AA Rankings for 12/21/25

[karl(east)]

Just when you start to think you’re figuring some things out, the chaos arrives. We’ve got a new number one, some teams that were looking like safer bets falling, and a few of the early season surprises that seemed like they were going in the right direction had some setbacks. So, here we are, trying to make sense of it all. With a midweek Christmas, the week ahead is a relatively light one for most teams.

1. Minnetonka (9-0-1)
-The Skippers showed their elite status in a win over Moorhead, smothering the defending champs with their depth and defensive quality to upend the top of the rankings. They shouldn’t have too much trouble in their upcoming game.
This week: Tues at East Ridge

2. Moorhead (8-1)
-For all the Spuds’ talent, they struggled with Minnetonka’s relentlessness and completeness, and they get dumped out of the top spot for now. Their opponent this week is no longer a section challenger, but it has made a name for itself in Class A so far this season.
This week: Tues vs. Sartell

3. Edina (6-2)
-The Hornets had a convincing Holiday Classic, flattening all three of their opponents and showing just what they can do at full strength. The blue line is as productive as it’s been in recent memory, and they’re taking care of business against decent competition. The annual home-and-home against Hill has made its way to December this season.
This week: Fri at #4 Hill-Murray, Sat vs. #4 Hill-Murray

4. Hill-Murray (5-1-2)
-This is a rough spot to fill right now. They have two Class A ties, and the White Bear win this past week wasn’t all that convincing, but here we are, with just one loss and a nice win over Rogers to their name. They’ve got one of the meatiest weeks ahead in AA, with a game on Tuesday before the duels with Edina.
This week: Tues vs. Holy Family, Fri vs. #3 Edina, Sat at #3 Edina

5. Shakopee (8-2)
-A big win over Stillwater continues to strengthen the Sabers’ top ten case. Having firm opinions in this neighborhood in the rankings is a bold move, but we have to put someone here, and right now, the Sabers are playing like they belong.
This week: Idle

6. Stillwater (8-2)
-The Ponies had their weakest week on the season so far, struggling with Mounds View and falling to Shakopee. They’ve done enough that they won’t drop much yet, but I’m interested to see how this progresses, and Benilde this week could be a good barometer.
This week: Tues vs. Benilde-St. Margaret’s

7. Rogers (7-4)
-Thumped Champlin Park and Rock Ridge to continue their recent momentum. They head to Eden Prairie this coming weekend and get a crack at another top ten team in the Irish.
This week: Eden Prairie Holiday Classic—Fri vs. Lakeville South, Sat vs. #10 Rosemount

8. St. Thomas Academy (7-2-1)
-The Cadets had looked like one of the safer bets in AA, but after a tie against Mahtomedi and a loss to Maple Grove, things got a lot muddier. So far this season they’ve been a step ahead of rival Cretin, but we’ll see where the two 3AA powers stand when they have their annual meeting on Saturday.
This week: Sat vs. #13 Cretin-Derham Hall

9. Holy Angels (7-1)
-The Stars collected a quality win over Benilde and have now rattled off seven in a row. The depth of the tests hasn’t been remarkable, but they aren’t doing anything to invalidate a high preseason ranking, either. Cretin this Tuesday could be telling.
This week: Tues at #13 Cretin-Derham Hall

10. Rosemount (8-3)
-The Irish took care of business against Prior Lake. Like Hill, they have a 3-game week, and it gets tougher as it goes along.
This week: Tues at Eagan; Eden Prairie Holiday Classic—Fri vs. #12 Eden Prairie, Sat vs. #7 Rogers

11. Maple Grove (6-3)
-This team has entered confusing status, beating St. Thomas after losing three of four. Valuing that early win over Edina is hard, which is why this ranking might seem a little low, but they’re right there with the teams in the top ten and have a perfectly good case to join them. No action here this coming week.
This week: Idle

12. Eden Prairie (5-3-1)
-The Eagles took care of business in their first two Edina Holiday Classic games, but couldn’t keep pace with Edina in the finale. They host a couple of South Suburban opponents in their holiday tournament this week, with the Rosemount game being useful for this section of the rankings.
This week: Eden Prairie Holiday Classic—Fri vs. #10 Rosemount, Sat vs. Lakeville South

13. Cretin-Derham Hall (6-2)
-Another game against a middling conference opponent (this time Forest Lake), another one-goal win for the Raiders, continuing to deplete my confidence in them. They now head into a stretch of for games out of five against top ten opponents, with a couple of Catholic rivals for Christmas this week. What is this team really made of?
This week: Tues vs. #9 Holy Angels, Sat at #8 St. Thomas Academy

14. Wayzata (4-4-1)
-The Trojans got back on the right track after a winless previous week by pushing past White Bear Lake. They now get a decent South team that is trying to get into a groove.
This week: Tues vs. Lakeville South

