It’s never too early to start making predictions and preparing to watch Minnesota High School Hockey. Focusing on players to watch will make it exciting to tune in to games when they start again in the fall. That being said, here is my list of players to watch in Section 2A and my “way too early” playoff prediction.
Beau Courneya – Breck – Sr. Forward
Going into his fourth year as a Mustang, Beau has a total of 102 regular season points. In his junior season, there were only 3 games (out of 24) where Courneya didn’t record a point. He also had 5 games where he had 4 points or more. Beau recorded 15 points in his freshman year. Ever since then, he has added 20 to his point total each year. Year after year he keeps getting better, and as a coach, you have to love that in a player. After finishing with 53 points last season, and his scoring slope increasing, he is expected to have a huge year.
Caden Morgan – Breck – So. Defense
Last season: 7G 21A 28P, as a FRESHMAN DEFENSEMAN. Caden started his high school career fairly slow, only recording 4 points in 9 games. But hey, every freshman gets nervous their first few games. He somehow found a switch and flipped it into overdrive. He finished the remaining 19 games tallying 24 points, with consistency. The future is bright for this young buck and the Breck Mustangs. With Caden holding down the blue line and the scoring power up front between Courneya and Nick Mikan (Jr. Forward, 20 goals, 17 assists), Breck is looking solid.
Bradley Walker – Orono – So. Forward
What is up with all of the young kids lighting up this section? As a FRESHMAN, Walker finished the regular season with 46 points. His playmaking skills were showcased in the 2019-2020 season as he racked up 32 assists for his team. He also showed that he can score after netting 14 goals. With the Spartans graduating 3 of their top 4 forwards and their top-scoring defenseman, Walker has to step up and put some pucks in the back of the net this upcoming season.
Krebsbach Brothers – Mound Westonka – Forwards
Mound Westonka, the city of brotherly love for these purposes, and the home of Mitch (Sr.) and Max (So.) Krebsbach. These two led the White Hawks in scoring last season by tallying around 30 points apiece. Both of them are very well rounded players as Mitch netted 15 goals and 16 assists, and Max scored 18 goals and had 12 assists. I am really looking forward to seeing them use their sibling telepathy for some highlight-reel plays this season. Another guy on this team worth mentioning is Michael Doshan (Jr.) who finished last season with 28 points. Sounds like Mound Westonka is going to have a dangerous first line. The Triple M line?
Adam Brown – Delano – Sr. Forward
Another guy that will be going into his fourth high school hockey season, Adam is about as well rounded as players get. He has a career stat line of 38 goals and 38 assists. Only 24 points away from that 100 point milestone, no problem. Throughout his career, he has played in 7 playoff games and has notched 10 points, which makes him a major threat in the postseason. Delano has only graduated 4 skaters and they have plenty of firepower up front returning with Gunnar Paulson (Jr.), Jesse Peterson (Jr.), and Trevor Oja (Sr.) who were all point per game players last season. Delano just might make the trek back to the X in 2021.
Section 2A championship matchup prediction: Breck vs. Delano. This will be one of the most well-matched games in the state but… the Tigers will make it back to the X in hopes of redemption. Thanks for reading and stay tuned because as the summer goes on I will be doing “players to watch” for every section in the state of Minnesota.