2013 was a wild year.
Macklemore’s “Thrift Shop” topped the Billboard charts. The Big Bang Theory and NCIS dominated television screens and preceded an unprecedented boom in streaming.
The Fast and Furious franchise was only on its sixth sequel.
And a tournament, stocked with a mixed bag of 16 Peewee AA and Peewee A teams, took root in Bloomington.
Nearly a decade later, the Big Pumpkin marks the official start of Youth Hockey Hub’s season, kicking off an event lineup that features almost 20 independent tournaments with numerous variations.
Over the next few months, the YHH crew will travel hundreds of miles in pursuit of pucks, guzzle gallons of coffee in dimly lit rinks early in the morning, and chew through pencils deciphering tiebreakers.
But it all starts with the Pumpkin.
Despite the COVID-19 regulations that hampered the social experience of the event last fall, the results on the ice spoke for themselves.
Edina powered through the competition en route to the championship, outscoring opponents 32-4 and hanging nine goals on the board in the title game. Hornet forward Mason West earned MVP honors last year after netting seven goals and totaling eight points. The same Edina squad capped the 2020-2021 campaign with a state championship five months later.
Like every season, there are questions.
Can Edina repeat as champions?
Can an out-of-state program like Omaha spoil some early-season dreams?
Will there be a champion crowned that doesn’t hail from the Twin Cities or the Duluth area?
We'll learn all of that and more this weekend.
See you in Rochester.
Centennial celebrates after a goal during the 2020 Big Pumpkin.
Parker Trottier (16) of 2020 champion Edina scores during the 2020 tournament.
Nolan Fitznhenry, Andover
Team | Player |
---|---|
Andover | Nolan Fitzhenry |
Andover | Kian Hendrickson |
Andover | Dylan Knox |
Chaska/Chanhassen | Jake Bloedorn |
Chaska/Chanhassen | Mason Schemenauer |
Chaska/Chanhassen | Finn Spehar |
Duluth East | Sam Berry |
Duluth East | Paxson Madill |
Duluth East | Kaenen Smith (G) |
Edina | Drew Botts |
Edina | Bode McConnell |
Edina | Freddie Schneider |
Bode McConnell, Edina
Wyatt Kuznik, Osseo-Maple Grove
Team | Player |
---|---|
Minnetonka | Gabe Lindholm |
Minnetonka | Dean Stevens |
Minnetonka | Max Thompson |
Osseo-Maple Grove | Wyatt Kuznik |
Osseo-Maple Grove | Sammy Nelson |
Osseo-Maple Grove | Luke Smith |
Rochester AA | Holland Christopherson |
Rochester AA | Beckett Fleming |
Rochester AA | Alex Monosmith |
Woodbury | Lance Kohnen |
Woodbury | Beckett Shillings |
Woodbury | Riley Zupfer |
Cade Nystrom, Minnetonka
Todd Hauch picks Woodbury to take it all (pic: Lance Kohnen)
YHH Staffer | Champion | Darkhorse | Sleeper |
---|---|---|---|
Todd Hauch | Woodbury | Rochester | Stillwater |
Peter Odney | Edina | Duluth East | Stillwater |
Tony Scott | Minnetonka | White Bear Lake | Centennial |
*Players to Watch are applied to the tournament's top eight seeds*
*Teams and players are listed in alphabetical order*
Pumpkin
— YHH (@YouthHockeyHub) October 29, 2017
Spuds punch their ticket to Orange Bracket title game...Colby Krier ends it in OT and the Sports Center crowd goes bonkers!!! pic.twitter.com/RL9lgADVT0
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