A.J. Francisco, Hermantown Peewee AA
According to Google, “triple threat” includes several references to a 2019 film that debuted in China, a sports bar in Midland, Texas, and a competitive cheerleading squad based in Fort Lauderdale.
A glaring omission from the search engine’s algorithm is AJ Francisco.
Like the Wiz Wyatt winners before him, Francisco is a gifted athlete across multiple sports. He thrives in AAA baseball in the spring, you can find him roaming the soccer pitch in the fall, and of course, in the winter, he’s all over the ice.
Francisco helped lead Hermantown’s Peewee AA team to a 29-11-7 record against some of the state’s best competition, culminating in an appearance at this year’s Peewee AA State Tournament.
In addition to his athletic exploits, Francisco maintains a 4.0-grade point average at Hermantown Middle School.
Player | Team |
---|---|
Cole Braunshausen | Stillwater Peewee AA |
Andy Brown | Bloomington Jefferson Peewee AA |
A.J. Francisco | Hermantown Peewee AA |
Henry Sampair | Mahtomedi Peewee AA |
Mason West | Edina Peewee AA |
Year | Player | Team |
---|---|---|
2020 | Andrew O'Neill | Fargo |
2019 | Drew Stewart | Minnetonka |
2018 | Zam Plante | Hermantown |
2017 | Brody Lamb | Dodge County |
2016 | Kyle Kukkonen | Osseo Maple Grove |
2016 | Landen Gunderson* | Osseo Maple Grove |
2015 | Matt Gleason | St. Paul |
2015 | Tyler Haskins* | Rochester |
2014 | Ben Brinkman | Edina |
2014 | Brock Faber* | Osseo Maple Grove |
2013 | Jack Olsen | Lakeville South |
2013 | Grant Slukynsky* | Warroad |
*Squirt Winners |
Wiz Wyatt with 2020 award winner Andrew O'Neill.
Each year YHH watches hundreds of games, hosts tournaments all over the state, and collects some great information on thousands of players. There are so many great stories of so many great kids.
In 2013, we began handing out the Wiz Wyatt Player of the Year Award as a way to recognize players for athletic, academic and leadership achievement. Our criteria for the award is pretty simple.
The award is NOT given to the best player in the state. When you read the accomplishments of Wiz Wyatt, you will see that he was a rare and talented athlete who was respected both on the field, in the locker room and in the classroom. I was fortunate to have been coached by Wiz, and he was a tremendous balance of teacher, mentor and friend.
Wiz Wyatt was a highly-decorated three-sport star at Minneapolis West in the early 1970's. After graduating from West, he went on to Harvard and played hockey for the Crimson for his collegiate career. Post-graduation, Wiz coached youth hockey in Minneapolis and Edina both as a non-parent and parent volunteer. He currently lives in Edina with his wife Jane and is the father of four adult children Susan, Mary, Michael, and Jessie.
This year, courtesy of EliteProspects Shop and KAV, Youth Hockey Hub is awarding a customized KAV Helmet to the winner of the award in recognition of their performances on the ice over this past season. The KAV Helmets represent the latest cutting-edge technology for the on-ice safety of players, coaches, and officials."