Team: Chaska
Record: 4-5-0
Section: 2AA
YHH Ranking: Not Rated
Games: Thursday vs. Eden Prairie, Friday vs. Prior Lake and Saturday vs. Edina
Players to Watch: Mike Koster (Minnesota), Shane Lavelle (Wisconsin), Rhett Pitlick (Minnesota), and Blaine Warnert (Nebraska-Omaha)
Buy the Hawks When: They move the puck and get secondary scoring.
Sell the Hawks When: Seem to falter when they get behind.

At a Glance: Chaska enters the Hockey For Life Classic with a 1-4 record in its last five games and has been held to two goals or less in three of those four losses. Helping hamper the Hawks (and their four Division I commits) has been a lethargic power play that has produced at a 16.7%, converting on five out of 30 tries with the man-advantage.

Last season, Chaska’s power play clicked along at a success rate of 28.4%. The trio of Rhett Pitlick (7-5-12), Blaine Warnert (6-5-11), and Mike Koster (4-7-11) lead the Hawks in scoring. Pitlick and Koster are verbally committed to Minnesota, while Warnert has verbally committed to Nebraska-Omaha. 

Team: Eden Prairie
Record: 6-2-1
Section: 2AA
YHH Ranking: No. 6-AA
Games: Thursday vs. Chaska, Friday vs. Moorhead and Saturday vs. Lakeville North
Players to Watch: Carter Batchelder (Colorado College), Drew Holt, Jack Jensen (Minnesota), John Mittelstadt (Minnesota) and Luke Mittelstadt (Minnesota).
Buy the Eagles When: They move the puck and get secondary scoring.
Sell the Eagles When: Seem to falter when they get behind.

At a Glance: Having topped five goals-scored in five of its last six games, Eden Prairie is one of the hottest teams going into the post-holiday tournament machine. Five Eagles have totaled at least 10 points this season, with Minnesota commits John Mittelstadt and Jack Jensen leading the way with 18 total points each.

John’s younger brother, sophomore Luke, leads the team in assists with 14, and just one year out from playing as a Bantam is the Eden Prairie varsity’s third-third-leading scorer with 16 points.

Goaltenders Ben Bullis and Axel Roseunlund have rotated evenly so far this season, with Bullis posting a 3-1-1 record and Rosenlund’s mark at 3-1. 

Team: Edina
Record: 7-0-1
Section: 6AA
YHH Ranking: No. 2-AA
Games: Thursday vs. Moorhead, Friday vs. St. Thomas Academy and Saturday vs. Chaska
Players to Watch: Jake Boltman (Minnesota), Jett Jungels (Northern Michigan), Mason Nevers (Minnesota), Mike Vorlicky (Wisconsin) and Nick Williams (Minnesota).
Buy the Hornets When: Just about every night - speed, depth, best D-corps in the state.
Sell the Hornets When: They get into penalty trouble or get too aggressive.

At a Glance: The Hornets are undefeated going into the tournament with a record of 7-0-1, and the Hornets have outscored opponents 44-13 through those eight games. The Hornets have not allowed more than three goals in a game to an opponent, and have a penalty-kill percentage of 93.8.

Like Eden Prairie, there are five players on the Edina roster that have recorded 10 or more total points, paced by Mason Nevers and his six goals and 17 points. Senior forward Kevin Delaney has built off his hot start in November’s Turkey Trot tournament, with eight goals and 13 points so far in his first season of varsity hockey. Sophomore goaltender Lauden Hogg has posted a record of 6-0-1 with a goals-against average of 1.68. 

Team: Lakeville North
Record: 5-3
Section: 1AA 
YHH Ranking: No. 16-AA
Games: Thursday vs. Prior Lake, Friday vs. Stillwater, Saturday vs. Eden Prairie
Players to Watch: Spencer Schneider (Bowling Green), Jeremy Santiago, Caden Smith, Will Johnson, Caleb Mayer
Buy the Panthers: When they keep the score low and slow down the game's speed.
Sell the Panthers: When their opponent is allowed ample space to rush up the ice and create chances in transition. 

At a Glance: After winning four straight games since splitting the weekend at the season-opening Youth Hockey Hub Opener, the Panthers have dropped their past two decisions, 6-0 to Eagan and 5-1 to Duluth East. One skater, Bowling Green commit Spencer Schneider, has passed the 10-point threshold with six goals and 12 points, with goaltenders Will Johnson and Caleb Mayer splitting time in the nets as they did last season. The second period has not been as kind as the first and third to the Panthers this season, with opponents holding a 12-9 scoring advantage in the second frame through eight games. 

