Way-Too-Early Class A Top 10 Teams for 2022-23 season
Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2022 10:49 am
Well Class A fans with the Tourney 22 now officially in the books, my attention turns to next season for my last post before next year's Class A Preseason Rankings. The power structure in Class A will look to remain the same and one would think we will see many of the same teams we saw this March come next winter to dominate the Class A ranks again.
Below is assuming everyone returns and before summer santa comes and other things that can change a teams makeup and look next winter. I think we can all agree that next year looks like a lock at the top because if everyone does come back Hermantown will have its BEST ever team and will be the State’s Number 1 regardless of class.
1- Hermantown (7A)- As great as this year’s Hawks team was there is no question that if everyone does comeback they will be even better next year. Just start naming a few returners like Sophomore goaltender Dane Callaway (20-2-0 .920 SV% 1.47 GAA) in the net. Juniors Ty Hanson (15-32-47 pts) & George Peterson (10-12-22 pts.) return on the blueline to lead a very potent defensive attack. They also return their entire top line as the Plante brothers, Junior Zam (24-37-61 pts.) & Sophomore Max (18-53-71 pts.), along with Junior Kade Kohanski (21-37-58 pts.) will try to go back to back. This Hawks will also have depth as they return Junior Wyatt Carlson (18-13-31 pts) & Sophomore Dallas Vieau (17-12-29 pts.) as part of a strong supporting cast and dont forget a batch of AA Bantams who qualified for Regions ready to step in. Hermantown will be a mighty mountain to conquer for the rest of Class A even more daunting than in normal years if they all return.
2- Warroad (8A)- Like the Hawks if everyone stays the Warriors look like Class A’s clear number two team. The Warriors return stud Junior Goaltender Hampton Slukynsky (26-4-1 .924 SV% 1.59 GAA) who played nearly every minute in net last season. He has two outstanding defenders in Junior Eric Comstock (4-30-34 pts) & Sophomore Ryan Lund (5-19-24 pts.) on the blue line and the Head Coach’s son will be ready to step in. On offense they return star Junior Jayson Shaugabay (27-54-81 pts.) and dynamic Sophomores Murray Marvin-Cordes (15-19-34 pts.) & Carson Pilgrim (17-14-31 pts.) who developed nicely as the season went along. They will need to find depth and have players step up more and they do have their A Bantam team that went to regions so they will be some help on the way for the Warriors to try and push the Hawks again next winter.
3- Mahtomedi (4A)- The Zephyrs will have a gigantic hole to fill in the net next winter with the graduation of Ben Dardis and finding his replacement will be a key to see if I am too high on them here. However, they do return a good core of defenders in Juniors as Cav Bruner (6-20-26 pts.) & 9th grader Sam Harris (0-10-10 pts.) who both played good minutes return to lead a solid group on the blueline. Up front they are led by a nice core group of Juniors forwards returning who played in big minutes in their top three lines all winter long in David Wolsfeld (22-27-49 pts), Charlie Drage (18-25-43 pts.), Jonny Grove (14-17-31 pts.), Carter Haycraft (15-15-30 pts.), Cory Bohmert (8-16-24 pts.), Seth Nelson (6-14-20pts.) along with Sophomores Jake Hodd-Chlebeck (4-8-12 pts) & Patrick Egan (5-3-8 pts.) ready to get more extensive minutes for the Zephyrs who will have a deep experienced team returning if they have a goalie they will be very tough to beat next winter again and be the heavy favorite to win Section 4A again.
4- Alexandria (6A)- The Cardinals look to begin what could be a dominant stretch in a very thin Section 6A and become a regular at the Xcel Energy Center. They will bring back a very nice core of forwards as Juniors Tyler Kludt (14-37-51 pts.), Joe Lamski (14-20-34 pts) & Nicholas Peterson (14-11-25 pts), Jack Breitzman (2-5-7 pts) and Sophomores Leo Kompelien (9-17-26 pts.) & Gavin Olson (12-6-18 pts.) return from their top 3 lines to form a very nice core forwards of build off of next winter add in Junior defenders Henry Ramstorf (2-8-10 pts.) & Zaven Noetzelman (0-5-5 pts) along with Sophomore Jack Lamski (3-13-16 pts.) all played main minutes in their D core. They will need to find a goalie to step up but they will have a nice group of AA Bantams who qualified for Regions this winter coming up to fill in the few holes they have as they should be an impressive team and the king of 6A for the near future that we will see a lot of at state for the next few years.
