Posted On: 04/22/21 10:29 PM
This is the second article of the class of 2023 rankings release. There are currently no defensemen committed to a school at this point and time. There are a ton of very good defenseman in this class, but we think three of them that will be featured in this article are the closest to receiving an offer. These are also the top three defensemen in our sophomore class rankings.
Ty Hanson | 5’9 Defenseman | Hermantown | #4 Overall
Ty Hanson Ty Hanson 5'9" | Defense Hermantown | 2023 State MN tallied 29 points in his sophomore year with one of the top ’A’ teams in the state. Hanson had a solid 9 goals and 20 assists this past year. This is the top sophomore defenseman in the state and is the most likely defenseman to get offered. He averaged 1.45 points per game and his most impressive game this year was when he had 2 goals against Duluth East. Playing on this good of a team with a track record of D1 and NHL players has really carried Hanson to getting looked at by scouts. He is impressive and putting up nearly 30 points in a sophomore year will for sure turn some heads- especially as a defenseman. Prediction for commitment – UMD.
Simon Houge Simon Houge 5'8" | Defense Cretin-Derham Hall | 2023 State MN | 5’8 Defenseman | Cretin-Derham Hall | #7 Overall
This season Simon Houge Simon Houge 5'8" | Defense Cretin-Derham Hall | 2023 State MN notched 28 points with an astonishing 26 assists and 2 goals. Houge is the top sophomore playmaker in the state and the number of assists he had this year is truly impressive. He has great vision and playmaking skills but is also a very great defender. He should be some schools’ first phone call the second sophomores can be called this summer. If I am a college coach I would love to have this good of a playmaker. The only weakness is his scoring ability from the point, but I think he can develop it these next two years of high school. If I had to guess I think he has every offer imaginable and I predict he will stay home with the gophers of the University of Minnesota.
Jack Bartfield Jack Bartfield 5'9" | Defense Academy of Holy Angels | 2023 State MN | 5’9 Defenseman | Academy of Holy Angels | #10 Overall
Jack Bartfield Jack Bartfield 5'9" | Defense Academy of Holy Angels | 2023 State MN was the top sophomore defenseman in points and in average points. He also was near the top in scoring for a defenseman in the whole state. Bartfield finished the season with 14 goals and 18 assists for a total of 32 points. The competition might not have been as good as the other two, but this is a guy that can score from the point but is also a very good playmaker. This is about as good of an all-around offensive defenseman you can get. Bartfield likely just got noticed from the season he had this year, and I do not think every team will be contacting/offering him. I think he will get a couple of decent schools to offer him maybe this summer, but with a good year again next year he will be one of the most sought-after defenseman in the state. Prediction- Colorado College, Bemidji or Mankato. Those are the tiers of schools that will be on him in my opinion and I think he might jump right away at an offer.