AA Rankings for 2024-2025

[karl(east)]

Welcome to season number sixteen of these rankings! I am officially old.

As usual, the schedule line includes the first two weeks of games; the first in-season rankings will come out December 1.

1. Edina
-The defending champs will start back on top. With the likes of Mason West and Casey Vandertop and Freddie Schneider, the Hornets will score plenty this season, and Sam Peckham should break out as the star of the defense. They are a young team, with great talent in their junior class; because of that I don’t expect them to be part of some small dominant tier like we had a season ago. But in a season when the two teams with the most raw talent have zero AA Tourney berths in their combined histories, the steady hands in green will need to be dislodged from their regular perch. They’ll have two familiar opponents gunning for them in the opening weekend in Wayzata.
Schedule: Wayzata Turkey Trot—Fri 11/22 vs. #8 Moorhead, Sat 11/23 vs. #13 Maple Grove

2. Rogers
-This veteran team feels built to win something. The defense, with Nolen Geerdes and Jackson Smithknecht, might be the best in the state, while Parker Deschene and Mason Jenson can carry the offense. There are still some questions, though, as they suffered some head-scratching section losses down the stretch last season that foreshadowed their eventual defeat in sections. It’s all right there in front of them; can they finally break through to St. Paul? We’ll learn a lot about them very quickly, as they’ve got four serious Tourney contenders in their first four games; the Shakopee game might just be the best regular season game of the year on paper.
Schedule: Thurs 11/21 at Andover, Sat 11/23 vs. #3 Shakopee, Wed 11/16 at #15 White Bear Lake; The Opener—Fri 11/29 vs. #5 St. Thomas Academy

3. Shakopee
-Like Chanhassen a season ago in 2AA, the Sabers’ moment has arrived. They return boatloads of talent; their various Coopers (Siegert and Simpson) are the offensive leaders, they have some star power on D, and there are some new reinforcements from outside, too. One area to watch: Aleksei Huson made an awful lot of saves in net for them a season ago, so they do need to fill that gap. They do have to navigate a section where an opponent will pounce on any slip-up, but the pieces are here to do it. The early Rogers battle will set the tone, and the Gentry game is somewhat interesting, too.
Schedule: Thurs 11/21 vs. Eagan, Sat 11/23 at #2 Rogers, Sat 11/30 vs. Gentry Academy

4. Cretin-Derham Hall
-I find the Raiders one of the more interesting teams this season. Their run to third place a season ago, lest we forget, came on the heels of a somewhat pedestrian 14-10-1 regular season and benefitted from a thin Tourney field beyond Edina and Chanhassen. The raw talent they brought to the X, though, sure looked like it belonged, and with Nate Chorlton, Max Anderson, Marcus* Matyas, and Jimmy Dodig back in the fold, they remain a pretty young, genuinely exciting team. There may be some bumps, but if they can hold off new-look St. Thomas, I would not be at all surprised to see them playing on a Friday night in March again. One possible source of concern is a relatively light schedule, with just two top ten preseason teams on it, though there are a lot of teams in the next tier. They open with a fun road trip north.
Schedule: Fri 11/29 at Hermantown, Sat 11/30 at Hibbing

5. St. Thomas Academy
-It’s been something of a journey for the Cadets since the end of the Vannelli era, with two decorated head coaches from other schools failing to stick. Now they turn the reins to Mark Strobel, a big name new to this level, and he has himself a group full of returning talent and added Jackson Rudh to boot. They are also the only team in the top ten to return a goalie in Cody Niesen. It’s not hard to envision a very successful first year, but can they get over that last big win that has eluded them a few years in a row now? They get a couple of games to tune up before they get a crack at Rogers.
Schedule: Fri 11/22 vs. Tartan, Wed 11/26 at Eastview; The Opener—11/29 vs. #2 Rogers

6. Hill-Murray
-The private pile-up continues in the middle of the top ten, as the Pioneers look to atone for a sour ending to last season. They have some of the hallmarks of a sneaky good Hill team, with Landon Cottingham and Graham Greeder anchoring the defense, and the forward depth is right there with anyone’s; the high end may not be as high as a couple of the teams above them, but it’s hard to pick out serious flaws here. They open against a couple of Class A Tourney regulars.
Schedule: Tues 11/26 at Mahtomedi, Sat 11/30 vs. Hermantown

