The top peewee players in the state are ahead of their time. They are unfazed by the championship banners strung across the Mariucci Arena ceiling. They are completely calm while receiving instruction from a former NHL player, NCAA national champion, and Golden Gopher captain. And their talent level?

Futuristic. 

On paper, the Youth Hockey Hub NOW Prospects Combine should feature high-end talent, high-ceilinged potential, and high scoring games. 

On the ice, the NOW Prospects delivered. 

The players began the morning with a concise introduction and explanation of expectations from Grant Potulny, former Golden Gopher captain and now assistant coach, and then hit the ice for practice, two squads at a time. After the initial butterflies scattered, there was no denying the level of talent and competitiveness on the ice. 

Players competed for loose pucks in drills, tapped goalie pads after the whistle, and did their best to stand out as the prettiest rose in the vase. As the NOW Prospects Combine continues, we’ll see who can truly separate themselves from the field. 

After a sluggish first 30-minute period, Team Grey and Team Gold both broke out of their offensive shells and lit up the scoreboard. Jack Nei notched a goal for Grey in the opening period, and Teddy Lagerbeck added the equalizer for Gold to take a 1-1 tie into the second frame. 

When the second round of 30 minutes started, offenses exploded. More specifically, Team Gold’s teddy Lagerback exploded. Lagerbeck juked, jived, and bullied his way to a game-high four goals, while Carter Johnson scored twice and John Mittelstadt scored once for Team, Gold. 

As Lagerback continued to score, his level of play increased with each shift. Watch out for this kid if he gets on a hot streak. 

Team Grey’s Matt Gleason, the Wiz Wyatt Player of the Year, led rush after rush down the ice, and finished with two goals with two assists. Gleason’s St. Paul Capitals teammate Jack Nei scored two goals, using his relatively small size to his diminutive advantage. 

Joe Miller, Luke Johnson and Carson Bantle all added a goal apiece for Team Grey. Ben Troumbly played distributor, dishing out three assists. 

Late in overtime, Team Gold’s Joe Simpson joined the rush from his defensive position, and managed to knock the puck over an out-stretched Jacob Lissick for the game-winner.

Lagerback and Gleason nearly turned the game into a player-vs.-player battle, and for their efforts were awarded the Gatorade Player of the Game medals. 

The second game, pitting Team Maroon vs. Team White, flashed far more offense in the first period than our first game. 

Team White led Team Maroon 5-4 after the first act, paced by a balanced scoring attack that featured nine total goal-scorers. 

Zach Michaelis scored twice for Team White, followed by eight other players notching goals of their own. 

Adam Zukowski, Carsen Richels, Nolan Krenzen, also added goals in the first period, relying primarily on odd-man rushes and slick stick-handling for their scoring chances.  Both of Michaelis’s goals came in the first period.

Team Maroon got a fantastic performance out of Cam Kluender, who recorded a hat trick and was named the Gatorade Player of the Game. 

Marco Troje scored two goals for Maroon, with Tyler Oakland, Adrian Franco, and Gayson High also scored for Maroon. 

Maroon’s Kyle Heffron may have scored the nicest goal of the game, taking the puck end-to-end, sliding around defenders and then backhanding the puck past Team White goaltender Kiron Morioka. 

Jonah Mortenson, Cullen Gess, Shane Lavelle,and Lucas Jorgenson scored for Team White in the second period, crashing the net and capitalizing on rebounds. 

Like our first game, this contest came down to the final moments before Team White’s Blake Biondi beat Maroon goaltender Hudson Hodges to give Team White the win. 

For his heroics, Biondi was named the Gatorade Player of the Game. 

Jackson Fields

Defenseman from Detroit Lakes plays an old-school, grinding style of defense. Blocks shots, clogs passing lanes, blasts a booming slap shot. Plays like a more fundamentally sound version of former NHLer Derian Hatcher. 

Teddy Lagerback

Plays a swift and cutting style, always hovering around the net. Soft hands and the ability to score in bunches. 

Ben Troumbly

Even with an understated game, solid offensive player. Quietly racked up three assists in loss to Team Gold. Shows keen sense of space on the ice.

Jack Nei

Possibly played second fiddle to lauded teammate Matt Gleason, Nei has a deft touch with the puck and a determination that belies his small stature. Speed and grit are hallmarks of Nei’s game. 

Tyler Steffens

Team White goaltender allowed five goals against talented Maroon team, but let’s not forget these are the top players in the state in a free-flowing game environment. Steffens stood tall late in the game, stopping a point-blank shot attempt while doing the splits, and stayed perfect through overtime.