The leaves (or as they say in Toronto…the leafs) have started to fall, the teams are picked for the winter and many have already started to practice.  I had this picture sent to me of a local kid who is so jacked up for his first Termite practice he is counting the days. A fitting illustration of what it is like for a four year old boy dying to play for the first time…on a team. In some ways all hockey people are like this little boy.  They are excited for every Winter.

This Winter is no exception.  Minnesota has it all if you like hockey in the least bit.

Minnesota Wild. They return a great nucleus from a playoff team a year ago. They have two great lines and some new young talent which will be fun to watch develop over the next six months. My new favorite guy on the Wild is Nino Niederreiter, this young guy from Switzerland plays with great energy.

The Gophers.  Always a tough ticket.  This year will be no different.  Pre-Season top five again, the Gophers will be very young with a lot of great local snipers ready to roll.  Lakeville’s Justin Kloos, Minnetonka’s Vinny Littieri, and Apple Valley’s Hudson Fasching will be very fun to watch up front.  The blue line features smooth Mike Reilly and the dangling Ben Marshall from Mahtomedi.  The new Big Ten Hockey Conference will add a new wrinkle to the college hockey landscape which gives a fan extra excitement. This Winter also marks the first outdoor stadium games played at TCF Bank Stadium.  The #1 Gopher Women will host Minnesota State Mankato and the #5 Men will take on Ohio State in the nightcap.

Minnesota Magicians Hockey.  A great new brand of hockey showcasing kids chasing their dream of playing college hockey.  The Magic have already proven to be great hosts for hockey fans and kids.  A fun environment and some great young hockey players to watch.

The High School season looks to be outstanding again this year.  After seeing many of the talented players in the Upper Midwest Elite League, YHH is pumped up to see how the Public vs. Private debate unfolds.  St. Thomas Academy joins the AA ranks which will be fun to see unfold. As long as the final game doesn’t pair Edina versus Hill Murray, the rest of the state will be excited!!

A lot of drama at each level to be unwrapped very soon at the youth level as well. Who is better at the Bantam AA level, Hermantown or Elk River?  Or is it unheralded St. Michael Albertville or one of the many solid teams from District 6?  Is it Wayzata…a team that boasts a group that did not play together two years ago as PeeWees?  Don’t forget Stillwater, a talent rich team with 14 second year skaters and two great goalies.

The PeeWee AA level will have about the same mystery as it did last year.  Edina is the clear favorite, but there are many teams who could claim being number 2. Sibley has a great set of kids this year and will give a lot of teams trouble with their size and speed.  Northern teams like Brainerd, Roseau and Warroad will be very tough, but will they have the depth to hang with the Metro teams?

Add in a new playoff system from MN Hockey that will use coaches to rank the 24 best Metro teams into Regions which makes for even more discussion and more debate.  Can’t wait.

What lies ahead for Squirt A hockey is anyone’s guess. White Bear and Osseo Maple Grove look to be the strongest teams by far.  But who knows?  A year ago, no one would have predicted the Minneapolis Storm would be a Fargo International Finalist.  Even in December, the Storm were a relative unknown.  That’s the beauty of Squirt hockey.

Girls hockey will be crazy this Winter.  The 10A level starts out with a lot of great teams that return a lot of great players including Stillwater, Edina, Wayzata and White Bear.  At the 12A level, Edina looks to carry the most talent into the season, but don’t count out White Bear Lake, Minneapolis, or St. Paul Highland.

As for the little guy who inspired this article.  Good luck buddy! You are going to have a great season. Before long, you will get a chance to play and play and play.  And when you get tired, feel free to take a break, come inside or go to a local rink and watch and watch and watch!!!