Class A Players to Watch, 2026-27

We spent the offseason breaking down every Class A team across all eight sections: rosters, stats, graduation losses, returning production, here are some players that we had the opportunity to watch last season.  This list is random and order means nothing.

Seniors

Griffin Storey, Waseca, F. — off to the NTDP. Storey returned more points than anyone else in Class A, 88 last season on 39 goals and 49 assists in 28 games for a team that won the Big South. He will not be playing high school hockey in 2026-27. Storey is headed to the USA Hockey National Team Development Program U-18 team, a deserved opportunity for him and a significant blow to a Waseca team that was built around him. It reshapes Section 1A by itself. What Waseca does still have is depth: Henry Huttemier scored 55, Otto Schoenrock scored 49, Cash Lynch scored 36, and the goaltender who backstopped all of it is back too.

Devin Jacobs, Sartell, F. 38 goals, 42 assists, 80 points in 28 games. Jacobs doesn’t have to do it alone, either. Preston Deragisch put up 72 points playing alongside him, which means Sartell returns two of the five most productive scorers in Class A on the same line.

Preston Deragisch, Sartell, F. 72 points on 22 goals and 50 assists. Look at that assist number again. Fifty helpers in a season means Deragisch spent all year finding teammates in better spots than himself, and it’s the number that should worry teams facing Sartell more than the goal total does.

Gavin Andersen, Warroad, F. 73 points, 35 goals, 38 assists, six short-handed goals and eight game-winners in 31 games on the state championship team. Warroad doesn’t schedule easy games, and Andersen produced against a slate that’s tougher than almost anyone else’s in the class. He’s the bar every senior forward in Class A gets measured against this season.

Jakobe Tosch, Mankato West, F. Tosch drove the Mankato West offense as a junior, finishing with 59 points on 21 goals and 38 assists in 31 games. Keaton Dorzek (47 points) and Grady Schmidt (46) are both back too, so this isn’t a one-man show heading into his senior year.

Spencer Anderson, Thief River Falls, F. A 40-goal season, 55 points in 26 games, and a commitment to Miami (Ohio) already locked in. Hudson Brouse, who set up a big share of those goals, returns for one more year running alongside him.

Henry Huttemier, Waseca, F. 55 points, 23 goals, 32 assists. With Griffin Storey gone to the NTDP, Huttemier becomes Waseca’s top returning scorer and one of three seniors back with at least 36 points. That group is why the Bluejays are still a Big South favorite and a real section championship contender, even after losing the best player in Class A.

Drake Sternhagen, Albert Lea, F. 54 points on 23 goals and 31 assists in Big 9 play. Casey Ulve, a sophomore last year, scored 55 playing beside him. That one-two combination is worth watching all season.

Otto Schoenrock, Waseca, F. 49 points, 30 goals, 19 assists. The second senior in Waseca’s returning core, and proof that program’s depth doesn’t stop with one name.

Beau Christy, Hermantown, F. 47 points on 27 goals and 20 assists in just 25 games, against a Hermantown schedule that punishes soft numbers. Micklain Martalock (43 points) and Kole Lendzyk (35) return alongside him. Three seniors over 35 points on one roster is the whole case for Hermantown in Section 7A.

Keaton Dorzek, Mankato West, F. 47 points, 20 goals, 27 assists, four short-handed goals in 31 games. Dorzek is a two-way forward first, the kind whose value doesn’t always show up at the top of a stat sheet but shows up on the scoreboard.

Grady Schmidt, Mankato West, D. 46 points from the blue line, 17 goals and 29 assists with seven power-play goals in 29 games. A defenseman with those numbers changes how opponents have to game-plan.

Carter Thompson, International Falls, D. 46 points, 11 goals and 35 assists in 26 games, and one of the top playmakers in Section 7A regardless of position. International Falls loses the Yerxa brothers this offseason. Thompson is who the rebuild gets built around.

Micklain Martalock, Hermantown, F. 43 points, 23 goals, 20 assists, five short-handed goals in 27 games. The second piece of Hermantown’s senior core, and another name that has to produce against a schedule that never lets up.

