2025-26 Section 6A

[ClassAGuy]

2025-26 Section 6A Preseason Preview

Section 6A got another major facelift this offseason as Alexandria, which was the king of this section recently, was bumped up to Class AA, and in their place, two longtime 6A powers from the olden days of this section were placed back into it as Sartell came down from 8AA and Little Falls moved back in from 5A. The Sabres, on paper, would appear to be the favorite to make their first-ever trip to state with all the talent they have in their Junior class. However, the defending 6A champion Northern Lakes returns a good roster of talent of its own and won't give up its title easily. You can also never count out traditionally strong programs like the Fergus Falls and the Flyers, who always put a competitive and well-coached team on the ice. Heck, even Breckenridge/Wahpeton, Willmar & Prairie Centre return loads of talent looking to build off their strong seasons from last year. Overall, this looks like a much deeper and competitive section than it has been in the last few years, and it should be a fun battle to see who can come out of Section 6A this winter.

BHS 2025-26 Section 6A Preseason Ranking
1- Sartell Sabres
2- Northern Lakes Lightning
3- Little Falls Flyers
4- Fergus Falls Otters
5- Breckenridge/Wahpeton Blades
6- Willmar Cardinals
7- Prairie Centre North Stars
8- Morris/Benson Storm
9- Wadena Deer Creek Wolverines

1- Sartell Sabres
Head Coach- Ryan Hacker 18th season, (263-177-24)
Last Year's Record and Finish: (15-10-1) Lost in Section 8AA Quarterfinals
Sabres Outlook- Welcome back to Class A Sartell! After a four-year venture into 8AA that saw them earn a top 4 seed the last three seasons, the Sabres enrollment allowed them to drop back into Class A, and they became an immediate favorite to not only make their first State Tournament appearance in program history but also contend for a State Title as well. The reason for all the optimism is that they return a loaded roster, as they played a young team last year and won 15 games on a mainly AA schedule. On offense, the talent is immense as Juniors Devin Jacobs & Preston Deragisch, along with Seniors Brayden Klande & Jameson Schmitz, are back as 4 of the top 5 scorers from last year. Add to them plenty of depth as Seniors Andrew Bollinger, Caleb Thompson, Kaden Peterlin & Michael Trobec and Juniors Isaac Mentzer & Lane Larson are all back with varsity experience and look for Juniors Lucas McGee & Landon Kimble from the JV and Sophomore Vaughn Hilger from the AA Bantams to push for minutes in a deep group of forwards. On the Blueline, Seniors Keaton Landowski & Tanner Burris, along with Junior Collin Otto, are all back with good varsity experience and plenty of production. Add to them Juniors Brady Anderson, Grant Wilson, Wyatt Zimny & Chase Berscheit, who will look to fill in for depth on the backend. The only big question mark will be in the net as to who will step in there, but look for Junior Brody Pothoff from the JV to be the guy, as he was strong last season and will look to make the jump to varsity this winter. This is loaded lineup that will have depth and elite skill and Sartell will look to make a big splash in their return to Class A as they should be a Top 5 team all winter long as veteran Coach Hacker has to feel like his program is due for a break through, as they have only made one Section Final appearance in program history, which feels like is about to change in a big way this winter.

