"Man, I did not know it would get this intense" the goal judge said after a tight peewee A state tourney game.  An older person, he just realized that hockey is not just reserved for the older players, that youth hockey can be fun and tight game finishes often evoke the same reaction as it does to those who watch high school, college, or pro hockey.

The 12-13 year kids playing youth hockey at the peewee level really get involved in the sport and end up spending long hours on the ice developing their skill.  This Top 50 pick recognizes the individual players for the 2013-2014 season and is based on a simple YHH criteria; go to as many games with different teams as possible and watch how they do on the ice.  Generally, the kids are picked by their jersey number first.  Their names are added later.  That is how they are listed here.

If we did not see a team play, we could not judge the players.  Our apologies go out to kids who played on Virginia, Crookston, Thief River Falls, Winona, Redwood Falls, Worthington, Fairmont, Park Rapids, Silver Bay, Two Harbors, and Bemidji peewee AA/A teams, we did not get to watch your team play.

This is part one of a five part post.  Those familiar our picks in the past know that each of the first four posts will have 12 or 13 players listed.  The players are listed ramdomly, there is no significance to the #1 pick or the #50 pick.  However, the fifth post will name the top peewee AA/A player of the year.  Two years ago, the top pick was goalie Dayton Rasmussen who has played the last two years for the Holy Catholic Family Varsity.  Last year, in honor of what of the Edina AA team did off the ice, YHH honored the entire Edina AA team as the "Top 50 player" of the year.  That team won the first ever AA state trophy and gave the trophy to the brother of a teammate who was a strong Hornett fan and critically ill.  He died this past year.

Harnett was the only goaltender on Armstrong's peewee A team this season that ended up placing fourth in the State Peewee A tourney just played in Crookston last weekend.  Harnett scored 19 shutouts for the Falcons this season.  At the state tourney she gave up five goals in three games.  A strong technical goalie, Harnett plays the position.  "Playing the position" means the goalie has become comfortable enough in the crease that they think beyond just stopping the puck.

She sets her unique approach to the game from the opening minute of each period.  In Armstong's win over Alex, she had to make some big stops like those shown in these two pictures where she makes a tough glove save (picture 1) and then keeps the glove out of the net despite being driven back into the goal by the hard charging Cardinals (picture 2).

Ben Troumbley plays on a good line.  That became apparent watching Greenway beat Chisago Lakes in their opening game of the Cloquet Barn Burner.  After watching Greenway almost beat Buffalo (losing 6-5 in OT) the next day, the temptation was to pick all three players on that line.  All three players complement each other well on the ice, but Troumbley is the catalist.  He is a smaller, but but strong in his skates.  A defenseman will think he has Troumbley stopped crossing the blue line only to find out he has escaped.

Troumbley has a good understanding of the game.  He plays well within his line often setting up scores as well as scoring.  But his "inner skills" or ability to work the puck in and around his body in traffic that are top notch.  Greenway had a good year with this line and will be an interesting team to watch next year.  

Carter Sullivan is a large center that played well this season at center for the Hawks.  At first sight, he seems to be just a big kid learning to play hockey.  Early in the season, one would see him on the ice and watch with an expectation of him doing something. He often would make just the ordinary play.  At the Peewee AA state tourney in Thief River Falls, he started to show what he is capable of doing on the ice. His passing improved and he has soft hands.  Most passes to him, he will pick up and move the puck.

He uses his size, is developing strength in holding his edges on the sharp turnes, has good speed, and a hard shot.  But his has an outstanding ability to catch the puck and make a good pass sets him apart.  He has a lot of "hockey room" to grow into and should do well in the future.

Grant Sillanoff was the "Cesaer" of the state peewee AA tourney-he came, he saw, and he conqured; leading the Hornets to three successive wins 8-3 over Minnetonka, 6-3 over Osseo/Maple Grove, and 6-2 over Rochester Red.  In the semifinal and final games he posted 10 points (nine goals) by YHH count.  The goals came in a 3 and 4 goal bursts and literally sealed both semifinal and championship victories for the Hornets in a matter of four or five minutes.

But Sillanoff had done that before.  He was instrumental in Edina beating four top Peewee Tier I teams in North America in early January (Colorado Thunderbirds, Toronto Young Nationals, Honeybaked, and the LA Jr Kings).  On that trip, the Hornets tied #5 ranked Belle Tire 2-2.  And he did it again in leading Edina to mid-January championship in a Tier I tourney played at the Super Rink in Blaine.  In the semifinal game against the Chicago Young Americans, Sillanoff scored the game winner in beating the #17 ranked CYA team 2-0 on a breakaway.

Sillanoff's strength is in his shot.  He skates well and has good game awareness.  He uses his size well, but he has a quick accurate shot with speed.  He has scored more than once when a goalie though he had Sillanoff lined up only to look back at the puck in the net.

Ben Serie was a YHH Top 50 pick in 2013.  He has good size, skates well, and has a good shot; but he is a play maker as well as a scorer.  Luverne made it to the State Tourney in Faribault before losing to the Minneapolis Storm in the semifinals.  That team had 10 forwards and a goalie.  They had some good defensive players on the 2012-2013 team.

