AA Preseason Rankings 2012-2013

[karl(east)]

Welcome to season five of my rankings. They will appear on this forum every Sunday starting December 2 and go through the end of the season. Also, for a second season, I’m partnering with mnhockeyprospects.com in issuing these rankings; you can find them there as well.

As usual, I’ll open with a statement of purpose: the preseason rankings are designed to give us something to talk about and to use as a measuring stick at the end of the season, and not much more. As always, feel free to raise as many questions as you like; just keep it all in perspective and remember that we are debating high school hockey, not the destiny of the human race.

I have the good fortune of being back in Minnesota this winter after four years out of the state. While I’m not sure how often I’ll be able to head down to the Metro, I’ll still be watching as many games as possible online, and hope to see many of the top teams that make their way through the Duluth area as the season unfolds. It’s good to be back, and I suspect I’ll see some of you around some hockey rinks over the next four months.

The “schedule” line in each team capsule lists a team’s opponents through December 1 (the first week and a half of the season). Here you go:

1. Benilde-St. Margaret’s
-The defending champs have as good a chance to repeat as any recent titlist, returning their explosive top line and decent depth across the board. It was a rather tumultuous offseason for the Red Knights, with several early departures and three transfers into the program, along with the continued collection of several young prospects. We’ll see if it takes the new additions some time to jell with the rest of the team, and Coach Pauly will have to decide whether they are best served by keeping the Besse-Labosky-Moore line together, or if he should spread around his snipers in search of balance. As has been the case in recent years, the weakness is probably on defense; while they have a number of talented players, they are still a bit young on the blue line. The new independent schedule tests Benilde early and often, including a road trip to face a Moorhead team that gave them some trouble last season.
Schedule: Sat 12/1 at #15 Moorhead

2. Edina
-The Hornets lost only a handful of players off last season’s state tournament entrant, and top-to-bottom they are probably the strongest team in the state. Hurley and Malmquist lead a powerful top line, they have a large senior class that is somewhat stronger defensively than Benilde, and a few members of the next generation of Edina stars will likely crack the lineup as well. They’re behind Benilde mostly because their top forwards are still a bit on the young side, and also because Coach Giles still has some work to do in finding the right balance for a team that is overflowing with quality players. They have a very busy start to the season, though they should win all five games in the first two weeks; the other teams in the Wayzata Turkey Trot are the first three on the bubble outside the Top 15, and their other opponents are ranked somewhere in the 20s.
Schedule: Wayzata Turkey Trot—Fri. 12/23 vs. Holy Family, Sat. 11/24 vs. Maple Grove/Wayzata; Tues 11/27 vs. Lakeville South, Thurs 11/29 vs. Centennial, Sat 12/1 at Maple Grove

3. Eden Prairie
-Benilde’s biggest threat may come from within their own section, as the Eagles reload with another deep squad aiming for its third title in five years. The top line won’t be quite as explosive as that of Benilde or Edina, but it’s still quite strong, and there are no clear weaknesses here, save perhaps some inexperience in goal. With a lot of talented juniors, they may still be a year away from peaking. The schedule, while difficult, opens on a relatively easy note.
Schedule: Thurs 11/29 vs. Champlin Park, Sat 12/1 at Anoka

4. Minnetonka
-The Skippers aren’t quite on the level of the three teams above them, but for now, they’re the best of the rest. They have a solid top line in Coatta-Thie-Ramsey and a couple of star defensemen, and while the depth beyond that isn’t phenomenal (particularly on D), it is good enough to have them in the hunt in a very crowded 6AA. Their first week, while busy, is almost certainly the easiest part of their schedule.
Schedule: Tues 11/27 at Apple Valley, Thurs 11/29 vs. Osseo, Fri 11/30 vs. Hibbing

5. Hill-Murray
-This is where things start to get complicated. A pair of departures for juniors cost the Pioneers a spot in the top 3, but the addition of Mitchel Slattery from Shattuck helps fill some of that void, and with LaValle and Brown anchoring the offense, they’ll score plenty of goals. It may take some time for the Pioneers get their second line into form and thereby show they belong this high, but the depth of this program coupled with Lechner at the helm means they will almost certainly have things together come late February. Their first four games, all nonconference contests, will certainly test them; both their opponents in their first week of play are in the top fifteen.
Schedule: Thurs 11/29 vs. #9 Burnsville, Sat 12/1 at #14 Eagan