2- Northern Lakes Lightning
Head Coach- Tom Klein 1st year, (0-0-0)
Last Year's Record and Finish: (20-10-1) Won Section 6A Championship and took 6th Place in Class A
Lightning Outlook- Northern Lakes was able to cash in on their preseason hype last year and win 20 games and return to the State Tournament for only the second time in program history. However, the excitement of that run took an immediate hit in the offseason when only one day after the Tourney their legendary head coach surprised many by announcing he was resigning meaning this program is now going on their 3rd Head Coach in the last three years but Coach Klein, who has 40 plus years of coaching experience, is very familiar with the program being the Assistant last year. The Lightning do return a bunch of talent, especially in the Junior class, and they should be a contender to get back to state this winter. At forward, they return Seniors Jacob Peterson & Sutton Sullivan and Juniors Josiah Reier, Parker Fulton, Griffen Hannah, Landen Cartie & Huck Balmer are all back having varsity experience and should have bigger years this season, a year older now. Also, look for Senior Colton Vry & Junior Waylon Katterhagen, from the JV, along with Sophomore Lucas Martin, from the youth program, to push for minutes and add to their depth. On defense, they return good pieces of their defensive core as Senior Leyton Cable, along with Juniors Bodie Nybakken, Kyler Rikala & Derek Berg are all back with good experience, and look for Sophomores Max Raushel & Tristan Soular to contend for minutes coming in for the youth, as the Lightning should be very strong in their own end again this winter. In net, Junior Sam Suja returns as the starter, and he was excellent in net all last winter. He should be even better a year later and will keep Northern Lakes in every game they play this season. The Lightning, even with all the transition behind the bench, have plenty of pieces in place to win Section 6A again and get back to State for the second straight winter this season.

3- Little Falls Flyers
Head Coach- Joey Hanowski 5th year, (71-32-6)
Last Year's Record and Finish: (15-8-4) Lost in Section 5A Semifinals
Flyers Outlook- The Flyers once again came up short in a tough Section 5A as they fell to a very good Cathedral squad in the Section Semifinals last year, and now they move back to their traditional section home, 6A. Little Falls has been a perennial Top 15 Class A team, and while on paper, they have a lot of production to replace, they still have enough returning to be a tough team again this winter for anyone to play against. Up front, they return Senior Beau Majerle & Junior Mason Oothoudt, who are going to be the leaders this year. The key will be the development of players like Senior Tyler Rekowski, along with Juniors Griffin Kosek & Dawson Carr, and Sophomores Liam Thoma & Brandon Laubach to step up and fill in the scoring that was lost to graduation. They also have Sophomore Benny Houle, who comes up from the youth program, and they have 9th graders Michael Schmidt & Keedin Schmidgall, who they could bring up to provide scoring punch. On defense, Senior Remi Chisholm is a game-changer for them and really solidified the blueline, but he can also be a productive forward as well, depending upon where they play him. They also return Juniors Kyler Schmidgall & Brady Dick to give them a good base on the back end as well. They could add depth on the backend from Sophomore Reed Hakes, who comes up from the youth program, and they have 9th grader Drew Peterson, who they could bring up early and is a big young defender. The reason though to leave this this team this high and still consider them as a contender is because they bring back Class A’s top goaltender in Senior Izaak Kalis and he has been magnificent and had three years of experience in net and in his last year 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.

4- Fergus Falls Otters
Head Coach- Mike Donaghue 22nd year, (262-246-36)
Last Year's Record and Finish: (12-14-0) Lost in Section 6A Quarterfinals
Otters Outlook- Fergus Falls had a strong and surprising season last year as they were able to win double-digit games and were ranked in the Top 25 for portions of the year. However, all those positive vibes came to a shocking halt as they were upset in the Section Quarterfinal round and were unable to reach the Section Semifinals for the first time since 2020. Looking ahead to this season, it looks like a rebuild as they graduated a bunch of their scoring from last year, but they do have a talented duo of Sophomores and an excellent head coach to help this program remain a contender in 6A again this year. Up front, they return Sophomore Luke Johnson, who had a very productive year as a 9th grader last year, and Seniors Parker Thielke, Quinn Wynn-Sheldon & Nolan Wedll, and Juniors Kadyn Zender & Benett Thielke all return, having varsity experience to build offensive depth around. They also have Sophomores Zac Pierce, Corban Proffit & Colter McGuiness from the youth who will be coming up looking for immediate ice time and to contribute this winter. On the blueline, they return Sophomore Tanner Donaghue, who had double-digit points as a 9th grader, and Senior Brant Scheuerman & Junior Brody Krein are back with varsity experience to build around. They are also bringing up 9th grader Chase Johnston from the youth program, who is a strong young defender and will contend for minutes as well. They will return experience in the net as their main starter. Senior Holden Stenstrom is back, and they will look to build things around him with the young lineup. Overall, the Otters have enough talent on their roster to be a very competitive team again this winter in Section 6A to be in contention come season's end.

