2024-25 Minnesota High School Class A Preseason Rankings 

Hello BHS Class A Hockey Fans! 

With the calendar nearly turning to November it seemed like it was time to roll out the annual Class A Boys High School Hockey Preseason Rankings. This year looks like the most even year ever with no top heavy two to three teams that will have a wide gap between them and the rest of the field, depending on who is returning as those questions still need to be answered, we should have a chance again at a more even Class A Tourney field and dare I say it maybe even an entertaining Wednesday Quarterfinal Round. Regardless, the Class A Friday Semis and Saturday A Final have been great games of recent memory and this year looks no different and we should be in store for the most competitively balanced year we have seen in Class A maybe ever! 

1- East Grand Forks (8A) 

Head Coach- Tyler Palmiscno 14th year, (234-120-12)

Last Year’s Record and Finish: (18-9-1) Lost in Section 8A Championship Game

Greenwave Outlook- This year’s Senior and Junior class for East Grand Forks won the Bantam A State Title in youth hockey and dominated this age group growing up. Fast forward to present time and  2024-25 BHS Class A Preseason Rankings 

after three years of having to be the second best team up in Northwest Minnesota at the High School level the Greenwave appear ready to breakthrough and be back to State where they could become a new dynasty within Class A over the next 5-7 years looking at how loaded youth program is currently. They return loads of experience and point production from last year as 7 forwards are back who made up over 40% of the team’s offense as Seniors Jace Van Eps, Hunter Varnson & Cooper Hills will lead the charge after each had 20 plus point seasons last year. Then you add in Juniors Tucker Lovejoy, Nolan Meulebrock & Braden Overgaard who all got good sophomore minutes and will only be better a year older this season. Also, Sophomore Jace Panzer had a big 9th grade year and look for his classmate Sophomore Wyatt Cordes to push for immediate playing time coming up from youth hockey off a very successful AA Bantam team. They also bring back a good trio of veteran defenders in Seniors Cole Bies, Judd Pesch & Nick Corbett who each had double digit points and bring back loads of experience and skill and they have Juniors Cole Schmiedeberg & Bodey Schmaltz, coming up from the JV, and Sophomores Max Bies & Ryan Clauson, coming up from the AA Bantams, ready to step in to make up a very deep Greenwave blueline. Experience returns in the net as well as goaltender Senior Ryan Rockstad who won the starting job last year and won 11 games to give them depth in all three phases of their lineup. East Side on paper is loaded with what looks like the deepest lineup in Class A and this years group reminds me a lot of the 2014 & 15 teams that won back to back state titles as this could be the beginning of what could be a serious run of dominance over the next few seasons for Coach Palmiscno and his program.  

2- Hermantown (7A)

Head Coach- Pat Andrews 8th year, (152-31-11)

Last Year’s Record and Finish: (20-9-2) Section 7A Champion and took 2nd Place in Class A 

Hawks Outlook- The Hawks were hit hard again by graduation and for the third straight year a key early departure, Junior AJ Francisco to USNDTP, this offseason but as we learned by now this is a program that just reloads and should be a top team again in Class A. Hermantown returns a good core of forwards after struggling offensively last year as Senior River Freeman & Junior Ford Skytta return from the Hawks top line as the two leading scorers from last season and they bring with them 30% of the teams total offense which should only improve this year with both being a year older. They will have depth as always as Seniors Jack Slattengren & Charlie Marchand and Juniors Bode Madill & Henry Martinsen are back with varsity experience to allow them to build a nice offensive core. Also, help is on the way as Sophomores Beau Christy, Mick Martalock, Alex Nicklin & Kole Lendzyk are coming in from a AA Bantam team that took 2nd in State and they will add to what should be a much deeper offensive attack. The question mark of this team will be on the blueline and the overall backend. D1 commit Senior Henry Peterson, who had double digit goals and 20 plus points last year, will lead the rebuilding effort on defensive end. Also look for Juniors Cayden Manion & Kyler Berg to step up into bigger roles after seeing some varsity action as youngsters last year and incoming Sophomore Gabe Swenson, coming up from the AA Bantams, should be a player that can step in and add to the mix immediately to give them a promising defensive core. The goaltending role appears to belong to Junior Bryce Francisco who patiently waited last year as the back up to the best goalie in program history and he had an outstanding career in youth hockey before coming into the high school program and should be ready to take the net this year. There are more question marks than normal but looking at the wave of young talent coming up and what Hermantown returns they should still be as tough as ever under Coach Andrews as the Hawks will look to return to state for the 15th time in the last 16 years and win their school’s 5th overall state title this winter. 

3- St Cloud Cathedral (5A)

Head Coach- Robbie Stocker 4th year, (58-31-1)

Last Year’s Record and Finish: (26-4-1) Section 5A Champion and won the Class A Championship