5- East Grand Forks (8A)- Again this is assuming everyone returns as they will be led by Jaksen Panzer (30-31-61 pts.) but I believe he is going to be an early departure. IF he is back they are a top 5 team but if leaves as expected they would still be in my Top 10. They will return a good core of underclassmen, many of who won the State A Bantam title in 2021, and after some growing plans last winter they will lean on Junior forward Caleb Schmiedeberg (8-10-18 pts.) & Junior defender Sam Frost (3-11-14 pts.) and their Sophomores Brock Schultz (14-20-34 pts), Grady Magner (9-19-28 pts.), Landon Jamieson (5-8-13 pts.) & Jace Fore (4-4-8 pts.) and rising 9th grade defenseman Cole Bies (1-8-9 pts.) to be much better a year later after playing major roles this year. They also have a top rated A Bantam group coming in after another State Tournament appearance. The key will be goaltending how they can fix that but regardless of Panzer the Greenwave will look to be back in 8A.
6- Northfield (1A)- The Raiders let a 20 win campaign go to waste when they let a 2-0 lead over New Prague slip away in the last 6 minutes of the game and they then never found momentum in the overtime and were one of Class A’s biggest Upset casualties in the Sections. The Raiders will bring back a pretty good core next winter as Junior Keaton Walock (19-5-1 1.89 GAA .918 SV %) will return for his third year as the starter. On Defense they will return Juniors Michael Fossum (0-22-22 pts.) & Matthew DeBuse (1-12-13 pts.) along with superb Sophomore Ty Funk (5-25-30 pts.) to be very solid on the back end. Up front they return a very solid and talented crew of forwards as Juniors Gabriel Sawyer (6-11-17 pts) & Cullen Merritt (5-10-15) return along with an excellent Sophomore core of Kamden Kaiser (20-22-52 pts.), Cayden Monson (20-30-50 pts.), Jake Geiger (12-10-22 pts.) & Andrew Winter (9-6-15 pts.) plus they return Freshman Brayden Olsen (4-13-17 pts.). The Raiders will be able to score and if all this doesn't sell you enough they will be bringing in some help from a very good A Bantam team that qualified for State. The Raiders Revenge tour will be on display and everyone in the South will be on high alert as this team could do some serious damage next year.
7- Orono (2A)- The Spartans only played one senior on the varsity this year and they will return a battle tested crew full of experience and toughness gained from a tough schedule this winter. The reason I have them this high is because they will return Junior Brock Peyton (8-14-0 2.78 GAA .924 SV%) for his third year as the starter in net. He routinely stopped 40 to 50 shots a game last year as a young team in front of him grew throughout the year and he is the type of goaltender that could get hot and carry his team a long way in the playoffs. Juniors Bradley Walker (26-22-48 pts.) & Avery Anderson (9-14-23 pts.) along with Sophomores Easton Sankey (10-12-22 pts.), John Engebretson (6-9-15 pts.) & Joey Mugaas (1-13-14 pts.) return as deep crew both up front and on the back end. This Orono team will be physical and experienced in all areas and should be good enough to make a strong run next winter.
8- Delano (2A)- The Tigers have built a solid Class A program and while they were hit hard by graduation this winter they still bring back some very nice pieces and should be Top 10 again. They will have the good fortune to rely on returning starting goalie Junior Drew Dorsey (13-5-0 1.77 GAA .912 SV %) to ease the transition of some new young players stepping in. They do return Juniors Cole Schmidt (3-14-17 pts.) & Sophomore Brayden Coppin (3-6-9 pts.) on the blue line and they will rely heavily on Junior Will Brown (18-18-36 pts.) to carry the load offensively as they will look to rebuild their offensive attack. Add in a A Bantam that is heading to State and this coaching staff and program has proven over the last decade that they will reload and be right in the thick of it all winter long in Class A.
