Winter is fast approaching, and in the state of Minnesota, that means hockey. Minneapolis public schools once used to be regulars at the state hockey tournament with Roosevelt, Washburn, Minneapolis West, Minneapolis South, Edison, and Southwest making multiple appearances from the beginning of the tournament in 1945 capped off by a State Championship in 1970 by Southwest High School. That year was one of the last years before private schools and large suburban high schools began to dominate. From 1976 until the small and large school divisions were created in 1991 (A and AA) no Minneapolis public school finished higher than 5th place or consolation bracket winners. Roosevelt were small school division consolation champions in 1992 and Edison were in 1994. The next time a Minneapolis school appears in the records is in the spring of 2022 when the now combined Minneapolis team won the consolation bracket. In 2023 they just missed out on another tournament appearance with a close loss to Orono in the section finals. 

The team is counting on Hank Davis (‘24) from Washburn High School to come back this winter from playing with a AAA team in Iowa and play one last year with the team. The season kicks off at Parade Stadium on December 1 against Duluth Denfeld. 

John Bebler (‘24) shared his thoughts on the team’s chances this year: if they work hard, he believes they can compete to make the state tournament and beyond. 

Matthew Walsh (‘25) also shared his thoughts on the upcoming season saying he is “excited and optimistic.”

This year feels like the last hurrah to many with a senior heavy team, many of whom have been on varsity the past two years and have heavily contributed to recent success. This talented group of players have risen through the ranks of Minneapolis hockey together since a young age, and have chosen to stay in the system unlike many players who opt for nearby private schools or open-enrolling in neighboring suburbs with the hopes of more exposure.