Crusaders Outlook- Cathedral on paper appears to have enough really elite top end talent returning and some good depth to make a serious run at a repeat this year. The rebuild done by Coach Stocker has been remarkable and if he can get some important questions answered within this year’s lineup there does appear to be more than enough left over for the Defending Champs to be serious contenders again this winter. They return 3 of their top 5 leading goal scorers at forward as Seniors John Hirschfeld & Joey Gillespie, who are both Mr Hockey Candidates, along with Senior Jaeger Wood contributed for a combined 48% of the teams total offense last year. Also, look for Junior Caleb Trant, a transfer who had to play JV last year, to be a big addition this year and a possible new running mate on the big top line. Add to them a lineup card that will feature Seniors Caden Johnson, Mason Layne & Junior Noah Klein, who have all gotten varsity minutes and bring plenty of experience. Add in the next wave talent in 9th graders Bo Schmidt & Talen Ruprecht ready to step in and there’s plenty of depth to build with. On the blueline they return star elite defender Junior Griffin Sturm who ran the powerplay and played mega minutes while putting up nearly 30 points and 10 goals himself last year as the team’s 4th leading scorer. They will need to build a new defensive core around him but look for Seniors Ian Bacik & Connor Stockman, both got varsity minutes last year, along with Junior Carter Bakeberg, a transfer who had to play JV last year, to step in to make the new core. They do have to answer a big question in the net. However, Junior Keaton LeGrande went (4-1-0, 2.37 GAA & .907 SV %) really stabilized things once he became the starter while Nick Hansen was hurt last year. He looks to be the full time starter now moving forward and based on the 5 games we saw out of him last winter the Crusaders will be solid in net. Looking at the top end of the Big Three and the solid depth pieces in place and having championship experience it’s hard to bet against the Crusaders who will be looking to go back to back for the first time in program history this winter. 

4- Hibbing/Chisholm (7A)

Head Coach- Aaron Jamnick 1st year, (0-0-0)

Last Year’s Record and Finish: (19-9-0) Lost in Section 7A Championship 

Bluejackets Outlook- The Bluejackets were an incredibly young team last year but by season’s end they had made a positive step forward as a program as they got back into the Section Final for the first time since 2016. Now this year, with a new Head Coach, Hibbing will again  still be young this winter but they will have more experience and they look to be even more loaded coming into the season. They return a ton of experience up front as Senior Jace Kampsula and Juniors Tate Swanson, Kelin Elsner, Isaiah Hildenbrand, Benny Galli, Hunter Gustavsson and Sophomore Joey Gabardi, who made up 7 of the 12 leading scorers last season, all return up front and combined they made up nearly 70% of that teams total offense last year and they will be aided by the addition of a young gun in 9th grader Cole Swanson. who has put up ridiculous numbers in his youth hockey career,to add to that offensive depth. On the blueline they did get a setback when star Sophomore Jackson Strukel, who put up double digit goals and 30 points as 9th grader last year, suffered a lower body injury in Elite League that will keep him out for awhile but he should be back by the end of the year. While he is out, look for Juniors Ethan Sundvall & Mason McDonald who are back with experience and the addition of Sophomore Dylan Vesel & 9th Grader Whitaker Rewertz from the youthto still help make a very good blueline unit. In the net, Senior Rex Walli & Junior Gavin Lamphere split time during the season last year and both bring back plenty of big game experience there. Hibbing went through some growing pains early in the season last year but now they have had an offseason to train and return bigger and stronger and more experienced and they are going to be a very real problem for the Hawks in 7A as that section playoff will be a treat to watch play out up at Amsoil come playoff time as this young team is legit and ready to contend now.

5- Delano (2A) 

Head Coach- Gerrit van Bergen 11th year, (174-75-4)

Last Year’s Record and Finish: (17-9-1) Lost in Section 2A Semifinals 

Tigers Outlook- The Tigers have become a Class A blueblood program over the last decade and when it comes to the preseason rankings Delano always seems like a program that needs to be included in the annual Top 10 Rankings. Coach van Bergen and his staff can always be counted on to build a well coached unit that will be playing their best hockey come playoff time and they will generally be able to make a good playoff run. However, last year saw a young Delano team get upset in the Section Semis but looking at this season the Tigers appear to be loaded and ready to win Section 2A for the first time since 2021. Offensively they bring back loads of talent as Seniors Mason Hargarten, Joseph McCabe & Bryce Peterson were 3 of the top 4 scorers last winter and all had double digit goals. Add to them a really good core of Juniors Daniel Halonen, Brody Geislinger, Brady Kangas & Jacob Parlich all who played good minutes as Sophomores last year and in total this Tigers team returns 6 of their top 14 scorers that accounted for nearly 60 % of the team’s goals last year which should account for a very deep and dangerous offense this coming season. On defense Seniors Aaron Halonen, Markus Kangas & Eddie Lins return with good varsity experience and expect for depth to come from Juniors Luke Robertson & Connor Oja and Sophomore Bennett Halonen are players from the JV and Bantams that are highly skilled and will be ready to jump into the defensive core rotation this winter. In net Junior Evan Geyen is back as the starting goalie from last season and he got a ton of experience taking over the net in the 2nd half of the season but he will be pushed by Junior Aiden Janiga, a transfer from Utah. Looking at this year’s version of Delano on paper they have experience and depth in all three phases of their lineup and they will be the favorite to not only win Section 2A but to return to State and be the group that can end their awful Quarterfinal Round losing curse and be playing on a Friday for the first time in the program’s history. 