Hudson Brouse, Thief River Falls, F. 41 points on 11 goals and 30 assists in 26 games. Spencer Anderson scored 40 goals last season. Brouse is a big reason why. Take him off the ice and Anderson’s numbers probably look different.

Parker Fulton, Northern Lakes, F. 41 points, 22 goals, 19 assists in 30 games, and the top producer on a team that made the state tournament.

Calvin Urdahl, Irondale, F. 42 points, 18 goals, 24 assists, three short-handed goals in 26 games. Urdahl ran the Irondale offense as a junior and returns as the engine of a metro program with real ambitions.

Roman Knight, South St. Paul, F. 36 points, 25 goals, 11 assists, four game-winners in 26 games. Jaxson Horning scored 33 alongside him. Both of South St. Paul’s top scorers are seniors this year, and both are back.

Cash Lynch, Waseca, F. 36 points on 13 goals and 23 assists. The third Waseca senior over 36 points. Three players at that level coming back off a Big South title says this group still has bigger plans than a conference banner, even without Griffin Storey.

Will Stricker, Providence Academy, F. 38 points, 14 goals, 24 assists in 26 games.

Jace Panzer, East Grand Forks, F. 38 points, 12 goals and 26 assists in 24 games, the top returning scorer on a program with a state title two years in its rearview mirror. No pressure, but East Grand Forks’ section hopes run largely through what Panzer does in his final season.

Bauer Lindvall, International Falls, F. 38 points, 19 goals, 19 assists in 26 games. He and Carter Thompson are the two proven offensive pieces International Falls has to lean on through a roster overhaul after losing the Yerxa brothers.

Kole Lendzyk, Hermantown, F. 35 points, 16 goals, 19 assists, three short-handed goals in 26 games. The third piece of that Hermantown senior trio. Goaltending is the real question mark there, and 125 combined points from three returning seniors is the answer to almost everything else.

Jacob Peters, Northfield, F. 33 points, 17 goals, 16 assists, a short-handed goal in 27 games. Northfield lost Michael Steward’s 54 points to graduation. Peters is the senior who has to step into that leadership role, whether he’s ready for the label or not.

Jaxson Horning, South St. Paul, F. 33 points, 13 goals, 20 assists in 26 games, the second half of South St. Paul’s returning senior scoring duo alongside Roman Knight.

Brodie Cox, Mankato West, F. 33 points, 16 goals, 17 assists, seven power-play goals in 31 games. A third proven scorer back for a Mankato West offense that also returns Tosch and Dorzek. Three players like that in the same lineup is how a team ends up back at state.

Devin O’Donnell, Mahtomedi, F. 34 points, 15 goals, 19 assists in 31 games on a Section 4A championship team, and he earned every one of them against a schedule Mahtomedi doesn’t shy away from.

Josiah Reier, Northern Lakes, F. 44 points, 19 goals, 25 assists in 30 games.

Boe Nelson, Red Lake Falls, F. 37 points on 20 goals and 17 assists. Red Lake Falls loses significant production around him this offseason. Nelson is the reason the program isn’t starting completely from scratch.

Juniors

James Palmer, Bagley/Fosston, F. No returning junior in Class A put up more points than Palmer’s 81 as a sophomore, 33 goals and 48 assists in 26 games. The schedule is lighter than what Iron Range or metro programs face, worth saying plainly, but 81 points at that age is still a number that demands attention.

Cole Swanson, Hibbing/Chisholm, F. 63 points, 29 goals, 34 assists in 29 games on a team that reached the state final. Swanson already has a section title and a state championship appearance on his résumé, and he’s still only a junior.

Bo Schmidt, St. Cloud Cathedral, F. 57 points, 25 goals, 32 assists in 30 games. Nine power-play goals and two short-handed goals round out a complete season against real competition.

Casey Ulve, Albert Lea, F. 55 points, 25 goals, 30 assists, five game-winners in 26 games. Albert Lea’s leading scorer as a sophomore, running alongside senior Drake Sternhagen (54 points) again this year.

Miles Kennelly, Northfield, F. 52 points, 27 goals, 25 assists, five game-winners and six power-play goals in 28 games as a true sophomore, second on the entire Northfield roster. With Michael Steward’s 54 points gone to graduation, Kennelly becomes the focal point of the offense as a junior.

