One of the best moments on the hockey calendar was no disappointment this year as the 2021 Minnesota High School State Hockey Tournament delivered again battling difficult circumstances with Covid-19.
Check out some of the top prospects from this years tournament, including a number of NHL and NCAA committed players.
Zam Plante - ‘04 Forward - Hermantown
Commit : N/A
Zam probably had the most memorable performance of the week at the State Tournament as he was forced into heavy minutes on a depleted Hermantown team. His team was skating with 15 JV players as they were dealing with COVID issues. Zam showed his ability to be an all-around player by playing forward, defense, power play and penalty kill. Logging 35 min in a 51 min game Plante’s conditioning was off the charts as it never looked like he lost a step the whole game. Unfortunately, only a one game stint this time around, Plante and Hermantown will certainly be back for more in the coming years.
Brody Lamb - ‘03 Forwrd - Dodge County
Commit : Minnesota
A dynamic offensive player who can consistently find the back of the net. Eclipsing 50 goals on the season over the 3 games played at the Tournament. Brody is a constant threat all over the ice as he supports pucks better than almost anyone and is always looking to get pucks to the net to create scoring chances. Adding to his scoring ability is his capability to possess pucks and protect pucks at all times, making the opponents job very difficult at times just to regain possession.
Jaksen Panzer - ‘04 Forward - East Grand Forks
Commit : North Dakota
The 2004 North Dakota commit is an extremely smooth skating and shifty forward who does not lack any skill. Jaksen was a high impact player through the two games East Grand Forks played during the Tournament, coupling his skill with his elite brain makes him a handful to deal with for opposing teams. Future is bright for this smooth skating forward.
Trey Ausmus - ‘04 Defenseman - East Grand Forks
Commit : North Dakota
Ausmus will be joining his current teammate Panzer at North Dakota and he’ll be bringing along with him a steady presence on the blueline. Trey adds in a nice offensive touch at the right times for East Grand Forks, he constantly plays with his head up ice and is always scanning for options up ice. A lot of good habits in Ausmus’ game are good building blocks for his future in the sport.
Jackson Blake - ‘03 Forward - Eden Prairie
Commit : North Dakota
Blake eventually scored the game winner in double OT to win the championship for Eden Prairie but was very effective throughout the tournament. Logging big minutes on the Eagles top line, Blake showed incredible poise with and without the puck all tournament. Jackson has an elite skill to find open space for his teammates and support pucks correctly, being able to couple it with a great ability to find the scoresheet helps put all the pieces to the puzzle together for a player with a very bright future.
Drew Holt - ‘02 Forward - Eden Prairie
Commit : N/A
A smaller workhorse type player for the Eagles. Holt is the energizer for their top line and plays a unique role. His constant motor keeps Blake and Batchelder moving just to keep up. Holt is very strong on his skates and tough to knock off pucks all over the ice. He plays in straight lines in all three zones leading to a lot of efficiency on throughout games.
Mason Langenbrunner - ‘02 Defenseman - Eden Prairie
Commit : Harvard (Boston Bruins)
One of two NHL draft pick competing in the Tournament this year, showed us exactly why he is property of an NHL team. A long and talented defenseman has elite puck moving ability as his vision is second to none. Also, able to effectively get pucks to the net, whether by a hard slap shot or a precise wrist shot they always seem to hit the net. His feet and hands working together are an elite trait that is only going to help tremendously at the next levels of hockey.
Jackson Hallum - ‘02 Forward - St Thomas
Commit : Michigan (Vegas Golden Knights)
Probably the quickest skating forward in the Tournament, Jackson already has the stride and speed to play at the highest of levels. An NHL Draft pick of the Vegas Golden Knights helps confirm that. Always playing with his head up ice, reading off defenders and using his ability to move to constantly slice through teams is evident. Hallum is an elite talent that is going to be a handful as he progresses through the ranks of college and pro hockey.
Jared Wright - ‘02 Forward - St Thomas
Commit : Colgate
Another speedy forward from St Thomas, Jared can get his wheels going with the best of them. He’s a dynamic forward with a good scoring touch and an elite ability to control the puck while having patience to make the correct play. Using his speed, he is always able to support the puck correctly and play off his line mates very well.
