Offseason breakdown No. 55: Champlin Park
With the 2020-21 season still months out, it’s time to take a look at teams from all over the State of Hockey and examine what happened this past season and what’s ahead. The next team we’re breaking down is Champlin…
Access all of Prep Hockey
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingWith the 2020-21 season still months out, it’s time to take a look at teams from all over the State of Hockey and examine what happened this past season and what’s ahead. The next team we’re breaking down is Champlin Park.
How last season went
At 11-8 nearing the end of the regular season, the Rebels looked like a team floating around the .500 mark. However, Champlin Park wasn’t satisfied with that record, and it showed in the final stretch of the regular season.
The Rebels went on a 5-1 stretch to close out the regular season to finish with a 16-9-0 regular season record. By that point, Champlin Park had notched wins against Monticello, Burnsville, Elk River, Holy Angels and Duluth East.
The Rebels vaulted themselves up the section seeding list and faced off against Totino-Grace in the four-five seed matchup in the Section 5AA quarterfinals. Unfortunately for Champlin Park, the Eagles had the upper hand and stopped the Rebels’ momentum just one game into the section tournament.
Who’s back and who’s gone
With the significant number of Champlin Park players returning, things are looking up. Hogan Sinjem tops the list of potential returners as he led the team with 30 points (15 goals, 15 assists).
Other key returners look to be Tanner Thompson and Ryker Grant. They combined for 21 goals and 23 assists last season. Also returning are both of the Rebels’ netminders from last season: Carter Wostrel and Hayden Huybers. Wostrel played in 14 games where he posted a .893 save percentage. That included a 37-save shutout against Burnsville. Huybers is back after sporting a .878 save percentage in 12 games.
One key loss to point out is the graduation of Robby Lawler. He proved to be a key distributor with a team-best 17 assists last season.
What to expect next season
Champlin Park showed near the end of the regular season it had some major success in itself. Many of those young players experienced that and will have a chance to build on that. The challenge will be leapfrogging the perennial contenders in the Northwest Suburban Conference and Section 5AA such as Blaine, Maple Grove and Centennial.