Wadena-Deer Creek went 4-22 last season and lost 9-2 to Morris/Benson Area in the Section 6A Playoffs First Round. It was a difficult year by any measure, but there’s a real story underneath the record: this roster carried no seniors at all last season, meaning every single skater and the goaltender return for 2026-27.
Players Lost to Graduation
Nobody. Wadena-Deer Creek’s entire roster from last season is back, including the goaltender.
Returning Players for 2026-27
Hudson Hathaway led the team in scoring — 13 goals, 20 assists, 33 points — as a sophomore. He’s a junior next year and the clear top returning option.
Cole Sundby was right behind him at 29 points (19-10) as a true freshman, an outstanding debut season. Owen Weiher added 14 points from the blue line as a sophomore. Lex Tucker, also a true freshman, contributed 12 points. Grady Schmid added 9 from defense.
Addison Fink, Austin Lucht, Gavin McManigle, Brayden Martinson, Collin Rudrud, Brayden Lenk, Andrew Keddy and Grady Sworski round out a roster where every single skater recorded at least one point last season.
Goaltending
Grayson Meyer, a true freshman, carried the entire goaltending workload — 4-22, a 5.89 GAA, and an .847 save percentage in 26 appearances. The win-loss record reflects a young team in front of him more than his individual play. He returns with three more years of eligibility ahead of him.
Who to Watch
Hudson Hathaway and Cole Sundby give this program a real 1-2 punch heading into 2026-27, and Sundby’s freshman season in particular points to a multi-year cornerstone. Grayson Meyer’s workload as a true freshman goaltender is worth tracking — netminders who survive a heavy first-year workload often take a real step forward as the team in front of them matures.
What Wadena-Deer Creek Needs to Replace
Nothing. This is one of the rare rosters in the entire state with no graduation losses at all.
2026-27 Outlook
A 4-22 record is a tough season by any measure, but Wadena-Deer Creek’s situation is genuinely unusual: the entire roster that produced that record returns intact, with no seniors lost to graduation. Hudson Hathaway, Cole Sundby and Grayson Meyer are all still years away from their ceiling. This is a young team that simply needs more reps together, and unlike almost every other program in Section 6A, it gets to keep its whole roster to find out what that looks like.
Statistics reflect the 2025-26 regular season and Section 6A playoffs.
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