Only one team walks out of Section 2A as champion, and only that team punches a ticket to the Minnesota state tournament next March. Realistically, not all 11 teams here have an equal shot at it — some are rebuilding, some are simply outmatched on paper. But hockey is unpredictable, and every team has at least some path to making a run. Here’s why your favorite team will win this section and play at “The Tourney 2027”
Delano
Delano just made the trip to the state tournament last season, and while Daniel Halonen and Brady Kangas are gone, Lance Halonen’s 51-point sophomore season says the cupboard isn’t bare. Add in a deep, returning defense corps in Dylan Nelson, Jackson Wollak and Bennett Halonen, and Delano has the experience and program culture of a team that knows how to win in March. The bar is simply lower for a team that’s already been there.
Waconia
Waconia might be the surprise of this section. Maguire Knorr tied for the team scoring lead as a sophomore, and Marek Wozniak posted a .916 save percentage as a sophomore goaltender. On paper they look to be buiding for the 2027-2028 season but don’t be shocked if they arrive a season early.
Minneapolis
Minneapolis enters the year with real belief after a playoff run that included a statement win over Breck. Wilson Lamberty’s 29-point sophomore season from the blue line is the headline, but Ryan Mullen’s team-leading 39 points and a fully returning three-goaltender rotation mean Minneapolis isn’t relying on hope alone. A team that already beat one section heavyweight in the playoffs shouldn’t be ruled out from doing it again.
Blake
Blake was one game away from the state tournament last season. That experience doesn’t disappear just because the roster turns over. Axel Bisbee’s 32-point season from the blue line is something to keep an eye on, and Jake Iwan returns in net after backstopping a run to the section title game. If even two or three forwards take a real step forward, Blake has shown it already knows how to win in this section.
Westonka
Westonka’s season fell short of expectations last year, but a fresh start with Ronan Childers — who posted 23 points as a true freshman — gives the program a different identity to build around. Cameron Kaluzne should be the main goalie, Captain Becket Poikonen should produce during his senior season. It’s a longer path than most, but a young core with no ceiling yet established is exactly the kind of team that can surprise people in a single-elimination bracket.
Orono
Losing a 68-point superstar like Jackson Knight is no small thing, but Orono returns a legitimate 1-2 scoring combination in sophomores-turned-juniors Max Sutcliffe and Rocco Pasqua, plus Jake Thalhuber’s 20-point season as a Defenseman. Augustus Foster also showed real efficiency in a backup role and now steps into the net full time. A program that’s been to the section final before knows the formula — it just needs its young talent to grow up fast.
Providence Academy
Will Stricker shared the team scoring lead last season and now owns the offense outright. Gavin Sattler and Mason Carlson give Providence Academy a deep, proven trio up front, and head coach Chris Lewis brings six years of program stability to the table. The goaltending picture is the swing factor here — if a new netminder emerges even close to capable, this offense has enough firepower to make real noise.
Southwest Christian/Richfield
Hudson Tucker’s .909 save percentage on a team that won just 8 games is the kind of number that suggests a breakthrough season is closer than the record shows. Pair that with new head coach Hunter Warner’s professional hockey background now informing a full offseason, and Rowan Forpahl stepping into the role of lead scorer, and Southwest Christian/Richfield has the foundation for the kind of step forward that catches a section off guard.
St. Louis Park
St. Louis Park loses an enormous amount of scoring, but Leo Schmoll’s 40-point season from the blue line is as good as almost any returning defenseman in the section. Coach Tyler Brodersen has a steady track record, and if Finn Rider and Liam Mccoy take on bigger roles while a new goaltender finds his footing, this is a program with enough pieces to avoid a full step back.
Hutchinson
A 5-21 record doesn’t suggest postseason contention, but Hutchinson closed last season with real signs of life, including wins over Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato and a road statement win at Marshall. None of the team’s top returning scorers are seniors yet, led by sophomore-to-be-junior Ben VanMarel. It’s a true long shot, but a young, hungry roster playing with nothing to lose has occasionally been exactly the recipe for a postseason upset.
Breck
Breck’s rebuild is as real as any in the section, having graduated 14 seniors including a 147-point scoring duo and its entire goaltending tandem. The case here is resting almost entirely on Colten Crook’s continued development, a few new transfers and whichever goaltender steps up having an unexpectedly strong season. On paper it might not look god yet, but in a single-elimination bracket, one hot week from a goaltender is sometimes all it takes.
The Bottom Line
This will once again be one of the deepest sections in class A hockey and defending champion Delano has the talent to repeat, but expect Blake and Breck to reload and Minneapolis to build off last season’s huge playoff win, it will be a fun one to watch play out once again.
This piece reflects a mild, grounded case for each program based on returning personnel as covered in our individual team previews, not a formal prediction of section outcomes. Our email is always open ftphockey@gmail.com
