2025-26 Section 4A

[ClassAGuy]

2025-26 Section 4A Preseason Preview

Section 4A has been dominated by Mahtomedi in recent years, as they have now won the section in 8 of the last 9 years. The Zephyrs had a rough season last year, finishing below .500, but they were able to still win Section 4A. They return much of that roster and are again the favorites this year, but Section 4A went through major changes in the offseason and added some challengers. Their main foe, Chisago Lakes, whom they have played in 3 of the last 4 Section Finals, returns with good talent. Also, the addition of Hastings will give this section another strong program. Add to that the three AA enrollment schools Irondale, Tartan North & Osseo, who all won their MSHSL Appeals to drop into the Class A, and South St Paul, who returns almost everyone, and suddenly this section has some more depth than previously. However, when it comes to Section 4A, the question remains: Can anyone beat Mahtomedi and end their reign of dominance within this Metro East section?

BHS 2025-26 Section 4A Preseason Ranking
1- Mahtomedi Zephyrs
2- Chisago Lakes Wildcats
3- Hastings Raiders
4- Tartan North Titans
5- Irondale Knights
6- South St. Paul Packers
7- Osseo Orioles
8- Simley Spartans
9- St. Paul Academy Spartans
10- St. Paul Hockey

1- Mahtomedi Zephyrs
Head Coach- Jeff Poeschl 31st year, (511-307-22)
Last Year's Record and Finish: (11-17-0) Section 4A Champion and Class A State Participant
Zephyrs Outlook- The Zephyrs had a very rough season last year as they fell below their normal standards, but they were still able to qualify for their 8th State Tournament in the last 9 years. While last year was tough, looking at this year, they should reap the benefits of playing such a young lineup during the year's struggles. Coach Poeschl and his veteran staff will look to get things back on track by getting his team to buy into his systems and turning it into a team that is very difficult to play against. The key will be scoring, as the Zephyrs do have a strong backend returning. If they can get more consistent scoring, this should be a Top 10 team like normal again this winter. At forward, they do return experience in Seniors Brayden Fuerst, Blake Loida & Easton Dezelar, along with Juniors Devin O'Donnell & Will Seevers, and Sophomore Brock Gutterman, who did the majority of their scoring as youngsters last year. Also, look for Junior Blake Bentz & Sophomore Vinny Redpath coming up from the JV & AA Bantams, ready to push for playing time immediately. On defense, they have lots of experience as Seniors Cody Loida & Cael Brummel, Juniors Trevor Rogosheske & Zach Zins, and Sophomore Ryker Dunbar are all back after playing major minutes last year and should be better a year older to make a very strong blueline for Mahtomedi. In the net, goaltender Senior Jackson Chesak got lots of action splitting the net this past season and should be ready to take over the starting role this winter. 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 this winter after last year's tough season.

2- Chisago Lakes Wildcats
Head Coach: Cory Lushanko 7th year, (91-61-5)
Last Year’s Record and Finish: (16-10-2) Lost in Section 4A Championship Game
Wildcats Outlook- The Wildcats have really solidified themselves as a winning program, and they have been knocking on the door of State of late, going to 3 Section Finals in the last 4 seasons. Looking at this year and what Chisago Lakes brings back, they should be right back in contention for a Section 4A Title as they return a large Senior Class that has plenty of varsity experience that will be looking to kick down the door and finally get back to State for the first time since 2014. Up front, Seniors Jake Kleetti, Austin Slettom & Landon Kerkow are back from their top six forward group to lead the way. Also, they have Senior Colton Horak, who is transferring in from Forest Lake, and he will be a big offensive addition. They should have solid depth as Seniors Ashton Warnke, Quin Ryan, Carlson Zach, Carson Purdy & Junior Nick Hansen are all back with varsity experience under their belt. Also look for Juniors Jase Kelley, Nathan Williams & Oliver Bushweiler from the JV team, a year older to push for playing time. They should be strong on the backend as well, as they return Seniors Maxwell Koch, Colton Whiterabbit, Cooper Toepper & Nolan LeVassuer, who all have varsity experience, and Junior Ben Berger from the JV should compete for minutes as well to help with more depth. They will have a big question to answer for Chisago Lakes is in net as their experienced starter Corbin Shandley has transferred to Lakeville South for his Senior year, leaving a very big hole at a critical position that will be a key question for this group to answer to see how good they will be in winter. The Wildcats should still be a strong contender again this year in 4A and within Class A overall as they look to finally break through to State again.

