7AA

[kniven]

Allright.....where is the chatter? I am thirsty for some chatter. The East run. Is it over? Elk River and Forest Lake. Will they put the clamps on this section. Andover, STMA. What are these 2 bringing to the table this year - spoilers or contenders. Cloquet - will the Jacks return to serious contenders this year. GRand Rapids - top heavy only? East - will Hawg dominate 7AA and lead the Greyhounds to state yet again. Cloquet/Esse - deepest team in 7AA this year?

[karl(east)]

Was just about to post this reassessment my early assessments from the last 7AA thread:

Elk River: Jake Jaremko has had a breakout performance in the Elite League, and all 3 of their players there are doing well. Have good depth coming back, and even more young talent pouring in. Goaltending is the only real question mark. They're not on the level of Edina or Lakeville North, but they're not far behind, either.

Duluth East: Added Luke Dow from Marshall over the summer. Word is that they'll also be calling up some young talent from Bantams, which is a calculated risk, but one that they (and teams like Edina) have used successfully in the past. Very deep at forward; not much experience on defense. The only top team returning a goalie, though I'd caution against over-hyping Howg too much. If the defense comes together and the kids young guns jell, 7 in a row is a distinct possibility.

Grand Rapids: Great top line and an infusion of young talent off the Bantams--the Northeast Elite D team is loaded with Rapids kids. There are a few more questions here--the defense was bad last year, they need a goalie, and with a thin senior class, they're short on experience. If they can resolve those issues, they have a pretty good shot at the top two.

Andover: I underrated them a bit last time. With Sitarz and Vold, they have two legitimate front-line players, and there is decent depth around them. Winning the section might be a stretch, but they're a real upset threat.

Cloquet: They bring back pretty much everyone, and they gave the top two fits toward the end of last season. Not much front-end talent outside of Bender, but likely to improve, and could be the sort of team no one wants to face in the playoffs.

STMA: Like Cloquet they return much of last season's improved team, and should continue their gradual climb up the section. May not be a serious threat yet, but they're getting there.

Forest Lake: Lost a lot, new coach, not a whole lot in the pipeline. Probably a rebuilding year.

St. Francis and Cambridge: The usual.

[kniven]

Was just about to post this reassessment my early assessments from the last 7AA thread:

Elk River: Jake Jaremko has had a breakout performance in the Elite League, and all 3 of their players there are doing well. Have good depth coming back, and even more young talent pouring in. Goaltending is the only real question mark. They're not on the level of Edina or Lakeville North, but they're not far behind, either.

Duluth East: Added Luke Dow from Marshall over the summer. Word is that they'll also be calling up some young talent from Bantams, which is a calculated risk, but one that they (and teams like Edina) have used successfully in the past. Very deep at forward; not much experience on defense. The only top team returning a goalie, though I'd caution against over-hyping Howg too much. If the defense comes together and the kids young guns jell, 7 in a row is a distinct possibility.

Grand Rapids: Great top line and an infusion of young talent off the Bantams--the Northeast Elite D team is loaded with Rapids kids. There are a few more questions here--the defense was bad last year, they need a goalie, and with a thin senior class, they're short on experience. If they can resolve those issues, they have a pretty good shot at the top two.

Andover: I underrated them a bit last time. With Sitarz and Vold, they have two legitimate front-line players, and there is decent depth around them. Winning the section might be a stretch, but they're a real upset threat.

Cloquet: They bring back pretty much everyone, and they gave the top two fits toward the end of last season. Not much front-end talent outside of Bender, but likely to improve, and could be the sort of team no one wants to face in the playoffs.

STMA: Like Cloquet they return much of last season's improved team, and should continue their gradual climb up the section. May not be a serious threat yet, but they're getting there.

Forest Lake: Lost a lot, new coach, not a whole lot in the pipeline. Probably a rebuilding year.

St. Francis and Cambridge: The usual.

Nice read Karl. I'm getting pumped allready!

[ilovemesomehockey]

Was just about to post this reassessment my early assessments from the last 7AA thread:

Elk River: Jake Jaremko has had a breakout performance in the Elite League, and all 3 of their players there are doing well. Have good depth coming back, and even more young talent pouring in. Goaltending is the only real question mark. They're not on the level of Edina or Lakeville North, but they're not far behind, either.

Duluth East: Added Luke Dow from Marshall over the summer. Word is that they'll also be calling up some young talent from Bantams, which is a calculated risk, but one that they (and teams like Edina) have used successfully in the past. Very deep at forward; not much experience on defense. The only top team returning a goalie, though I'd caution against over-hyping Howg too much. If the defense comes together and the kids young guns jell, 7 in a row is a distinct possibility.

Grand Rapids: Great top line and an infusion of young talent off the Bantams--the Northeast Elite D team is loaded with Rapids kids. There are a few more questions here--the defense was bad last year, they need a goalie, and with a thin senior class, they're short on experience. If they can resolve those issues, they have a pretty good shot at the top two.