9- Providence Academy (2A)- If you are looking for a team that could shock everyone next year, Providence Academy is your best bet. The Lions will return a ton of scoring up front as Juniors Johnny Hendrickson (21-18-39 pts.), Andrew Owen (21-20-41 pts.) & Andrew Vos (3-15-18 pts) along with Sophomore forwards Louie Wehmann (34-27-61 pts.), Sammy Lewis (13-26-39 pts.) & Jac Larson (5-7-12 pts.) all return up front. On defense they return Junior Nick Damberg (1-7-8 pts.) & Sophomore Jack Anderson (7-19-26 pts.) who both played top minutes. The key will be the development of Starting Goalies Junior Nate Miest and Sophomore Evan Villagomez both who shared the net and struggled with consistency. However, for those looking for the new private metro program that is young and looking primed to make a big jump look no further than Providence Academy next winter.
10- St Cloud Cathedral (5A)- After the program looked to be falling apart in their disastrous 2021 campaign this past winter the Crusaders looked to have fixed things and will have a great young core coming back that came painfully close to State this past winter. In net they will return Sophomore Nick Hansen (13-13-0 2.96 GAA .902 SV %) who had a very nice year as their starter. They will also return Sophomore defenseman Vince Gebhardt (5-9 14 pts.) and Juniors Brandon Hemmer (3-9-12 pts.) & Tommy Gohman (2-8-10 pts.) who were the 6th,7th and 8th leading scorers on the team from the blue line. They will return their 2nd and 4th leading scorers upfront as John Hirschfeld (11-13-24 pts) & Joey Gillespie (10-10-20 pts) were both just freshmen. Add in the fact they also played 3 to 4 sophomores in their top three lines all winter long and they will pull in some nice pieces from a AA St Cloud bantam group that went to Regions. The Crusaders will be a Top 10 team next year and will be even better the following year as they look to begin a reign of power over Section 5A.
The Next 10 Notable Teams in Class A
Thief River Falls (8A)- The Prowlers did graduate 12 seniors but they will return their 2nd leading scorer in high scoring Junior Tysen Loeffler along with a trio of Sophomores Max Arltand, Braydin Lund & Jace Erickson who were 4th, 5th & 6th respectively in scoring. That core will give Coach Bergland enough to build another solid team around and be in the thick of it in 8A as they always are.
Little Falls (5A)- Flyers will be hit hard by graduation but they do return high scoring forwards Junior Matt Filippi and Sophomore Carter Oothoudt up front along with youngster freshman Joey Welinski and Luke Avery who played big varsity minutes all winter. They also bring back Junior defenders Coltin Johnson & Matthew Copper each who had 20 points to build a solid Class A team around along with Junior Netminder Richie Varriano who won 10 games in net this past winter.. There is enough there to make another run if they have some pieces coming in from the Bantams to fill in for the 2 forwards and 2 defensemen they lose to graduation.
Chisago Lakes (4A)- The Wildcats do lose their pair of 70 point scorers to graduation from their 21 win team but they return nearly everything else and should still be a very good team next winter. They return their starting goalie Junior Jack Hanson. They also return Juniors Nikolas Jinks, Nathan Bluhm, Cameron Stangl & Cullen Dorcas who were 3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th in scoring. They also return their 8th, 9th, 11th & 12th scorers and will bring back a very experienced senior heavy crew and will be the only other decent team in 4A.
New Prague (1A)- Bring back Junior John Schmidt who led the team in points while Sophomore Willy Seymour & Freshman Luke Portner have each chipped in 20 points and will be a year older and add in Sophomores Braeden Woitas & Michael Beckius who were 6th and 7th in scoring and the Trojans should have a young core to build off of from this year’s playoff success. If they can find a goalie and some defenders they should be a good team in Section 1A again.
Detroit Lakes (8A)- The Lakers do lose some big pieces to graduation but they also return a good core led by their top overall player in Junior Defenseman Jacob Thomas. Junior Forwards Cole Larson, Cooper Moore, Ben Hines & Carter Bellefeuille all return coming off 20 or more point seasons. Junior Goaltender Josh Mack returns in net after going (8-0-0 1.12 GAA .941 SV%) in a backup role last season and will be ready to take over the starting gig.
