Class A Way Too Early Top 10 Ranking for 2023-24

[ClassAGuy]

BHS Way-Too-Early Class A Top 10 Teams for 2023-2024 season

Well Class A fans with the Tourney 23 now officially in the books, my attention turns to next season for my last post before next year's Class A Preseason Rankings. The power structure in Class A will look to remain the same and one would think we will see many of the same teams we saw this March come next winter to dominate the Class A ranks again.

As always, this list was created assuming all non-seniors will be back with their respective teams next season and the team will be in Class A.

1- East Grand Forks (8A)- Next year’s Senior and Junior class for East Grand Forks won back to back Bantam A State Titles and after two years of having to be second best up in Northwest Minnesota the Greenwave appear ready to breakthrough and be back to State as they have what looks like a very exciting and good team next year. EGF will return their top line of Juniors Brock Schultz & Landon Jamieson and Sophomore Jace Van Eps. Those three really played well during the Greenwave’s late season surge this winter. They also bring back their top two defenders in Junior Grady Magner & Sophomore Cole Bies and add in that they will return goaltender Junior Chase Mero who was the starter in net for the Greenwave. East Side also brings back oustanding depth and will bring in a very good crew of AA Bantams and this is the beginning of a serious run that we should see from this program down at State.

2- Hermantown (7A)- While the Hawks will be hit hard by graduation this spring we have learned by now this is a program that should not be counted out and they will look to still be a force again in Class A next year. Hermantown returns Junior Dallas Vieau, Sophomore River Freeman, Junior Evan Gunderson and 9th grader Bradford Skytta to build around up front. They also have Juniors Will Esterbrooks, Drew Nelson, Weston Bohlman and Sophomore Henry Peterson coming back with experience on the Blueline and they will be able to rely on 2 year starter Junior Dane Callaway in net. Don’t discount another wave of good AA Bantams coming in and Hermantown looks like they will be locked and loaded for another deep run next winter.

3- St. Cloud Cathedral (5A)- Looking for next year’s dark horse to win the Class A State Title look no further than the Crusaders. A young team got a taste of the State Tourney this year winning Consolation after pushing Warroad in the Quarterfinals and they look absolutely loaded next year as they only graduate one senior who played this winter. They return all their forwards as Sophomores John Hirschfeld & Joey Gillespie along with Junior Andrew Dwinell return as the top line. Add in the depth of Juniors Landon Swenson, Cole Hawg, Ben Petroske and Sophomore Jaeger Wood all of whom have around over 20 points on the year and this will have serious depth. Toss in the return 9th grader Griffin Sturm who along with Junior Vince Gebhardt return as their best defenseman and in the net they have 3 year starter Junior Nick Hansen and wow this team looks like it will be very good next winter.

4- Warroad (8A)- The Warriors will still have a very good team if everyone sticks around despite losing a Mr. Hockey and Frank Brimsek award finalists. They will be led up front by Juniors Carson Pilgrim & Murray Marvin-Cordes along with emerging Sophomore Taven James. Defensively they will return a lot of experience as they will have stud Junior Ryan Lund back along with Junior Will Hardwick and promising big Freshman Broden Hontvet to build a good core around again. They will have a big question to answer in the net and with their depth is a big question but they have a solid group of A Bantams coming in and have enough left to make one more good run before the Greenwave start to really control the Northwest.

5- Mahtomedi (4A)- Yes, I know the Zephyrs will be hit hard by graduation and many of the top younger players went to Hill Murray, but I am no longer discounting a program that has won two of the last four Class A titles. There is still a good core leftover to make another run next winter. Offensively they return underclassmen 9th grader Jimmy Egan and Junior Patrick Egan along with Junior Jake Hodd-Chlebeck who have good varsity experience. On defense they return Juniors William Brummel, Wyatt Tarnowski & Cole Swanson along with Sophomore Sam Harris to have a solid core to build around and add in netminder Junior Charlie Brandt will be back as well and there is more than enough here to have another very solid team again next winter and defend their Class A Title.

6- Northfield (1A)- If the Raiders stay in Section 1A next year they are going to be lethal. They return an excellent core of underclassmen as their top two scoring line will all be back Juniors Kamden Kaiser, Jake Geiger, Andrew Winter, Cayden Monson return along with Sophomores Will Cashin & Brayden Olsen all who had double digit goals this winter. On defense they have two good offensive defenseman back in Junior Ty Frank and 9th Grader Bridger Riley to build around. They will need a goalie, which is a big question mark, but add in their A Bantams went to State again this winter and Northfield looks primed to be a serious Southern contender in Class A again.

7- Orono (2A)- The Spartans did lose some big pieces to graduation but they do return a good core of Juniors as offensively Juniors Cayden Effertz, Easton Sankey, Tommy Lewin, Brooks Fegers & Sam Setnicker all return from the the top 3 lines. Defensively they return 5 of their top 6 defenseman as Juniors John Engebretson, Joey Mugaas, Brody Finnegan, Rylan Schultz & 9th grader Luca DeCubellis all who saw good minutes. They will need to have a goalie step up but they have a very good JV and there is more than enough returning to be Top 10 again next winter and win 2A again.