6- Mahtomedi (4A)

Head Coach- Jeff Poeschl 31st year, (511-307-22)

Last Year’s Record and Finish: (18-13-0) Section 4A Champion and took 4th place in Class A 

Zephyrs Outlook- The Zephyrs have become a team that it seems like you can routinely count on to be playing Friday at State in Class A which they have done now 6 times in the last 7 years. The Zephyrs will have to retool their attack this season as they graduated 3 of their top scorers and then took a big hit in the offseason when their top two returners Senior Sam Harris and Junior Jimmy Egan both became early departures. However, Coach Poeschl has done wonders in the past at being able to take unheralded talent and getting them to buy into his systems and turning into a team that is very difficult to play against. At forward they still do return experience in Seniors Winston Wright, Laken Decker, Ryan Lipovitz & Mac Appert and Junior Brayden Fuerst who all had nearly double digit points last year will look to be the leaders of a young offense this winter. Add to them a trio of talented Sophomores Will Seevers, Devin O’Donnell & Blake Bentz coming up from the JV & AA Bantams ready to push for playing time immediately. On defense they have some experience as Senior Joey Pipes & Junior Cody Loida are back with varsity experience to build around and expect Junior Cael Brummel and Sophomores Zach Zins & Trevor Rogosheske to be candidates for minutes coming up from the JV & AA Bantams. In the net, goaltender Senior Wes Strub got lots of action splitting the net this past season and should be ready to take over the starting role. Looking at Mahtomedi on paper there are still enough pieces here for the coaching staff to mold another contender by the time March rolls around and be as tough as ever against this upcoming season. The Zephyrs always should be considered contenders in Class A and they will be a strong pick to win 4A yet again and play a tough AA filled schedule to be ready to contend for a Class A Title come tourney time like always. 

7- Northern Lakes (6A)

Head Coach- Mike Randolph 36th year, (707-234-37)

Last Year’s Record and Finish: (18-10-0) Lost in Section 6A Championship

Lightning Outlook- Northern Lakes look like a team primed for a huge year in Class A this coming season. First off, this group of seniors when they were 2nd year Bantams took 2nd place in A Bantam State and they have matured well over the past two seasons and now are full of varsity experience. Then add in the wave of depth they are bringing in as the group of sophomores this year who are coming off placing 3rd at the A Bantam State this past season. Finally, they now have coaching legend Mike Randolph and his 700 plus wins behind the bench to guide this young rising program to the next level. At forward they return a bunch of scoring from a year ago as Seniors Drew Paulback, Easton Anderson, Jerome Martin, Finnegan Fogarty & Jaden Marthalar along with Junior Jacob Peterson are all back having has double digit points last year and they make up over 60% of the teams total goals from last year’s Section Runner Up. Also, Senior Anthony Noyes returns after missing most of last year to injury and he should be ready to add to that production. Add to them a very talented and deep group of newcomers moving up in Sophomores Landen Cartie, Griffen Hannah, Parker Fulton, Josiah Reier & Waylon Katterhagen all who will be pushing for playing time coming off great bantam careers. On defense they have experience as well as Seniors Wyatt Balmer & Preston Verness along with Junior Leyton Cable & Sophomore Grant Vershey return with playing experience and should build off last years strong season and look for incoming Sophomores Wyatt Verville & Bodie Nybakken to push for playing time. In net Junior Hunter Moreland looked good in limited varsity action last year and he appears ready to take over the starting role but he will be pushed and challenged by Sophomore Sam Suja, a transfer from Colorado. The Lightning appear to have all the pieces in place, on paper, to make a serious push in not only Section 6A but also make noise at State like they did three years ago as 9th graders at the A Bantam State Tournament and this is a definite team to watch this year.

8- Cloquet/Esko/Carlton (7A)

Head Coach- Shea Walters 7th year, (73-72-4)

Last Year’s Record and Finish: (13-14-0) Lost in Section 7A Semifinals

Jacks Outlook- Cloquet/Esko/Carlton had an up and down season last year, as while they were in Class A for the 1st time ever, they kept their mainly AA schedule and fluttered around .500 all year. They did earn a #2 seed despite the mediocre record but they ultimately fell in the 7A Semifinal round. Despite last year’s disappointments this year’s team should be a major contender as when their deep Senior core was in Bantams they took 6th place in State and add to them an incoming Sophomore and Freshman crew that took home 5th place as State this past year and there should be plenty of talent on the Lumberjack roster to build a very good team. Up front, they return their three leading scorers in Seniors Bobby Thornton, Niko Gentilini & Grady Knutson who combined scored 50% of the teams goals last year. Add to them hard nosed physical players Seniors Brody Dushkin & Preston Strang along with Juniors Connor Sullivan & Neil Elsmore and the building blocks of an experienced offense are there. Add in Sophomore Daxton Collins and 9th graders Brahm Snesrud & Jordan Sewell coming in from the Bantams looking for ice time and they should be deep up front. On defense Senior Karson Young is one of the best elite defenseman returning in Class A and he along with Senior Hudson Snesrud & Junior Cole Painovich bring good experience back. Look for Sophomores Kaden Willis coming up from the youth to also contend for minutes on the blueline to add to their depth on the backend. They have their main two goalies back in Senior Jamis Halverson & Junior Jacob Iallonardo for experience in net. Looking up and down the roster for CEC you see tons of depth and skill in all three phases and this looks like a very experienced team that should have a big regular season and add to a deep top end pool of 7A teams that will be Top 10 contenders in Class A all winter long. 