Northern Lakes (6A)- The Lighting will look to provide Alexandria some competition in the 6A Final. They return forwards Sophomores Taylor Berg, Logan Verville & Junior Darby Boelter all who had double digit goals. They also return Juniors Christian Crutcher & Zach Ehnstrom along with Sophomore Isaac Peterson all who had 20 points on the blueline. Add in returning starting goalie Sophomore Nigel DeSanto and an incoming A Bantam team that knocked out Warroad to get to A Bantam State this could be a very dangerous team next winter.
Minneapolis (2A)- After a historic season in the 612 they lose a ton to graduation up front and in the next but they do have Junior defenders Drew Pitts & Joel Hanson along with Sophomore Hank Davis to build off of and should be competitive again in Class A. Finding scoring will be the biggest issue for them as they will look to Junior Will Pankratz and Sophomore John Bebler to build off solid seasons they should be able to use this season's success to be very much in the thick of a deep Section 2A all winter long.
Hibbing (7A)- Keep an eye on Hibbing over the next few years they return a nice Junior core led by Goaltender Brayden Boyer and next winter will be his third year in net. Juniors Beau Frider, Peyton Taylor, Christian Dickson, Keeghan Fink, A.J. Lehman, Tristan Babich & Broden Fawcett all return to create a veteran senior heavy team that will have a ton of varsity experience under their belts. Add in that their A Bantams & A Pee Wees are in State and this Hibbing program will be one to keep an eye on over the next few years as they will be on the rise in the Class A Rankings moving up back to the Top 10 soon as there is a bright future ahead for this great historic program.
Rock Ridge (7A)- The Wolverines will be in the 2nd year of their co-opt and they do return leading scorer Junior Dylan Hedley & Junior Isaac Flatley along with Sophomores Kasey Lamppa & Brant Tiedeman all of whom had 20 plus points last year. They also had both the Eveleth and Virgina A Bantams in regions so there is a good crew coming in that could make Rock Ridge a top condenser in 7A.
Mankato East (3A)- The Cougars return a good chunk of their scoring in Juniors Shea Gavin, Andrew Bastian & Brayden Borgmeier along with Sophomores Christian Theuninck & Rafe Bowman to have a nice core to build around will need to find a goalie but should be the top team in 3A again next winter. They have become the program in town and look to draw the majority of the A Bantam group that qualified for regions this winter and they will look to continue to build off the success of going to State 3 times in the last 5 years.
Five Others to Keep an eye on next Winter-
Albert Lea (1A)- The Tigers were one game away from State and they will bring back a ton of Juniors led by Joseph Yoon and Tim Chalmers and they will also return Junior Starting Goaltender Dakota Jahnke who won 17 games before missing the entire Sectional due to injury. Albert Lea returns 9 of its top 10 leading scorers from a team that won 19 games and will be a very good team with a lot of experience next winter.
Fergus Falls (6A)- The Otters will return a few pieces including high scoring Junior Issac Johnson and Sophomore Kellen Stenstrom along with Junior Goaltender Ben Swanson who will enter his 4th season as the Otters Starter they will be competitive in 6A. They also had an A Bantam team that qualified for Regions so there may be a few pieces on the way from the youth to help fill in the losses due graduation.
Cambridge Isanti (5A)- The Bluejackets faded down the stretch in 5A but they do return their 3 leading scorers in Sophmores Finn Overby & Will O'Donovan along with Junior Seth Terhell. They also return all three juniors who made up their 2nd line and they will return starting goaltender 9th Grader Jaxon Sibell to make this a team to watch again next winter.
Monticello (5A)- The Moose lost a ton to graduation but Coach Eric Nelson showed this year you should never count them out. They played 4 lines down the stretch and they will bring back Juniors Tyler Miller, Tyler Bitz & Brayden Dunn with Sophomore Roman Thompson all needing to step up for a Monticello Program that's become a regular at State.
Luverne (3A)- Luverne will bring back it’s entire core high scorers Junior Brock Behrend along with Sophomores Patrick Kroski & Owen Sudenga and 9th Grader Blaik Bork all return up front. They also return all 4 of their Defeneman and their starting goalie last year from a 15 win team look for them to make some serious noise again in the Southwest part of the State.
