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 Edina.
How last season went
This might have been one of the oddest seasons we’ve seen from the Hornets in some time. This annual power had seen an extremely odd year based on their standards.
Edina struggled to win games by large margins and finished the season outscored by .76 goals per game during the 2019-20 season.
The Hornets limped their way to a 12-9-4 regular season record, well below their standards. That came despite wins against Lakeville South, Wayzata, St. Thomas Academy, Chaska and Burnsville.
Playing in a Section 6AA this squad has owned for years now, Edina found itself the No. 4 seed and in a tight matchup with Lake Conference rival Wayzata. That quarterfinal matchup went into overtime as the Hornets emerged victorious in overtime, 5-4.
In the semifinals, Edina failed to pull off the upset against top-seeded Blake as the up and coming Bears roared past the Hornets.
Who’s back and who’s gone
There might be some logic to Edina’s demise last season: lots of youth. The Hornets top four point-getters are all slated to return next season. Jackson Borst (14 goals, 7 assists), Nick Williams Nick Williams 5'8" | Defense Edina | 2021 MN (18A), Willi Johnson (6G, 13A) and (12G, 7A) were all younger players that took on key roles for Edina.
Mark Overman was a key senior for the Hornets. He graduated after dishing out 10 assists.
The returning netminder might be the biggest reason for optimism for Edina. returns following a season where he posted a .922 save percentage in 25 games played. Look for Hogg to be a front-runner for the Frank Brimsek Award next season.
What to expect next season
With the team’s history, it’s hard to ever doubt Edina isn’t going to come back better than ever. It seems likely, especially with the returning cast. Though the Hornets deal with a Lake Conference and Section 6AA constantly improving while gunning to outdo Edina.