Fluid AA Offseason Rankings: 2024-25

[Brodziak Fan Club]

Letting things breathe is overrated. To paraphrase Happy Gilmore: 245 days until next year’s hockey tryouts! (or something like that, I may have counted wrong)

1. Edina
-Time for the next generation of Hornet stars to take center stage. Will they be too reliant on underclassmen to repeat next year?

2. Rogers
-I was ready to put them in the top spot until their underwhelming playoff performance. Was this group just a little too young, or is there a deeper issue within the program?

3. Minnetonka
-Despite all the losses, they may still return two Mr. Hockey candidates in Ashton Schultz and Danny Klaers. Throw into the mix an excellent youth program and one of the best JV teams I’ve ever seen. Life isn’t fair.

4. Shakopee
-The Sabers continue to grow up. This program has made two straight section semis. It's time to take the next step.

5. Benilde-St. Margaret’s
-A lot of talent in the hopper, and a seeming philosophy shift has me a lot more confident in this program than I’ve been in the past.

6. Hill-Murray
-A rare year where it felt like the Pioneers underachieved. How much of that can be attributed to the retirement of Pat Schafhauser? Quite simply, they weren't as good defensively without him. That being said, they return a ton.

7. Moorhead
-Maybe my most intriguing team to watch next season. It's time for this program to take the next step. The talent has gotten old enough where they should no longer be the team that plays a very tough schedule and loses most of the games to the very good teams.

8. Maple Grove
-Program depth, program depth, program depth.

9. St. Thomas Academy
-Is it just me or has every St. Thomas team felt the exact same since Randolph took over? Lots of good players, strong defensive structure, rinse, repeat. Can a star player or two step up and take this team from very good to great?

10. Wayzata
-Lose a ton but their program strength should have them right back in the mix.

11. Rosemount
12. Cretin-Derham Hall
13. Grand Rapids
14. Holy Angels
15. Stillwater
16. Lakeville South
17. Eden Prairie
18. Holy Family
19. Andover
20. White Bear Lake
21. Elk River
22. Centennial
23. Buffalo
24. Bemidji
25. Champlin Park

[Brodziak Fan Club]

Section Outlook

1AA
16 Lakeville South
Lakeville North
Rochester Century/JM

2AA
3 Minnetonka
4 Shakopee
17 Eden Prairie
18 Holy Family
Prior Lake
Chanhassen

3AA
9 St. Thomas Academy
11 Rosemount
12 Cretin-Derham Hall
Park of Cottage Grove
Eastview

4AA
6 Hill-Murray
15 Stillwater
20 White Bear Lake
Woodbury
Gentry Academy

5AA
2 Rogers
8 Maple Grove
22 Centennial
25 Champlin Park
Totino-Grace

6AA
1 Edina
4 Benilde-St. Margaret's
10 Wayzata
14 Holy Angels
St. Louis Park

7AA
13 Grand Rapids
19 Andover
Rock Ridge
Duluth Denfeld
Duluth East
Forest Lake

8AA
7 Moorhead
21 Elk River
23 Buffalo
24 Bemidji
Sartell-St. Stephen
Roseau

[north_bear]

Is Chanhassen really losing that much star power to fall out of the preliminary top 25??

[bardown27]

Is Chanhassen really losing that much star power to fall out of the preliminary top 25??

Yes. They lose 10 or 11 forwards out of their top 12, all 6 D, and a goalie who played all but 120 minutes in net (equivalent to about 2.5 games). Along with a bantam team that was below .500 and sends kids to 3 different high schools most years (HF, Chan, and Chaska).

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

It's good to have more than one hobby or avocation. Especially it only lasts for a few months of the year.

[Brodziak Fan Club]

It's good to have more than one hobby or avocation. Especially it only lasts for a few months of the year.

Cool, man. Thanks for your participation!

[SpreadOut!]

Letting things breathe is overrated. To paraphrase Happy Gilmore: 245 days until next year’s hockey tryouts! (or something like that, I may have counted wrong)

1. Edina
-Time for the next generation of Hornet stars to take center stage. Will they be too reliant on underclassmen to repeat next year?

2. Rogers
-I was ready to put them in the top spot until their underwhelming playoff performance. Was this group just a little too young, or is there a deeper issue within the program?

3. Minnetonka
-Despite all the losses, they may still return two Mr. Hockey candidates in Ashton Schultz and Danny Klaers. Throw into the mix an excellent youth program and one of the best JV teams I’ve ever seen. Life isn’t fair.

4. Benilde-St. Margaret’s
-A lot of talent in the hopper, and a seeming philosophy shift has me a lot more confident in this program than I’ve been in the past.

5. Shakopee
-The Sabers continue to grow up. This program has made two straight section semis. It's time to take the next step.

6. Hill-Murray
-A rare year where it felt like the Pioneers underachieved. How much of that can be attributed to the retirement of Pat Schafhauser? Quite simply, they weren't as good defensively without him. That being said, they return a ton.