9- Monticello (5A) 

Head Coach- Eric Nelson 10th year, (155-88-10)

Last Year’s Record and Finish: (21-6-1) Lost in Section 5A Championship Game

Moose Outlook- The Moose are team on the rise as they are coming of a very good 21 win season and while they did graduate 4 of their top 6 scorers which was 50% of their scoring and their goalie who played nearly every minute the last two years this group of Juniors and Sophomores took 3rd place in A Bantam State and while they are young they have plenty of pieces to be a serious contender in Class A this winter. Up front, they return Senior Landen Scherber who had nearly 60 points but his line mates both graduated and look for Juniors Liam O’Donnell & Ashton Stoll to make a big jump from last year’s output to be contenders to join him on the big line this year. They also return Seniors Caleb Biard & Nathan Poeppel along with Junior Carter Lemke and Sophomore Bradon Zieglmeier who have varsity experience and will all be looked upon to have bigger seasons this year. Junior Jack Sager and Sophomores Collin Barta, Cohen Kass will be pushing for time as well coming up form the Bantams. On defense there is a lot to like as they return loads of talent and experience with Senior Aidan Widmark returning along with Juniors Levi Welle & Brady McGriff and star Sophomore Nicklas Nelson to build a great D-core around to break in a new goalie this year. As noted, in net it will be a battle between Senior Logan Blahnik and Sophomore Nolan Wurm, who is one of the top young goalies in all of Class A, for the starting spot. While on paper Monticello did graduate a ton of production from last season, look for this year’s team to actually be deeper and under the guidance of Coach Nelson they will grow and improve throughout the season and they will be a contender to get to state out of 5A and should hover around the Top 10 all year and the Moose should be right in the thick of it all year in Class A as always. 

10- Warroad (8A)

Head Coach- Jay Hardwick 13th year, (225-99-13)

Last Year’s Record and Finish: (25-6-0) Section 8A Champion and took 3rd Place in Class A 

Warriors Outlook- It’s very hard to rank the Warriors this year as they have many question marks that need to be answered coming into this season. However, a program with the rich tradition of Warroad always seems to reload and they do have some good pieces returning especially on the backend from last year’s 3rd place team and they have some very good A Bantams, who won state last year, ready to step into the High School Program this winter. Up front they graduated some elite offensive talent and they also took a hit with the loss of Junior Dominic Anthony to an early departure to Shattuick. They will look to Senior Taven James who returns after a big season last year and he will need new linemates and look for Junior Ryan Shaugabay to be one candidate to form a new top line with. They also have Seniors Draydin Johnson & Wyatt Hennum back to build a toughness around and look for Juniors Ryan Chamernick & Taylor Humeniuk to step in for depth help after getting some variety action this past winter. There will be  plenty of offensive firepower on the way as well as Sophomores Gavin Andersen, Ricky Rogers & Casey Hendrickson are coming off great bantam campaigns and will look to provide a deep lineup for the Warriors. On the blueline they should be strong as they have four returners led by Junior Broden Hontvet and he along with Juniors Sam Hard, Mason Reed & Thomas Grapentine all have varsity experience and Sophomores Ryan Lee & Wesley Schreiner will be coming in from the youth to push for playing time as well. They will need a new goalie and look for Juniors Patrick Kennedy & Levi Westby along with Sophomore Finn Hanson to be candidates to fill in that question in net. If their young talent can jump in and mature and contribute quickly this team could move back up the rankings or they may fall as there could be growing pains making this year’s Warriors an interesting to watch all winter. 

11- Northfield- (1A)

Head Coach- Mike Luckraft 11th year, (185-76-11)

Last Year’s Record and Finish: (23-6-2) Section 1A Champion and took 6th place in Class A 

Raiders Outlook- Northfield is building a Southern Minnesota juggernaut program recently within Class A’s Section 1A. They will be looking to three-peat in the southern section and head back to State this year. When this group of Raiders were Seniors and Juniors were bantams they took 3rd place at State in 2022. While that group did lose a few elite pieces to transfers, there is plenty of reason for optimism as they bring good experience and production back at all three phases. At forward they return five players who saw major ice time, Seniors Will Cashin & Griffin Kennelly both return after scoring double digit goals last year and Juniors Michael Steward, Oliver Benjamin & Christian Whiteman each had double digit points in their 1st year of varsity and those five returning forwards combined for 107 varsity points on the top 3 lines last year to give them a great core to build around. Also, look for Juniors Charlie Becker & Henry Webber who played some varsity last year to contribute more this year, and look for Sophomores Jacob Peters & Brody Jenson and 9th grader Miles Kennelly, who are coming up from the Bantam program, to push for playing time and add to what should be a deep offense. On defense they return four of their top 6 defensemen from last season. Junior Bridger Riley & Sophomore Ben Geiger are back after each having huge years, both having over 20 points from the blueline as youngsters, and Juniors Ashton Pumper & Carter Simon are back a year older after playing varsity to give them a good experienced defensive core. Add to that experienced unit that Senior Max Frank is back in net after winning the starting job down the stretch last year and he has plenty of big game experience and this is a Northfield team that looks to be very dangerous again this winter, while they did graduate some elite top end talent, this team looks very deep again  and should be very good and will be tough for anyone in Southern Minnesota to knock off.