6. Andover
-The Huskies continue their steady climb on to the state scene with a team that returns practically everyone from last season’s 7AA finalist, and are led by a top-notch goaltender in Chase Perry. With so many returnees, their depth is as good as anyone’s in the state; the problem is their lack of real standout upperclassman skaters. They’re adequate, to be sure, but can they step it up in a big playoff game? Six of their first seven are on the road, including an interesting nonconference opener in Wayzata.
Schedule: Thurs 11/29 at Wayzata, Sat 12/1 at Centennial

7. Duluth East
-After last season’s State Tournament debacle, the Hounds regroup behind a deep senior class. They have a healthy amount of experience, particularly on defense, and a handful of talented forwards who didn’t get much attention last season should be able to pick up a decent chunk of the scoring slack. But an uncharacteristic lack of depth at forward keeps the Hounds out of the top five for now, and poses Mike Randolph with an unfamiliar sort of challenge. The schedule before Christmas is unusually light, with only six games.
Schedule: Tues 11/27 vs. Cambridge

8. Grand Rapids
-Like rival Duluth East, the Thunderhawks’ strength is in back, where they have Mr. Hockey contender Jake Bischoff, several other able defensemen, and an up-and-coming goalie. How far this team goes will be decided by how well they can develop some scoring support for Avery Peterson up front, whether that comes in the form of experienced upperclassmen or a rising star like the younger Bischoff. With an opportunistic offense, this could end up being the sort of team no one wants to face in the playoffs; their upside is as good as anyone outside of the top three, but they have just a few more questions than the teams immediately above them. They should win their first few games of the season without major trouble.
Schedule: Tues 11/27 at Bemidji, Fri 11/30 at Forest Lake

9. Burnsville
-The Blaze boast a couple of clear stars in Sheehy and Kivihalme, and though they don’t return a whole ton of players, the depth of this program coupled with some young prospects should keep them from dropping too far. The key will be finding effective complementary players for the big guns; otherwise, it’s likely to be another good-but-not-great season for a team that has spent the past few years being overshadowed by Edina in the playoffs. As usual, the early schedule is brutal; this time around, they open with Hill.
Schedule: Thurs. 11/29 at #5 Hill-Murray

10. Cloquet
-How far can one fantastic line carry a team? Cloquet may answer that question this season, as Kuhlman and the Michauds look to put the Jacks on their backs and carry them back to glory. They also return enough experienced players on their lower lines and on D that they should be able to hold their own against the other powers in their section, even if they aren’t quite on the same level, talent-wise. Goaltending could be a question mark, especially when compared to the netminders their section rivals boast. An early road trip to Bloomington is their first test of any magnitude.
Schedule: Tues 11/27 vs. Virginia, Sat 12/1 at Bloomington Jefferson

11. Prior Lake
-The Lakers’ steady rise in the rankings continues, as they make their debut in the top 15. Dylan Zins headlines a reasonably deep group of returning players that includes four defensemen; their youth program is now at the point where it can be expected to deliver a quality crop to the high school just about every year. They do, however, lack the established star power of the other four quality teams in 2AA. Like Andover, they will have to prove they can rise to the occasion in big section playoff games. They have a later start than most teams, though they’ll open with a bang by hosting Edina on December 4.
Schedule: Idle until 12/4

12. Elk River
-The Elks round out our five 7AA teams in the top 15, and just like the other squads up here, they have some unique strengths; they have an exciting, young 1-2 punch in Zerban and Jaremko, and Wyatt Ege offers a steadying presence on the blue line. While they’re deep enough that they should be able to fill out most of that roster with quality players, they did lose quite a bit, and are a rather thin on experience across the board. That leaves them towards the back of the 7AA pack for now, though if new head coach Gordie Roberts can find some goaltending and get a young squad to grow up in a hurry, they can certainly win the thing. Open with a home game against a young but talented Wayzata squad.
Schedule: Sat 12/1 vs. Wayzata

13. Blaine
-The Bengals pose us with an interesting challenge; they return nearly all of their forwards off last year’s team, including a few who are legitimate front-end players; on defense, on the other hand, they have a lot of question marks. Last year’s section final disaster showed what can happen when a team doesn’t play very good defense, and depending on how well they come together, they could climb into the top ten or drop back behind Maple Grove. Fortunately, the road to redemption is made easier by a weak section; the talented Roseau forwards should offer an interesting first game of the season.
Schedule: Fri 11/30 vs. Roseau

