The Minnesota Meltdown will host 194 teams this weekend all over the Twin Cities in boys, girls, open and invite levels. YHH will be at the rink to take in all the action and highlight whose hot and whose still ice cold. In addition to several Minnesota teams, the Meltdown has teams from Colorado, Illinois, North Dakota, Wisconsin and Ontario in the field. 

The action should be great with a lot of teams discovering how good they are and where they need work over the coming months. Here is a look at the Invite teams, players we like and who we think will be in the winner's circle Sunday.

Invite Field: Magicians Red, Skate to Excellence, AAA Ice Hawks, Colorado Kodiaks, Pro Ambitions and Finlandia Hockey Club.

The field is loaded with high-end skill from all over the continent. The Magicians have a great group of players and appear to be the favorite. With a couple of mystery teams like Finlandia and the Kodiaks, the action should be great.

The Magicians are talented and very deep top to bottom. Stevan Blauert, Jack Novak and Nick Speltz are all very dangerous for the Magic up front. On the blue line, they have Ben Monson and Mitchell Farnham. The Kodiaks are well equipped for the trip to the state of hockey. Watch out for '02 Thunderbirds Blake Johnson and Jackson Whitmore from Colorado. 

Other Players to Watch: Centennial's AJ LeMire is a beast on the blue line with a lot of skill, he will line up for Skate to Excellence. Jonathan Peine is another great all around player from Hastings who will suit up for the Ice Hawks.

The Call: Magicians > Colorado

To see results for the Meltdown all weekend visit the website here.

Invite Field: New Generation, Tommy Chaicago Green, Thunder Bay Bandits, MN Mavericks, Gradient AAA, Magicians Red, Ice Hawks Gold and Colorado Kodiaks.

Fans of the '03 level will see some great action this weekend. The top team coming in is likely Gradient AAA. They don't have the deepest roster, but they are deep in talent. Chaz and Cruz Lucius are a fun pair to watch, they will ink the scoresheets this weekend. Also watch out for Tyler Chamberlain from Mounds View Irondale and Jack Harvey from North Branch, both are very dangerous. 

Gradient will likely face some tough out of state competition from Colorado and Thunder Bay in their quest for hardware. Local teams like the Magicians and Mavericks each have some talent, too.

Other Players to Watch: Edina's Evan Pahos will line up for the Kodiaks this weekend, he's got speed and skill. Also keep an eye out for Kelson Evenson and Ethan Begg from the Kodiaks. Owen Van Tassel (Centennial) and Cole Stanfield (White Bear Lake) both are standouts for the Mavericks. New Generation's Ethan Dahlmeir (Lakeville South) and Griffin Ludtke (Lakeville South) will play key roles on defense. 

The Call: Gradient > MN Mavericks

To see results for the Meltdown all weekend visit the website here.

Invite Field: Hometown Hockey, Tommy Chicago Green, Rapid Fire Black, Red Army, Steeldogs, Euro American Red, Duluth East and Colorado Kodiaks

The '04 field will be a treat to watch this weekend...a lot of deep teams from all over make their way to the Twin Cities. Hometown is the definition of deep and talented. Lead by '15 Wiz Wyatt finalist Logan Seward, Hometown will attack teams with their relentless pressure. Besides Seward, watch out for Brent Gulenchyn and Evan Williams...two players who can hurt you below the hashmarks. 

Hometown will be challenged for the top spot. The Kodiaks will be stacked with talent including star forward Marek Hejduk, son of former NHLer Milan. Tommy Chicago and the Red Army both have deep rosters and some great uniforms!

Other Players to Watch: Tommy Chicago's Owen Hendrikson is a big puck rushing defender from Rosemount that will give teams some trouble. Rapid Fire's Lucky Bischoff from Grand Rapids is a player worth the watch. Parker Comstock from Sartell is very athletic and will help the Euro Red team compete this weekend. And, East Grand Forks' star Caleb Schmiedeberg is way easier to watch than it is to pronounce his name. 

The Call: Hometown > Tommy Chicago

To see results for the Meltdown all weekend visit the website here.

Invite Field: Euro American Red, Hometown Hockey, Colorado Kodiaks, Magicians Red, Precision - IL, Red Army. 

The 2005 field has some new and familiar faces taking the ice in Brooklyn Park and New Hope this weekend. Familiar faces include Osseo Maple Grove talents like Finn Brink, Grant LeNeau and Jack Kernan. Last year, these three plus the likes of Beau Blashack, Danny Nelson, Beck Picconatto and Talan Wessman starred for the Leafbirds as they went 39-1 on the season. 

The Red figured to be given a test by Hometown, Colorado and the mystery team from Precison, IL. 

Other Players to Watch: Brody Clark and Asher Stull (Colorado), Brooks Cogswell and Landan Seward (Hometown) and Mac Weasler (Red Army).

The Call: Euro Red > Red Army

To see results for the Meltdown all weekend visit the website here.

Invite Field: Machine Black, Colorado Kodiaks, Tommy Chicago, Hometown Hockey and Breakaway USA.

There is a lot of uncertainty at the 2006 level, most of the top players at the young ages migrate to the Blades and the Machine. As players mature and improve, the playing field evens itself out over the coming years. Because players improve in such rapid fashion at the younger ages, choosing a winner can be a challenge.

What we do know about this division is there are some great players suiting up for all teams. One player you won't be able to miss is Christian Garrity from Tommy Chicago - chances are he will light the lamp a few times. Hometown has Landon Stringfellow who is an elite player that can take over a game. Colorado will trot out Tiege Iginla and Mason Goodrich who are both great. And finally look out for Noah Johnson and Ben Tauscher from the Machine Black they have been known to fill it up.

The Call: Machine Black > Tommy Chicago

To see results for the Meltdown all weekend visit the website here.