I will be around the board here and there hope everyone has a good Spring and Summer Months! Will be back in the Fall with an official Class A Ranking until then wish everyone on here the best!
Below is assuming everyone returns and before summer santa comes and other things that can change a teams makeup and look next winter. I think we can all agree that next year looks like a lock at the top because if everyone does come back Hermantown will have its BEST ever team and will be the State’s Number 1 regardless of class.
1- Hermantown (7A)- As great as this year’s Hawks team was there is no question that if everyone does comeback they will be even better next year. Just start naming a few returners like Sophomore goaltender Dane Callaway (20-2-0 .920 SV% 1.47 GAA) in the net. Juniors Ty Hanson (15-32-47 pts) & George Peterson (10-12-22 pts.) return on the blueline to lead a very potent defensive attack. They also return their entire top line as the Plante brothers, Junior Zam (24-37-61 pts.) & Sophomore Max (18-53-71 pts.), along with Junior Kade Kohanski (21-37-58 pts.) will try to go back to back. This Hawks will also have depth as they return Junior Wyatt Carlson (18-13-31 pts) & Sophomore Dallas Vieau (17-12-29 pts.) as part of a strong supporting cast and dont forget a batch of AA Bantams who qualified for Regions ready to step in. Hermantown will be a mighty mountain to conquer for the rest of Class A even more daunting than in normal years if they all return.
2- Warroad (8A)- Like the Hawks if everyone stays the Warriors look like Class A’s clear number two team. The Warriors return stud Junior Goaltender Hampton Slukynsky (26-4-1 .924 SV% 1.59 GAA) who played nearly every minute in net last season. He has two outstanding defenders in Junior Eric Comstock (4-30-34 pts) & Sophomore Ryan Lund (5-19-24 pts.) on the blue line and the Head Coach’s son will be ready to step in. On offense they return star Junior Jayson Shaugabay (27-54-81 pts.) and dynamic Sophomores Murray Marvin-Cordes (15-19-34 pts.) & Carson Pilgrim (17-14-31 pts.) who developed nicely as the season went along. They will need to find depth and have players step up more and they do have their A Bantam team that went to regions so they will be some help on the way for the Warriors to try and push the Hawks again next winter.
3- Mahtomedi (4A)- The Zephyrs will have a gigantic hole to fill in the net next winter with the graduation of Ben Dardis and finding his replacement will be a key to see if I am too high on them here. However, they do return a good core of defenders in Juniors as Cav Bruner (6-20-26 pts.) & 9th grader Sam Harris (0-10-10 pts.) who both played good minutes return to lead a solid group on the blueline. Up front they are led by a nice core group of Juniors forwards returning who played in big minutes in their top three lines all winter long in David Wolsfeld (22-27-49 pts), Charlie Drage (18-25-43 pts.), Jonny Grove (14-17-31 pts.), Carter Haycraft (15-15-30 pts.), Cory Bohmert (8-16-24 pts.), Seth Nelson (6-14-20pts.) along with Sophomores Jake Hodd-Chlebeck (4-8-12 pts) & Patrick Egan (5-3-8 pts.) ready to get more extensive minutes for the Zephyrs who will have a deep experienced team returning if they have a goalie they will be very tough to beat next winter again and be the heavy favorite to win Section 4A again.
4- Alexandria (6A)- The Cardinals look to begin what could be a dominant stretch in a very thin Section 6A and become a regular at the Xcel Energy Center. They will bring back a very nice core of forwards as Juniors Tyler Kludt (14-37-51 pts.), Joe Lamski (14-20-34 pts) & Nicholas Peterson (14-11-25 pts), Jack Breitzman (2-5-7 pts) and Sophomores Leo Kompelien (9-17-26 pts.) & Gavin Olson (12-6-18 pts.) return from their top 3 lines to form a very nice core forwards of build off of next winter add in Junior defenders Henry Ramstorf (2-8-10 pts.) & Zaven Noetzelman (0-5-5 pts) along with Sophomore Jack Lamski (3-13-16 pts.) all played main minutes in their D core. They will need to find a goalie to step up but they will have a nice group of AA Bantams who qualified for Regions this winter coming up to fill in the few holes they have as they should be an impressive team and the king of 6A for the near future that we will see a lot of at state for the next few years.