12- Orono (2A)

Head Coach- Mitch Hall 1st year, (0-0-0)

Last Year’s Record and Finish: (22-9-0) Section 2A Champion and won the Consolation Championship

Spartans Outlook- The offseason brought with it plenty of change for Orono as they lost their successful head coach to STMA and graduated a great senior class from last year’s Section Champion and Consolation Championship team. While many are predicting a decline this winter, a deeper look at this year’s group will show that they do return a good core of varsity players with experience who should make the Spartans contenders again this winter. Offensively they return 3 of their top 6 scorers from last season in Juniors Jackson Knight & Rory Kvern, who were the teams two leading goal scorers, and Senior Trey Landa, who had nearly 30 points, and those three will be key to help build a new offense around this season. For depth they return Seniors Lachlan Hoffman & Ethan Pagel who played good varsity minutes last year to add experience. Also, look for a solid crew of players led by Junior Boston Foster to make the jump up from a good JV team last year and push for playing time this winter to allow for new coach Mitch Hall to build a typical tough nosed Spartan team around. Defensively they did lose some significant pieces to graduation but they do return a trio in Seniors Peyton Mulheran, Miller Williams & Junior Luca DeCubellis who all saw good varsity minutes last year. Look for depth to come from players like Junior Nick Nugent, an offseason transfer from Breck with varsity experience, and some good players from the JV and youth program to be implemented in to build another solid defensive unit around. Senior Evan Schmidt returns in net, as he got some good experience last year, and he should be ready to take over the starter role full time this season. It all adds up to, despite the offseason of change, yet another very solid Orono team that will be a contender as always in Section 2A and should have a chance to get back to State for a 3rd straight year. 

13- Little Falls (5A)

Head Coach- Joey Hanowski 4th year, (56-24-2)

Last Year’s Record and Finish: (17-10-0) Lost in Section 5A Semifinals

Flyers Outlook- The Flyers once again came up just short in 5A as they lost a heartbreaking triple overtime classic in the Section Semifinals last year. Little Falls has been a perennial Top 15 Class A team and this year looks no different as they will bring back the majority of their main pieces from last season and they will be a tough team again this winter for anyone to play against. Up front, they return 3 of their 4 leading scorers in Seniors Luke Avery, Ryan Oothodt & Joey Welinski who combined scored 55 % of the team’s goals last year. They also return Senior Lucas Jendro, Junior Beau Majerle & Sophomore Mason Oothoudt who contributed to the varsity offense last year to give them a good base of returning production. On defense the late season conversion of Junior Remi Chisholm was a game changer for them as they really solidified the blueline but he can also be a productive forward as well. They also return Sophomore Kyler Schmidgall and Seniors Derrick Young & Alex Thoma to give them a good base on the back end as well. They could add depth at both forward and defense, and get depth from Sophomores Griffin Kosek, Dawson Carr & John Becker who come up from the youth program. The reason though to love this team as a Class A contender is because they bring back one of Class A’s top goalies in Junior Izaak Kalis and he has been magnificent with already two years of experience in net and a year older he will make the Flyers a challenge to score on and they should have another very good year and could be sleeper team to crash the party at State come March. 

14- Alexandria (6A) 

Head Coach- Landon Olson 1st year, (0-0-0)

Last Year’s Record and Finish: (18-11-1) Section 6A Champion and was Class A State Participant

Cardinals Outlook- Alexandria got off to its traditional slow start last year which has become an annual theme but another is that the Cardinals are always able to rebound in a big way, and for the third straight year they ended up playing excellent hockey down the stretch and ended the year in St Paul playing at State. This winter the Cards will be a team in transition as they were hit hard by graduation losing their 5 leading scorers and starting goalie and add to that they will have a new Head Coach this season which would leave many wondering why they are so high in my ranking. A deeper look though at the Cards roster would show there is a lot to like about Alexandria as up front they bring back Juniors Evan Klimek & Brody Berg and Sophomores Grady Olson, William Thornburg & Ehren Anderson who all saw time as underclassmen and were productive and made up over 30% of the team’s offense last year to make a nice core to build with a year older. Also, look for Senior Cameron O’Shea who got some varsity action as well last season and look for 9th grader Owen Klimek to step in after a good Bantam AA season to give this team a good young offensive core. On Defense they return three varsity experienced players in Juniors Niklas Schultz & Aidan Schneiderhan along with Sophomore Grady Suchy who will be a good experienced trio and add in Sophomore Will Draper from the youth to build the defensive core around. They will need to find an answer in net which seems to be an annual question mark for them but there is a very good young nucleus here for Alexandria to mold into yet another State Tourney contender as they look to win Section 6A for the 4th straight year.   

15- Thief River Falls (8A) 

Head Coach- Kyle Anderson 1st year, (0-0-0)

Last Year’s Record and Finish: (15-11-1) Lost in Section 8A Semifinals 

Prowlers Outlook- The Prowlers lost a big senior class to graduation and then lost their legendary head coach to retirement this offseason but when doing these rankings one can never think too lowly of a traditional Class A power like Thief River Falls who always reloads and can be penciled in as a Top 15 Team annually. Looking at all that the Prowlers have coming back there are some nice pieces to build another good team round. On offense they did lose Junior Bennett Borgen to an early departure but they bring back Sophomore Spencer Anderson, who had double digit goals and 30 plus points as 9th grader, also Seniors Rylan Leake & Paul Anderson return with double digit points to give them 30% of their offense returning. Add to them the depth of Seniors Jackson Boyer, AJ Rogalla, Jaxon Hams & Joe Kelly who all saw varsity minutes last year. Also, look for Sophomores Johnathan Rogalla & Hudson Brouse to be candidates to step in and help from the youth program up front. Defensively they return Seniors Owen Bushy, Jameson Hurst & Parker Lundgren who all have varsity experience to build their blueline around and look for Sophomore Masson Collins, coming up from the bantams, to push for playing time as well. The big question mark will be in net as they will need a new goalie but the Prowlers always seem to produce excellent goalies and Senior Noah Gonzales & Junior Cooper Roff appear to be the main candidates to step in. Overall, looking at what Thief River Falls returns and brings up from the youth program there is  more than enough for the Prowlers to build another contender around and look for another very good season which we have become accustomed to with this program. 

