We are back today with the best returning forwards in the Big South Conference. The Big South conference contains New Ulm, Windom, Waseca, Minnesota River, Redwood Valley, Luverne, Marshall, Worthington, Fairmont. This conference has some pretty good returning defensemen, but definitely not as good as the amazing returning forwards in this conference! In this article, we take a look at the top returning defenseman in this conference, and there are four players that I think are worthy of recognition of the best returning. Let us break it down below highlighting the players and saying why they are the best.
1. Zach Espenson | 5’8 Defenseman | Class of 2022 | Windom High School
Zach Espenson is the top returning defenseman in this conference, and he is one of the top seniors in the conference as well. Last season Zach put up some very respectable stats, as he had 5 goals and 16 assists in 21 games. In his sophomore year, he also finished with 20 points, so Zach is one of the most consistent players coming back to the conference. Zach really likes to dish the puck out and get assists, but it would be nice to see him score a bit more for his team. If he starts taking more shots and keeps dishing the puck, I think we see a very respectable 10/20/30 stat line for him. Winona looks very solid this year, now having a guy at each position for best-returning players. Watch out for Zach this season.
2. Talan Plante | 6’1 Defenseman | Class of 2024 | Marshall High School
Talan Plante is one of the top incoming sophomore defensemen in the state. He had such a solid year for a Freshman, with 15 assists and 4 goals. He is definitely the bright spot on his team, and with that playmaking ability- he makes them a lot better. Talan will likely be in the top 15 of the class of 2024 rankings when we roll those out. Plante has a good chance to keep getting better and better and could be a star for this conference that does not send too many players to the next level. Watch out for Plante, as he will likely improve on his solid Freshman season and might hit around the 20 point mark this season. I think he will be a star when he is an upperclassman.
3. Brock Peyton Brock Peyton 6'0" | Goalie Orono | 2023 State MN / Josh Gulden | 5’9 Defenseman/ 6’0 Defenseman| Class of 2023/ Class of 2022| New Ulm High School
Brock Peyton Brock Peyton 6'0" | Goalie Orono | 2023 State MN is also an incoming junior this season, and is the third best returning defenseman. Albrecht finished the season last year with 4 goals and 13 assists, and as a sophomore that is pretty solid. Albrecht is just getting on our radar, and I want to see his stats continue to improve before he gets more recognition. New Ulm also has a solid senior defenseman named Josh Gulden, and he is most likely Albrechts’ D partner. Gulden had the same number of points last year, and just had one more goal and one less assist. They are one of the best pairings returning in the state, and for sure the best in the conference as they combined for 34 points last year.