Over sixty kids signed up to try out for Team Great Plains this past weekend to play in the North American Hockey Showcase (The Show) next June. The tryout weekend featured two full sessions of play on Saturday with the field cut in half for a two hour skate on Sunday. Top players from Minnesota and Western Wisconsin showed up including three girls from near the St. Cloud area where the tryout was held. 

The players came in all sizes and skill levels. Very few players who showed up Saturday lacked skill. Cutting the list down to thirty was a tricky assignment for the five independent evaluators and Coach Dave Snuggerud. So many of the players showed why they belonged to be there and deserved a shot at Sunday.

On Sunday the players were lead through an hour of mostly one-on-one puck battles, skating battles, and shooting drills. In the second hour, the skaters scrimmaged the entire hour with several different modes of scrimmage to test their decision and playmaking ability.

Goalies: Christian Manz and Ben Dardis. Both goalies played well on both days to earn a spot to face snipers from all over North America in June. Both goalies had size and were very athletic.

Defense: Coach Snuggerud chose six Blueliners including his son Jim. None of the six disappointed during the two days. The two most well known names Jackson Anderson and Ryan Chesley showed why they were chosen - both have great hands and footwork that will allow them to both defend and create offensive opportunities. Two more selected were Snuggerud and Mikan. Both have big names in the Minnesota sports scene. Mikan the Great Grandson to All World Basketballer George Mikan and Snuggerud the son of coach Snuggerud and first cousin to recent Mr. Hockey finalist Luc Snuggerud. Snuggerud has amazing ability and uncanny hockey sense for a ten year...his best days are ahead of him. Mikan has great physical ability and is getting better and better each time YHH sees him play. Andrew Cumming and Austin Williams round out the final two Defensemen. Cumming the younger brother of St. Cloud PeeWee Ethan, showed tremendous quickness and puck skill on both days and Williams, a move in from Seattle, WA now living in Edina is a smooth skater who showed great skill in helping his team move the puck and create. 

Forwards: the Great Plains team will be a talent squad with several top end scoring threats...headlined by Warroad's Daimon Gardner. Gardner was British Columbia's leading scorer in the '14 Brick Invitational with 8 Goals and 2 Assists. He will be joined by Blaine PeeWee Phenom Cruz Lucius who had 11 points (5G/6A) in the '13 Brick as a nine year old. The team will carry nine forwards including Wisconsin standouts JJ Wiebusch (River Falls, WI) who had 2G/2A for the Winnipeg Jr. Jets in the '14 Brick and Isaac Howard (Hudson, WI). The other five forwards from Minnesota are Dylan Godbout (Woodbury), Madox Fleming (Rochester), Landen Gunderson (Maple Grove), Anthony Madigan (Inver Grove Heights), and Jack Sweeney (Mahtomedi). All five showed great speed, skill with the puck and high hockey IQ for ten year old skaters.