Player: Drew Holt
Team: Eden Prairie
Position: Forward
Birth Year: 2002
Grade: 7th
School: Central Middle School (A Honor Roll)
Parents: Karen and Jeff

Over the past four youth seasons, YHH has seen some prolific players. One name that just keeps coming up time and time again is Drew Holt. As a first year Squirt, he caught our eye as a kid who had a lot of points, especially for a first year. But he  did not have a lot of puck possession time. By his second year of squirts, he was dominating the state's top squirts, scoring at will. Last year, he was the leading scorer for the Eden Prairie PeeWee AA team and was the straw that stirred the drink for the Eagles as they came one game away from state. This year, he put any questions to rest about his ability. One coach said of the EP winger, "that Holt kid shoots the puck like a pro, wow he's scary."  Holt poured in over 100 goals for the Eagles en route to the state tournament this week in Grand Rapids.

"Drew's work ethic and passion for hockey make him a great teammate and very special player, " said EP head coach Mark Germain, "he is as pure a goal scorer as we've seen come through peewees in a long time." Pretty high praise considering the fact that Germain has also coached Casey Mittelstadt, too. "I've never coached a player who scored 100 goals in a season...it was pretty cool."

Player: Kyle Kukkonen
Team: Osseo Maple Grove
Position: Forward
Birth Year: 2002
Grade: 7th
School: Osseo Middle School (4.0 student)
Parents: Karen and Erik

Watching Kyle Kukkonen is a treat. A highly skilled forward who relentlessly pursues the puck on all sides of rink, Kukkonen is visible to the casual fan on every shift. Kyle skated on the top line in the state with his pals Brock Faber (2014 Wiz Wyatt Winner) and Justin Janicke as the Leafbirds finished the season rated number one in the state in both the YHH staff and NOW rankings. "Kyle has an unreal passion for the game of hockey that you only see in the really special players.  He actually works harder in practice than he does in games," said Osseo Maple Grove head coach Curtis Janicke. "Besides being an unbelievably talented hockey player Kyle is an even better kid and leader.  He is a very humble and unselfish team player who plays as hard in the defensive zone as he does in the offensive zone."

Kyle's teams have won a lot of games the past four youth seasons. This week, they head north in a quest for a state title in Grand Rapids. As a Squirt Kyle and many of the same Leafbirds swept the state. This year it has been much of the same story. Their formula of hard work and unselfish play is a fun to watch. "There have been many games this year that Kyle will score three, four, five goals and you would never know it.  He doesn’t brag about the number of goals he scores and he always simply celebrates with his teammates after each goal," said Janicke. "He is simply a pleasure to coach."

In the off-season, Kyle excels at baseball. Two of the last three Summers, Kyle has been a leader on his AAA baseball teams' that have won state.

Player: Joe Miller
Team: Minneapolis
Position: Forward
Birth Year: 2002
Grade: 7th
School: Blake (no grades tracked)
Parents: Katie and Bill

If you only had one PeeWee player to watch this year, my recommendation would be to watch Joe Miller. He is pound for pound the best hockey player in the state...at any level. If any one player resembles Wiz Wyatt, it is Joe. 

He has amazing skill with and without the puck. The puck is a magnet to Miller...sometimes as a puck handler and sometimes in open ice. The puck always seems to be in his vicinity. A year ago we nicknamed him The Mouse for his high pitched voice and constant chatter on the ice. Joe is one part quarterback, one part traffic director and one part savage. At the end of just about every game he seems to fill the score sheet with goals - if that is what his team needs - or even better assists. 

"Joe is the type of person that naturally goes beyond what is expected of him," said Minneapolis head coach Connor Clark, "whether in school, social environments, lacrosse, or hockey, he never settles for 'good enough' and always accomplishes more than 'great'. His relentless competitive spirit comes second only to his leadership qualities, which are inherently revered by those around him, regardless of age."

In the off-season Joe plays lacrosse and is an avid golfer. Besides growing up in the same neighborhood as Wiz Wyatt and having a similar build. His leadership ability with his team the past two seasons in Minneapolis is a remarkable clone to Mr. Wyatt.  "Joe is obviously a very special hockey player with a keen sense for the game, but even more importantly, he was a prominent leader and role model for our team this season," said Clark.

Player: Landon Parker
Team: East Grand Forks
Position: Forward
Birth Year: 2002
Grade: 7th
School: East Grand Forks Middle School (GPA 4.0)
Parents: Sara and Dan

Landon Parker is everybody's all american. Whatever he touches turns to gold.

Top student, check.

Leader at school, check.

Multi-sport athlete, check.

Great hockey player, double check.

Over the past year, we've seen Landon play several times and each time we see him lace 'em up we see new levels of awesome. Parker is a goal scorer, but more important he is a great passer and very hard worker for the Green Wave, who are headed to Coleraine this weekend in their quest for a state title. "Landon is the type of player who always has the puck on his stick...his play on both ends of the rink is one of the keys to our success," said long time East side head coach Matt Fore (pronounced Fore-EE). 

Anyone who meets Parker meets a young man that knows what he wants both on and off the ice. "Landon is a leader that his teammates look up to on and off the ice," said Fore. "On the ice he's so good, Landon attracts the attention of the entire opposing team."

Player: Nicholas Williams
Team: Edina
Position: Defense
Birth Year: 2002
Grade: 7th
School: Valley View Middle School (GPA 10.069, 12 point scale)
Parents: Kathy and Jason

For the past 10 years, the Edina PeeWee A/AA teams have been blessed with some great players. Scorers like Tyler Nanne, Kieffer Bellows and Dylan Malmquist and defensemen like Ryan Zuhlsdorf, Clayton Phillips and Ben Brinkman. This year's Hornet team is the number one seed out of the East region and are poised to win their third state title in four years. One of their keys to success has been holding opponents to less than two goals a game (1.76 in 55 games). 

Enter Nicholas Williams, one of the top defensemen in the state. Nicholas is a great two way player that uses his speed and puck handling ability to lead his team out of tough situations. But he also makes it happen in his own zone. "Nicholas has great offensive ability - but has the rare ability to shut down the other team's top players," said long time Hornet head coach Jeff Johnson. "he reminds me a lot of Jack (Walker) and Clayton (Phillips) when they played for us a few years back."

Nicholas, the son of Jason Williams who played college hockey at the University of Vermont, plays the game as if he were born playing it. "Willie's one of the most intelligent players we've ever coached at Edina...he has a very high hockey IQ," said Johnson.