We are already almost a month from the high school season ended and the top seniors are playing juniors right now as they prepare for college or try to get offers. Today we are looking at the top 5 class of 2021 players in the rankings and where they are now as they head into the next stage of their careers.
Jackson Hallum Jackson Hallum 6'0" | Forward St. Thomas | 2021 State MN | 6’0 Forward | St. Thomas | Green Bay Gamblers | #1 Overall
Jackson Hallum Jackson Hallum 6'0" | Forward St. Thomas | 2021 State MN finished up his high school season with 41 points- 17 goals and 24 assists on the year. Hallum is drafted by the Vegas Golden Knights in the NHL and also is committed to Michigan for college hockey. Who knows what will happen with college or the NHL, but right now he is playing in the top junior league the USHL with the Green Bay Gamblers. After the high school season, he went to play with the Gamblers to try and get ready for the next level. So far he has played in 6 games in juniors and has 4 points that are all assists. Really good start for the NHL draftee and Michigan commit- his future is very very high. We will continue to track and report his stats throughout the summer.
Kyle Kukkonen Kyle Kukkonen 5'10" | Forward Maple Grove | 2021 State MN | 5’10 Forward | Maple Grove | Minot Minotauros | #2 Overall
Kyle Kukkonen Kyle Kukkonen 5'10" | Forward Maple Grove | 2021 State MN is coming off one of the best high school seasons in recent years. He finished with 31 goals and 43 assists for 74 points! Kukkonen is committed to Northern Michigan and will likely play there this upcoming year if he has a good spring/summer in the juniors. He is playing for the Minot Minotauros in the NAHL which is one of the top junior leagues. He reported there, after the high school season as well, and has started off the juniors with 2 goals for 2 points in 3 games. Decent start for Kukkonen as I think he will have no trouble producing and putting up points in the NAHL. The plan for him is to start playing at Michigan Tech in the fall.
Luke Mittelstadt | 5’11 Defenseman | Eden Prairie | Lincoln Stars | #3 Overall
Luke Mittelstadt is the top defenseman in the class of 2021 for MN. He had a super solid season with 9 goals and 26 assists for 35 points on the year. He is coming off a state championship and he for sure helped get his team there and helped them win. Luke is committed to the University of Minnesota and is also ranked as a top 100 draft prospect by EliteProspects.com. Luke is playing for the Lincoln Stars in the prestigious USHL junior league and is looking to improve his draft stock to get drafted this summer potentially. Since the high school season ended, Luke has played in 6 games for the stars and has 2 goals for 2 points. This is a decent start for him, but I think he needs to improve his skating as he is rated as a B skater by the NHL scouting list. If he doesn’t get drafted, he will really improve in the USHL for the University of Minnesota next year.
Cade Ahrenholz Cade Ahrenholz 6'3" | Forward Lakeville South | 2021 State MN | 6’3 Forward | Lakeville South | Colorado College | #4 Overall
Ahrenholz is not on a current junior team roster but did play for the Regina Pats. In the future, he plans on playing at Colorado College, but I think he will need to play a whole year of juniors and likely won’t be on the roster of Colorado College until the 2022 team. Ahrenholz ended the season with 40 points- he had 21 goals and 19 assists. Definitely a really good season for him, now we are watching we junior team he gets added to.
Henry Nelson Henry Nelson 6'1" | Defense Maple Grove | 2021 State MN | 6’1 Defenseman | Maple Grove | Lincoln Stars | #5 Overall
Henry Nelson Henry Nelson 6'1" | Defense Maple Grove | 2021 State MN had about as good of a senior year as a defenseman could. He finished the year with 11 goals and 35 assists for an astonishing 46 points. The 6’1 Defenseman from Maple Grove plans to play for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish next fall. Right now he is in the USHL junior league with the Lincoln Stars trying to get better and get ready for the jump to D1 hockey. Right now he has played 6 games for the Stars this spring and has 2 points with 1 goal and 1 assist in 6 games. Nelson looks to set himself up to be playing at Notre Dame this next season.