The Great Plains team is made up of 15 kids from Minnesota and 2 from Wisconsin. Minnesota defensemen playing at the highest level seems to be the popular trend these days, the Great Plains team will have a bevy of talent on the blue line. Jackson Anderson and Ryan Chesley are players that have great offensive skill and can lock down another team with their great skating ability. Also manning the blue line are two Edina guys that are currently playing Forward, Nick Mikan and Austin Williams. The two Wild Card Defensemen are Andrew Cumming and Jimmy Snuggerud. Both are highly talented players that are both in the fourth grade this year. These two were anything but immature during their tryout in October and they have continued to impress YHH this Winter. Snuggerud is a raw with talent and very unselfish with the puck. Cumming is a great package of quickness and agility. All six will lead their teams in next week's YHH Squirtacular.

The Great Plains forwards will be way more great than they will be plain. Nine boys, all with impressive hockey resumes at the ripe age of 10.  JJ Wiebusch and Daimon Gardner played and lead their teams in scoring last Summer in the Brick Super Novice in Edmonton...we can't wait to see them represent this team. Gardner from Warroad had a great weekend last weekend for the Warriors earning a Lottza Mottz POTG award for his 2G against White Bear Lake. Wiebusch, the River Falls, WI product has exceptional speed and skill will be very hard for opposing teams to contain. 

Dylan Godbout from Woodbury has had a great season for the Predators as their team has sprung into the top 5 of Squirt A this year. 

No matter how good the Great Plains team looks on paper, their success will likely ride with their goaltenders. Christian Manz and Ben Dardis both have some serious chops in the pipes. In a recent game against Osseo Maple Grove, Dardis made some highlight reel saves for Mahtomedi keeping his team in the game all the way to the finish. Ben has great balance and flair for the remarkable. His development over the past 12 months has been really impressive. Christian Manz from Spring Lake Park is another outstanding netminder. He has great technical ability that doesn't allow the opposing team any easy goals. What is fun to watch with Christian is how confident he is with the puck both near and away from the net. 

In our next segment, we will talk a little more about the remaining players on the team and give our report on how several of the players performed in the YHH Squirtacular. 

We also hope to release more information about the other 15 teams, coaches, players and the event as it becomes available.