7. Moorhead
-Maybe my most intriguing team to watch next season. It's time for this program to take the next step. The talent has gotten old enough where they should no longer be the team that plays a very tough schedule and loses most of the games to the very good teams.

8. Maple Grove
-Program depth, program depth, program depth.

9. St. Thomas Academy
-Is it just me or has every St. Thomas team felt the exact same since Randolph took over? Lots of good players, strong defensive structure, rinse, repeat. Can a star player or two step up and take this team from very good to great?

10. Wayzata
-Lose a ton but their program strength should have them right back in the mix.

11. Rosemount
12. Cretin-Derham Hall
13. Grand Rapids
14. Holy Angels
15. Stillwater
16. Lakeville South
17. Eden Prairie
18. Holy Family
19. Andover
20. Elk River
21. Centennial
22. White Bear Lake
23. Buffalo
24. Bemidji
25. Champlin Park

Bumgarner has already announced he’s leaving Rogers, as he signed today to play with the Fargo Force next season. It’ll be his 4th different team in four years, but at least it’s not another high school team again.

By my count, Rogers will still have nine players coming back next year (if they all come back) who had 10 or more points this year. But, after their flop this year (and losing to MG as #1 seed in section final two previous seasons), I do wonder if there is something fundamentally wrong with that program. Too much talent to underachieve year after year—not even making section final this season with best team they’ve ever assembled.

Maple Grove, Rogers’ nemesis, will only have three players back next year who scored 10 or more points this season. I’m not counting Lutner for MG, who’d be 4th player with 10 or more points, as I assume he makes NTDP roster (he’s been invited to camp). And I also assume MG’s top Bantam AA player this year, Sammy Nelson, also makes NTDP team (he’s been invited to camp, too) and doesn’t play any high school hockey (his brother Danny played one year of high school and would have been a senior this year for MG but instead accelerated his graduation while playing one year for NTDP and is Notre Dame’s second leading scorer this year). MG will get their starting goalie, Price, back neat year and has tons of other talent you haven’t even probably heard of yet, as usual. Bantam AA team, as they do every year now, will be playing in state tourney next weekend in Grand Rapids.

Will be curious to see what unfolds before next season and what happens with a bunch of players who may or may not be on both of these teams’ rosters next season.

[WestMetro]

Great effort by our friend Brodziak as usual !

I guess Id have Shak as #2 after Edina , Simpson if he returns is odds on favorite for Mr Hockey

Drop Rogers out of top 5 with the Bumg loss and until they prove they can retain rest and earn top 5.

Move HM into top 5 instead

Tonka , can't see Ashton returning myself . But still could be top 5 anyway as JV was lights out this year

Thinking CDH should be top 10 , equal or higher than STA

Holy Angels , top ten or right on the bubble ?

Moorhead - gotta earn top 10

[Brodziak Fan Club]

Thanks for the constructive feedback and discussion! I should clarify that players who *might* leave are considered staying with their team unless we hear otherwise with certainty.

Rogers: I like how much depth and experience they return, despite the Bumgarner loss. Maybe #2 is a little high but in my gut I’m very bullish on the Royals next year.

Shakopee: I agree they should be very, very good. Truthfully for some reason I thought Simpson was only going to be a Junior next year. I think a top-5 ranking and section final/possibly making state is their next logical step. #2 in the state seems more like a leap than a step. Maybe they can do it.

CDH: I like them a lot for next year, but I also wonder if we are maybe overhyping them based on their playoff run? They were the #5 seed in 3AA, after all.

Holy Angels: A lot like Shakopee, a young and building program. Need to see them take a step before they can take a leap into the top 10.

[BlueLineSpecial]

Thanks for doing this Brodzi

Definitely a difficult job - and not knowing what will happen with some of the high-end players makes it all the more difficult. I, for one, love the early speculation. It's my last gasp of hanging onto the last couple of weeks that I love so much. I don't want it all to end, so looking ahead and talking about eases my withdrawals

Couple of thoughts about the 4AA teams: Hill, Stillwater, WBL and Gentry are all returning solid classes. Gentry probably loses the most, then WBL. But both bring back a lot too. Hill is returning a healthy mix of D and scoring, and Stillwater is basically returning everyone that had an impact. So I expect a competitive section again next year, with 4 teams in the mix and probably fairly even. It wouldn't surprise me to see 3 teams - WBL, Hill & Stillwater, all in the top 12-ish when it's all said and done.

[WestMetro]

Just listened to yhh season end podcast . Their rankings for next year are:

1 Edina
2 Shak
3 Rog
4 MG , with Sammy
5 Cdh
6 Hm
7 Sta
8 MH
9 SW
10 Gr

[ryguyMN]

Just hope it isn't so top heavy in AA next year. Everyone pretty much knew it was going to be the 2AA and 6AA winner in the state title game by the time the calendar flipped to 2024.

