South St. Paul went 11-14-1 last season and lost a 1-0 heartbreaker to Hastings in the Section 4A Quarterfinal. The top two scorers on the team both come back as seniors, and so does the goaltender who started almost every game.
Players Lost to Graduation
Cole Stever was the team’s No. 3 scorer — 12 goals, 12 assists, 24 points. Jackson Schultz added 16 points from the blue line, almost all of it assists (15). Brody Nerka had 13 points, and Walton Joswiak and Zander Sielski round out the departing group with smaller totals.
In net, South St. Paul doesn’t lose a goaltender — the entire group returns.
Returning Players for 2026-27
Roman Knight led the team outright last season — 25 goals, 11 assists, 36 points. He’s a senior now. Jaxson Horning was right behind him at 33 points (13-20), also a senior. Those two alone accounted for 69 points on a team that won 11 games.
Ryan Cudo added 20 points (5-15), and Jace Erb had 18 (6-12). Nick Givens chipped in 14 points from defense, almost all assists, and Owen Shepard added 10 from the blue line.
Goaltending
Michal Francis started almost every game and kept the job — 10-14-1, a .892 save percentage, 5 shutouts in 25 appearances. He’s a senior next year and the clear No. 1 again. Five shutouts on a team that finished a game below .500 is a real number worth noting.
Who to Watch
Roman Knight and Jaxson Horning are a proven, productive top two, and neither is going anywhere. Michal Francis’s five shutouts make him one of the more underrated goaltenders in the section. With this much returning production, South St. Paul has a real case to be better than its record last year.
What South St. Paul Needs to Replace
- Cole Stever’s 24 points
- Jackson Schultz’s 16 points and passing from the blue line
- Brody Nerka’s secondary scoring
2026-27 Outlook
South St. Paul returns its top two scorers, its starting goaltender, and most of its defense. Roman Knight and Jaxson Horning give this team a proven offensive identity, and Michal Francis gives it a settled net. A team that already lost a section quarterfinal by a single goal, with this much coming back, has every reason to expect a better record in 2026-27.
Statistics reflect the 2025-26 regular season and Section 4A playoffs. One player listed in the team’s stats (Anton Gogala) did not appear on the team roster and was not included in this preview.
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