14. Eagan
-While Eagan will certainly miss the stars of the senior class that carried this program on to the state scene, the Wildcats still have enough talent to be the class of their section once again. Forwards such as Glienke, Willox, and Peterson give them some scoring presence, and they have some young talent coming in, along with a goalie with considerable potential. However, they have to replace so much on defense that it’s hard to see them as a realistic state title contender, and there will likely be some growing pains. Their opener against Park has section implications, and they follow that up with a big one against Hill.
Schedule: Thurs 11/29 at Park, Sat vs. #5 Hill-Murray

15. Moorhead
-A new era begins in Spudville, as Pete Cullen takes the reins of the program from Dave Morinville. Out of necessity, this year’s team may look quite different from their recent State Tournament entrants; there are a lot of question marks on the normally reliable defense and goaltending, while four of their top forwards from last season return. But thanks to their program depth and a strong group of incoming bantams, I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt in 8AA, at least for now. They face a tough opening-week test against the defending champs.
Schedule: Tues 11/27 at Alexandria, Sat 12/1 vs. #1 Benilde-St. Margaret’s

The Next Ten

Wayzata
-The Trojans offer us a test case worth watching this season, as we look to learn just how quickly a team with a loaded bantam squad feeding in can jump into contention despite having lost everyone who scored over ten points last season. If anyone can pull it off, it would be a deep program like this one, but in 6AA, they’re probably still a year away from a serious shot at the top. Their goaltending could be huge in keeping them in close games, particularly in the early going. The early schedule is a tough, busy one for a young team, as they play Maple Grove and either Edina or Holy Family in their Turkey Trot tourney and also play 7AA contenders Andover and Elk River.

Maple Grove
-Like Wayzata, the Crimson lost a ton off of last year’s team, but the program is deep enough that they’ll still be in the picture. Their saving grace may be a very forgiving 5AA; if Blaine’s defense doesn’t jell, they have a very real shot at defending their title. Tough sledding in the first two weeks, as they open in the Wayzata Turkey Trot and possibly play Edina twice in their first three games.

Holy Family
-How quickly can a program rise from the basement to contention? We just might learn with this year’s Fire squad, which returns just about everyone from a very, very young team last season. They’re still very much on the young side, but the front-end talent is for real. A 4-seed in 6AA seems like a reasonable goal for the year; this section is so top-heavy that asking for anything more might be a bit much, but under the right circumstances they could be a dangerous playoff draw. The Turkey Trot will be a great gauge of where they stand heading into the season.

Roseau
-There’s a lot to like about this Rams squad, which has a heap of talent, now mostly juniors, on its first unit. But there are some major questions regarding depth and the goaltending situation, and after they underachieved some last season, they have to prove to me that they can pull it together. The week one test at Blaine is a great opportunity for a statement game.

Holy Angels
-Another major power of the past fifteen years welcomes in a new coach, as the Stars bid farewell to Greg Trebil and welcome in Billy Hengen. After a rough couple of years, there are some positive signs here, as they have a couple of star forwards who should put up big points in the Missota. The defense beyond Frankie Mork, however, has a lot of question marks. Unlike most seasons, they play their first game in November, though the Nov. 28 contest against Providence Academy shouldn’t be too trying.

White Bear Lake
-Jake Wahlin and a strong incoming Bantam group give the Bears some exciting young talent, but their upper classes are probably too thin for them to be a serious contender this year. As usual, they’re behind Hill, but close enough to be in striking distance in the playoffs if they can grow up quickly and shore up the defense beyond Delaney. Open at home versus Woodbury on Dec. 1.

Bloomington Jefferson
-Like section rival Holy Angels, the Jaguars should be able to bounce back some after a down year, and will be carried by a pair of talented forwards. They return some decent depth as well; if some of those players can pick up the scoring slack and provide some defense, they could make some noise before all is said and done. Like Roseau, they need to prove last year’s struggles were a fluke, and an early game against Cloquet gives them a nice chance to do so.

Stillwater
-Return a healthy number of players from last year’s relatively young team, including their top two scorers. Combine that with a fairly deep program, and the Ponies are in position to make a play for a top-two seed in 4AA. They have themselves a pretty difficult schedule, with some major non-conference tests coupled with the normal Suburban East dogfight. Game one is a potentially troublesome trip to Hastings on Dec. 1.

