We continue our “Top Players by Section” series here at Prep Hockey as we feature Section 2A! This section will be one of the more intriguing ones in Class A due to the amount of parody. I would say there are 4-5 teams that have a legitimate shot to make the tournament and there really isn’t a clear #1. As always we will feature the top players in the section and provide a section prediction at the end. Without further ado, let’s dive in!
| Minneapolis | Senior | Forward | Prep Hockey #65 ’22’s
and Minneapolis have been one of the biggest surprises this season in all of high school hockey. Like I mentioned in our recent “Surprising Teams” article, Minneapolis could quite possibly be the number 1 seed in their section. With wins over Delano, Orono, and Hutchinson, things are looking good for this team. Hanson is the leading point getter on his team with 46 points. All season long, Jack has come to play, contributing at least a point in almost every game.
Zander Zoia Zander Zoia 5'7" | Defense Minneapolis | 2022 State MN | Minneapolis | Senior | Forward | Prep Hockey #90 ’22’s
Zander Zoia Zander Zoia 5'7" | Defense Minneapolis | 2022 State MN is another player on Minneapolis who is having a monster year in his senior campaign. Zoia is right behind Hanson when it comes to points with a total of 37. Zander’s most meaningful contribution probably came vs Alexandria, where he tallied 2 assists in a huge statement win for Minneapolis. That win really put this team on the radar early in the season and they haven’t backed down much at all since.
Gunnar Paulson | Delano | Senior | Forward
Gunnar Paulson is a player who was under the radar coming into this season as he was not included in our Class of 2022 Rankings. Paulson is the leading scorer on the Tigers with 18 goals and 14 assists. Gunnar’s biggest performance came versus Mound Westonka, where he tallied the hat trick and tacked on 1 assist. Delano has found themselves in Downtown St. Paul quite a bit the last couple years and their experience will defiantly help them in this section compared to the other teams.
| Delano | Junior | Forward | Prep Hockey #95 ’23’s
is another Tiger who is having a nice season in his junior campaign. Through 22 games, Brown has tallied 14 goals and 17 assists. Will has come up big for his team in many of the marquee matchups, including notching the hat trick in a close victory over East Grand Forks. Even in years Delano wasn’t favored to win the section, it seems like they almost always find a way to win come playoff time. We’ll see if they can do it again come that time this season.
Bradley Walker Bradley Walker 6'1" | Forward Orono | 2023 State MN | Orono | Junior | Forward | Prep Hockey #34 ’23’s
Bradley Walker Bradley Walker 6'1" | Forward Orono | 2023 State MN is a very solid player in that Class of 2023. This season, Walker leads the Spartans with 45 points. At the moment, Bradley is on a 7 game point streak, tallying at least 2 points during that streak. When it comes to Orono’s chances at making the big dance, I feel like they have somewhat of a chance. They have had an up and down season, but it seems like they have been playing a little better as of late. Like I said above, this section will be very interesting to watch and many teams have a shot at punching a ticket to the Xcel Energy Center.
Predictions –
Carter: Delano
Carter feels like Delano’s experience will once again propel them to another state tournament trip
Blake: Minneapolis
Blake believes Minneapolis will continue their regular season success in the section playoffs as they beat almost every team within the section.