponent pay by turning them into goals. But he needs to be better aware of opportunities among his teammates in the course of play and broaden his play.

No.3: #9: Woodbury-A great center on the best peewee A line this year. He understands how to move the puck and how to position himself to make the play. Those skills combined with a stick handling ability that makes one wonder if his stick is made of glue and it makes him one of the best playmakers in the state. His play falls off when his line’s continuity is upset and he seems to struggle a little. But he has one mean shot, more then once this year he has scorched a goalie on a hard upper corner shot (right or left) backhanded.

No.4: #14 Eden Prairie is a good sized defenseman that seeks to control the play when he is on the ice. He does it by not leaving his position, but using his position to control the other team’s play especially on breakouts. Like other good defensemen, he has a formable capability to rush the puck and take the shot, but unlike others he does not leave the dfense weakened and susceptible to counter attack.

No. 5: #7 Lakeville is the “pocket rocket” of the peewee centers this year. He just can fly on the breakout and when the defense thinks they have caught him at last and pushed him outside to the corner, he snaps of a hard perfect pass to a teammate in the slot. The first time he did this, it looked like a lucky play. But then he did again and again in other games. That combined with ability to get of a hard wrist shots at awkward angles makes him a top player.

No.6: #11 Hastings is big defenseman that plays like a shark. When I first saw him, I thought I heard the theme from “Jaws” drumming. He doesn’t play defense as much as he prowls like a great white off an East Coast beach. When he attacks he has a variety of hard shots to kill the goalie. His defensive play is better then average, but he is given so much respect by his opponents, that his presence on the ice slows down the opponents attack.

No.7: #8 Little Falls is another big defenseman, but he not only attacks offensively, rushing the puck from his own zone, but physically. He delivers punishing hits to his opponents. He is solid in his skates. Because his skating is so good, he takes punishing hits and hits back often on the initial hit. The result is the player delivering the check is often driven back and checked out of the play. He has a quick hard shot and knows how to use it.

No.8: #19 Eagan is a big center that drops back to defense to use his outstanding shot. He has one of the hardest shots from the blue line, that combined with great skating and puck handling skills, puts him on this list. He has good game awareness, but tends to take the shot at times. He needs to learn to move to either right or left by reading the defense when rushing the puck.

No.9: #8 Northfield is a center that epitomizes the criteria of an outstanding player used here. He is not a fast skater and one wonders if he is working hard out there. But he has such game awareness that he does the right thing. That combined with an outstanding scoring ability puts him on this list. In the D8 playoff game against Farmington, he single handedly held the Tigers at bay for almost four minutes of clock time when the Tigers had a 5 on 3 man advantage. He focused his play and held the Tigers scoreless and shotless by using his game awareness. He thwarted the Tiger attack and forced them to re-group time after time. The problem is either he tires or loses focus as he did in the middle of the Sibley D8 playoff game. After dueling with Sibley’s star evenly through the first half of the game, he made a needless check that opened the ice in front of his goal for a Sibley goal and the Raiders never recovered.

No.10: #11 Cloquet is a forward playing defense for the Lumberjacks. He is not big, but has a big shot. He is a great skater and knows how to score. Against Woodbury in the state tourney, he demonstrated an ability to hit either upper corner at will and scored three goals in less then a period to bring the Jacks back into the game. His shots were so hard, the crowd had trouble following the puck.


As I said there are a number of outstanding players. The following are some honorable mentions.
#6 Wayzata-She was the fastest skater in the state tourney
#88 Eastview-If he is a returning player, he may center what could be an outstanding Lightning peewee A team next year.
#16 Little Falls-A great defensman with a lot of size.
#17 East Grand Forks-A hard working, innovated, center, for the Green Wave.
#Defense Buffalo-Really fun to watch them play in the Mound Westonka game.
#1 Minnetonka-She is a solid goal tender for the Skippers.
#16 Fargo Flyers-He is another great defenseman, but he needs a little a room to maneuver.
#Edina Team-They are a team of outstanding skaters playing an outstanding team concept. State Champs.