Mounds View
-The Mustangs could be a real dark horse threat in 4AA season, as they boast their deepest, most talented senior class in some time. They’ll still have to fight conference rivals White Bear and Stillwater to earn a high seed, but this if they’re ever going to have a shot to get through the SEC muddle and take a crack at Hill, this is it. They road trip to Roseville to open on Dec. 1.

Lakeville North
-While the Panthers don’t have an overwhelming array of talent, they do return some decent depth, and their youth teams over the past few years have been somewhat better than rival Lakeville South. With South looking so depleted after last year’s great run, that makes North a tentative favorite in 1AA, and they should be competitive in the SSC. Will have to improve if they want a shot at anybody at State, though.

Just missing: Cretin-Derham Hall, Lakeville South, Centennial

And now, a tour of the section races. I’m making a slight format change this year; I’ve listed important section games along with the write-ups for each, and will continue to do so in weeks in which I post the section updates. (These will begin in mid-December and will appear every two weeks; there’s usually too little change week-to-week to justify doing them every time.)

1AA
(25) Lakeville North
Lakeville South
Rochester Mayo
Rochester Century
Farmington?
-A year after South put out one of this section’s strongest teams in the two-class era, it’s back to normal, with the Lakevilles ranked in the 20s and fighting it out for a tournament berth. The gap between the Lakevilles and the Rochester teams is small enough that we can’t completely ignore them this year; Century and Mayo return enough to be in play, and early games against North for both teams will tell us how much of a chance they have. While they’re probably a year or two away from really being taken seriously, I do suggest keeping an eye on Farmington’s rise here. There may be no strong teams in 1AA, but it has a chance to be interesting.
Important section games: 11/27 North at Mayo, 11/29 Farmington at Century, 12/4 Century at North, 12/12 Mayo at Century, 12/15 Mayo at Farmington, 12/20 South at North, 1/3 South at Century, 2/2 North at South, 2/14 Century at Mayo

2AA
2 Edina
9 Burnsville
11 Prior Lake
(20) Holy Angels
(22) Bloomington Jefferson
-It’s a familiar story, with Edina on top, Burnsville at #2, and a number of other teams chasing. This is one of the deepest sections in the state, with Holy Angels and Jefferson on the rebound; if one or both of them can climb into the top 15, then we’ll have a real race on our hands. But the real question here is whether anyone can be more than a medium upset threat to Edina. Prior Lake and Burnsville have potential, but they have some things to prove if they want to get the Hornets looking over their shoulders.
Important section games: 12/4 Edina at Prior Lake, 12/11 Prior Lake at Jefferson, 1/3 Burnsville at Edina, 1/5 Burnsville at Prior Lake, 1/8 Jefferson vs. Burnsville, 1/19 Edina at Holy Angels, 1/22 Jefferson at Prior Lake, 2/5 Prior Lake at Burnsville, 2/9 Burnsville at Jefferson

3AA
14 Eagan
Cretin-Derham Hall
The Field
-Eagan is the default frontrunner, as this section is absolutely wide-open beyond them. Cretin is a slight favorite for #2 at this point, but it’s hardly a big gap between them and the rest. Park, Hastings, and East Ridge, last season’s three improbable semifinalists, all return a healthy chunk of their teams, and should be in the picture, if nothing more. The Rosemount program should be on the rise, and Eastview is somewhere in the conversation, too. In short, it’s a mess, and while it looks like an easy run to State for Eagan, someone might yet emerge from the crazy chase pack. It should make for an entertaining section tourney.
Important section games, to the extent that we can sort them out at this point: 11/29 Eagan at Park, 12/1 Park at East Ridge, 12/6 Hastings at Park, 12/8 East Ridge at Cretin, 12/13 East Ridge at Hastings, 1/3 Hastings at Cretin, 1/5 Cretin at Park, 1/17 East Ridge at Park, 1/19 Park at Hastings, 1/24 East Ridge at Cretin, 1/26 Hastings at East Ridge, 1/31 Park at Cretin, 2/2 Cretin at Hastings, 2/7 Eagan at Hastings