3- Hastings Raiders
Head Coach: Matt Klein 5th year, (63-39-4)
Last Year’s Record and Finish: (11-14-1) Lost in Section 3AA Play-In Game
Raiders Outlook- Hastings was one of the big winners when the new Class A cutoff enrollments were announced last spring, as they were finally able to drop into Class A, as they had been trying to do the last few reclassification cycles. While they did lose a big senior class to graduation this offseason, there's some real excitement within Raiders country as they will host Hockey Day Minnesota and have a chance to be an instant contender within Section 4A this year. Up front, Senior William Savage and Juniors Jonas Schauer, Carter Hanson & Ryland Krauth are back with good experience from last winter and will be looked upon to lead the way. They should get some depth from Seniors Brecken Fullerton, Finn Zaruba & Carter Strong, who are back with some varsity experience under their belt. Also look for Juniors Michael Kennedy & Charlie Meyers from the JV team to push for playing time as well, and add to the depth. On the backend, they return Seniors Lukas Niederkorn & Blake Weber, and Junior Jack Woodwick, who all have good varsity experience to build their blueline around to be strong there. They will have experience in net, as well as Seniors Charles Stoffel & Nicholas Smelser, who are both back after splitting the net as the starter last year and should give the Raiders stability there. Overall, there is enough returning for this team to be an immediate contender within Section 4A, as Hastings will look to make their first deep playoff run since 2020, when they made it all the way to the 1AA Section Final game, as they look to be a serious threat within their new section home.

4- Tartan North Titans
Head Coach- Cole Leitch 9th year, (91-107-5)
Last Year's Record and Finish: (11-15-0) Lost in Section 4AA Play-In Game
Titans Outlook- Tartan North was another big winner during the MSHSL appeal process, as they were also able to petition to drop down into Class A despite their AA enrollment. This is another program that does feel like a nice fit for Class A, and looking at what they return, Coach Leitch should be excited, as this could be another sneaky contender within Section 4A. On offense, they have Juniors Benny McClellan & Carter Parent back to lead the way after they each had good double-digit years last year. Add to them some depth with Seniors Tyler Pavel, Charley Campbell & Wyle Rutherford, who are converting from defense to forward this winter, and Juniors Quinton Remackel & Tyler James are all back, having good Varsity experience to build off of and have even bigger years this year and look for Juniors Kieran Moylan & Joshua Markfort from the JV to add to the depth. On defense, Seniors Easton Rosenthal & Tyler Luttrell and Juniors Carter Martin, Colton Tesser & Alex Bennis return with experience to build a nice blueline crew. The big X factor, though, for Tartan North, which could make them a scary team come playoff time, is in net as Junior Nathan McGuire is back after having a very good campaign as a 10th grader, and he will have the ability on any given night to steal a game for the Titans. Tartan North looks like a team on paper, ready to have a very big year as they return good scoring and depth up front and on the backend, and have excellent goaltending, making this look like a very fun sleeper pick to win Section 4A, as this will be a dangerous team come playoff time.