5- Breckenridge/Wahpeton Blades
Head Coach- Adam Wiertzema 4th year, (15-57-1)
Last Year's Record and Finish: (10-16-1) Lost in Section 6A Semifinal
Blades Outlook- Breckenridge/Wahpeton has a lot to be excited about this year as last year they played a team of mainly 10th & 11th graders and they were able win double digit games for the first time since 2020 and while they did lose a ton of close heartbreaking games during the year they were able to end the season on huge positive as they were able to reach the Section Semifinals for the 1st time in program history. Now the Blades return a team that is still relatively young, but their entire roster will have two plus years of varsity experience under their belt, and they return over 90% of their scoring from last winter, and this is a team that looks primed to have one of their best seasons in program history and make more noise come playoff time again this year. At forward, Seniors Kai McDonald, Michael Petersen, Isaiah Bruechert, Xander Klinnert & Cayson Pinsonneault all have good varsity experience. Add to that Juniors Jaxson Lopez, Easton Neppl & Gracin Kaste, who are the team's three leading returning scorers from last year as 10th graders. Also look for Juniors Kamden Spinks & Jack Ekren, a year older, to add to the depth. Defensively, Seniors Josh Hofman & Luke Craig and Juniors Matt Petersen & Charlie Ekren are all back with experience to lead the defense, and Sophomore Jaxon Breuer is coming up from the youth to compete for minutes. They have their starter in net back as Junior Cale Gilbertson returns with a ton of experience after playing major minutes already the last two years. This is a team that is one to watch as they will look to now get above .500 for the first time since 2020 as the Blades continue to build a contender up on the North Dakota border this winter.

6- Willmar Cardinals
Head Coach- Shawn Bakke 1st year, (0-0-0)
Last Year's Record and Finish: (9-18-0) Lost in Section 6A Semifinals
Cardinals Outlook- Willmar is coming off a season that provided them with some optimism within their program, as this once proud program has struggled over the last decade, but they feel they may now be on the road back to that old success. In the playoffs last February, they were able to pull off one of the biggest upsets in Class A, as they were nearly able to advance all the way to the Section 6A Final as a 6 seed. Now, heading into this year, they return most of the young talent from that team, which gives this traditional program some much-needed optimism heading into the season. Up front, they return “The Big Five” as Senior Gibson Horyza and Juniors Luke Larson, Aden Jacobson, Eli Hagen & Max Garberding, who were the five of the top six scorers last year, are all back having double-digit points to build their offensive core around this winter. They also bring up Sophomores Cooper Thole & Gavin Deboer, who could add the offense from the A Bantam team. Defensively, Senior Cooper Lownsbury and Juniors Bryce Morton & Jett Hoover are back with varsity experience to lead the blueline group. They also bring back their main goalie in Junior Eli Ewert, who got better and better as the year went along last year and was at his best during their playoff run, and his continued development is key to their continued success. Overall, there is a lot to like about this Willmar team that could be a surprise contender with all the pieces they bring back and being a year older.