4AA
5 Hill-Murray
(21) White Bear Lake
(23) Stillwater
(24) Mounds View
-Another section with a familiar storyline, with Hill on top and everyone else chasing them. The second-tier teams do have some strengths that make them a bit more interesting than in past years, so an upset certainly isn’t out of the question. White Bear, Stillwater, and Mounds View will likely duke it out for the 2-4 seeds, though North St. Paul and Tartan are also capable of making some noise thanks to a handful of talented forwards.
Important section games: 12/13 Mounds View at White Bear Lake, 12/18 Hill-Murray at White Bear Lake, 1/3 Stillwater at Mounds View, 1/22 Stillwater at White Bear Lake, 1/26 White Bear Lake at Mounds View, 2/2 Mounds View at Stillwater, 2/12 White Bear Lake at Stillwater

5AA
13 Blaine
(17) Maple Grove
Centennial
-This looks to be one of the weakest 5AA editions in recent memory; while the usual two teams are still up at the top, they both have their share of issues to confront. Centennial, as always, is somewhere in there; they lost a lot, but there are still some fine players coming up through the program, and the weaknesses of the top two should let them contend. Champlin Park returns some bodies, but this isn’t a particularly deep section, either.
Important section games: 12/8 Blaine at Centennial, 12/20 Maple Grove at Centennial, 1/17 Maple Grove at Blaine, 1/24 Centennial at Maple Grove, 2/2 Centennial at Blaine, 2/14 Blaine at Maple Grove

6AA
1 Benilde-St. Margaret’s
3 Eden Prairie
4 Minnetonka
(16) Wayzata
(18) Holy Family
-The state’s toughest section is loaded once again, with three teams in the top four setting the stage for a brutal section tournament. Holy Family and Wayzata, who would at least be passable contenders in any other section, are likely left to a battle for the 4-seed in this one. The three Lake teams all play each other at least twice, while Benilde plays all four other contenders in January and February. The St. Louis Park Tournament could also bring about a few match-ups between teams in 6AA.
Important section games: 1/3 Wayzata at Benilde, 1/17 Holy Family at Wayzata, 1/12 Minnetonka at Benilde, 1/19 Wayzata at Eden Prairie, 1/24 Minnetonka at Wayzata, 1/26 Eden Prairie at Minnetonka, 1/30 Holy Family at Benilde, 2/7 Eden Prairie at Wayzata, 2/9 Benilde at Eden Prairie, 2/9 Wayzata at Minnetonka, 2/14 Minnetonka at Eden Prairie

7AA
6 Andover
7 Duluth East
8 Grand Rapids
10 Cloquet
12 Elk River
-If 6AA is the state’s strongest section, 7AA is perhaps the most intriguing, as the top five are all within seven spots of each other in the rankings. East, being the four-time defending champs, probably still have the target on their backs, but it’s hard to label anyone a real frontrunner here. Even the likely 6 and 7 seeds, Forest Lake and St. Francis, should be better than most teams that normally fill those spots. There will be plenty of section play to help sort this one out, starting with the first of two meetings between Elk River and Andover on December 8.
Important section games: 12/8 Elk River at Andover, 12/13 Cloquet at Duluth East, 12/22 Elk River vs. Grand Rapids, 12/22 Duluth East at Andover, 1/3 Grand Rapids at Cloquet, 1/10 Grand Rapids at Duluth East, 1/15 Cloquet at Grand Rapids, 1/15 Andover at Elk River, 1/22 Andover at Cloquet, 2/4 Duluth East at Cloquet

8AA
15 Moorhead
(19) Roseau
-After some near-misses by Brainerd and Bemidji, Roseau is in position to resume its usual role as Moorhead’s main competition in this section. Brainerd and Bemidji still have a smattering of good players and could pull off some upsets if enough goes right. For a fifth year in a row, it doesn’t really look like this section will have a legitimate top-flight contender.
Important section games: 12/6 Bemidji at Moorhead, 12/13 Roseau at Moorhead, 12/18 Moorhead at Brainerd, 1/22 Brainerd at Bemidji, 1/10 Brainerd at Moorhead, 1/12 Bemidji at Roseau, 1/18 Roseau at Brainerd, 1/22 Moorhead at Roseau, 1/26 Brainerd at Roseau, 2/1 Roseau at Bemidji, 2/9 Moorhead at Bemidji, 2/12 Bemidji at Brainerd

There you have it…discuss, ask questions, and enjoy the first few games of the year!

[MNHockeyFan]

Great read, thanks for doing this once again!

P.S. Andover (6) ahead of the Hounds (7)? Was this to give your East boys a little extra motivation?

[almostashappy]

Welcome to season five of my rankings........

