Minnesota hockey legend Neal Broten once said that he'd trade his Stanley Cup, Olympic gold medal and NCAA national championship for a Minnesota state high school championship. High praise for an event from a guy who was the first American born player to have 100 points in an NHL season. 

How great the state tournament is, is well documented. Your whole school is there, every player who ever played for your school and the rest of the state is tuning in to see who wins. At any given time there are 200,000 people watching these boys of winter play for the holy grail of Minnesota hockey.

Here is a look at all eight teams, our pick to win in the first round and a personal introduction to a player on each team.

STA v. LVS

Game 1

11:00 am - No. 2 seed St. Thomas Academy (23-4-1) vs. Lakeville South (18-9-1)

St. Thomas comes into the tourney on a 12 game winning streak and are lead by senior defenseman Robbie Stucker (10G/37A) and forward Willie Reim (24G/27A). Their calling card is team speed that goes three lines deep.

Lakeville South got their first win over Lakeville North in four years at just the right time - the section final to go to state. They make their first appearance in state since 2012, the year they knocked off Duluth East in the first round. Can senior defensemen Josh Ess (11G/22A) and Sam Malinski (6G/24A) lead the Cougars to an even higher level?

Unsung Heroes: Chase Foley (STA) and Zach Zemlak (LVS)

Prediction: St. Thomas

MHD v. HILL

Game 2
 

1:00 pm - No. 3 seed Moorhead   (22-3-3) vs. Hill Murray (19-5-4)

The Spuds are fast and get scoring from all three lines. Watch out for junior forwards Carter Randklev (30G/25A) and Cole O'Connell (22G/28A) - if you take a shift off their skill and scoring touch will kill you. The Pioneers are lead from the back...Frank Brimsek Award shoe-in Jake Begley has been lights out all year in net for the green and white. The game could be a repeat of their game on February 18 in Moorhead where the Spuds won 4-3 in overtime.

Unsung Heroes: Kyler Kleven (MHD)  and Will Sonntag (HILL)

Prediction: Moorhead

EP v. WAY

Game 3
 

6:00 pm - No. 1 seed Eden Prairie   (21-4-2) vs. Wayzata (10-17-1)

A lot of story lines Thursday night when Wayzata faces off against EP. Can the Trojans avenge Lake Conference losses to the Eagles - just like they did against Edina in the section final? Can coach Pat O'Leary mastermind another shocker against the Eagles like he did in the state final last year? 

The Eagles come in as the favorite, winning 15 straight games...they have the best player in the state (Casey Mittelstadt) and likely the best defenseman in the state, too (Nicky Leivermann). The Trojans come in as defending champs but have a below .500 record. Do records really matter at this point in the season? With a good scoring punch (Griffin Ness and Colin Schmidt) a top defenseman (Grant Anderson) and a really hot goalie (Reid Waszczenko), the Trojans have all the tools to win.

Unsung Heroes: Nolan Sullivan (EP)  and Tyler Stevens (WAY)

Prediction: Eden Prairie

MG v. GR

Game 4
 

8:00 pm - No. 4 seed Maple Grove  (22-6-0) vs. No. 5 seed Grand Rapids (20-7-1)

An interesting matchup between two teams that had state tourney talent - but had a couple bumps in the road during the regular season. But when it mattered, their top players stepped up. 

Gavin Hain (27G/25A), Blake McLaughlin (18G/37A) and Micah Miller (23G/41A) made up for 54% of the Thunderhawks scoring. Combine the big three with great defense and two stud goalies (Zach Stejskal and Gabe Holum) and the Halloween Machine are a legit contender for a spot on the big stage Saturday night.

Sam Huff (22G/44A ) and Jack Kelly (8G/23A ) are the seniors that lead the Crimson.  But freshman goalie Ethan Haider (.922 Save %, 1.94 GAA) has also emerged as a player to watch at the tourney. He had a 36 save win against Centennial to help his team to state for the first time since 2012.

Unsung Heroes: Tyler Borsch (MG)  and Jack Burnson (GR)

Prediction: Grand Rapids

Each year the tourney has a player jump onto the stage, grab the mic and wow the fans. Last year it was Alex Schilling - the Wayzata goalie had three big games for the Trojans in their quest for the title. Micah Miller accepted a scholarship offer from St. Cloud State days after the tourney.

Every team has a star or two that are household names. Here are a few that are very important to their team's success.

Ethan Frisch, Moorhead - One of the most dynamic players in the state as a sophomore....can control the game with his skating ability and puck possession.

Justin Kelley, Maple Grove - Sharp shooting forward who had 50 points for the Crimson. If they make a deep run, odds are good Kelley will be on center stage.

Payton Matsui, St. Thomas Academy - Matsui is a spark plug for the Cadets - has great speed and playmaking ability. 

Nick Wiencek, Eden Prairie - Just about every state championship team has a goalie that has to make big saves down the stretch. Wiencek has proven capable...stopping Holy Family three times point blank in the final minute to send the Eagles to state.