5- East Grand Forks (8A)- Again this is assuming everyone returns as they will be led by Jaksen Panzer (30-31-61 pts.) but I believe he is going to be an early departure. IF he is back they are a top 5 team but if leaves as expected they would still be in my Top 10. They will return a good core of underclassmen, many of who won the State A Bantam title in 2021, and after some growing plans last winter they will lean on Junior forward Caleb Schmiedeberg (8-10-18 pts.) & Junior defender Sam Frost (3-11-14 pts.) and their Sophomores Brock Schultz (14-20-34 pts), Grady Magner (9-19-28 pts.), Landon Jamieson (5-8-13 pts.) & Jace Fore (4-4-8 pts.) and rising 9th grade defenseman Cole Bies (1-8-9 pts.) to be much better a year later after playing major roles this year. They also have a top rated A Bantam group coming in after another State Tournament appearance. The key will be goaltending how they can fix that but regardless of Panzer the Greenwave will look to be back in 8A.
6- Northfield (1A)- The Raiders let a 20 win campaign go to waste when they let a 2-0 lead over New Prague slip away in the last 6 minutes of the game and they then never found momentum in the overtime and were one of Class A’s biggest Upset casualties in the Sections. The Raiders will bring back a pretty good core next winter as Junior Keaton Walock (19-5-1 1.89 GAA .918 SV %) will return for his third year as the starter. On Defense they will return Juniors Michael Fossum (0-22-22 pts.) & Matthew DeBuse (1-12-13 pts.) along with superb Sophomore Ty Funk (5-25-30 pts.) to be very solid on the back end. Up front they return a very solid and talented crew of forwards as Juniors Gabriel Sawyer (6-11-17 pts) & Cullen Merritt (5-10-15) return along with an excellent Sophomore core of Kamden Kaiser (20-22-52 pts.), Cayden Monson (20-30-50 pts.), Jake Geiger (12-10-22 pts.) & Andrew Winter (9-6-15 pts.) plus they return Freshman Brayden Olsen (4-13-17 pts.). The Raiders will be able to score and if all this doesn't sell you enough they will be bringing in some help from a very good A Bantam team that qualified for State. The Raiders Revenge tour will be on display and everyone in the South will be on high alert as this team could do some serious damage next year.
7- Orono (2A)- The Spartans only played one senior on the varsity this year and they will return a battle tested crew full of experience and toughness gained from a tough schedule this winter. The reason I have them this high is because they will return Junior Brock Peyton (8-14-0 2.78 GAA .924 SV%) for his third year as the starter in net. He routinely stopped 40 to 50 shots a game last year as a young team in front of him grew throughout the year and he is the type of goaltender that could get hot and carry his team a long way in the playoffs. Juniors Bradley Walker (26-22-48 pts.) & Avery Anderson (9-14-23 pts.) along with Sophomores Easton Sankey (10-12-22 pts.), John Engebretson (6-9-15 pts.) & Joey Mugaas (1-13-14 pts.) return as deep crew both up front and on the back end. This Orono team will be physical and experienced in all areas and should be good enough to make a strong run next winter.
8- Delano (2A)- The Tigers have built a solid Class A program and while they were hit hard by graduation this winter they still bring back some very nice pieces and should be Top 10 again. They will have the good fortune to rely on returning starting goalie Junior Drew Dorsey (13-5-0 1.77 GAA .912 SV %) to ease the transition of some new young players stepping in. They do return Juniors Cole Schmidt (3-14-17 pts.) & Sophomore Brayden Coppin (3-6-9 pts.) on the blue line and they will rely heavily on Junior Will Brown (18-18-36 pts.) to carry the load offensively as they will look to rebuild their offensive attack. Add in a A Bantam that is heading to State and this coaching staff and program has proven over the last decade that they will reload and be right in the thick of it all winter long in Class A.