15. Chanhassen (3-4-1)
-I was just starting to believe the hype here. Wins over Eden Prairie and Blaine are very solid results, they’ve lost by one to Shakopee and Rosemount, tied a floundering but talented Andover, and suffered an acceptable loss to Minnetonka. And then they went and lost to Eastview, a team that has some awful results on their record. The Blaine win is enough to keep them ahead of the Bengals and in the top 15, but I really don’t know what to make of the Storm.
This week: Idle

The Next Ten

Blaine (7-2-1)
-A loss to Chanhassen tips the Bengals out of the top 15, but they’re right here in the conversation; neither loss is bad, the Andover tie is fine, and they’ve beaten everyone else, often convincingly. They’re off this coming week.

Duluth Marshall (8-0-1)
-The Hilltoppers handled Brainerd in their only action this past week, and will stay unbeaten for at least another week, since they don’t play anyone before their holiday tournament.

Farmington (8-0-1)
-Keep believing: the Tigers are undefeated, and with Lakeville South needing to pull off an overtime escape against North, are they…a serious contender in 1AA? An Eagan team that gave them a one-goal game recently is their only competition this week.

Prior Lake (3-2-2)
-Got shut out by Rosemount, which doesn’t help the cause, but doesn’t really hurt either, and a lot of their early results—ties with Eden Prairie and Farmington, a win over Centennial—are looking better over time. They’re off this coming week.

Centennial (6-5)
-There have been peaks and valleys in the early going for the Cougars, but the White Bear and Andover wins show they can hang with other teams in this neighborhood and could be some trouble in 5AA. Forest Lake is up this week.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s (2-3-1)
-The Red Knights lost to Holy Angels and, more concerningly, to Buffalo, dumping them out of the top 20; the tie with Wayzata is doing a lot of work for them right now. Just one game this week, but it’s another tough one against Stillwater.

Lakeville South (3-4)
-Pulled off a narrow escape against rival North before handling New Prague. No one has a tougher week ahead, with Wayzata, Rogers, and Eden Prairie all on the docket.

Andover (2-6-2)
-The Huskies continue to drift in the wrong direction, with recent losses to Elk River and Centennial raising more questions than their four losses to top 15 teams. They’ve got a Rock Ridge win and two quality ties, though, and they’ve been shorthanded with some major injuries, so they’re hanging around here for now. What they do with Duluth East this week will give us a sense of their trajectory.

Buffalo (4-4)
-Their first three losses were to top 15 teams, and they now have a win over Benilde to their name. I was all ready to boost this team up…and then they lost to Monticello. Still, they’ve done enough to get a shout here. Bloomington Jefferson this Saturday is a good game against another team on the top 25 fringe.

Elk River (3-3)
-The Elks had a rough Holiday Classic, losing all three games, even against Grand Rapids. The Andover win is still doing some good work for them, but we can definitely cool that top 15 hype for now. They get to lick their wounds this coming week.

[SpreadOut!]

FYI: Maple Grove was without starting goalie, Ryder Skanson, for three games: loss against Rogers 5-1, win against Buffalo 3-0, loss against Hermantown 7-4. Skanson was back in net yesterday in 3-2 OT win against STA.

Skanson is playing football next year for the Air Force Academy and played in the MN high school football all star game last weekend, missing hockey for a while.

Skanson is a 6’2, 220 pound linebacker and could play college hockey if he wanted to. He should have been MG’s starting goalie last year, but Bergland insisted on playing Price in all but two games last season, even though Price struggled all season.

MG is 5-1 with Skanson in net, with wins over Wayzata, Edina, Andover, Grand Rapids and STA. MG’s only loss with Skanson in net was an OT loss to Eden Prairie, with EP scoring four power play goals in the game.

Skanson has a .923% save percentage and a 2.22 GAA playing one of the toughest schedules in the state. MG doesn’t have a ton of offensive fire power this season (they are scoring just over three goals a game), but they can compete with anyone with Skanson in net.

[karl(east)]

Note: I somehow completely missed White Bear Lake this week. They should be a top 25 team (though not top 15). Don't be surprised if/when they reappear there next week!

[stateofhawkey]

Note: I somehow completely missed White Bear Lake this week. They should be a top 25 team (though not top 15). Don't be surprised if/when they reappear there next week!

I was wondering about this. I just figured you had thought, "Well they lost to Roseville, Wayzata, and Hill-Murray, they're dropped out!"

[SpreadOut!]

Hill Murray just lost to Holy Family, 3-2. Yikes.

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

Hill Murray just lost to Holy Family, 3-2. Yikes.

Hill-Murray full of grace, what are we doing in second place???