Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Minnesota High School Hockey Preview Part III

After reviewing each section of the state, today we'll look around at some of the top individual players in the state, by class. If a player has already committed to a college, I'll put that in parenthesis. The names I list aren't in any particular order.

Seniors
Tyler Johnson-Cloquet(Colorado College)- He's my pick to win Mr. Hockey this year. He's small, but strong and faster.

Ryan McDonagh-Cretin-Derham Hall(Wisconsin)-A very good defenseman. I think he'll make a big move in the NHL draft rankings this year, similar to David Fischer last year.

Pat White-Grand Rapids(Minnesota)-All-around excellent player. Chose to come back from the USHL for his senior year.

Mike Louwerse-Blake(Minnesota State)-He has a great combination of offensive skills and grit and toughness.

Aaron Marvin-Warroad(St. Cloud State)-Already a fairly high NHL draft pick. He's got great size and is excellent with the puck.

Nick Larson-Hill-Murray(Minnesota)-A big kid that may not be the prettiest player, but is extremely effective offensively.

Bryan Brutlag-Holy Angels(RPI)-He's an excellent skater, and has very good offensive potential.

Mike Dorr-Roseville(Minnesota-Duluth)-Chose to return to Roseville instead of playing the entire year in the USHL.

Reid Ellingson-Cloquet-The top goalie in the state.

Juniors

John O'Neill-Anoka-Kind of under the radar in terms of attention, but a very talented player.

Nico Sacchetti-Virginia(Minnesota)-Should be one of the top scorers in the state again.

Jake Youso-International Falls-One of the most natural-looking skaters in the state. Could commit to a college soon.

Jared Festler-Little Falls(St. Cloud)-Great offensive instincts. Is always in position to score points.

Chris Student-Benilde-Small for a defenseman, but a great skater and passer.

Jake Hansen(Minnesota)-Should be a high NHL draft pick this summer.

Joe Frazer-Brainerd(Nebraska-Omaha)-Really flying under the radar in terms of attention, but a talented and extremely tenacious player.

Joe Gleason-Edina-Good skater, and excellent playmaking ability.

Adam Mueller-Roseville-Had a great summer, and should be a top scorer in high school hockey this year.

Drew Olson-Brainerd-Very good defenseman that should attract a lot of college interest.

Sophomores

Aaron Ness-Roseau-Excellent offensive defenseman.

Ben Hanowski-Little Falls-Big forward with excellent hands.

Danny Mattson-Holy Angels-Good skater and good offensive ability.

Tyler Lapic-New Prague-A big forward with excellent offensive capabilities.

Zach Budish-Edina-One of the best players in the US born in 1991.

Jared Maetche-St. Cloud Tech-More of a grinder, but also a very good skater.

Charlie Thauwald-Rochester Mayo-Good skater.

Tyler Landman-Roseau-Played great at this summer's Select 16 Festival.

Nick Oliver-Roseau(St. Cloud)-Big forward that has already committed to a college.

Isaac Kohls-Hill-Murray-Played previously for Shattuck-St. Mary's. Excellent hands.

Freshmen

Nate Schmidt-St. Cloud Cathedral-One of the top prospects in the country. Will play for NTDP next season.

Ryan Walters-St. Thomas Academy-Great goal-scorer.

Jordan Johnson-Hill-Murray-Talented defenseman. Only frehsmen on Hill-Murray's team.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

How is it possible that a player that had 70 pts as a junior last year, was the 5th highest scorer in the Elite League this fall, has a college scholarship wrapped up and will likely be a Mr. Hockey finalist doesn't manage a mention among the best senior players?

Chris said...

In the interest of keeping my post from becoming too chaotic, I limited myself to ten names per class, which was a difficult task for the seniors. I could probably come up with at least a dozen other names that just as easily could have been on the list over the ones that I picked.

Anonymous said...

Jordy Christian??