8- Delano (2A)- The Tigers are the other blueblood program in 2A and appear to have a nice core returning along with a proven coaching staff to be a Top 10 contender in Class A again next winter. They will return forward Junior Teague Collings, Sophomores Mason Hargarten & Bryce Peterson and defenseman Junior Brayden Coppin & Sophomore Aaron Halonen add in goaltender Junior Ethan Engelmann along with another group of A Bantams who went to State this winter and this is a proven program that will slide perfectly into the lower 8 of the Class A Top Ten like always.

9- Alexandria (6A)- Alexandra is another program that should never be discounted in a Class A Top 10 projection. After a dreadful start to their year the Cardinals were able to rebound in a big way and ended up placing 6th Place at State. Next year they will again be hit by graduation and Northstar Christian Academy cherry picking very good local players from their great youth programs but they still have a nice core returning, Juniors Leo Kompelien, Gavin Olson, Evan Anderson, Caleb Lind return from the top 3 lines. On defense they return Juniors Jack Lamski, Gage Castle & Bennett Olsen who all played good minutes as top 6 defenseman. They will need a goalie again but they had a good AA Bantam crew and they should be the favorite again in 6A.

10. Cloquet-Esko-Carlton (7A)- Welcome to Class A Lumberjacks fresh off a 15 win season in AA CEC should be the main contender for the Hawks in 7A next winter, as Hibbing will be reloading with a young team. Cloquet returns top scorer Junior Joseph Antonutti who had 15 goals last winter, add in Juniors Jace Stewart, Ethan Kilichowski, Ryan Jones all having double digit points, They also return defenseman Sophomore Karson Young who had 20 points from the back end. Both goalies return as Juniors Caden Kubi & Logan Sickmann are both back in net. This should be a very good Class A team next winter.

Other Notable Class A Teams Heading Into 2023-2024 (Listed numerical by their 2022-23 Class A Section)

New Prague (1A)- The Trojans if they stay in Class A should be very solid again. They return a good core of Juniors s Will Seymour, Braeden Woitas, Michael Beckius & Eric Berg who all had double digit goals and are over 20 points add in Sophomore Connor Williams & 9th grader Cade Borwegeon the season to build a good team around also goalie Sophomore Cole Murphy returns, This should be a Top 20 team all winter again next year.

Minneapolis (2A)- Proved this year never to count of the 612 boys and next year they return Junior Hank Davis on defense and up front Juniors Ozzie Snodgrass & John Bebler and emerging Sophomore Nick Anderson all had very productive years to build a good core around and in the net as Goaltender Junior Mike Shroat returns after having a very good year. This will be a very good 2A group again.

Hutchinson (2A)- Looking for a sleeper team next winter to surprise look no further than the Tigers as they return loads of talent from a dangerous Class A team a year ago. The Tigers will return young guns Sophomores Manny Pearce, Emmett Reiter, Toren Miller along with 9th grader Elliott Ladwig who are team's 4 leading scorers and this will be a team to keep an eye on moving forward in Class A.

Providence Academy (2A)- If the Lions return leading scorer Junior Louie Wehmann they will be factor again next year as they will have one of the most dynamic players in the state add in 3rd leading scorer Junior Sammy Lewis and defenseman Sophomore Jesse Varner who had 20 points on the blueline this team could be a factor again next winter.

Luverne (3A)- Roll Cards Roll should be a serious factor again in 3A next winter as they return Jr’s Patrick Kroski, Owen Sudenga, Elliot Domagala and 9th grader Maddux Domagala who all had big numbers up front. Add in defender Sophomore Blaik Bork who is an elite young player in the Southwest Corner of the State and the return of goaltender Junior Tyler Arends and an A Bantam team that went to Regions and this should be a very good team again next winter.

New Ulm (3A)- It's been tough luck for the Eagles losing the 3A Section Final the last two years as the top seed but they should return another good team again next winter. In the nets Jr. Bryer Hoffmann returns as the starter to build from the net out. Add in Juniors Austin Uecker, Kaden Larson & Bryer Lang this will be another good New Ulm group that will look to finally break through in 3A.

Two Rivers (4A)- The Warriors have had a great year this past season and have a lot of nice players coming back to build on that. They will build around Sophomores Eddie Auran, Preston Gamer and Juniors Will Auran & Nate Rohrer who all had early 20 points and are the returning 2-5 leading scorers. They also return goaltender Junior Brady Altier who was the starter down the stretch and they will be getting more AA Bantams from a good West St Paul team that looks like the main contender to the Zephyrs in 4A.

Little Falls (5A) - The Flyers will once again be hit hard by graduation but they do return some good pieces that should allow them to remain competitive. Up front Junior Carter Oothoudt & Sophomore Joey Welinski return along with defender Sophomore Luke Avery to have a core to build around. They will also have outstanding goaltending as 9th grade Goalie Izaak Kalis will return in net and keep the Flyers in games.