[Hockeyguy_27]

I thought it would be worth while to list the top ten peewee A players I saw this season. But first, I want to relate a true story. In a program that I was involved with 20 years ago, there was an outstanding peewee player. Among his skills, he had such a great hard shot, so hard that once I threw him out on the ice just as a puck came loose in our offensive zone. He picked up the puck 5 feet inside the blue line and fired a hard shot that hit the upper part of the goalie’s stick and snapped it off. The startled goalie who played on with the shattered stick, but the refs quickly whistled the play dead and brought the pieces to our bench. I seriously gave thought to having the kid sign the pieces. He was going to be a star in my mind. He never was. He barely played high school.

I saw all the teams play ranked in the top 80 except Crookston, St. Francis, Brainerd and Warroad (Hudson is a Wisconsin team) on Mnrankings.com. Of the remaining 21 listed on that site, I have seen only six teams. For players on those teams I have not seen, my apologies for I can not include you, so if you go on to become the next NHL star, send me a broken stick, signed, saying Fred you were wrong. It won’t be sold on Ebay.

On all of the teams I saw, there are always good players that could skate and skate with those listed here. But these players are outstanding because of a number of attributes. Speed was always one factor, but not most significant one. An understanding of the play and game situation such that the player makes the right play at the right time is the most significant to me. That requires a good stick, an awareness of how to play the puck on the ice surface and in the vertical, an innate ability to make a leading pass at the right speed through traffic, and a quick shot. The players listed below meet that criteria.

No.1: #24 Apple Valley is a big winger that plays defense, wing and center when called on. He played in one of the toughest districts in the state and drew the attention of special coaching by his opponents. One coach canceled a tournament to practice with a dad (former D1 player) skating in the practice wearing #24. The coach would blow the whistle and yell where’s #24? The team would have to stop and point to #24. The opponent coaches needed to do that, to essentially gang tackle him, to contain his play. It is unfortunate that the Eagles, playing with a short bench most of the season, could not rest him more. Most of Apple Valley loses were in the final minutes of the game.

No.2:#12 Wayzata is another winger with an exceptional shot and good skating ability. He is very strong in his skates and is difficult to knock off the puck. His game awareness is keen, but it reflects a play like that of a bird of prey. He pounces on opportunity and makes the opponent pay by turning them into goals. But he needs to be better aware of opportunities among his teammates in the course of play and broaden his play.

No.3: #9: Woodbury-A great center on the best peewee A line this year. He understands how to move the puck and how to position himself to make the play. Those skills combined with a stick handling ability that makes one wonder if his stick is made of glue and it makes him one of the best playmakers in the state. His play falls off when his line’s continuity is upset and he seems to struggle a little. But he has one mean shot, more then once this year he has scorched a goalie on a hard upper corner shot (right or left) backhanded.

No.4: #14 Eden Prairie is a good sized defenseman that seeks to control the play when he is on the ice. He does it by not leaving his position, but using his position to control the other team’s play especially on breakouts. Like other good defensemen, he has a formable capability to rush the puck and take the shot, but unlike others he does not leave the dfense weakened and susceptible to counter attack.

No. 5: #7 Lakeville is the “pocket rocket” of the peewee centers this year. He just can fly on the breakout and when the defense thinks they have caught him at last and pushed him outside to the corner, he snaps of a hard perfect pass to a teammate in the slot. The first time he did this, it looked like a lucky play. But then he did again and again in other games. That combined with ability to get of a hard wrist shots at awkward angles makes him a top player.

No.6: #11 Hastings is big defenseman that plays like a shark. When I first saw him, I thought I heard the theme from “Jaws” drumming. He doesn’t play defense as much as he prowls like a great white off an East Coast beach. When he attacks he has a variety of hard shots to kill the goalie. His defensive play is better then average, but he is given so much respect by his opponents, that his presence on the ice slows down the opponents attack.