Kyle Kukkonen - ‘02 Forward - Maple Grove
Commit : Michigan Tech
A very shifty forward who has an elite ability to find the back of the net. One of the best things about Kyle’s game is the deception he gives while carrying the puck in the offensive zone, whether it be on a shot to the net or on a pass he always has defenders and goaltenders guessing as to where the puck will end up.
Sam Jacobs - ‘02 Forward - Maple Grove
Commit : N/A
Sam is the definition of a pure goal scorer. He can score many ways and just always seems to find the back of the net for Maple Grove as he netted a couple in the wild Semi Final vs Eden Prairie. He has a great capability of find open ice in the offensive zone to support his teammates correctly all while being in scoring areas that more often than not lead to goal for Sam.
Jack Wieneke - ‘03 Goaltender - Maple Grove
Commit : N/A
Jack was a brick wall for Maple Grove all season. He plays a very confident game as he’s always playing with an aggressive touch. His movement from side to side is quick and efficient as he never finds himself too far outside his blue paint. A couple good traits that make him an attractive goaltending option for a team at the next level.
Cody Ticen - ‘02 Goaltender - Lakeville South
Commit : N/A
After using most of both goalies all year, Lakeville South turned to Ticen during the Tournament and he was nothing short of stellar for his team. Cody plays a very balanced and calm game; he seems to always be on top of pucks and he tracks pucks better than most. He does a great job looking through and around traffic, all while being able to control his rebounds very well and controlling the game from that standpoint takes over.
Tanner Ludtke - ‘04 Forward - Lakeville South
Commit : Nebraska-Omaha
Tanner is a very smart player with elite vision. The one thing that stands out most about Tanner’s game is his ability to play in all three zones at the highest of levels. A player that loves to find the scoresheet starts a lot of his play in the defensive zone than leading into good transition. Very high hockey IQ for Ludtke will only help him adapt quickly to the hockey at the next level.
Cade Ahrenholz - ‘02 Forward - Lakeville South
Commit : Colorado College
Cade is big power forward type player for Lakeville who has a very bright future in the game of hockey. The CC commit had an impact on every game he played in, he uses his size and strength all over the ice whether it’s winning a board battle or getting to the front of the net on a drive with ease. He is very strong on his skates and is almost impossible to take off pucks with just one player, an overwhelming threat throughout a full 51 minute game at the high school level.
Jack Malinski - ‘02 Defenseman - Lakeville South
Commit : N/A
Jack is a very smooth skating/puck moving defenseman. His elite ability to move the puck on a breakout in the defensive zone or through the neutral zone on a rush separate him from a lot of defenseman at the high school level. His high hockey IQ allow for him to read plays extremely well and always find open ice to moves pucks to whether it’s a chip into space or directly to one of his teammates.
William Kunka - ‘02 Goaltender - Moorhead
Commit : N/A
A very calm goalie who in his one game of the Tournament helped Moorhead give the eventual runner up Lakeville South a tough quarterfinal game. Will has a good skill of controlling pucks on rebounds on straight shots and through traffic as well. He’s very strong on his skates and moves around the crease quickly and efficiently.
Isaiah Norlin - ‘03 Defenseman - Gentry Academy
Commit : N/A
A very good skating defenseman who builds his game a confidence from his skating. His starting and stopping skills allow for him to play in straight lines in all three zones. He moves the puck with a purpose and helps propel Gentry’s offensive game from the backend very efficiently.
Barrett Hall - ‘03 Forward - Gentry Academy
Commit : N/A
Hall is a skilled forward that plays hard in all three zones. His hands are high end and is able to put that together with good skating ability to make an impact in the offensive zone for Gentry. When he has the puck, he has the ability to dictate the play all while playing with his head up ready to make a play.
Dane Couture - ‘02 Goaltender - Little Falls
Commit : N/A
Even though Dane has good size he is not afraid to play a very aggressive style of goaltending. He does a very good job of cutting down angles and making it difficult on opposing shooters to find net while shooting. Especially on rushes he does a great job of trusting his ability to move laterally while keeping his aggressive style intact.