16- Detroit Lakes (8A) 

Head Coach- Ben Noah 6th year, (72-45-6)

Last Year’s Record and Finish: (12-14-1) Lost in Section 8A Semifinals 

Lakers Outlook- The Lakers have been continuing to build their program to be a challenger to the Big Three in 8A and this year they appear to have a team that could make significant push toward that goal as they bring back loads of talent as 70% of their scoring is back from a young team a year ago. Up front they return 7 of their 9 top forwards and are led by a core of Juniors Easton Kennedy, Will Cymbaluk, Carter Whitworth & Lawsen Justesen who all had very productive Sophomore seasons and will be older and stronger this year. Add to them a great core of Seniors Brock Bender, Owen Chiodo & Easton Wahl who all had double digit points and have plenty varsity experience for great offensive depth and toughness for rugged 8A play. More talent is also on the way as Sophomores Mason Deraney, Easton Smerud & Hank Schlauderaff are moving up from the youth after very productive A Bantam careers. On the blueline there is depth as well as they return 3 of their top 4 defenseman in Seniors Thomas Suckert & Jace Fields and Junior Hudson Pettit who each had double digit points last year. In net they return Sophomore Griffin Lindberg who got good varsity action and experience as a 9th grader last season and should only be better this year. They have also improved the schedule and will play in the CLC for hockey this winter. Everything on paper makes the Lakers look like a breakout team candidate as Coach Noah has all the pieces here to have a really good team this year as he continues to build a very strong program. 

17- Minneapolis (2A) 

Head Coach- Joe Dziedzic 13th year, (165-133-13)

Last Year’s Record and Finish: (12-16-0) Lost in Section 2A Championship Game

MPLS Outlook- The boys from the 612 have proved again last season that they should always be considered a contender in Class A. After a slow start to year last winter, which saw them lose 8 straight games in the middle of the season, Minneapolis under the guidance of NHL alumni and veteran Coach Joe Dziedzic rallied and went (8-6-0) in their last 14 games of the year and pulled off a big playoff upset to fall just one game short of State after losing in the Section 2A Championship game. This year Minneapolis will look to get off to a better start and they could be a good darkhorse pick to get all the way back to the X if they can answer some key questions on their blueline and in net.However, up front they should have one of the better offensive attacks in all of Class A this winter as they return Seniors Nick Anderson, Johan Krasean & Matthew Walsh and Junior Eli Milinkovich from their top 3 lines and they all had very productive years and had double digit points last winter and accounted for over 55% of the team overall goals and look for Sophomores Will Ackerman & Emmitt Anderson to push for minutes to make this 612 crew dangerous upfront again. The questions will be on the backend but they do return experience at defense as Seniors Niklaus Nordeen & Maverick Knoke are back and look for Junior Jack Shroat and youngster 9th grader Wilson Lamberty to step in play immediately and help on the blueline which will hopefully lead to more consistent play in their own end. In net goaltender Senior Adam Lybeck returns after having split the net last year and they will look for growth from him and Senior Griffin Simpson will push him to try and stabilize some of their defensive issues.Minneapolis should have plenty of talent to build a very tough team with and you can count on them to be a contender all year in Class A, as always, and be a team to watch in Section 2A and be in the Top 20 discussion all season long like normal. 

18- Chisago Lakes (4A)

Head Coach: Cory Lushanko 6th year, (75-51-3)

Last Year’s Record and Finish: (11-14-1) Lost in Section 4A Quarterfinals

Wildcats Outlook- The Wildcats had really solidified themselves as a winning program having 5 straight winning seasons and going to 3 Section Finals during that time period before last season. However, last year was just a struggle all year as they were never able to get healthy and things ended with their first losing season since 2018 and they were the biggest upset victim of the Class A quarterfinal round getting knocked out by 6 seed. Chisago Lakes should be back to their normal standards this year as they will return 40% of their scoring from last year which includes the return of their 2nd, 3rd & 5th leading scorers from a year ago in Seniors Maxwell Bobrowski & Benjamin Kerkow and Junior Austin Slettom who all had double digit points and look for two transfers they coming in Senior Alex Bever & Junior Jake Kletti to push for immediate big minutes. They should have some depth returning as well up front as Senior Lucas Ide and Juniors Landon Kerkow & Quin Ryan are back with varsity experience up and should be more productive. Also look for incoming Sophomores Nick Hansen, Jase Kelley, Nathan Williams & Oliver Bushweiler coming up from the youth ranks to push for playing time. They will have to revamp the blueline that was hit hard by graduation but they do return Junior Maxwell Koch who is an elite defender to build a new core around and Sophomore Ben Berger should be top defender right away coming up from the youth.. They will have experience in net to break in a young blueline as Senior Brett Hanson & Junior Corbin Shandley are both back after splitting the net last year for the Wildcats and Shandley had a big offseason and should make Chisago Lakes very tough in net. Add it all up and the Wildcats should be back as a contender this year in 4A and within Class A overall.