No.7: #8 Little Falls is another big defenseman, but he not only attacks offensively, rushing the puck from his own zone, but physically. He delivers punishing hits to his opponents. He is solid in his skates. Because his skating is so good, he takes punishing hits and hits back often on the initial hit. The result is the player delivering the check is often driven back and checked out of the play. He has a quick hard shot and knows how to use it.

No.8: #19 Eagan is a big center that drops back to defense to use his outstanding shot. He has one of the hardest shots from the blue line, that combined with great skating and puck handling skills, puts him on this list. He has good game awareness, but tends to take the shot at times. He needs to learn to move to either right or left by reading the defense when rushing the puck.

No.9: #8 Northfield is a center that epitomizes the criteria of an outstanding player used here. He is not a fast skater and one wonders if he is working hard out there. But he has such game awareness that he does the right thing. That combined with an outstanding scoring ability puts him on this list. In the D8 playoff game against Farmington, he single handedly held the Tigers at bay for almost four minutes of clock time when the Tigers had a 5 on 3 man advantage. He focused his play and held the Tigers scoreless and shotless by using his game awareness. He thwarted the Tiger attack and forced them to re-group time after time. The problem is either he tires or loses focus as he did in the middle of the Sibley D8 playoff game. After dueling with Sibley’s star evenly through the first half of the game, he made a needless check that opened the ice in front of his goal for a Sibley goal and the Raiders never recovered.

No.10: #11 Cloquet is a forward playing defense for the Lumberjacks. He is not big, but has a big shot. He is a great skater and knows how to score. Against Woodbury in the state tourney, he demonstrated an ability to hit either upper corner at will and scored three goals in less then a period to bring the Jacks back into the game. His shots were so hard, the crowd had trouble following the puck.


As I said there are a number of outstanding players. The following are some honorable mentions.
#6 Wayzata-She was the fastest skater in the state tourney
#88 Eastview-If he is a returning player, he may center what could be an outstanding Lightning peewee A team next year.
#16 Little Falls-A great defensman with a lot of size.
#17 East Grand Forks-A hard working, innovated, center, for the Green Wave.
#Defense Buffalo-Really fun to watch them play in the Mound Westonka game.
#1 Minnetonka-She is a solid goal tender for the Skippers.
#16 Fargo Flyers-He is another great defenseman, but he needs a little a room to maneuver.
#Edina Team-They are a team of outstanding skaters playing an outstanding team concept. State Champs.

Frederick good list but you forgot one of the best players in the state #11 from Eden Prairie, he was a dominant player. Also, number 12 from the Fire and #19 from Little Falls.

Lastly #6 from Wayzata isn't even close to being as fast as #4 from Edina. This kid may be the fastest skater I've ever seen at this level.

[hockeyguy3]

did you see maple grove play at all this year? you missed #7 from north st paul too he was a good player

[frederick61]

did you see maple grove play at all this year? you missed #7 from north st paul too he was a good player

I saw North St. Paul play a number of games and #7 is a very good player. During the District 2 Playoffs, his line was outstanding and I thought played the best of any one line during the district play off games that I saw. But in the East Regionals, they just did not have that spark in losing all three games. That is why I left #7 off.

As to Maple Grove, I saw them play a number of times and they were an up and down team, beating some good teams one day and losing to an average team the next day. As to their players, they were good as a team and had some very good players, much like Edina. But none that made this list.

Note as an update, I saw some of the AAA summer Independent AAA tourney today, May 17th and was impressed with the improvement shown by #11 from Hastings since I last saw him in the D8 playoffs in Feb. If he keeps working at it, he could be the outstanding player of the 95 crop.

[Reggie]

Two guys from GR to watch #19 and #30.

[curiousgeorge]

Frederic,

Do you see any correlation between being a top peewee A player, and then being top at bantams and high school? Does being on a top summer team like the blades/machine when you are squirt/peewee/bantam indicate that a player will be successful in the future. The blades like to list how many former blades players are playing D1,etc.