5- Irondale Knights
Head Coach- Jerry Hayes 27th year, (335-309-34)
Last Year's Record and Finish: (10-15-1) Lost in Section 5AA Play-In Game
Knights Outlook- Irondale was one of the big winners during the MSHSL appeal process, as they were able to petition to drop down into Class A despite their AA enrollment. Last year, they showed some flashes of having success, and they now return good pieces to their top end talent from that team that was able to get double-digit wins. Class A feels like a good fit as Irondale has struggled to find success since the Bjugstad Era of the early 1980s. Looking at what the Knights bring back, this could be another surprise contender within Section 4A. Add in that coaching veteran Jerry Hayes is behind the bench, and this could be a team poised for a good year. Up front they return their two leading scorers in Senior Logan Forrest & Junior Calvin Urdahl, who both had double digit goals last year, and Juniors Jax Marshall & Griffin Decoux both are back with varsity experience to begin to build the depth around Also, look for Senior Gunnar Christy, from the JV, and Sophomore Mason Urdahl, from the AA Bantams, to help add to the offense and contend for good minutes. On the blueline, they return their top defender as Senior Rylan Remore, who is one of the top defenseman returning in Sections 4A, along with Junior Grant Hartin, and both are back after having double-digit points from the backend last year, and Junior Drew Deschneau appears ready for more minutes from the JV. They are also returning both their starters in net as Junior Henry Lockwood & Senior Grady Cartony are back and this feels like a team on paper that should improve on 10 win campaign from a season ago as they had a lot of success vs Section 4A teams last year which should have them feeling optimistic that they can have a good year and maybe make a possible playoff run come Section time.

6- South St Paul Packers
Head Coach: Zach Palmquist 3rd year, (15-36-2)
Last Year’s Record and Finish: (6-19-1) Lost in Section 4A Quarterfinals
Packers Outlook- South St Paul is coming off a learning year as they played a lineup littered with underclassmen, mainly sophomores, and they took their lumps as those young Packers adjusted to the rigors of varsity hockey. This year, though, they would appear ready to make improvements as those youngsters are now a year older and they have experience in all three phases, which should make this a very competitive group for this historic program. On offense they return a lot of scoring depth as they will be led by Seniors Cole Stever & Brody Nerka and they should have some good scoring punch to add to them in Juniors Jaxson Horning, Roman Knight & Jace Erb who all have played minutes since they were freshman and look for Juniors Asher Berry & Ryan Cudo to make a jump this year and for Sophomore Isreal Diaz to get an expanded role coming up from the JV. On the blueline, Senior Jackson Schultz, along with Juniors Greyson Simons, Nick Givens & Owen Shepard, all return having played good minutes to build around for what should be a strength as the Packers will look to be efficient in their own end with all that experience. In net, they return experience, as well as Junior Michal Francis, who is back after splitting time as a 10th grader. Overall, this is a South St Paul team looking to take a step forward this winter as they should be much stronger and will be tough to play against as they will look to compete for a high seed in Section 4A.

7- Osseo Orioles
Head Coach- David Prokop 5th year, (29-72-4)
Last Year's Record and Finish: (7-19-1) Lost in Section 5AA Quarterfinals
Orioles Outlook- Osseo was another 4A program that was able to win their MSHSL appeal process and drop down into Class A, which is needed as they are looking to rebuild their program’s overall numbers. Looking at the roster this coming year, it will be a major rebuilding project as the Orioles graduated 18 seniors from last year, which accounted for 90% of their goal production this offseason, which will have them getting plenty of new faces ice time this year. Up front, they graduated 8 of their top 9 forwards, but they do return Senior Zach Nunn, who played good minutes, and Juniors Will Schmidt & Luke Bjork both got some experience last year, and they will hope for them to step up this winter into larger roles. They will look to the JV for depth answers, as they will have plenty of competition for new roles this winter. On defense, they graduated a bunch as well, but they do return Senior Charlie Stockbridge & Junior Jordan Moore, who they will look to for experience as they build a new defensive core, and Junior Gavin Engebretson should be one to step up from the JV. In net, they will have to find a new starter as they don't return any experience there as well, but they do have some youngsters ready to battle for the spot. Overall, there are lots of production and minutes to replace when it comes to Osseo’s roster, and while they may struggle early on, this is a team that will embrace the challenge to improve throughout the year and hope by season’s end to be battle-tested to be a scary first-round matchup for anyone in Section 4A.