7. Benilde-St. Margaret’s
-This program seemed to turn a page last season, dramatically improving its defensive play and giving Edina a serious fight in the 6AA semis. Cam Kirschner, Junior Podein, and Mason Minor give them some fun players to watch, and they should have enough depth to hang in there against their Lake Conference rivals for the 6AA crown. They have a fairly light start to their season.
Schedule: Tues 11/26 at Gentry Academy

8. Moorhead
-Back in 2019, it looked like the Spuds would be kicking off a run of preeminence in Minnesota high school hockey. In the years since they have zero first round wins at State and last season’s stunning section semifinal exit. So, is this finally the year? They return nearly everyone from last season’s young squad, though there is a hole to fill in goal; they are perhaps even further clear of the 8AA field talent-wise than ever. Their first five games are all against serious contenders, so we’ll get an early read on this group.
Schedule: Wayzata Turkey Trot—Fri 11/22 vs. #9 Wayzata, Sat 11/23 vs. #1 Edina

9. Wayzata
-The Trojans will look very different from the senior-heavy group that had the best regular season in program history a year ago, but somehow, I doubt Pat O’Leary will complain too much: the strengths of his squad are a strong defensive core and incredible depth, both of which have been his calling cards for some impressive runs over the years. The Turkey Trot will be an early window into just how big of a rebuild this is, and they follow that with a northern swing.
Schedule: Wayzata Turney Trot—Fri 11/22 vs. #8 Moorhead, Sat 11/23 vs. #13 Maple Grove, Fri 11/29 at Rock Ridge, Sat 11/30 at Duluth East

10. Stillwater
-Could this be the Ponies’ turn to break through again? They return their six top scorers from a season ago, including Brody Dustin and Blake Vanek, and they showed some real offensive upside as the season went along, including two wins over Tourney semifinalist Cretin-Derham Hall. The addition of Cal Conway in net doesn’t hurt the cause, either. Getting past Hill may be a taller order, but they have enough firepower to give it a serious run. Two big West Metro powers just behind them in these rankings give them an early chance to make a statement.
Schedule: Sat 11/23 at #11 Minnetonka, Wed 11/27 at Roseville, Sat 11/30 vs. #12 Maple Grove

11. Minnetonka
-Call this the reload section of the rankings: yes, the amount of talent not returning is massive, but there were some quality players buried on the depth charts because of that, and no one should expect this group to disappear, especially since they have something to prove after how last season ended. They’ve got a couple of other teams hovering in the 10-15 range to open things up, which will show us how quickly the transition can happen.
Schedule: Sat 11/23 vs. #10 Stillwater; Tonka Turkey Invitational—Fri 11/29 vs. Andover, Sat 11/30 vs. Rosemount

12. Holy Angels
-Are the Stars officially back among the contenders? They return everything from a group that took some big strides forward a season ago, and with Henry Lechner and Cole Cheeseman leading the way, they have the stars to get the attention of their 6AA competitors. They can make a statement with a good opening road trip to the north.
Schedule: Fri 11/22 at Roseau, Sat 11/23 at Bemidji

13. Maple Grove
-Like Wayzata, the Crimson lose a lot of key players but are the sort of program that can handle losing a lot of key players. Beyond that, I don’t have a ton to say here: there are plenty of decent parts, and while beating Rogers is a tall order, they at least have some track record. The early schedule is loaded.
Schedule: Wayzata Turkey Trot—Fri 11/22 vs. #1 Edina, Sat 11/23 vs. #9 Wayzata; Sat 11/30 at #10 Stillwater

14. Grand Rapids
-The Thunderhawks look to defend their 7AA title with many of the same pieces that got them there, returning some quality defensemen and their incredible wealth in goal. Nathan Garski will lead the offense, but he’s going to need some support to step up to make sure this team isn’t just hanging on for dear life against good competition. They’ll look to assert their standing in the section in early games against Forest Lake and Duluth East before going on the road to face their first front-line opponent.
Schedule: Fri 11/22 vs. Forest Lake, Tues 11/26 vs. Duluth East, Sat 11/30 at #8 Moorhead