9- Providence Academy (2A)- If you are looking for a team that could shock everyone next year, Providence Academy is your best bet. The Lions will return a ton of scoring up front as Juniors Johnny Hendrickson (21-18-39 pts.), Andrew Owen (21-20-41 pts.) & Andrew Vos (3-15-18 pts) along with Sophomore forwards Louie Wehmann (34-27-61 pts.), Sammy Lewis (13-26-39 pts.) & Jac Larson (5-7-12 pts.) all return up front. On defense they return Junior Nick Damberg (1-7-8 pts.) & Sophomore Jack Anderson (7-19-26 pts.) who both played top minutes. The key will be the development of Starting Goalies Junior Nate Miest and Sophomore Evan Villagomez both who shared the net and struggled with consistency. However, for those looking for the new private metro program that is young and looking primed to make a big jump look no further than Providence Academy next winter.
10- St Cloud Cathedral (5A)- After the program looked to be falling apart in their disastrous 2021 campaign this past winter the Crusaders looked to have fixed things and will have a great young core coming back that came painfully close to State this past winter. In net they will return Sophomore Nick Hansen (13-13-0 2.96 GAA .902 SV %) who had a very nice year as their starter. They will also return Sophomore defenseman Vince Gebhardt (5-9 14 pts.) and Juniors Brandon Hemmer (3-9-12 pts.) & Tommy Gohman (2-8-10 pts.) who were the 6th,7th and 8th leading scorers on the team from the blue line. They will return their 2nd and 4th leading scorers upfront as John Hirschfeld (11-13-24 pts) & Joey Gillespie (10-10-20 pts) were both just freshmen. Add in the fact they also played 3 to 4 sophomores in their top three lines all winter long and they will pull in some nice pieces from a AA St Cloud bantam group that went to Regions. The Crusaders will be a Top 10 team next year and will be even better the following year as they look to begin a reign of power over Section 5A.
The Next 10 Notable Teams in Class A
Thief River Falls (8A)- The Prowlers did graduate 12 seniors but they will return their 2nd leading scorer in high scoring Junior Tysen Loeffler along with a trio of Sophomores Max Arltand, Braydin Lund & Jace Erickson who were 4th, 5th & 6th respectively in scoring. That core will give Coach Bergland enough to build another solid team around and be in the thick of it in 8A as they always are.
Little Falls (5A)- Flyers will be hit hard by graduation but they do return high scoring forwards Junior Matt Filippi and Sophomore Carter Oothoudt up front along with youngster freshman Joey Welinski and Luke Avery who played big varsity minutes all winter. They also bring back Junior defenders Coltin Johnson & Matthew Copper each who had 20 points to build a solid Class A team around along with Junior Netminder Richie Varriano who won 10 games in net this past winter.. There is enough there to make another run if they have some pieces coming in from the Bantams to fill in for the 2 forwards and 2 defensemen they lose to graduation.
Chisago Lakes (4A)- The Wildcats do lose their pair of 70 point scorers to graduation from their 21 win team but they return nearly everything else and should still be a very good team next winter. They return their starting goalie Junior Jack Hanson. They also return Juniors Nikolas Jinks, Nathan Bluhm, Cameron Stangl & Cullen Dorcas who were 3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th in scoring. They also return their 8th, 9th, 11th & 12th scorers and will bring back a very experienced senior heavy crew and will be the only other decent team in 4A.
New Prague (1A)- Bring back Junior John Schmidt who led the team in points while Sophomore Willy Seymour & Freshman Luke Portner have each chipped in 20 points and will be a year older and add in Sophomores Braeden Woitas & Michael Beckius who were 6th and 7th in scoring and the Trojans should have a young core to build off of from this year’s playoff success. If they can find a goalie and some defenders they should be a good team in Section 1A again.
Detroit Lakes (8A)- The Lakers do lose some big pieces to graduation but they also return a good core led by their top overall player in Junior Defenseman Jacob Thomas. Junior Forwards Cole Larson, Cooper Moore, Ben Hines & Carter Bellefeuille all return coming off 20 or more point seasons. Junior Goaltender Josh Mack returns in net after going (8-0-0 1.12 GAA .941 SV%) in a backup role last season and will be ready to take over the starting gig.
