Class of 2022 Top Goaltenders – Midseason Report
In this article:
Over the past week, we have been excessively focusing on the Class of 2022 here at Prep Hockey. We released our newly updated ’22 Player Rankings, which includes 138 players on the list. We have also been focusing on uncommitted…
Access all of Prep Hockey
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingOver the past week, we have been excessively focusing on the Class of 2022 here at Prep Hockey. We released our newly updated ’22 Player Rankings, which includes 138 players on the list. We have also been focusing on uncommitted forwards and defensemen in the soon to be graduated Class of 2022. In this article we are now going to focus on the Top Goalies in this class. With no commitments for any goaltender, we will rank the top five and provide insight analysis on each player. Let’s dive in!
#1. Ben Dardis Ben Dardis 5'10" | Goalie Mahtomedi | 2022 State MN | Mahtomedi | #6 Overall ’22’s
There is no question that Ben Dardis Ben Dardis 5'10" | Goalie Mahtomedi | 2022 State MN of Mahtomedi is the top goaltender in the state. In 2020 as a Sophomore, Dardis immensely contributed to the Zephyr’s first state championship in school history. In that Class A Championship Game vs Hermantown, you could say Ben won that game for his team, stopping 40 of 42 shots. Now in his senior campaign, Dardis is the favorite for the Frank Brismek award right now. The Zephyr Goaltender had a 5 straight game stretch where he stopped at least 40 shots and at the most let up 3 goals in those games. His most impressive performance came vs East Grand Forks where he stopped 46 of 46 shots in route to the shutout. Dardis currently has a Goals Against Average of 1.87 and a Save Percentage of .947 so far this season. Watch for this goaltender to make a huge impact in the playoffs for his team and also watch for a commitment anytime here. I’m very surprised he hasn’t committed anywhere yet.
#2. Nick Erickson Nick Erickson 6'3" | Goalie Hill Murray | 2022 State MN | Hill-Murray | #10 Overall ’22’s
Nick Erickson Nick Erickson 6'3" | Goalie Hill Murray | 2022 State MN is another goaltender on the east side of the metro who is off to a dynamite start between the pipes. So far this season, Erickson has a GAA of 1.98 and a SV% of .924. Pretty good, considering the strong AA schedule the Pioneers always have. After the departure of Goalie Remington Keopple in 2020, Nick has been a staple in the net for Hill-Murray. Erickson’s best performance this season came against Wayzata, where he stopped 40 of 41 shots and his team got a huge victory over the Trojans, 2-1. He also had a 38 save shutout vs St. Thomas Academy, with the Pioneers winning 6-0. Erickson is a goalie who has high odds in being a Mr. Hockey finalist and that is why he is #2 in our Class of 2022 Goalie Rankings.
#3. Marko Belak Marko Belak 6'1" | Goalie Cretin-Derham Hall | 2022 State MN | Cretin-Derham Hall | #15 Overall ’22’s
Another goalie on the east side of the Twin Cities in Marko Belak Marko Belak 6'1" | Goalie Cretin-Derham Hall | 2022 State MN is at #3 in our Class of 2022 Goaltender Rankings. Belak has been the staring goaltender at Cretin-Derham Hall ever since he was a Sophomore and has continually matured and improved each year. So far this season, Marko has a very impressive stat line with a GAA of 1.87 and a SV % of .930. Belak hasn’t faced quite as many shots as Dardis, but he has done his job and has stopped the majority of pucks in each game. His best performance probably came vs Benilde-St. Margaret’s where he stopped 33 of 36 shots and the Raiders got a huge 5-3 victory over the Red Knights. Along with Dardis and Erickson, Belak is another candidate to be a Frank Brismek finalist this season for sure.
#4. Austin Brauns | Andover | #26 Overall ’22’s
Austin Brauns is a Senior goaltender who is in his first season as the fulltime starting goalie for the Andover Huskies. Departed goalie Will Larson led Andover to a second consecutive state tournament birth last season and was solid all year. Brauns did get a few looks in net last season, but only accounted to a little over 100 minutes. With the lack of prior playing time and experience, Austin is a goalie that was under the radar going into this season. So far in 2021-2022, Brauns has a GAA of 1.81 and a SV % of .923. Andover’s schedule has also been very tough so far and he has played in close and intense games, adding to the already impressive accolades. With those stats, there’s no question Brauns will be at least considered as a Frank Brimsek finalist if he keeps it up.
#5. Bryce Hess | Holy Angels | #53 Overall ’22’s
Bryce Hess of the Academy of Holy Angels is a goalie that was listed in our “Early Season Breakout Players – Goalies” article, early in the season. Before the season, Hess is a goalie we never thought would be on this list halfway through the season. He has proved us wrong, but he was truly under the radar until now. Bryce’s stat line includes a GAA of 1.50 and a SV % .940, including 2 shutouts so far. Hess has led is team to a 11-1-1 record, with his best performance coming vs Holy Family. The Holy Angels won in a nail biter 2-1, and Bryce stopped 36 of 37 shots. At the halfway point of the season, we will see if Bryce Hess can keep up his amazing start to the season and he will probably receive more attention and accolades if he does.