15. White Bear Lake
-Without Nolan Roed the Bears will need some new source of offensive production, but they’ve got some leaders in back, with Will Distad on the blue line and Brimsek contender Leo Gabriel in goal. An early battle with Rogers looms.
Schedule: Fri 11/22 at Duluth East, Tues 11/26 vs. #2 Rogers

The Next Ten

Andover
-Like last season, the Huskies will not have the scoring flair of their title contenders a few years back, but between the depth of their system and the thinness of their section, they are right in the mix for a Tourney berth. This should be KJ Sauer’s season to carry the team, and like Grand Rapids they are in good shape in goal and on D. Early games with Rogers and Minnetonka give them a chance to say something right away.

Eden Prairie
-The Eagles quietly had a pretty good season last year, though it got lost somewhere in the 2AA minefield, and they do return a strong core from that team and would be preseason top 10 if . While making headway in this section is never easy, things are open enough that it’s not crazy to imagine them playing for a section championship. They start later then most, beginning against Chaska the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

Lakeville South
-A season after a stunning breakthrough in 1AA, I have little expectation of another one. The Cougars return eight of their nine top scorers from the top seed in the section last year, with Jackson Ernst leading the way; while I don’t exactly expect greatness, they are good enough to go to State and perhaps even hang in there a bit. Apple Valley/Burnsville is their only opponent over the first two weeks.

Holy Family
-The Fire flushed out the system over the offseason, bringing in a new coaching staff and seeing some player turnover after a 2023-2024 campaign that was memorable for a lot of the wrong reasons. After all of that, they could sneak up on some people this season: they do return some good depth and quality parts, and with the strength of the youth programs in the southwest Metro, they are certainly in position to do some things. They’ll ease into the season with games against Litchfield and Roseville.

Rosemount
-The Irish should once again hang in there in 3AA. While they lack the can’t-miss talent of the section’s two private powers, they are good enough in enough areas that they can’t be taken for granted, and they have a very good bantam team a season ago. Holding up on the back end will be the key. A clash with Minnetonka is the early highlight on the schedule.

Champlin Park
-The Rebels have become a staple in this part of the rankings, and they’re a decent bet to be back here again. Brent Solomon grabbed some attention with a big Elite League, and they have enough depth to be in decent position to fend off the likes of Centennial and Totino-Grace for the 3-seed in 5AA. They open with a mini Thanksgiving tourney in Woodbury, where they’ll face the hosts in their first game; the winner of that game will face the winner of Eagan and St. Louis Park.

Gentry Academy
-The Stars continue to collect enough good players to stay in the picture. Their schedule also took a step forward this season, suggesting they’re finding it a little easier to find legitimate opponents, which had been an issue in the past: East Grand Forks, Benilde, and Shakopee are all on the docket for their first two weeks.

Rock Ridge
-The Wolverines aren’t a bad sleeper pick this season. Caz Carlson and Grady Dimberio give them some serious punch, and there are enough returners in the lineup to make them a favorite for a very attainable 3-seed in 7AA. As with Grand Rapids, the depth question looms here. They’ve got an early section game with Forest Lake followed by a date with Wayzata that will gauge where they stand against a state power.

Woodbury
-Aiden Grossklaus gives the Royals some star power, and a decent supporting cast around him has this team on the radar for the first time in a while. The competition in 4AA is fierce, but they may be good enough to pull a playoff surprise. They host Champlin in their Thanksgiving tournament, which is a useful game for this section of the rankings.

Prior Lake
-The Lakers should be on the upswing again; they had some respectable results last season (including a win over Shakopee) and now introduce some kids from a top 10 bantam squad a season ago. Coming out of 2AA would be a tall order, but the gap between them and everyone else isn’t something they can’t close with a little luck. An opener against Centennial, which is one of the first teams out of the top 25, will be important.

1AA
18 Lakeville South
Lakeville North
Rochester Century/Mayo
New Prague
-Last season we got a memorable breakthrough by a Rochester team, but that does not appear likely to repeat itself, with both Lakevilles returning a lot of their contributors from last season. Beyond them is a collection of teams that should be alright, but none of which have the big core of talent probably necessary to overcome the Lakevilles’ resources. Still, the door has at least been opened. North’s first two games, against Century/Mayo and rival South, will give us some early sense of direction.