Northern Lakes (6A)- The Lighting will look to provide Alexandria some competition in the 6A Final. They return forwards Sophomores Taylor Berg, Logan Verville & Junior Darby Boelter all who had double digit goals. They also return Juniors Christian Crutcher & Zach Ehnstrom along with Sophomore Isaac Peterson all who had 20 points on the blueline. Add in returning starting goalie Sophomore Nigel DeSanto and an incoming A Bantam team that knocked out Warroad to get to A Bantam State this could be a very dangerous team next winter.
Minneapolis (2A)- After a historic season in the 612 they lose a ton to graduation up front and in the next but they do have Junior defenders Drew Pitts & Joel Hanson along with Sophomore Hank Davis to build off of and should be competitive again in Class A. Finding scoring will be the biggest issue for them as they will look to Junior Will Pankratz and Sophomore John Bebler to build off solid seasons they should be able to use this season's success to be very much in the thick of a deep Section 2A all winter long.
Hibbing (7A)- Keep an eye on Hibbing over the next few years they return a nice Junior core led by Goaltender Brayden Boyer and next winter will be his third year in net. Juniors Beau Frider, Peyton Taylor, Christian Dickson, Keeghan Fink, A.J. Lehman, Tristan Babich & Broden Fawcett all return to create a veteran senior heavy team that will have a ton of varsity experience under their belts. Add in that their A Bantams & A Pee Wees are in State and this Hibbing program will be one to keep an eye on over the next few years as they will be on the rise in the Class A Rankings moving up back to the Top 10 soon as there is a bright future ahead for this great historic program.
Rock Ridge (7A)- The Wolverines will be in the 2nd year of their co-opt and they do return leading scorer Junior Dylan Hedley & Junior Isaac Flatley along with Sophomores Kasey Lamppa & Brant Tiedeman all of whom had 20 plus points last year. They also had both the Eveleth and Virgina A Bantams in regions so there is a good crew coming in that could make Rock Ridge a top condenser in 7A.
Mankato East (3A)- The Cougars return a good chunk of their scoring in Juniors Shea Gavin, Andrew Bastian & Brayden Borgmeier along with Sophomores Christian Theuninck & Rafe Bowman to have a nice core to build around will need to find a goalie but should be the top team in 3A again next winter. They have become the program in town and look to draw the majority of the A Bantam group that qualified for regions this winter and they will look to continue to build off the success of going to State 3 times in the last 5 years.
Five Others to Keep an eye on next Winter-
Albert Lea (1A)- The Tigers were one game away from State and they will bring back a ton of Juniors led by Joseph Yoon and Tim Chalmers and they will also return Junior Starting Goaltender Dakota Jahnke who won 17 games before missing the entire Sectional due to injury. Albert Lea returns 9 of its top 10 leading scorers from a team that won 19 games and will be a very good team with a lot of experience next winter.
Fergus Falls (6A)- The Otters will return a few pieces including high scoring Junior Issac Johnson and Sophomore Kellen Stenstrom along with Junior Goaltender Ben Swanson who will enter his 4th season as the Otters Starter they will be competitive in 6A. They also had an A Bantam team that qualified for Regions so there may be a few pieces on the way from the youth to help fill in the losses due graduation.
Cambridge Isanti (5A)- The Bluejackets faded down the stretch in 5A but they do return their 3 leading scorers in Sophmores Finn Overby & Will O'Donovan along with Junior Seth Terhell. They also return all three juniors who made up their 2nd line and they will return starting goaltender 9th Grader Jaxon Sibell to make this a team to watch again next winter.
Monticello (5A)- The Moose lost a ton to graduation but Coach Eric Nelson showed this year you should never count them out. They played 4 lines down the stretch and they will bring back Juniors Tyler Miller, Tyler Bitz & Brayden Dunn with Sophomore Roman Thompson all needing to step up for a Monticello Program that's become a regular at State.
Luverne (3A)- Luverne will bring back it’s entire core high scorers Junior Brock Behrend along with Sophomores Patrick Kroski & Owen Sudenga and 9th Grader Blaik Bork all return up front. They also return all 4 of their Defeneman and their starting goalie last year from a 15 win team look for them to make some serious noise again in the Southwest part of the State.
I will be around the board here and there hope everyone has a good Spring and Summer Months! Will be back in the Fall with an official Class A Ranking until then wish everyone on here the best!