Andover: I underrated them a bit last time. With Sitarz and Vold, they have two legitimate front-line players, and there is decent depth around them. Winning the section might be a stretch, but they're a real upset threat.

Cloquet: They bring back pretty much everyone, and they gave the top two fits toward the end of last season. Not much front-end talent outside of Bender, but likely to improve, and could be the sort of team no one wants to face in the playoffs.

STMA: Like Cloquet they return much of last season's improved team, and should continue their gradual climb up the section. May not be a serious threat yet, but they're getting there.

Forest Lake: Lost a lot, new coach, not a whole lot in the pipeline. Probably a rebuilding year.

St. Francis and Cambridge: The usual.

It will be a 3 way race with Elk River, DEast, and Grand Rapids. Howg doesn't appear to be having a great year in the Elites (although hard to believe the stats sometimes - they seem to be subject to error). Dow definitely a nice addition - though smallish in stature, fun to watch. Don't know much about STMA although they were fairly decent when this group of seniors were Bantams. I don't think Grand Rapids downfall will be their goaltending (it could very well end up being a strength - wait and see) - defense has to find a way. Forest Lake - love the town....don't see they have the talent this year. Cloquet - never underestimate the wiley Esse.

[kniven]

Was just about to post this reassessment my early assessments from the last 7AA thread:

Elk River: Jake Jaremko has had a breakout performance in the Elite League, and all 3 of their players there are doing well. Have good depth coming back, and even more young talent pouring in. Goaltending is the only real question mark. They're not on the level of Edina or Lakeville North, but they're not far behind, either.

Duluth East: Added Luke Dow from Marshall over the summer. Word is that they'll also be calling up some young talent from Bantams, which is a calculated risk, but one that they (and teams like Edina) have used successfully in the past. Very deep at forward; not much experience on defense. The only top team returning a goalie, though I'd caution against over-hyping Howg too much. If the defense comes together and the kids young guns jell, 7 in a row is a distinct possibility.

Grand Rapids: Great top line and an infusion of young talent off the Bantams--the Northeast Elite D team is loaded with Rapids kids. There are a few more questions here--the defense was bad last year, they need a goalie, and with a thin senior class, they're short on experience. If they can resolve those issues, they have a pretty good shot at the top two.

Andover: I underrated them a bit last time. With Sitarz and Vold, they have two legitimate front-line players, and there is decent depth around them. Winning the section might be a stretch, but they're a real upset threat.

Cloquet: They bring back pretty much everyone, and they gave the top two fits toward the end of last season. Not much front-end talent outside of Bender, but likely to improve, and could be the sort of team no one wants to face in the playoffs.

STMA: Like Cloquet they return much of last season's improved team, and should continue their gradual climb up the section. May not be a serious threat yet, but they're getting there.

Forest Lake: Lost a lot, new coach, not a whole lot in the pipeline. Probably a rebuilding year.

St. Francis and Cambridge: The usual.

It will be a 3 way race with Elk River, DEast, and Grand Rapids. Howg doesn't appear to be having a great year in the Elites (although hard to believe the stats sometimes - they seem to be subject to error). Dow definitely a nice addition - though smallish in stature, fun to watch. Don't know much about STMA although they were fairly decent when this group of seniors were Bantams. I don't think Grand Rapids downfall will be their goaltending (it could very well end up being a strength - wait and see) - defense has to find a way. Forest Lake - love the town....don't see they have the talent this year. Cloquet - never underestimate the wiley Esse.

It will be an interesting and fun season for sure. I can't wait to see the boys on the ice when captains practice comes around..

[greenway1969]

Wouldn't put Rapids in the same category as Elk River and Duluth East yet. They have to prove they can get the puck out of their end. Hunter Shepherd covered up a lot of the mistakes the defensemen and forwards made trying to break-out of their zone. Saw very little improvement over the season last year. If Rapids can figure this out they will be competitive with anyone in the state. Otherwise the furthest they will advance is the semi-final at Sections.

[MNhockey29]

Bottom 3 seeds/teams will be Cambridge, Forest Lake, and St.Francis. Forest Lake lost like 10 seniors which is obviously a big drop off for this years team.

[Nevertoomuchhockey]

Bottom 3 seeds/teams will be Cambridge, Forest Lake, and St.Francis. Forest Lake lost like 10 seniors which is obviously a big drop off for this years team.

How big are the programs and schools in St. Francis and Cambridge? Do you think they would benefit from combining programs? I'm completely clueless about these teams except to know that I've seen an awful lot of District 10 hockey the last ten or so years and it must be disheartening to lose year after year after year with no changes in sight. I've seen some kids coming up in squirts and 10u that were as good or as potentially good as every other (10 and under) elite. What happens as they age?

[east hockey]

Not sure why there are two topics devoted to 7AA...

http://www.ushsho.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=32723

Lee