LDC went 12-13-1 last season, won the Marshall Thanksgiving Classic, and lost 6-5 in overtime to Sauk Rapids-Rice in the Section 5A Quarterfinal. The team graduates a large senior class, and on top of that, leading scorer Brody Berggren has moved out of the district and won’t be back. It’s a real one-two punch on the roster heading into 2026-27 — but a soon to be junior goaltender and a junior forward both already have real varsity track records to build around.
Players Lost to Graduation
Anton Haataja was the team’s No. 2 scorer last season — 12 goals, 12 assists, 24 points, with a power-play goal, a power-play assist and 2 short-handed goals. Tripp McCann added 20 points (9-11), and Brett Janckila finished with 15 (6-9).
Jaeden McKinley had 14 points, almost all of it playmaking. Ryan Raisanen added 12, and Keeran Niska contributed 8 from the blue line, all assists. Isaac Salmen, Mason Karnik and Jordan Abbott round out the departing group with smaller totals.
In addition to graduation, Brody Berggren — who led the team in scoring last season with 27 points (17 goals, 10 assists) — has moved out of the area and will not be on the roster next year. Between Berggren’s departure and this senior class, LDC loses its two leading scorers without either one coming back.
Returning Players for 2026-27
On paper this looks to be Landon Corbin & Griffin Niska’s team this upcoming season. Corbin is leading returning scorer and Niska saw the bulk of the time in net last season. But don’t count the seniors out just yet. Senior goalie Keagan Kadelbach will push for the starting job and Mika Lasanen, Bjorn Anderson, Sam Guyan and Cole Palmer all have varsity experience.
Goaltending
Griffin Niska took the bulk of the starts and was the clear best option in net — 9-8-1, a 2.88 GAA, a .879 save percentage, and a shutout in 20 appearances. He’s will be a junior next season, giving LDC a proven, experienced starting goaltender with two years of eligibility left.
Who to Watch
Landon Corbin is the new face of this offense, and a 25-point sophomore season is a real foundation to build from. Griffin Niska’s number in net stands out even more — for a sophomore goaltender to take on a 20-game workload and post a sub-.880 save percentage is a genuine building block for the next two seasons.
What LDC Needs to Replace
- Brody Berggren’s 27 points (departed, not graduation)
- Anton Haataja’s 24 points
- Tripp McCann’s and Brett Janckila’s combined 35 points
- Keeran Niska’s playmaking from the blue line
2026-27 Outlook
Losing a 27-point scorer to a move on top of a large graduating class is a tough combination, and LDC’s offense will look very different in 2026-27. But Landon Corbin and Griffin Niska are both juniors who already have real varsity production behind them, and that’s a more meaningful foundation than the record alone suggests. This is a rebuilding year up front, with two real building blocks already in place.
Statistics reflect the 2025-26 regular season, the Marshall Thanksgiving Classic, and Section 5A playoffs.
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