20 Players To Watch In The Race For Mr. Hockey 2020 – PART TWO
The Minnesota high school season is still weeks away from getting underway. That means we are still months away from crowning state champions in March 2020 and naming a Mr. Hockey award winner for 2020. However, it’s never too early…
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Continue ReadingThe Minnesota high school season is still weeks away from getting underway. That means we are still months away from crowning state champions in March 2020 and naming a Mr. Hockey award winner for 2020.
However, it’s never too early to speculate. After seeing the performances of these now-seniors in past seasons and during the offseason, we take a look at seven players who may hear their name called in March as the 2020 Mr. Hockey winner.
Zach Michaelis
School: Elk River/Zimmerman
PrepHockey rank: No. 28
College commitment: Omaha
Zach Michaelis will eventually head off to Nebraska to play for the Omaha Mavericks. But first, he has one more season with Elk River/Zimmerman. Michaelis was the leading scorer a season ago for the Elks with a 20-goal season. He will look to improve upon not only his goal-scoring numbers but his team’s success as a senior leader.
Lucas Jorgenson
School: Holy Family Catholic
PrepHockey rank: No. 30
College commitment: None
Slowly but surely, Holy Family Catholic has built itself into a program that can compete with the likes of Eden Prairie and Minnetonka. But the Fire have yet to take the next step of besting them in the section playoffs and advancing to the state tournament. Holy Family could do that this year with star power in the likes of Lucas Jorgenson. He was an offensive threat as a junior, tallying 19 goals. That was second most on the team.
John Mittelstadt
School: Eden Prairie
PrepHockey rank: No. 19
College commitment: Minnesota
Similar to some of the other players in this group, John Mittelstadt has a last name that’s well known in hockey circles. Though his junior season only netted 11 goals, Mittelstadt should have more opportunities with the departure of current Gopher freshman Jack Jensen.
Nate Schweitzer
School: Benilde-St. Margaret’s
PrepHockey rank: No. 2
College commitment: Colorado College
After a few down seasons, Benilde-St. Margaret’s appears to be a top team heading into this season in Class 2A. The Red Knights advanced to the section final before falling to eventual state champion Edina. Benilde-St. Margaret’s comes back with a number of key returners, including Nate Schweitzer. If the Red Knights can make a run in the postseason this year, expect Schweitzer’s name to come up for individual awards such as Mr. Hockey.
Matt Gleason
School: Cretin-Derham Hall
PrepHockey rank: No. 15
College commitment: Colorado College
Matt Gleason will eventually look to revitalize a Colorado College program far from its previous glory days of the past. But first, he’ll spend his senior season with Cretin-Derham Hall. The winger put together an outstanding season for the Raiders in his junior season with a team-best 34 goals and 18 assists. Cretin-Derham Hall will look to advance to state despite a tough section featuring the likes of Edina, Benilde-St. Margaret’s and Wayzata.
Luc Laylin
School: St. Michael-Albertville
PrepHockey rank: No. 9
College commitment: None
The Laylin name has some pretty big clout around Minnesota and Luc appears to be the latest Laylin to find success on the ice. As a junior, he tallied a team-best 30 assists to go along with 25 goals. The Knights will look to Luc in order to return to state for the first time since 2018.
Jake Boltmann
School: Edina
PrepHockey rank: No. 17
College commitment: Minnesota
Jake was a key component of Edina capturing another state championship in 2019. The defenseman didn’t rack up a goal in the postseason but tallied four assists in the postseason to help the Hornets to another state championship. Expect his play along the blue line to be magnified heading into this season.
Be sure to check out the other players who make up the 20 in part two and part three of this series.