Serie's line had a good season in 2012-2013 and he and three other forwards returned this year.  That group led Luverne to D5's regular season championship and into the 2014 Peewee A South Regional Tourney.  After losing to Armstrong in the quarterfinal final game, Luverne fought back beating Hutchinson and Orono (in ot) only to lose to Hopkins.  Serie scored twice in each of the wins and set up a teammate on the winning overtime goal.

Luverne skated 10 forwards this year and listed all 10 as playing either forward or defense.  The short bench resulted in no organized single line being out on the ice, no line 1, 2, or 3.  Just three kids and it was hard to tell when and which three kids would be skating; so it was surprising to see them doing well.  Last year, Ben was one of the forwards; he skates well, has good hands, and can play at either wing or center and be effective.  He is good at working the puck around the defense along the boards, finding a teammate and then going for the net.  All this was said last year, this year Ben improved.

Some players will deceive their opponents (and evaluators) because they don't have that explosive look in practices and game warm-ups.  It is not that these "deceivers" lack talent, it is more that the talent does not come out unless you watch a player in the game.  That is why most tryouts for older teams consists of playing games.

Phinney is one of those players.  He has all the basic talent, but in game situations he was the goal scorer for the Mavericks last season posting a number of multiple goal games.  Phinney's has that ability to find the spot that leads to the score.  At the Rochester Tourney in January, he outplayed the Kennedy defense in the left corner and fired a shot at an odd angle that caught the goalie on the inside of the right leg to score.  In the picture below, he tips the puck past the Andover goalie in the Edina Invitational.  Lucky?  Maybe, but Phinney does that often and there is no "horseshoe" visible in his breezers.

Peter Hansen is a good sized defenseman for the Spartans that led District 11's peewee AA league for most of the season before losing and placing second at the end.  Superior WI forms their teams and plays Minnesota Hockey in D11 and in YHH's eyes, qualify for post season honors.  This year's Spartan's were improved over the past years and Hansen's play at defense is one of the reason.  He is a smooth skater with a hard shot and will often take the puck to the slot to fire that shot.  Physically strong and a smart defender playing  the rush, Hansen is a top 50 pick this year.

Jack Westlund's father played for Burnsville and when his team showed up at the Burnsville Thanksgiving Tourney with his father coaching, some would view it as a "sentimental journey".  Only the Cardinals were real and behind the strong play of Westlind at forward, they went on to win the tourney.  It was the start of a good year for the Cards that ended up winning the peewee A state consolation title.  Westlund is a good sized wing that plays aggressively and skates constantly.  In the offensive zone, he is very much aware of the game situations and is a constantly making something happen.  

Ryan is an out-of-state move-in to Lakeville and improved over the year.  At the Burnsville Thanksgiving Tourney, he seemed to struggle at times fitting into the Cougars play.  As the season wore on, Antonakis began to exert himself as a defenseman who was key to the Cougars' offensive attack on the ice.  During the District 8 peewee AA/A playoffs, he started to dominate.  As one D8 coach commented from the sidelines, "Antonakis started almost every Lakeville attack in that game".  He has good size, is a good skater, passes well, and has good game awareness.  

Cloquet had a good team this year.  It is not by accident they ended up in the State Peewee AA tourney.  Barker centered one of the Lumberjacks' line; Langenbrunner centered the line that attacted the most attention.  Barker's line was effective and scored often due to Barker's overall play.  A taller, lanky, player, Barker has a great ability to cover large areas of ice with quick turns off his fast wide open skating style.  He sets himself up often to score and backs up his linemates when they attack.  A good hard accurate shot and a great backchecker, Barker is a Top 50 this year.

Hauswirth played center for Farmington this past season.  She has exceptional skating skills and ability to maneuver on the offense.  But it is her speed that sets her apart as more then once she surprised the opponent's defense beating them to the net to score especially in odd situations.  Close into the net, she has an accurate shot from all angles.  Hauswirth led the Tigers to the Peewee A State Tourney this year.

Janicke was a hard working center on the ice for Osseo/Maple Grove.  The Crimson struggled early in the season, got better in January, and made a run to the State Peewee AA tourney winning District 3 playoffs beating Wayzata; winning the East Regional beating Lakeville South, Chaska/Chanhassen, and Rochester Red; and beating Hermantown before losing to Edina in the semifinals 6-3 at the State Tourney.  Janicke was a good offensive player early in the season.  A good size player, a fast skater, and a good shot; Janicke was a productive goal scorer all season for Osseo/Maple Grove.  But it was his development as a defensive player, backchecking constantly in the state tourney (especially in the Edina game), that put him on this list.   

Boltmann played defense for the Hornet A's and played it consistently.  A soliid player at the point, he plays aggressively; but showed patience in picking his attacks.  He has a good shot and can drive the puck from either point and get it on the net.  He is a strong skater that should only get bigger and better.  The scary thought for Hornets' opponents is that he may be back next year.