Not to steer too off-topic, but cracks in the foundation that take away from the fan experience that need to be addressed in AA heading into the offseason:
-2AA, 6AA, 4AA section final venues - way too small of a capacity. Needs to be in a minimum 4,000 or 5,000 seat arena.
-Section ticket sales online - what a nightmare! Vendor issue or the admin of the ticket sales to the school and public?
-Online streaming during the state tournament - can't keep up with the demand. Probably the budget that Hubbard has for the state tourney.

I know this sounds like a gripe fest, but for being the "State of Hockey" and the crown jewel of state tournaments, I guess I hold it to a higher standard. I don't think the solutions are unobtainable.

[The51]

Just hope it isn't so top heavy in AA next year. Everyone pretty much knew it was going to be the 2AA and 6AA winner in the state title game by the time the calendar flipped to 2024.

Not to steer too off-topic, but cracks in the foundation that take away from the fan experience that need to be addressed in AA heading into the offseason:
-2AA, 6AA, 4AA section final venues - way too small of a capacity. Needs to be in a minimum 4,000 or 5,000 seat arena.
-Section ticket sales online - what a nightmare! Vendor issue or the admin of the ticket sales to the school and public?
-Online streaming during the state tournament - can't keep up with the demand. Probably the budget that Hubbard has for the state tourney.

I know this sounds like a gripe fest, but for being the "State of Hockey" and the crown jewel of state tournaments, I guess I hold it to a higher standard. I don't think the solutions are unobtainable.

If anything has been shown, the 2AA/6AA double header and Mariucci needs to be brought back

Getting a 3AA/4AA double header at St. Thomas will be great too

[BP]

Just hope it isn't so top heavy in AA next year. Everyone pretty much knew it was going to be the 2AA and 6AA winner in the state title game by the time the calendar flipped to 2024.

Not to steer too off-topic, but cracks in the foundation that take away from the fan experience that need to be addressed in AA heading into the offseason:
-2AA, 6AA, 4AA section final venues - way too small of a capacity. Needs to be in a minimum 4,000 or 5,000 seat arena.
-Section ticket sales online - what a nightmare! Vendor issue or the admin of the ticket sales to the school and public?
-Online streaming during the state tournament - can't keep up with the demand. Probably the budget that Hubbard has for the state tourney.

I know this sounds like a gripe fest, but for being the "State of Hockey" and the crown jewel of state tournaments, I guess I hold it to a higher standard. I don't think the solutions are unobtainable.

If anything has been shown, the 2AA/6AA double header and Mariucci needs to be brought back

Getting a 3AA/4AA double header at St. Thomas will be great too

6AA won't be at BIG. New site coming. Hoping 2AA is the same.

[The51]

Just hope it isn't so top heavy in AA next year. Everyone pretty much knew it was going to be the 2AA and 6AA winner in the state title game by the time the calendar flipped to 2024.

Not to steer too off-topic, but cracks in the foundation that take away from the fan experience that need to be addressed in AA heading into the offseason:
-2AA, 6AA, 4AA section final venues - way too small of a capacity. Needs to be in a minimum 4,000 or 5,000 seat arena.
-Section ticket sales online - what a nightmare! Vendor issue or the admin of the ticket sales to the school and public?
-Online streaming during the state tournament - can't keep up with the demand. Probably the budget that Hubbard has for the state tourney.

I know this sounds like a gripe fest, but for being the "State of Hockey" and the crown jewel of state tournaments, I guess I hold it to a higher standard. I don't think the solutions are unobtainable.

If anything has been shown, the 2AA/6AA double header and Mariucci needs to be brought back

Getting a 3AA/4AA double header at St. Thomas will be great too

6AA won't be at BIG. New site coming. Hoping 2AA is the same.

Sourced?

[SEC Scotty]

Hill is overated as usual.

[slacsap]

Let's see
HM since 2006
19 consecutive appearances in the section final
14 state tournament appearances in that time
Played in the state championship game four times
Won two state titles

Yep, definitely sounds like a team that is constantly overrated.

[Gov78]

More future ammo for Tonka.

Minnetonka Peewee AA claims the state title with a 9-3 win over Woodbury.

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

Let's see
HM since 2006
19 consecutive appearances in the section final
14 state tournament appearances in that time
Played in the state championship game four times
Won two state titles

Yep, definitely sounds like a team that is constantly overrated.

Yeah, but how did the SEC do during those years?

[slacsap]

Well, Stilwater and White Bear both lost multiple section finals to HM.
To be fair, they both won some too.

[Brodziak Fan Club]

A couple minor tweaks. Shakopee and White Bear Lake both move up slightly. No news, just my own reconsideration.

[Lino Lakes Hockey]

Would be shocked to see Centennial in the top 25 next year. The top 4 seniors leaving accounted for 70% of their points this year.