Team: Lakeville North
Record: 6-3
Section: 8AA 
YHH Ranking: No. 13-AA
Games: Thursday vs. Edina Friday vs. Eden Prairie, Saturday vs. Stillwater
Players to Watch: Isaac Henkemeyer-Howe, Kyler Kleven, Luke Gramer, Nolan Westra 
Buy the Spuds: When they are the more physical team.
Sell the Spuds: When they allow more than two goals in a game.

At a Glance: Two has been the unluckiest number this season for Moorhead, as the Spuds tallied just two goals in each of their three losses through nine games. When the Spuds score more than two goals in a game, their record is 5-0. Three players are tied with the scoring lead for the Spuds with 10 total points each, with Isaac Henkemeyer-Howe, Nolan Westra, and Kyler Kleven matching the total.

Another goaltender rotation can be found in Moorhead, as Ethan Miller and Hudson Hodges have each played over 225 minutes between the pipes this season. Hodges is a perfect 4-0 with a goals-against average of 1.29 and a save percentage of .951. The Spuds have scored 17 of their 27 total goals in the third period of games. 

Team: Prior Lake
Record: 5-3-0
Section: 2AA
YHH Ranking: No. 22-AA
Games: Thursday vs. Lakeville North, Friday vs. Chaska and Saturday vs. St. Thomas Academy
Players to Watch: 
Buy the Lakers When: They play team defense and limit opposing shots-on-goal. 
Sell the Lakers When: Defenses key on Jackson Jutting and no one else steps into the scorer's role. 

At a Glance: Like the Moorhead Spuds featured above, there is one number that spells doom for Prior Lake - the number one. In each of the Lakers’ three losses, the team has managed to score just one goal, including a 5-1 loss to Eagan, a 2-1 loss to Lakeville North, and another 5-1 defeat at the hands of Eden Prairie.

Senior forward and Colorado College commit Jackson Jutting is the bandleader for the Lakers with six goals and 17 points. The penalty kill has been a weak point for the Lakers through eight games, allowing six goals on 25 chances for a penalty-killing percentage of an even 76%. 

Team: St. Thomas Academy
Record: 5-2-1
Section: 3AA
YHH Ranking: No. 5-AA
Games: Thursday vs. Stillwater, Friday vs. Edina and Saturday vs. Prior Lake
Players to Watch: Rob Christy (Colorado College), Luke Herzog, Brendan McFadden, Ryan O'Neill and Will Schimek
Buy the Cadets When: They move the puck and get secondary scoring.
Sell the Cadets When: Seem to falter when they get behind.

At a Glance: The Cadets had their six-game unbeaten streak halted by a 6-2 shellacking by Hill-Murray, marking the first loss for the team since the season-opening defeat at the hands of Minnetonka. The Cadets have yet to feature a double-digit scorer, but Colorado College commit Rob Christy is close with four goals and nine points.

The next leading scorer is Luke Herzog with two goals and eight points, followed by four players with six total points. Goaltender Muzzy Donohue has played in every game but one for the Cadets, stopping 192 of 209 shots. 

Team: Stillwater
Record: 6-0
Section: 4AA
YHH Ranking: No. 15-AA
Games: Thursday vs. St. Thomas Academy, Friday vs. Lakeville North and Saturday vs. Moorhead
Players to Watch: Jesse Brown, Adam Eisele, Noah Tussey (Minnesota) and Ryan Roeske
Buy the Ponies When: Their opponent spends too much time in the penalty box.
Sell the Ponies When: The question could be phrased as "sell the Ponies until," as in "until they face tougher competition." The combined record of the Ponies' first six victims is 18-31. They have not faced a team at or above the .500 mark.

At a Glance: The numbers alone are highly impressive for the Ponies, who have allowed just three goals over the first six games of the season. Goaltender Jesse Brown has been in the net for four of those games, stopping 60 of 62 shots and earning three shutouts along the way. 

Offensively, Adam Eisele leads the team in scoring with six goals and 14 points, followed by Minnesota commit Noah Tussey with six goals and 11 total points. Rounding out the double-digit scorers is Evan Murr with two goals and 10 points. The Ponies have converted on 10 of 23 power-play chances, and have killed off 38 of 40 penalties.