Here’s the Minnesota Top 25, the Star Tribune’s statewide, class-crossing ranking of high school boys hockey teams

Star Tribune reporter David La Vaque ranks the top 25 teams in Minnesota, finding representatives from all over the state.

The Minnesota Star Tribune
December 3, 2024 at 11:57AM
Edina players celebrate after winning the Class 2A boys hockey state championship in March 2024. (Nicole Neri/For the Minnesota Star Tribune)

The Minnesota Top 25

Records through Monday

1. Edina (2-1): Defending Class 2A champ possesses enough proven talent to expect at least a similar postseason run.

2. Shakopee (2-1): Appears poised to take Chanhassen’s role as Section 2 champion.

3. Moorhead (2-1): The best team of Jon Ammerman’s coaching tenure.

4. Rogers (3-1): Solid high-end scoring should mean big things for the Royals’ Section 5 title plans.

5. Cretin-Derham Hall (1-0-1): Some great top-end talent should result in the Raiders’ continued mastery of Section 3.

6. St. Thomas Academy (3-0): New coach Mark Strobel will be out to dethrone Cretin-Derham Hall from its perch atop Section 3.

7. Maple Grove (1-2): Overcoming significant graduation losses will be coach Todd Bergland’s focus.

8. Minnetonka (1-2): One year after a stunning loss in the Section 2 title game, the Skippers must pick up the emotional pieces.

9. Wayzata (3-1): One year after a stunning loss in the Section 6 title game, the Trojans also must pick up the emotional pieces.

10. St. Cloud Cathedral (0-1-1): Robbie Stocker’s 1A champs are locked and (almost) as loaded for a repeat.

11. East Grand Forks (2-3): The Green Wave should bully their way past Warroad and into a top-four 1A state tournament seed.

12. Hermantown (0-1-1): Graduation and early departures could haunt the Hawks.

13. Holy Angels (2-0): With 17 letter-winners and 13 of the top 14 scorers returning, the Stars appear loaded.

14. Stillwater (3-0): A nice core group of scorers returns, aided by transfer goaltender Cal Conway.

15. Grand Rapids (2-1): Second-year coach Grant Clafton will build around goalie Carter Casey and a strong junior class for a second consecutive Section 7 title pursuit.

16. Andover (0-3): Section 7 runner-up must rebuild/reload to counter Grand Rapids.

17. White Bear Lake (1-1): Leo Gabriel is the man between the pipes. He will be supported by his defensemen as the offense takes time to jell.

18. Mahtomedi (1-3): Questions abound for the Zephyrs this season, such as: Where will the scoring come from?

19. Hibbing-Chisholm (2-2): A loaded junior class brings hope to the Bluejackets faithful.

20. Warroad (1-0-1): Graduation losses threaten to bring the Warriors back to Earth after three consecutive Section 8 titles.

21. Cloquet-Esko-Carlton (3-0): Coach Shea Walters calls this Lumberjacks collection of talent “the deepest team I’ve had since being coach.”

22. Lakeville South (1-0): The Cougars are in pursuit of the Section 1 title lost last season to Rochester Century.

23. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (1-0): A smattering of skilled but small seniors returns, but the Red Knights are unproven in goal.

24. Hill-Murray (2-0): “ZZ Top” best describes forwards Caden Zasada and Riley Zupfer, two sophomore forwards leading the Pioneers.

25. Delano (2-1): Coach Gerrit van Bergen is counting on both last season’s highs and lows to inform his team this year.

about the writer

about the writer

David La Vaque

Reporter

David La Vaque is a high school sports reporter who has been the lead high school hockey writer for the Minnesota Star Tribune since 2010. He is co-author of “Tourney Time,” a book about the history of Minnesota’s boys hockey state tournament published in 2020 and updated in 2024.

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