19- Proctor (7A)

Head Coach: Jeff Laspi, 5th year, (51-46-2)

Last Year’s Record and Finish: (19-8-0) Lost in Section 7A Semifinals

Rails Outlook- The Rails are coming off one their best season in recent history for their program and they are hoping to build on that momentum coming into this season. Proctor did graduate an excellent Senior class in the offseason that included their elite goaltender but there are still some really good pieces returning to have them excited about coming into this winter. At forward they return their two leading scorers in Seniors Tanner Ross & Austin Bryant who along with Junior Breckin Ross, who can also play defense, combined to make up 47% of the total offense from last year. They also bring back Senior Blaine Boysen & Avery Lee along with Juniors Wynn Giswold & Dylan Denzler return after contributing to the varsity last year to build offensive depth around and look for Sophomore Owen Baker to come in and contribute immediately from youth hockey. On defense they will have question marks as they return Senior Cooper Annala and look for a bigger role out of Junior Gavin Davidson who both are back with varsity experience to build around. Also, look for depth blueline help to come from  upcoming Sophomore Wesley Paulson from the Bantam team. The biggest thing this Rails team will need to answer is filling in the hole in the net but look for either Senior Brayden Mclean or Junior Will Pocrnich to try and fill in that role. Overall this should be another solid Proctor team that will look to compete and contend in a very good Section 7A this year and show that they are taking the next step as a program that can always be looked at as a Top 20 Team in Class A. 

20- Waseca (1A) 

Head Coach- Chris Storey 12th year, (116-142-5)

Last Year’s Record and Finish: (15-12-0) Lost in Section 1A Quarterfinals

Bluejays Outlook- Looking for this year’s version of La Crescent, a Class A team from the south that you probably haven’t heard of much before that is poised for a huge year, look no further than Waseca. The crazy thing about this year’s Bluejays team is that they are still probably a year away from really being a true contender for State, but look for this team to make a big jump in Section 1A and win over 20 games and have a chance to be playing in their program’s first ever Section Final this winter. Why all the optimism well to start with the fact that this team returns18 letterwinners and  a ridiculous 95% of its scoring as they will be led by their two Seniors Brayden Hesch-Priebe & Hunter Anderson, who both had 20 plus goal seasons last year. Beyond them though is a juggernaut of elite youngsters as Sophomores Griffin Storey, Henry Huttemier, Cash Lynch & Otto Schoenrock all return having 20 plus points as 9th graders last winter and add to them Juniors Jude Gehring & Jayden Gehring are both back after each putting up 14 plus goals as 10th graders. On defense they return Sophomore Beckett Srp and Seniors Lucas Groll, Easton Danks & Jackson Tesch and Junior Jackson Dahl who all played big varsity minutes last year on the blueline and will be a year older and more experienced this season. In the net they return Senior Carter Martens and Sophomore Josiah Schmidtke who split the net last season and the youngster Schmidtke is one of the best young elite goaltenders in all of Southern Minnesota. Looking at this year’s Bluejays roster it shows that they are loaded with experience and talent in all three phases and if they stay healthy they should be a team to watch this season to make noise as well as for the next few years down south.

Next Five Notable Teams- 

Mound Westonka (2A)

Head Coach: Jeff DeGree 3rd Year, (14-36-1)

Last Year’s Record and Finish: (12-13-1) Lost in Section 2A Quarterfinals

White Hawks Outlook-  If you are looking for a sleeper team this winter to surprise everyone in Class A look no further than the White Hawks as after a few rough rebuilding years, Mound Westonka was able to have a .500 season last year with a lineup that was very young and they will return 70% of their scoring this year giving them lots of optimism they can have big year and build on last year’s momentum. Up front they return their four leading scorers as the dangerous duo of Juniors Liam Grant & Collin Hagen are back after each had double digit goals as 10th graders last year and Seniors August Novack & Blake Decker return both having over 20 points last  season. They will also have depth as Seniors Luke Poikonen, Aric Haataja & William Salvati are all back having varsity experience and point production from last year as well and they will look for growth out of Junior Wesley Foley & Sophomore Beckett Poikonen to grow off of last years limited production being a year older now. The big question mark on this group and why they were not quite a Preseason Top 20 Team is on the backend as they graduated nearly their whole defensive core and they will look to Senior Tyler Anding & Sophomore Jacob Bradstock to build on their limited varsity experience. They also have major questions in the net as the two goaltenders from last year both graduated. If they can shore up the back end and answer questions about how to keep the puck out of their own net quickly this could be a surprise team to many to move up the rankings throughout the year with all they have returning offensively from one of the most improved teams in all of Class A last season. 

Southwest Christian/Richfield (4A) 

Head Coach- Paul Ranheim 3rd year, (29-20-5)

Last Year’s Record and Finish: (17-11-0) Lost in Section 4A Championship Game

Stars Outlook- The Stars took full advantage of their move into Section 4A last winter and they were able to not only win their programs first ever playoff game but they advanced all the way to the Section Final and came oh so close to State Tourney berth. Southwest Christian/Richfield now will have the test of trying to stay competitive as they graduated a large and successful senior class this offseason. The reason for the continued optimism is that they do return some very good parts of last year’s record setting team. Offensively, they return Senior Paul Horner and Junior Christian Greer who both put up around 30 points last year. They also have Senior Johnny Erhart and Juniors Vinny Ferrara & Gavin Schmid who all have varsity experience to add depth up front and also look for 9th grader Wyatt Durand to provide immediate impact after leading the JV in scoring as an 8th grader. Defensively they did take a big hit with the early departure of Junior Tate Hardacre but they still return 4 of their 6 regular defenseman as Senior Ashton Hendel, Junior Luke Dore and Sophomores Bennett Breuer & Carson Wright all have varsity experience on the blueline. The veteran backend will be needed as the big question mark with this team will be who steps up in net but look for it to be a battle between Senior Eric Carlson and youngster 9th grader Hudson Tucker, who was the top goalie in the Tonka Youth program, to be the main contenders to step in there. Looking at what is returning and who is coming in there should be plenty of excitement around this program as they look to build off their record setting year last season this winter.