8- Simley Spartans
Head Coach: Ben Horsch 2nd year, (12-15-0)
Last Year’s Record and Finish: (12-15-0) Lost in Section 4A Semifinals
Spartans Outlook- Simley had an up-and-down season that was plagued by injuries last winter, but the Spartans were playing their best hockey by the end of the year, which concluded with a playoff win, allowing them to advance to the Semifinals. However, a productive senior class that accounted for 70% of their goals is gone, yet there is some excitement because they have a strong group of youngsters that they hope to build a new contender around. At forward, Junior Daniel O’Shea & 9th grader Noah Schwab return and will be looking to lead the attack. Adding to them are Seniors Sawyer Immel, Jamie Kennedy & Riley Anich, along with Junior Aiden Fischbach and 9th graders Luke Tuccitto & Sawyer Husemann, who round out the forward core with experience. Also, look for Sophomore Callum Macdougall and 9th graders Max Robertson & Dawson Schriefer to step up and add to the offensive depth. Defensively they return Seniors Luke Milner & Myles Woltman who have experience and will lead the blueline group that will need some younger players to step up as the year goes on. In net, both Seniors Everett Hay & Owen Unglesbe are back, and both got time last year to give the Spartans experience there. Simley will be looking to build off their late-season success last winter and build around their young core as they want to continue to build their program in Section 4A.

9- St Paul Academy Spartans
Head Coach: Bill McClellan 5th year, (40-64-1)
Last Year’s Record and Finish: (8-18-0) Lost in Section 4A Quarterfinals
Spartans Outlook- St Paul Academy is coming off a season that gave them varying results as they were able to play well enough within Section 4A play to earn a #4 seed, but they were knocked off in the Quarterfinal round, which prevented them from advancing to the Semifinals for the third straight year. They will now be looking to get back to those standards this year, but it won't be easy, as they graduated a productive senior class, and replacing those numbers and minutes will be the ultimate test for their success this year. At forward, they return Junior Brady Glenn, who had double-digit goals last year and will be looked upon to lead the way this winter. Add to him Senior Louie Berthiaume & Junior Axel Stayko, who are back with varsity experience to help them have scoring depth, and look for Juniors Leo Tangness & Thorin Anderson from the JV to contend for more minutes this year. On defense, the Spartans will look to Senior Joshua Holloway & Junior Bennett Sauer to expand their minutes for them to build their new back end. In net, they return both of their starters who saw time as Senior Camilla Farrington & Junior Brody Manning are back and should be only better having experience now under their belts. Overall, the Spartans have some questions they need to get answered, but there are some good pieces returning as they continue to build a competitive program.

10- St. Paul Hockey
Head Coach: Paul Ryan 4th Year, (30-45-2)
Last Year’s Record and Finish: (8-17-4) Lost in Section 4A Semifinals
St Paul Outlook- St Paul Hockey is officially here after an offseason that saw Highland Park and Johnson co-op due to low numbers. Now we will see how this merger works, as this is one of the biggest wildcard teams in 4A. Both the Scots and Govies graduated large and productive senior classes, but combining programs does offer more depth. However, how these players mesh together will be something to watch this winter. Offensively, Sophomore Charlie Rust and Seniors Finn Warner & Ian Wallace are back on the Scots side with experience, and they will be joined by Senior Jozef Cunningham & Sophomore John Corniea from the Govies, who were productive last winter to build a new scoring core around. On defense, Seniors Gavin Olsen & Max Karvonen return from Highland Park, and Senior Alex Robles from Johnson comes over with experience as well to help them build a new blueline. In net, Senior Emory Batt returns with experience from last year as he played a good portion of the season and will look to be even better this winter. St Paul will be an interesting team to watch as they grow and develop this year, but if they can adapt to the change and learn to play together quickly, this could be a surprise contender by season's end in 4A.