Andover (7-1, Section 7-2A)

A prime candidate for The Unranked, the Huskies lurk just outside the YHH top-10 and are currently tied with No. 1-2A Maple Grove for the top spot in the Northwest Suburban Conference at 14 points apiece in the standings. The Crimson represent the lone blemish on the Huskies' record.  

Andover's power play has been humming this season, clicking along at a 39.8% success clip through eight games and helping the Huskies notch six or more goals six times this season. 

Leading the way offensively are senior forwards Garrett Schifsky (11-13-24) and Ethan Lindahl (7-10-17), with standout sophomore Gavyn Thoreson pacing the team in assists with 17 and second in points with 19.

Forest Lake (6-2, Section 7-2A)

Another team slotted in Section 7-2A, the Rangers have lost two of their last three games, but a scorching hot five-game winning streak to start the year keeps Forest Lake in the Suburban East Conference hunt. 

Connor Brust (4-8-12) and Hunter Johnson (5-6-11) currently lead the team in scoring, followed by Jackson Maas (5-3-8) and Gavin Middendorf (5-2-7). Starting goaltender Casey Sauve has posted a goals-against-average of 2.18, and a save percentage of .902 to go along with a shutout, while backup netminder Jacob Ford has stopped 50 of 52 shots seen in two contests. 

A rematch with top-10 team Cretin-Derham Hall is slated for Mar. 4, and the Rangers will be looking to avenge a Jan. 30 4-2 loss to the Raiders. 

Mankato East/Loyola (7-1, Section 1-1A) 

The Cougars have been to the Class 1A State Tournament twice in the last three seasons, and the 2020-2021 campaign marks the end of the prep careers of four-year contributors Layten Liffrig, Jacob Kanzenbach, Brett Borchardt, Jake Schreiber, and Hayden Guillemette.  

Mankato East/Loyola has won six straight games since a 3-2 loss to Northfield in the second game of the season, and the Cougars' penalty kill is a big reason for the run of victories, killing 27 of 30 penalties for a 90% success rate. 

Liffrig (10-14-24) and Schreiber (9-6-15) pace the Cougars in scoring, and the duo of Riley Burnett and Riley Madsen have each earned one shutout while splitting time this year. 

Minneapolis (4-1, Section 2-1A)

A 5-4 loss to Breck is the only stain on Minneapolis's resume, which holds four wins under its belt over Hopkins, Minnehaha Academy, St. Paul Highland Park, and South St. Paul. Minneapolis is at its best in the first and third periods of games so far, allowing just three total goals in the first and third frames through five games. 

Junior forward Jack Hanson leads the team with two goals and eight points, followed by the forward trio of junior Zander Zoia, senior Frank Lindgren, and senior Jack Stock, all of whom have six points. Minneapolis will face Class 1A power Gentry Academy on Feb. 27, a game that could go a long way in beefing up Minneapolis's body of work. 

Roseau (5-2, Section 8-2A)

Selecting a storied program like Roseau for this list may be seen as picking the low-hanging fruit, but a highly talented group of Rams find themselves just outside the top-10 at No. 19 this week. 

The power play has been impressive for Roseau through seven games, converting on 36.8% of its chances, and the Rams appear to get stronger as individual games go along, scoring 25 of their 31 total goals in the second and third periods. 

Junior forward Max Strand (2-10-12) and junior defender Thor Byfuglien (5-6-11) lead the Rams in scoring, with senior forward Paul Huglen also piling up the points with four goals and six assists so far.

All three of those contributors will be expected to perform with upcoming games against quality opponents Moorhead (Feb. 11) and East Grand Forks (Feb. 13).