Lance Halonen, Delano, F. 51 points, 23 goals, 28 assists in 31 games against one of the toughest schedules in Class A. He was the third-leading scorer on a Delano team that also had Brady Kangas (85 points) and Daniel Halonen (80). Both of those two graduate. The offense is Lance’s now.

Whitaker Rewertz, Hibbing/Chisholm, D. 50 points from the blue line, 23 goals and 27 assists in 31 games on last year’s state finalist. He and Cole Swanson combined for 113 points as sophomores on a 28-win team, and both are back for another two years together. That’s a real problem for the rest of Section 7A.

Brodie Baldwin, International Falls, F. 50 points, 20 goals, 30 assists as a sophomore playing behind the Yerxa brothers’ offensive load. Both Yerxas graduate. So do both goaltenders. Baldwin is essentially the entire identity of the International Falls rebuild.

Jordy Sewell, Cloquet/Esko/Carlton, F. 48 points, 28 goals, 20 assists in 28 games as a tenth grader on a team that reached the Section 7A championship game. One of the more intriguing names in the section heading into his junior year.

Mallachi Domagala, Luverne, F. 49 points, 19 goals, 30 assists in 29 games. Domagala returns as Luverne’s clear top offensive option.

Camryn Koch, Dodge County, F. 48 points, 20 goals, 28 assists, 10 power-play assists and four game-winners in 30 games on the Section 1A championship team. Koch and sophomore Nolan Steele were the foundation of that title run, and both are back with strong goaltending behind them.

Paxson Madill, Hermantown, F. 34 points, 11 goals, 23 assists in 27 games against a schedule that never eases up. The youngest piece of Hermantown’s returning core.

Colten Crook, Breck, F. 34 points, 18 goals, 16 assists in 26 games. A physical player with real vision on the ice.

Vinny Redpath, Mahtomedi, F. 31 points, 16 goals, 15 assists in 31 games on the Section 4A championship team, earned against one of the tougher schedules in the class.

Ryan Mullen, Minneapolis, F. 39 points, 17 goals, 22 assists in 28 games. Mullen was Minneapolis’s top producer as a sophomore and steps into the lead role as a junior.

Brayden Strand, Moose Lake Area, F. 32 points, 22 goals, 10 assists in 23 games. That goal total is real production, and Strand is the top option for a Moose Lake Area program still finding its footing under head coach Dan Fitzsimmons.

Sophomores

Ty Stanchfield, Mora/Milaca, F. No returning sophomore in Class A scored more than Stanchfield’s 56 points as a true freshman, 21 goals and 35 assists in 26 games. Nearly two points a game as a ninth grader is the kind of number that gets a program’s name into these conversations early.

Nolan Steele, Dodge County, F. 48 points as a true freshman, 19 goals and 29 assists in 30 games on the Section 1A title team. He and junior Camryn Koch combined for 96 points last season as Koch’s supporting piece. This year they run the offense together.

Ayven Hontvet, Warroad, D. 43 points from the blue line as a true freshman, nine power-play goals, 13 power-play assists, four game-winners in 31 games on the state championship team. A defenseman putting up those numbers as a freshman is rare in any class. He has three seasons left to do it again.

Brooks Baukol, Mankato West, D. 42 points from the blue line as a true freshman, 11 goals and 31 assists in 31 games with two short-handed goals, on a team that reached state. Production like that from the back end at that age doesn’t happen often.

Rodrick Jackson, Warroad, F. 39 points as a true freshman, 13 goals and 26 assists with five game-winners in 30 games on the state title team. He and Hontvet combined for 82 points as freshmen. Whatever Warroad looks like after Gavin Andersen graduates, it runs through these two.

Brandan White, St. Cloud Cathedral, F. 39 points as a true freshman, 13 goals and 26 assists in 31 games. Immediate production in year one.

Jax Hardy, Proctor, F. 38 points as a true freshman, 11 goals and 27 assists in 27 games, second on the team that knocked out 22-win International Falls in the section quarterfinal. He’s a sophomore now with a section upset already behind him.

