North Region 

The North Region features some solid teams, paced by No. 1 seeds in Grand Rapids (District 15), Duluth East (District 11), Moorhead (District 15)), and Roseau (District 10). According to the formula of the YHH NOW Rankings, Roseau is the highest-rated team of the bunch with a record of 38-7-2. The Rams had their 12-game winning streak snapped in a loss to the Winnipeg East Side Marauders on Feb. 24. In the YHH Staff Rankings, the Rams finished the regular season at No. 7. Duluth East and Hermantown sit at No. 11 and No. 12 in the NOW Rankings respectively, while the Hawks finished at No. 5 in the PWAA Staff Rankings. The defending state runners-up have not lost since Jan. 19, winning 11 consecutive contests since then. Seven of the Hawks’ 14 losses have been by a single goal this season. Duluth East bounced back after a rough stretch in late January and early February in which the Greyhounds went 0-3-2 with a 5-0-1 run into the District 11 tournament. The final No. 1 seed, Moorhead, pulls into the region playoffs with a record of 25-9-1 and has yet to face quarterfinal opponent Cloquet this season. 

Players to Watch 

Thomas Gunderson, Duluth East 
Noah Teng, Duluth East 
Will Esterbrooks, Hermantown 
Max Plante, Hermantown 
Gavin Jensen, Roseau 
Noah Urness, Roseau 
Connor Woidtke, Moorhead 
Parker Gast, Moorhead 

South Region 

Featuring three teams ranked in the final regular-season top-10, the South Region offers a bevy of talented groups. The top side of the bunch is defending-state champion Woodbury, ranked No. 2 in the final Staff Rankings and riding a 21-game unbeaten streak buoyed by one of the top defensive units in the state. The Predators have not lost since Dec. 11 defeat at the hands of No. 1 Chaska-Chanhassen. Wayzata is ranked No. 9 entering the region playoffs, having tied Chaska-Chanhassen in late January and winning 30 games during the regular season. Eden Prairie clocks in at No. 10, with eight of the team’s 12 losses coming by two goals or less over the course of the season. 

Players to Watch 

Lucas Mann, Woodbury 
Ben Miller, Woodbury
Rhys Wallin, Wayzata
Luke Miller, Wayzata 
Marcus Fechko, Eden Prairie 
Cole Saterdalen, Eden Prairie 

East Region 

No. 1 team in the state for virtually the entire season, Chaska-Chanhassen enters the East Region as the favorite. The Stormhawks won the Big Pumpkin tournament title in October and haven’t slowed down since, piling up a record of 44-4-3. The Stormhawks have outscored opponents 353-83 in 51 games. Stillwater concluded the season ranked No. 8 in the Staff Rankings and carry a record of 35-10-5 into the playoffs. All 10 of the Ponies’ losses have come against teams ranked in the top-10, including three losses to Chaska-Chanhassen. Centennial has also won 30 games this season, closing out the season going 3-3 in its last six games. In 54 games, the Cougars have only gone to overtime twice. 

Players to Watch 

Javon Moore, Chaska-Chanhassen 
Sam Scheetz, Chaska-Chanhassen 
Simon Seidl, Stillwater 
Colin Vilme, Stillwater 
Kellen Krumwiede, Centennial 
Harper Searles, Centennial 

West Region 

Three top-10 teams populate the West Region, with Osseo-Maple Grove, Minnetonka, and Edina all vying for two spots out of the region. After suffering back-to-back losses to Minnetonka and Chaska-Chanhassen, the Leafbirds have won seven straight games, posting three shutouts in the process. One of those shutouts came against Edina, a team that defeated the Leafbirds have lost to twice over the course of the season while playing the Hornets five times. Minnetonka has won four of its past five games entering the region tournament and has outscored opponents 199-133 in 45 games. Edina finished the season ranked No. 4 in the state, winning 30 games and losing just six times since starting the season 2-7. The Hornets earned the PWAA title at the highly-competitive Spirit of Duluth tournament. 