Crookston (8A)

Head Coach: Josh Hardy 9th year, (67-116-3)

Last Year’s Record and Finish: (15-11-0) Lost in Section 8A Quarterfinals 

Pirates Outlook- Crookston appears to be another team looking to have a huge year in a very tough and deep Section 8A. Crookston is coming into this season having had its best season in a long time last year winning 15 games and they did so with a very young lineup. Now looking at this season the Pirates have to be excited with the prospects of this year as they have a lineup that brings back over 60% of its scoring from last year. Up front they bring back their three leading scorers from last year in Juniors Garrett Fischer, Jay Reese & Greyson Ecker who all had double digit points as 10th graders and will only be bigger, stronger and more effective this year. They also return really nice scoring depth as Seniors Ryan Street, Brandon Colbor & Michael Bochow and Junior Liam Larson are all back with varsity experience and having contributed well last year. Also, look for Junior Gavin Aakhus to step in after leading the JV in scoring last winter. On defense they return Seniors Teagen Lubinski & Riley Benson along with Junior Tate Hamre, who is an elite big underclassman defender, are all had double digit points from the blueline a year ago and look for Sophomore Grant Funk to have a bigger year to add depth on the backend as well. Goaltender Senior Parker Kelly is back in net as the starter after seeing nearly every minute last year. The Pirates look to be solid in all phases and return a team that will be a year older and should only improve on last year’s 15 win campaign and have a big year to make Section 8A even tougher come playoff time. 

Breck (2A)

Head Coach: David Maley 3rd Year, (21-29-2)

Last Year’s Record and Finish: (14-11-1) Lost in Section 2A Quarterfinals

Mustangs Outlook-  Breck had a disappointing end to the season last year as they looked to be prime candidate with their big senior class to have a resurgent year and make a run at the Section 2A Championship. However, after a good (11-6-1) start to the year they sputtered down the stretch going (3-5-0) in their last 8 games and were again knocked out in the Quarterfinal round. This year would be seen by many as a rebuilding project as they graduated a ton of letterwinners from last season. However, there is a ton of optimism in Golden Valley as the Mustangs believe they are bringing back what could be a sleeper team to contend in Section 2A this winter. Up front they return a dangerous duo as one of the top forwards in all of Class A is back in Senior Ben Amato, who had 30 plus goals and over 60 points last year, and his linemate Junior Garrett Trench, who had nearly 20 goals and 40 plus points last year, should put up big numbers again this season. But depth is the concern here but they have high hopes for incoming transfer Junior Nick Downing who is a high level forward from Arizona that they expect to make an immediate impact. Also, look for Seniors Ben Moga & Ian Grussing and Junior Wesley Robbins to be guys that will get expanded roles to build offensive depth around. On defense they return Senior Jack Drawz & 9th grader Joe Abrams who both played good minutes last year and they have high hopes for incoming transfer Junior Cooper Klink to build a good group of blueliners around this year. In net they return their main starter in Senior Isaac Nugent and they will look for more consistency out of him this season. Overall there are enough high end pieces here for Breck to be a good sleeper pick in Class A as they continue to try and rebuild this one time powerhouse Class A program. 

Mankato West (3A)

Head Coach- Nate Olsen 4th year, (24-51-5)

Last Year’s Record and Finish: (8-16-2) Lost in Section 3A Quarterfinals

Scarlets Outlook- Mankato West looks to be a sneaky choice to win Section 3A with all they bring back and what they are bringing up from the youth ranks. The key for them will be health as last year they suffered key injuries to key players all year and while they defended extremely well for them to take the next step they will need to have more offensive production as averaging just 2 goals a game will not get it done if they plan on making a run for the 3A Title. At forward there is reason to believe the scoring will improve with a healthy Senior Jaeger Zimmerman, who put up 34 points as a Sophomore, but had his season last year decimated by injuries missing over half the season. Add to him Senior Grady Hatlestad who had double digit goals last year and look for even more production out of Juniors Isaac Ulman & Brayden Keech who both were productive in their first years of Varsity. Also, Sophomores Jakobe Tosch, Brodie Cox & Keaton Dorzek all should be looked to contribute after leading the A Bantam team the State Consolation Championship. On defense they will be hoping Senior Sean King will be healthy this year and Junior Jaden Reddy along with Sophomores Grady Schmidt & Blake Rewitzer all return with good varsity experience and Sophomore Hudson Clarksean is coming up from the youth and will push for minutes. The reason to really like this team as a contender they have the best goaltender in the section as is in net Junior Mason Schreiber returns for his 3rd year already of varsity hockey and he has shown that he can carry this team to a Section 3A Championship if they can get more scoring this year which should come with better health and all the talent they bring up from the youth.