Five 7AA teams in the top 15?

Prior Lake at #11, ahead of Happy's Cats?

FYI Pretty sure that Eagan's Peterson is moving back to D this season (where he played up until last year), and they've got a kid with a rocket of a slap shot who did well out in Lake Placid this summer. Their blue line will be just fine.

[BodyShots]

I'm looking forward to the Wayzata games against Andover and Elk River early in the season. They should give us a feel for how strong 7AA really is.

[OnFrozenPond]

The Thanksgiving scrimmages in Minnetonka should be a fun preview.

Tonka, BSM, EP and East

[karl(east)]

P.S. Andover (6) ahead of the Hounds (7)? Was this to give your East boys a little extra motivation?

If only I had that much influence...

Wayzata also plays East the second week of the season, so there should be plenty of grounds for the 7AA/6AA comparison...though we also need to find out how strong Wayzata actually is, since they had so much turnover. A lot will depend on the readiness of some of their incoming star sophomores, and also their goaltending.

Wolff will certainly help fill some of the void for Eagan, but I still question their depth some...their Bantam teams the past two seasons have not been overly impressive, though they have benefited from some move-ins.

[tonkafan77]

I am glad Benilde is playing an Independent schedule this year. Traditionally, the only other Lake conference team they would see during the year was Tonka so it will be nice to see how they fare against Wayzata and EP during the regular season.

The top teams will be doing a lot of switching around during the season as I find it very hard to believe that any one of them will go undefeated against the others. It will be an interesting season, that's for sure!

[almostashappy]

Wolff will certainly help fill some of the void for Eagan, but I still question their depth some...their Bantam teams the past two seasons have not been overly impressive, though they have benefited from some move-ins.

Last couple of years have been tough for Eagan's Bantam A's, but three years ago, when their current seniors were 2nd year bantams, they were great...about the only team they couldn't beat was the Jake Guentzel Woodbury team that has since been split up four different ways.

Spot on about (legal) Wildcat move-ins...upgrade between the pipes, and two new forwards this year that should make immediate contributions. I'm looking forward to seeing scrimmages this weekend against DE, EP, Blaine and/or Prior Lake. And I'm thinking that B'ville and Eagan will be well-matched in the battle for SSC supremacy.

Oh, and forgot to say thanks for the hard work behind your original post. Thanks.

[MNHockeyFan]

The Thanksgiving scrimmages in Minnetonka should be a fun preview.

Tonka, BSM, EP and East

Anyone have a schedule they could post?

[longrebound]

In one of the weirder schedules around, Wayzata will play 20% of their schedule by December 1st. Andover and Elk River both open their season against them while the Trojans will be playing their 4th and 5th games of the year.

[karl(east)]

In one of the weirder schedules around, Wayzata will play 20% of their schedule by December 1st. Andover and Elk River both open their season against them while the Trojans will be playing their 4th and 5th games of the year.

It is an odd one--Edina does the same thing. With an inexperienced Wayzata team, it may not be a bad idea for getting them into shape for the rest of December. You have to wonder if the lack of games later in the season will be an issue, though.

Almostashappy, I know about the forward moving in from MG...who's the second one?


As always, it's interesting to compare mine to LPH (and I do try to get mine out before them, so they don't influence my thought process). I'll admit I'm gambling some on Prior Lake and Andover, and they face the added burden of being newcomers to the state scene. So often, it seems like the teams that sneak up on us are the deep teams whose lower lines are better than we think...this will be a good way to learn if that's really true or not.

[scorekeeper]

Jack Jenson from St. Thomas is the other. Select 16 final 54 player and he tore up the fall leagues/showcases.

Eagan defense is deep. Peterson is actually a d-man and the abundance of talent at forward let's him return to position of strength. You mention Wolf, who was an All Star at the national festival plus Timmy Muck and the elder Smallidge make defense a real strength of this team.

Upfront, only Benilde and EP can match Eagans depth.

This is a top 4 team IMO

[MNHockeyFan]

Upfront, only Benilde and EP can match Eagans depth.

This is a top 4 team IMO

Trying to remember, when was the last time a team from south of the river won an AA State Championship?

[green4]

Jack Jenson from St. Thomas is the other. Select 16 final 54 player and he tore up the fall leagues/showcases.