Players to Watch 

Danny Nelson, Osseo-Maple Grove 
Luke Giuliani, Osseo-Maple Grove 
Drew Stewart, Minnetonka 
Bryce Wiitala, Minnetonka 
John Halverson, Edina
Eddie Revenig, Edina 

As seen on 10:00 with Tony Scott, Tony and Peter pick all teams they think will be headed to state in two weeks.

North Region 

Roseau and Moorhead enter the North Region as two favorites to advance to the state tournament, with the Rams scoring a win over the Spuds on Feb. 9. The Rams have been preparing for a postseason run with a robust late-season schedule, including three games against the Grand Forks Aviators and a quality Fargo team. Like most teams in the Moorhead system, the Spuds are always a threat in the postseason. Having played regional opponents over the past couple of weeks, the Spuds have an idea of what they will face this weekend. Grand Rapids is another team to keep an eye on this weekend with a record of 32-15-6 and 238 goals scored. 

Players to Watch

Max Strand, Roseau 
Thor Byfuglien, Roseau
Hayden Demars, Grand Rapids
Aaron Reierson, Moorhead
Joe Gramer, Moorhead 

South Region 

Ranked No. 2 in the NOW Rankings and the Staff Rankings, Battle for the Blue Ox champions Prior Lake carries a 42-7-6 record into the region playoffs. The Lakers have depth from top to bottom, which could explain a 3-1 record in games that extend into overtime or a shootout. Osseo-Maple Grove has been one of the top defensive teams in the state this season, allowing 86 goals in 50 games. After scoring a win over region opponent Prior Lake on Feb. 10, the Leafbirds lost three out of their next four games, including a 2-0 defeat at the hands of region foe Stillwater. After experiencing expected growing pains early in the season, there might not be a hotter team in the state than Stillwater. The Ponies are 12-2 in their last 14 games, with both losses coming against quality teams in Wayzata and Lakeville South. 

Players to Watch 

Trevor Boschee, Prior Lake
Will Schumacher, Prior Lake
Wyatt Olson, Osseo-Maple Grove 
Chayton Fischer, Osseo-Maple Grove 
Daniel Roeske, Stillwater
Sawyer Seidl, Stillwater 

East Region 

Edina ranked No. 1 in both NOW Rankings and Staff Rankings should be the favorite in a loaded East Region. The Hornets are 7-0-3 in their last is 10 games, and one of their four losses came against Shattuck-St. Mary’s, a team ranked No. 4 in the country by MyHockeyRankings. No. 6 Lakeville South has suffered nine losses this season, with seven of those defeats being by two goals or less. No strangers to close games, the Cougars have earned eight ties this season in 41 games. After losing three straight games in late a month ago, St. Paul rattled off six wins in seven games, including a win over possible region opponent Elk River. Eight of St. Paul’s 13 losses have been two goals or less. 

Players to Watch 

Alex Orthey, Edina 
Jimmy Clark, Edina 
John Novak, Lakeville South 
Tanner Ludtke, Lakeville South 
Jake Sondreal, St. Paul 
Drew Fisher, St. Paul 

West Region 

No. 3 Wayzata is one of the most battle-tested teams in the state, having played 62 games this season. Eight of the Trojans’ 11 losses have been by two goals or less, and the team has not lost in three weeks since a 4-3 defeat against No. 1 Edina. The last two wins for Wayzata came against No. 4 Osseo-Maple Grove. Chaska-Chanhassen finished the regular season ranked No. 9 in the YHH Staff Rankings, powered by a group capable of hanging a crooked number on the scoreboard quickly. The Stormhawks racked up 184 goals during the regular season. Eden Prairie has outscored opponents by a nearly two-to-one margin this season and has topped double-digit goals three times in 57 games. 

Players to Watch 

Andrew Streeter, Wayzata 
Cashen Naeve, Wayzata 
Max Burkholder, Chaska-Chanhassen 
Jimmy Snuggerud, Chaska-Chanhassen 
Jackson Blake, Eden Prairie 
Grant Daylor, Eden Prairie 

As seen on 10:00 with Tony Scott, Tony and Peter pick all teams they think will be headed to state in two weeks.

As seen on 10:00 with Tony Scott, Tony and Peter pick all teams they think will be headed to state in two weeks.