Bentley Ritter, Prairie Centre, F. 31 points as a true freshman, 18 goals and 13 assists with five power-play goals in 26 games.

Cole Sundby, Wadena-Deer Creek, F. 29 points as a true freshman, 19 goals and 10 assists with three short-handed goals in 26 games. Sundby is already the offensive foundation of that program, and he’s still got three years left to build on it.

Goaltenders to Watch

Finn Hanson, Warroad, senior. A .927 save percentage and five shutouts in 26 appearances before an injury ended his season early. Healthy, he belongs in the Frank Brimsek Award conversation.

Griffin Lindberg, Detroit Lakes, senior. A .920 save percentage across a full season of appearances. Detroit Lakes lost real production up front this offseason, and Lindberg is the clearest reason the program still belongs in the Section 8A conversation.

Ashton Lee, Proctor, junior. A .931 save percentage in just 8 appearances off the bench, a small sample but a real number, including a 36-save shutout of the ball in the section upset over International Falls. He inherits the full starting job as a junior.

Ryker Landon, Northfield, junior. An 8-0 record, 1.50 GAA and a .919 save percentage in limited work last season. He should take over as the full-time starter for a Northfield team built to make a run at state.

Blake Brekke, Mankato West, junior. A .919 save percentage and a 10-7-1 record across 30 appearances and a state tournament run as a sophomore starter. Two full seasons of varsity experience now sit behind him heading into his junior year.

Josiah Schmidtke, Waseca, senior. A .914 save percentage, six shutouts, and a 20-6-2 record in 28 appearances on a Big South championship team. Losing Griffin Storey to the NTDP thins out the offense in front of him, which only raises how much Schmidtke matters. Waseca still rolls three seniors over 36 points, and a proven goaltender behind a good-not-overwhelming forward group is how section titles usually get won anyway.

Jacob Schaeppi, Chisago Lakes, junior. A .913 save percentage across 26 appearances, including seven shutouts, and he inherits the full-time job as Chisago Lakes’ entire senior class, five players over 40 points among them, graduates. He’s the single most important returning piece on a team facing a total offensive rebuild.

Marek Wozniak, Waconia, junior. A .916 save percentage and a 9-6-4 record in 19 appearances. Wozniak was steady all year and returns as the clear starter.

CJ Callan, Faribault, sophomore. A .902 save percentage in 25 appearances as a true freshman behind a team that finished 4-20-1. He kept Faribault in games the record says they had no business being in. Given the team in front of him, that might be the single most impressive individual goaltending number in the whole Class A dataset this year.

Wes Wegner, Dodge County, senior. A .896 save percentage, three shutouts, and a 13-8-1 record in 22 appearances on the Section 1A championship team and state tournament participant. He and Parker Kinsley give Dodge County two proven, battle-tested seniors in net, which is a real luxury heading into a title defense.

Hudson Tucker, Southwest Christian/Richfield, junior. Tucker posted a .909 save percentage in 18 appearances last season on a team that finished 8-16-2, a number that stands out given the record in front of him. The 6-foot-2 left-catcher came up through Minnetonka youth hockey before landing at Southwest Christian/Richfield, and his save percentage has climbed every year he’s played varsity: .864 as a freshman, .909 as a sophomore with a shutout. He returns as the clear starter with two seasons left to keep that trend going.

Noah Schindele, East Grand Forks, senior. An .880 save percentage in 25 appearances on a program that won a state title within recent memory. He carries that institutional knowledge into his senior season.

Sam Suja, Northern Lakes, senior. A .915 save percentage, five shutouts, and a 14-11-1 record in 26 appearances, a full-season starter on a team that made the state tournament. One of the more underrated goaltenders in Class A heading into this year.

Austin Lawrence, Thief River Falls, junior. Lawrence saw limited action last season but inherits the full-time job as a junior, stepping in behind a lineup that still has Spencer Anderson and Hudson Brouse up front.

Liam Sundell, Hermantown. Sundell steps in for Bryce Francisco, who posted a .914 save percentage over 27 starts before graduating. Hermantown’s returning firepower up front is among the best in Section 7A on paper. How Sundell handles the jump to full-time starter is the variable that decides whether that talent turns into a real section run.

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