7- Prairie Centre North Stars
Head Coach- Chad Wehrman 10th year, (95-127-2)
Last Year's Record and Finish: (17-9-0) Lost in Section 6A Quarterfinals
North Stars Outlook- Prairie Centre will look to continue to build off a good year for them last season, as they were able to win 17 games and earn a 5 seed last winter before falling in the Section 6A Quarterfinals. This year, looking at what the North Stars are bringing back on paper, this should have another strong team as they return plenty of scoring and experience to the lineup, which should give them hope for another strong winter as they look to continue to build their program. Offensively, Seniors James Rieland & Keegan Christians and Juniors Leyton Fuchs & Alex Trierweiler return as 4 of the team's 6 leading scorers from last year to give them plenty of offense to work with coming into this season. Add to them Seniors Will Hoffman & Derek Lopez, who return coming off of good varsity seasons offensively, and both put up double-digit points for added depth. Also, look for Sophomore Andrew Friedrichs and 9th graders Nolan Trierweiler & Bentley Ritter to push for minutes coming up from the Bantams. On defense, Senior Hagen Brunkhorst, Junior Jace Chalich & Sophomore Eli Warring are back with experience to build the blueline around. The big question mark with this team will be in the net as they lost their main starter from a year ago, but Senior Noah Zinniel does return with some limited experience, and look for Sophomores Ryan Anderson & Isaiah Hutchinson from the youth program to contend for minutes as well. Looking at all the experience that Prairie Centre will be returning, if they can find some goaltending, it should point to the North Stars having a big season again in Section 6A.

8- Morris/Benson Storm
Head Coach- Aaron Goff 2nd year, (9-16-0)
Last Year's Record and Finish: (9-16-0) Lost in Section 6A Quarterfinals
Storm Outlook- Morris/Benson had a very difficult season last year that saw them finish well below .500, and they really struggled to find consistency throughout the year. Now the Storm will look to reload and get back on track, and they do return some good pieces to give them hope that they can have a stronger year this winter. Up front, Senior Kye Suess & Sophomore Connor Hadfield, who both had double-digit points return to lead the offense as the leading scorers last year. Add in Juniors Gavin Meyer, Gustov Holm, Chase Baker & Dane Dybdahl, who all have some varsity experience for depth, and they may bring up 9th grader Brennan Wrobleski, who will add to the offense. On defense, Senior Bryce Lehman & Alex Carlson, and Juniors Charlie Blume, Jacob Blume & Hunter Westerman are back with experience as they will look to mold their defense around them this season. They will also look for Sophomores Ryan Blume & Jayden Chrzanowski from the youth program to contend for minutes. In net, they took a hit as Gavin Schmidt is not returning for this third season, so the Storm will need to find a new starter. Overall, the front end pieces are in place to have much improved this year, and if they can find some depth within the Junior & Sophomore Classes that went to State two years ago at the B Bantam level, there has to be some strong belief that this will be a much improved season for the Storm.

9- Wadena Deer Creek Wolverines
Head Coach- Robby Grendahl 3rd Year, (13-36-0)
Last Year's Record and Finish: (6-20-0) Lost in Section 6A Quarterfinals
Wolverines Outlook- Wadena Deer Creek did a wonderful job of keeping their program alive the last two years, as they have been dealing with limited roster depth and program numbers, which resulted in another tough season last winter, winning 6 games. Looking at the youth program, it does appear that the numbers are getting healthier for more stability down the road, which really makes the dedication of the players in this program right now playing with a short bench honorable, as they have helped keep this long-time Class A small school program alive and going. Up front, they do return Sophomore Owen Weiher & Hudson Hathaway as both return with double-digit points as 9th graders last year to build a potent punch around. They also have Juniors Brayden Lenk & Addison Fink, and Sophomores Andrew Keddy & Jack Bucholz, who have varsity experience for depth. They also could bring up 9th graders Cole Sundby, Collin Rudrud & Lex Tucker to add to the offense as well. On defense, Sophomore Grady Schmid is back with good experience to help lead the blueline group this season. In the net, they return 9th grader Grayson Meyer, who did an admirable job stepping into the starter role as a middle schooler last year, and he responded exceptionally well to the challenge, and he should only be better a year older now. This looks like another rebuilding year for the Wolverines on paper, but they are slowly starting to fill back in the overall numbers needed to be a competitive program again down the road.