Eagan defense is deep. Peterson is actually a d-man and the abundance of talent at forward let's him return to position of strength. You mention Wolf, who was an All Star at the national festival plus Tommy Muck and the elder Smallidge make defense a real strength of this team.

Upfront, only Benilde and EP can match Eagans depth.

This is a top 4 team IMO

Deeper then edina and Tonka? interesting...

[scorekeeper]

Maybe not deeper than Edina, but yes, deeper than Tonka IMO

I think your top 4 are also your deepest 4, BSM, EP,
edina & Eagan ... IMO

[scorekeeper]

EEagan gets Hill Murray and Tonka early on, so I'll get a sense pretty quick of they are as good as I think they might be. Fantastic coaching as well ... amongst the best in the State ... IMO

[HappyHockeyFan]

Nice job on your rankings Karl, I will have mine out later this weekend or just before Thanksgiving. Putting my bias to the side, I am skeptical of your ranking Prior Lake above Eagan and in spot #11. At this point I would think they would be on the outside looking in on the Top 15. As for Eagan, Offensivley and Defensivley they will be solid although possibly a slow start as the players returning from last years team adjust to life without leaders Zajac, Merchant and the Kuchera brothers and defensemen. The BIG question will be goaltending, Lindgren while loaded with potential has yet to prove anything. Barring a letdown or major upset, Eagan is cinch to make their 3rd trip in a row and 4th overall to downtown in March.

[FREDFLINTSTONE]

Nice job on your rankings Karl, I will have mine out later this weekend or just before Thanksgiving. Putting my bias to the side, I am skeptical of your ranking Prior Lake above Eagan and in spot #11. At this point I would think they would be on the outside looking in on the Top 15. As for Eagan, Offensivley and Defensivley they will be solid although possibly a slow start as the players returning from last years team adjust to life without leaders Zajac, Merchant and the Kuchera brothers and defensemen. The BIG question will be goaltending, Lindgren while loaded with potential has yet to prove anything. Barring a letdown or major upset, Eagan is cinch to make their 3rd trip in a row and 4th overall to downtown in March.

What.....alot of teams go downtown to watch in march...

[MNHockeyFan]

Barring a letdown or major upset, Eagan is cinch to make their 3rd trip in a row and 4th overall to downtown in March.

A cinch? I think you just jinxed them.

[Doc Holliday]

Nice work Karl, always love the rankings and you always explain why you write what you do.

As odd as it sounds, I think if anyone's going to take down Benilde or Edina in sections, they're best to do it in the semifinals. Assuming they're both #1 seeds, it almost seems advantageous to be the #4. You get those two on the Mariucci sized sheet & they're just too good. Last year, Minnetonka had no shot to get their down low cycle game going with BSM's defense having room to move the puck. As for Edina, Burnsville was really only in the game because Edina's goalie had a terrible game. It really was a mismatch of talent.

Obviously you can't set yourself up for a #4 seed instead of a 2 or 3, but I do think there would be an advantage of playing those two at BIG or Braemar in the semis. Although maybe EP & B'Ville are ready to take it right back at them with that style too. 2 & 6 should be interesting again.

[Edgy]

...Did Edina player come back to Edina or did he stay in Ann Arbor. I thought he stayed in AA.

[Bluewhitefan]

...Did Edina player come back to Edina or did he stay in Ann Arbor. I thought he stayed in AA.

According to the people I've talked to over there he's been at tryouts.

[green4]

...Did Edina player come back to Edina or did he stay in Ann Arbor. I thought he stayed in AA.

According to the people I've talked to over there he's been at tryouts.

http://www.mnhockeyhub.com/news_article ... r_id=32760

the article states he will be there for "short term basis" and "will return in time for high school"
plus yes i have seen him up at the rink during tryouts

[green4]

oh and new article on the hockey hub verifies it to saying he is in school

[Slap Shot]

Maybe not deeper than Edina, but yes, deeper than Tonka IMO

Why? I'd argue Eagan lost more scoring - for instance Zajac, N. Kuchera, Merchant, Wolfe, Mason and May compared with Lettieri, Rothstein, Baskin and Prochno for Tonka. Tonka returns Coatta, Thie, Ramsey, Vannelli, Bader and the higher scoring Schuldt and Eagan returns Glienke, Willox, and W Peterson. In net Ciaccio played 695 min in net while Lindgren played 467. I wouldn't even hazard a guess how it will all play out on ice but on paper Eagan is clearly not definitively deeper in returning experience.