When the puck dropped to start the season, Edina had one of the most powerful lineups entering a season in recent memory. The cog to that power started with Ben Brinkman on the blueline. Ben is a dynamic skater with a great shot.  Being nearly six feet tall brought his team a distinct advantage over any team they faced. A lot of teams have bigger players, but none had a player that big and that gifted with the puck.

Brinkman's Edina team won every game except three (losing once and tying twice) this past year. They won all but one tournament they entered including the Minnesota State Tournament in Thief River Falls. 

Unlike most player of the year candidates, Ben's job was not to score goals and grab the limelight. Teammate Jett Jungles was our Big Pumpkin MVP. Jack Jensen had more goals than a Tony Robbins video. And, Grant Silanoff did his best impersonation of Dave Spehar in the State Tournament up in Thief River. 

Ben's job was to stop the other team and prevent them from getting out of the zone. If you had a chance to watch Edina this year, you were witness to a team that always controlled the puck and always controlled the other teams zone. Brinkman is one of the main reasons it looked so easy for the Hornets.

But if push came to shove..and it often does in hockey. Brinkman could take the puck end to end and score...almost like a man amongst boys.