Chisago Lakes put together an excellent 2025-26 season, finishing 16-9-3 and advancing all the way to the Section 4A Championship, where the team fell 7-1 to Mahtomedi after wins over Simley and Tartan in the quarterfinal and semifinal. It was a season carried largely by an enormous senior class, and Chisago Lakes now graduates every one of last season’s top five scorers. The good news: a returning forward and a goaltender who posted excellent efficiency numbers give the program real building blocks heading into 2026-27.
Players Lost to Graduation
Chisago Lakes graduates a deep group of seniors that accounted for the vast majority of last season’s offense and the run to the section title game.
Jacob Kletti (F) led the team by a wide margin, posting 28 goals and 35 assists for 63 points in 28 games, with 3 power-play goals, 3 power-play assists, a short-handed goal, a short-handed assist and 5 game-winners.
Colton Horak (F) was the team’s No. 2 scorer, finishing with 20 goals and 34 assists for 54 points, adding 4 power-play goals, 3 power-play assists and a game-winner.
Max Koch (D) was the top offensive defenseman, scoring 9 goals and adding 39 assists for 48 points — an outstanding season from the blue line that included 3 power-play goals, 4 power-play assists, a short-handed goal, a short-handed assist and a game-winner.
Austin Slettom (F) adds 14 goals and 31 assists for 45 points, with 2 power-play assists, a short-handed goal, 2 short-handed assists and 5 game-winners.
Colton Whiterabbit (D) contributes 8 goals and 32 assists for 40 points, with 8 power-play assists and 5 short-handed assists, giving Chisago Lakes a second highly productive defenseman among the departing class.
Zach Carlson (F) and Quinlyn Ryan (F) each posted 19-point seasons. Carlson added a power-play goal, a power-play assist, a short-handed goal, a short-handed assist and 2 game-winners, while Ryan contributed a short-handed goal.
Ashton Warnke (F) adds 12 points (4 goals, 8 assists) with a game-winner, Cooper Toepper (D) contributes 11 points (5 goals, 6 assists) with 2 power-play assists and 2 game-winners, and Landon Kerkow (F) and Carson Purdy (F) each finished with 10-point seasons.
In net, Ethan Carlson (G) graduates after a 2-0 record with a .844 save percentage in a smaller share of starts.
Returning Players for 2026-27
With the entire top of last season’s scoring chart departing, Chisago Lakes turns to its next-leading returner and a goaltender with strong efficiency numbers to build around.
Top Returning Scorers
Nick Hansen (F), a senior next season, returns as Chisago Lakes’s leading returning scorer, posting 8 goals and 12 assists for 20 points in 26 games — sixth on the entire team last season, ahead of several departing seniors, with 2 power-play goals and a game-winner.
Nolan LeVassuer (D), a senior next season, adds 2 goals and 6 assists for 8 points.
Dylan Cuffel (F), a junior next season, returns after a 6-point season (2 goals, 4 assists).
Ryder Danielson (D), a junior next season, contributes 1 goal and 1 assist for 2 points.
Returning Defense Core
With Max Koch, Colton Whiterabbit and Cooper Toepper all graduating, the blue line shifts to Nolan LeVassuer and Ryder Danielson, who combined for 10 points last season. This is a significant rebuild on defense, and both returning blue-liners will need to take on considerably larger roles after losing 99 combined points from the departing trio.
Goaltending Situation
With Ethan Carlson graduating, Jacob Schaeppi (G), a junior next season, is positioned to take over as the full-time starter. Schaeppi was outstanding in the larger share of starts last season, posting a 14-8-3 record with a 2.53 GAA, a .913 save percentage and 7 shutouts in 26 appearances — numbers that rank among the best in the section. Having a proven, battle-tested goaltender return after a run to the section championship game gives Chisago Lakes real stability heading into 2026-27.
Players to Watch
Nick Hansen is the clear headliner, stepping into the role of top returning scorer after a 20-point season. Jacob Schaeppi’s excellent numbers — a .913 save percentage and 7 shutouts — make him one of the top returning goaltenders anywhere in Section 4A, and he’ll be relied upon heavily as the offense rebuilds around him.
Key Players to Replace
Chisago Lakes’s offseason priorities center on:
- Jacob Kletti’s 63-point season — the most production on the roster by a wide margin
- Colton Horak’s 54-point season and complete special-teams game
- Max Koch’s and Colton Whiterabbit’s combined 88 points and power-play production from the blue line
- Secondary scoring depth from Zach Carlson, Quinlyn Ryan, Ashton Warnke and Cooper Toepper
2026-27 Outlook
Chisago Lakes faces one of the more significant rebuilds in Section 4A, losing its entire top five scorers from a team that reached the section championship game. Nick Hansen gives the program a real building block up front, and Jacob Schaeppi’s excellent numbers in net — a .913 save percentage and 7 shutouts — suggest goaltending will remain a genuine strength even as the rest of the roster turns over. Replicating last season’s deep playoff run will be a tall order with this much proven production departing, but a strong goaltender and a clear leading returner give Chisago Lakes a foundation to build from.
Statistics reflect the 2025-26 regular season and Section 4A playoffs.
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