It’s that time again. 

No, not the one of budding flowers or springtime smells. 

It’s that special time every couple of years when the Minnesota State High School League meets on the ground floor of a nondescript office building in Brooklyn Center. The members of this elite club sit in a circle around a table equipped with power outlets and ample space for laptop and cellphone chargers. This table rivals anything those hacks at the United Nations could have picked out from a Modern Office catalog. 

An overhead projector is plugged in. The lights are dimmed. Coffee cups are refilled. Unfailingly, several people in the room clear their throats before the real show begins. As the projector’s fan hums, the ordinarily invisible specks of dust begin to swirl, and the postseason fates of the state’s hockey teams are decided…kind of. 

You can view all competitive section assignments here. 

Class AA Highlights 

LOL. LMAO, even. 

What do state powers Edina, Wayzata, and consistent section title contender Benilde-St. Margaret’s get for Easter? Rogers. As in 2025, Class AA State Tournament participant Rogers finished last season with a record of 23-5-2 and has a Bantam AA team on deck that finished third in the state this season. The Royals now join a section that featured three of PageStat’s top 14 teams in Edina (5), Benilde-St. Margaret’s (9), and Holy Angels (14). Rogers finished the season ranked No. 5 by the PageStat algorithm.

Andover replaces Rogers in Section 5AA. Northern Minnesota has officially closed ranks on possible metro representation coming out of Section 7AA unless Forest Lake makes a surprise run. Grand Rapids and Rock Ridge appear to be the favorites for the foreseeable future out of the section, and the Duluth programs could see an uptick in talent in the coming years. 

Alexandria moves up from Section 6A to Section 8AA. The section is Moorhead’s, but marketing the program as playing at the highest level and competing against the state’s best acts as a small safeguard from poachers looking to convince area players that they are being shortchanged by playing in Class A. 

Class A Highlights 

The strongest sections from last season went untouched during this realignment cycle, with Section 7A and Section 8A remaining intact. Those groups provided YHH’s Class A Staff Rankings with the top four teams in Class A, plus the 2025 Class A state champion East Grand Forks. 

The most significant move in Class A came in Section 2, where stalwarts Delano, Orono, and Minneapolis are now joined by Section 6AA refugees St. Louis Park and Blake, plus former Section 4A member Southwest Christian. The Orioles went 16-10 last season and are fairly competitive in the Metro West Conference, but the addition of Blake and Southwest Christian could turn this section into Battle of Stalingrad. The Bears and Stars are both private institutions, meaning they can attract talent at will, regardless of boundaries or school district lines. Having a consistently good youth program like those of Orono, Minneapolis, and Delano, won’t mean much if fellow Section 2A dwellers can simply reload each year. 

Section 6A gets a boost in adding Sartell, even while the Alexandria boys join their female Cardinal counterparts in Section 8AA. The Sabres took Roseau to double-overtime in last year’s Section 8AA playoffs, and return a handful of talented skaters this season. Little Falls also bumps to Section 6A. 

Girls Highlights 

Outside of Mankato East/Loyola moving back down to Section 2A, there isn’t much going on with the girls’ level. Eight of the 16 sections saw zero change, and the sections that did see some movement did not get markedly stronger or weaker. In terms of pure numbers, Section 6A gets a boost to six teams with the additions of Sartell/St. Stephen and St. Cloud. 

Mankato East/Loyola spent the last two seasons in Section 1AA. The Cougars made Class A State Tournament trips in 2022 and 2023 as the Section 2A representative, and won the state consolation title in 2023.