2AA
3 Shakopee
11 Minnetonka
17 Eden Prairie
19 Holy Family
25 Prior Lake
-The Sabers, with their raw talent, are the obvious but far from safe favorite in this ever-challenging section. Beyond that it gets pretty interesting, with Minnetonka rebuilding and Holy Family and Eden Prairie both trying to find their way following recent program changes. Prior Lake should be on the upswing again, and Chanhassen isn’t going to fall totally off the planet, either. We’ll see if any kind of clear pecking order can emerge here; Shakopee plays all four of the teams listed above before Christmas.

3AA
4 Cretin-Derham Hall
5 St. Thomas Academy
20 Rosemount
Eastview
-The quality of the St. Thomas-Cretin rivalry continues to build as they play more and more meaningful games. I gave Cretin the ranking bump since they’ve been there before as the three-time defending section champs. Beyond that, Rosemount lurks, Eastview has become a semi-regular contender, and Park of Cottage Grove has a bit of talent it could use to make a run. December 21 is the date to circle for the battle between the top two; neither one plays Rosemount during the regular season.

4AA
6 Hill-Murray
10 Stillwater
15 White Bear Lake
22 Gentry Academy
24 Woodbury
-The story at the top looks somewhat familiar, with Hill leading the two Suburban East powers, but after White Bear’s big win a season ago and with Stillwater’s talent surge, this has plenty of intrigue. It also has a quality second tier, with Gentry and Woodbury trying to disrupt the bigger-name hockey schools. As in 3AA, December 21 is the big day to circle in December, when Hill and White Bear collide; the big games involving Stillwater are in the new year, and the lack of games between Gentry and the other contenders here persists.

5AA
2 Rogers
13 Maple Grove
21 Champlin Park
Centennial
-The two at the top are clear enough here. Centennial returns little from last season’s breakthrough Tourney team, but the Cougars do still have Easton Cody in net and had a very good bantam team, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see them crack the top 25 and cause some problems again. Champlin Park sits in there as the X factor, and Totino is next in line. Northwest Suburban play gives these teams plenty of games with each other, though we have to wait a few weeks for that to get going in earnest.

6AA
1 Edina
7 Benilde-St. Margaret’s
9 Wayzata
12 Holy Angels
-As is so often the case this section may be the toughest one out there, with four plausible top ten teams doing battle. The Hornets are the favorites until someone can dethrone them, though, and Holy Angels still has a few things to prove to show it can hang with the big three, which will probably have to wait for second half meetings with Wayzata and Benilde. As has become customary, Benilde may have its seeding fate more or less sealed in December, as clashes with Edina and Wayzata loom. There’s a pretty clear separation between the top four and anything else here.

7AA
14 Grand Rapids
16 Andover
23 Rock Ridge
Duluth Denfeld
-Andover and Grand Rapids are once again the leaders here, with Rock Ridge defaulting into the 3-spot until the Wolverines show they can compete with a higher-end team. Beyond that is a very large clump of mediocrity, and I’ve slotted a veteran Denfeld team at the 4-seed for now; initially I thought Duluth Marshall was in line to climb and they may still get there, but some defections complicate that rise. Duluth East and Forest Lake hover as well, and Cambridge-Isanti isn’t out of the picture either thanks to strong goaltending and a good returning core. The seeding may all run through one week in late January when Rapids plays Marshall, Rock Ridge, and Andover.

8AA
8 Moorhead
Bemidji
Sartell
Roseau
-Beyond the obvious at the top, this section is once again very open and competitive. Bemidji returns a lot from a season ago, so I’ve penciled them into the 2-spot here, and I expect Sartell to continue its inching climb toward relevance. While Roseau likely missed its window to sneak in a State berth, the Rams aren’t going off a cliff, either. Elk River loses a lot from last season’s great run, but they could be right back in the mix with some good upcoming talent. This is so competitive that nearly any ordering beyond the Spuds wouldn’t really shock me. The real question is if anyone can catch lightning in a bottle like the Elks did. As usual, there are so many games between the contenders that it’s not really worth listing them: expect excitement and movement nearly every time we check in on the potential seeds.

It’s good to be back!

[O-townClown]

I consider Owen Nelson a returning goalie.

