Hilltoppers on the Rise: Duluth Marshall Poised for a Big 2025-26 Season

Loaded. Battle-tested. Ready. Duluth Marshall could be the team that turns heads in 2025-26.

Marshall is primed to make serious noise this year, returning their top six scorers and a staggering 110 of the 117 goals they scored last season. This core group brings not just talent but chemistry, experience, and an undeniable hunger after falling short last year.

The Hilltoppers finished the 2024-25 campaign with a solid 15-10-2 record, averaging 4.33 goals per game while allowing 2.78. Their season came to an end in the Section 2AA semifinals with a tough 5-3 loss to Rock Ridge, but the pieces are in place for a deeper run this time around.

One area that could truly elevate Marshall to contender status is special teams performance. The power play was solid last season, clicking at 21.4%, but there’s potential to turn it into a real game-changer. On the flip side, the penalty kill finished at 79.5%, leaving room for improvement if the Hilltoppers hope to compete with the top programs in the state. Sharpening both units could be the key to unlocking a deep postseason run.

The good news? Power play quarterback Layton Anderson is expected to be back. The intelligent, poised blueliner makes crisp passes, sees the ice exceptionally well, and will be important to producing more opportunities with the man advantage and help out limiting opportunities on the kill.

Anderson is just one of several weapons returning to the lineup. Up front, Bennett Scissons leads the charge after a breakout 49-point season, pacing the team with 20 goals. He’ll be joined by fellow top forwards Samuel Berry (who’s slated to compete in the High Performance 17s Final 54 ) along with Benson Peterson, Kyler Black, and Braydon Hannula.

Hannula, entering his junior season, already has 75 high school games under his belt after cracking the lineup as an 8th grader. That kind of experience will be invaluable to the Hilltoppers.

On the blue line, Anderson will be supported by Elijah Thorson, Ethan Saluki, and Rilo Heydt—giving the Hilltoppers a gritty, skilled, and veteran defensive core.

Secondary scoring will be a big storyline, and players like David Schachte, Oden Johnson-Brunette, and Kellen Obester will be leaned on to step up. As always at the high school level, development curves can vary—and any one of these players, or another, could make a massive leap and become a key difference-maker.

Between the pipes, Wyatt Johnson showed plenty of promise last season in limited action. He posted an impressive 6-1 record with a 1.86 GAA, .916 save percentage, and three shutouts. His 38-save performance against Northern Lakes turned heads and could be a sign of big things to come if he claims the starting role full-time.

The Hilltoppers have the experience, the firepower, and the motivation. With another year of growth and a chip on their shoulder, don’t be surprised to see Duluth Marshall emerge as a serious contender—with a trip to the Tourney very much within reach.