For fans hoping to see another team at the top of any Class 1A preseason list, disappoint meant is in your future. 

Although reigning champion Hermantown saw the graduation of Ryan Sandelin, Dylan Samberg, Jesse Jaques, Matt Valure, Cade McEwen and several other players from a vaunted senior class, the Hawks still have some magic left in the wand. 

St. Cloud Cathedral will a face significant challenge in Section 6A from Alexandria, and the Crusaders may be a year away from dethroning Hermantown. But what the Crusaders may lack in experience they make up for with a lineup that oozes talent, paced by the sophomore tandem of Nate Warner and Mack Motzko and complemented by an exceptional crop of freshmen. 

Alexandria comes in at No. 2 on the list, boasting a lineup that rook St. Cloud Cathedral to the brink in the Section 6A finals last season, and may have the edge over the Crusaders due to the veteran presences on both offense and defense. 

So buckle up and hunker down, because as we saw last season throughout the best Class 1A State Tournament in recent memory, anything can happen.  

1. Hermantown 

2016-2017 Record: 29-1-1

Granted, the Hawks lost the bulk of its scoring with the graduation of the aforementioned quartet of Sandelin, Samberg, Jacques, and Valure. But the Hawks return far more talent to the lineup than casual fans may believe. 

Senior forward Tyler Watkins (22-28-50) is a bulldog on offense and should be a finalist for the Mr. Hockey Award. Watkins has already posted two impressive seasons as a member of the Hawks’ varsity and three stints with Team North of the Upper Midwest High School Elite League. Joining Watkins on the offensive side of the puck will be sophomore forward and Minnesota-Duluth commit Blake Biondi. 

The defense retains a pair of rocks in juniors Darian Gotz (3-17-20) and Elliott Peterson (3-15-18), who will guard largely untested senior goaltender Austin Hess. 

2. Alexandria 

2016-2017 Record: 17-8-3

A 3-2 loss to St. Cloud Cathedral in last year’s Section 6A finals should still resonate with the bulk of the returning Cardinals. 

On the plus side, the group is one year older, one-year wiser, and will line up against a Cathedral team that features 18 underclassmen. 

Junior forwards Ben Doherty (20-44-64) and Jack Westlund (24-16-40) have proven they can give defenses fits with their tenacity and speed, while the defense returns three varsity regulars on the backend. The goaltending trio of senior Jackson Boline, junior Bailey Rosch, and sophomore Aaron Randazzo could all split work as they did last season, with Boline earning the bulk of the ice time in 2016-2017 while posting a 6-2-1 record and three shutouts.

The Cardinals earned a tie last season with eventual Class 2A runner-up Moorhead. 

3. St. Cloud Cathedral 

2016-2017 Record: 22-7-2

The youth movement is in full swing for the Crusaders, a team that returns its two leading scorers as sophomores and has 18 underclassmen on its roster. 

St. Cloud State commit Nate Warner (21-27-48) and Mack Motzko (11-22-33) are back, and should ease the pain of losing the highly-productive duo of Jake VanHalbeck and Michael Spethmann. Junior goaltender Noah Amundson posted a pair of shutouts in limited action last season, and the defense returns senior Jeron Hirschfeld (8-16-24) and sophomore Reid Bogenholm (2-10-12). 

Toss in former bantam standouts Jon Bell, Jack Smith, Blake Perbix and a host of others, and you have a recipe for a deep team that could be fun to watch.

4. Mahtomedi 

2016-2017 Record: 16-13-1

Despite losing leading scorer Luke Posner to graduation, the Zephyrs return eight players who totaled 10 or more points last season, plus last year’s starting goaltender in junior Bailey Huber. Huber went 12-5-1 with a save percentage of .914 last season to go along with four shutouts. 

The same offense that pulled off wins over Class 2A state tournament participant St. Thomas Academy and Class 1A third-place finisher St. Cloud Cathedral brings back senior forward Charlie Bartholomew (7-15-22) and sophomore Colin Hagstrom (7-11-18), along with senior presence Sam Ayd on the blue line. 

Four of the Zephyrs’ losses last season came against teams that participated in either Class 2A or Class 1A state tournament. 

5. Orono 

2016-2017 Record: 16-10-0

Like Minnetonka in Class 2A, the Spartans are in the process of infusing a large number of talented players into the high school program after winning two Bantam A state titles in 2015 and 2016 before finishing as runner-up in 2017. 

Setting the example for the younger players will be head contributors like 6-foot-2 senior forward Jack Suchy (19-21-40) and fellow senior forward Davey Burns (20-15-35). Yet another senior forward helps round out the offense in 6-foot-2 Thomas Walker (8-19-27). Senior goaltender Evan Babekuhl should take over the primary duties between the pipes with the graduation of Robbie Leslie.

Babekuhl went 9-4-0 last season with four shutouts while splitting time with Leslie. Of the Spartans’ 10 total losses last season, eight of them were by three goals or less, an indication that with another year of seasoning the Spartans could turn those close decisions into victories.