[ClassAGuy]

Well Done as Always Karl!

[Zamman]

Always good Karl, hope you can make it to RIchfield when the Hounds come to town. Very excited for the season. GO STARS

[O-townClown]

Is this confirmation Aiden Grossklaus has left Des Moines and will play high school this winter? He's one of the few Minnesota HS-eligible kids doing well in the USHL.

[ryguyMN]

It's back!

I kind of see Edina, Rogers, and Shakopee as your Tier I. Cretin I'm unsure about - did they just get hot at the right time, despite the regular season mark last year, or are they really that good?

EP's blurb was paused mid-thought in the first sentence, but guessing it meant to say EP would be a preseason top 10 team if Mason Moe and Nick Koering are back, based on what was said in the podcast.

[O-townClown]

Grossklaus played in both Des Moines games this weekend and had an assist last night. Still not sure if the report above is confirmation he's playing for Woodbury as a late returnee. I've assumed he was gone for months and especially likely given his USHL performance.

[WestMetro]

Excellent work Karl!

[BP]

Grossklaus played in both Des Moines games this weekend and had an assist last night. Still not sure if the report above is confirmation he's playing for Woodbury as a late returnee. I've assumed he was gone for months and especially likely given his USHL performance.
[/quote

And their roster is posted and he's not on it.

[east hockey]

Looking forward to my wintertime Sunday tradition:

1. Make coffee
2. Update PageStat
3. Read Karl's weekly offerings

Lee

[ClassAGuy]

The other two big AA rankings from Lets Play Hockey (Official Coaches Poll) & Legacy Below:

Lets Play Hockey AA Preseason Poll
1. Edina
2. Shakopee
3. Rogers
4. Moorhead
5. Hill-Murray
6. Cretin-Derham Hall
7. St. Thomas Academy
8. Maple Grove
9. Stillwater
10. Wayzata
11.Minnetonka
12. Benilde-St. Margaret’s
13. Academy of Holy Angels
14. Eden Prairie
15. Grand Rapids
16. Rosemount
17. Lakeville South
18. Andover
19. Champlin Park
20. White Bear Lake
Other Teams Receiving Votes: Waconia, Woodbury, Elk River/Zimmerman, Centennial, Holy Family, Roseau, Chanhassen, Rock Ridge, Prior Lake

Legacy Hockey AA Preseason Rankings
1. Edina
2. Rogers
3. Cretin-Derham Hall
4. Shakopee
5. Moorhead
6. Hill-Murray
7. St. Thomas Academy
8. Wayzata
9. Benilde-St. Margaret's
10. Stillwater
11. Minnetonka
12. Maple Grove
13. Holy Angels
14. Andover
15. Rosemount
16. Champlin Park
17. Centennial
18. Grand Rapids
19. Lakeville South
20 Holy Family

[ryguyMN]

The other two big AA rankings from Lets Play Hockey (Official Coaches Poll) & Legacy Below:

Lets Play Hockey AA Preseason Poll
1. Edina
2. Shakopee
3. Rogers
4. Moorhead
5. Hill-Murray
6. Cretin-Derham Hall
7. St. Thomas Academy
8. Maple Grove
9. Stillwater
10. Wayzata
11.Minnetonka
12. Benilde-St. Margaret’s
13. Academy of Holy Angels
14. Eden Prairie
15. Grand Rapids
16. Rosemount
17. Lakeville South
18. Andover
19. Champlin Park
20. White Bear Lake
Other Teams Receiving Votes: Waconia, Woodbury, Elk River/Zimmerman, Centennial, Holy Family, Roseau, Chanhassen, Rock Ridge, Prior Lake

Legacy Hockey AA Preseason Rankings
1. Edina
2. Rogers
3. Cretin-Derham Hall
4. Shakopee
5. Moorhead
6. Hill-Murray
7. St. Thomas Academy
8. Wayzata
9. Benilde-St. Margaret's
10. Stillwater
11. Minnetonka
12. Maple Grove
13. Holy Angels
14. Andover
15. Rosemount
16. Champlin Park
17. Centennial
18. Grand Rapids
19. Lakeville South
20 Holy Family

Had no idea Legacy Hockey did their own rankings...I'll have to incorporate them into the ranking aggregate.