Cambridge Isanti (5A)- The Bluejackets should be very good next winter as they return 4 of their top 5 scorers in Juniors Seth Terhell & Will O'Donovan along with Sophomores Josh Sauro & Sean Brown all who had over 20 points on the year. Add in goaltender Sophomore Jaxon Sibell back in the net and this is a team to keep an eye on as they have been building the last two years and next year looks to be a very good hockey team.

Monticello (5A)- The Moose are another Class A program that should never be counted out. Juniors Roman Thompson & Gunnar Simon return to give them experience and both had over 20 points on the year and the also return goaltender Junior Owen Soderholm. Add in a group of A Bantams who went to State this year and there will be alot for Coach Eric Nelson to build with and make another competitive Class A team.

Fergus Falls (6A)- The Otters should have another good team next winter they return 5 of their top 6 scorers including forwards Juniors Kellen Stenstrom, Shane Zierden, Brayden Nelson and Sophomore Jack Welde along with defenseman Junior Leighton Buckmeier all who had double digit points. They will have a big question mark to replace in net but this should be another good contending year in 6A for the Otters.

Northern Lakes (6A)- The Lightning are another team that should be on an upswing next year. They return a good scoring punch in forwards Junior Logan Verville along with Sophomores Easton Anderson & Jerome Martin all who had double digit goals on the year. Defensively, Junior Isaac Peterson has been very good for three years. This group of Sophomores placed 2nd in A Bantam last year and really improved as the year went along this winter.

Hibbing (7A)- Had an outstanding year this winter but they lost 6 of their 7 returning leading scorers and their starting goalie to graduation. Next year could be a rebuilding year but they do return Defenseman Junior Christian Edmonds and Forwards Junior Jack Gabardi and Sophomore Jace Kampsula who each had double digit points, Also, some serious help is on the way as they have a great incoming group of A Bantams who went to back to back State tournaments comes in. Bright future ahead for this traditional program.

Thief River Falls (8A)- The Prowlers have had a disappointing year this past winter. However, they have a good trio of Juniors Forwards Max Arlt, Braydin Lund & Defender Junior Jace Erickson who give Coach Bergland enough to build another contender around look for a bounce back year from Thief River Falls.

Detroit Lakes (8A)- The Lakers will look to continue to build their program but they were hit hard by graduation this year. They do return Juniors Cole Deraney & dynamite Freshman Easton Kennedy up front at forward and Sophomore Jace Field on the blueline to start to build their next group around for Coach Noah.

Enjoy the offseason everyone! Will be back in April to discuss new sections but otherwise see you all in the Fall!

[raidergrad72]

This doesn't say nearly enough, but thanks so much again for your reports on teams, rankings & section rankings & reports Class A! After April, are you going to take a breather now or will you just keep the LED candles burning at both ends periodically in this off-season?
I was going to try to meet you at the A tourney finals yesterday but I didn't want to leave my seat as to miss something especially int the championship game. Maybe another time.
Thanks again for all your hard & diligent work.
Be well & stay safe.

[BSUBeaver]

thanks for all your coverage of Class A hockey.

We will have to see if Alexsndria loses anyone to NorthStar again this year. It seems like the last few years they lose one or two Bantam move ups to them.

Also, do you think there will be any section realignment, or will things pretty much stay the same?

[ClassAGuy]

thanks for all your coverage of Class A hockey.

We will have to see if Alexsndria loses anyone to NorthStar again this year. It seems like the last few years they lose one or two Bantam move ups to them.

Also, do you think there will be any section realignment, or will things pretty much stay the same?

Thanks BSU!

I think 6A will add teams they wont have just 8 now that they fixed the glitch of having teams counted for hockey on the map that didnt have hockey

I think 6A adds back River Lakes and Little Falls.... Possibly SCC....

April will be big but I do know MSHSL has a 6 year cycle where they do the major changes that was 2 years ago and then they only want to do slight tweaks every two years until its 6 years again. So we will see.

[ClassAGuy]

This doesn't say nearly enough, but thanks so much again for your reports on teams, rankings & section rankings & reports Class A! After April, are you going to take a breather now or will you just keep the LED candles burning at both ends periodically in this off-season?
I was going to try to meet you at the A tourney finals yesterday but I didn't want to leave my seat as to miss something especially int the championship game. Maybe another time.
Thanks again for all your hard & diligent work.
Be well & stay safe.

Thanks raider! Appreciate the kind words! Enjoy doing it very much a hobby I am curious on the April realignment so I will be back to post then. Otherwise I will try to remain silent to appease some on here

I hope you have a great offseason as well! State Tourney week is always so fun then Sunday hits and its done.

Another fun Year!

[Corn Cobb]

Otherwise I will try to remain silent to appease some on here

Shucks, I was looking forward to the bi-weekly off season rankings

[Mite-dad]

Great look forward ClassA! Also want to thank you for all your work in the Single A realm. Always look forward to your rankings and break downs. Well done. As usual, these look like pretty good projections. We shall see when the rubber hits the ice again next Thanksgiving. Have a great off-season! The big question I have is, "when will a team other than Hermantown, EGF, or Mahtomedi win a title?"