Minnesota Wild are back!!

Hi Readers, so I took a little vacation from the blog since the Olympics were going on and I got caught up with that. The NHL starts back up tonight and look for the Minnesota Wild to play Colorado tonight.

The NHL trade deadline is coming up fast and it looks like the Wild are looking to trade. Players in the mix to be traded:

Manny G
Dwayne Roloson G
Willie Mitchell D
Flippe Kuba D
and other players that are free agents next year

The Wild need to keep on rolling they have three players that won medals in the olympics and most of them won't be playing tonight. Players include Flippe Kuba bronze medal, Mikko Koivo silver medal, and Daniel Tarnquist gold medal. The Wild need to make a trade for another forward who can score goals and is younger who can sign a long term contract.

Teams that are in the mix the Ottawa Senators, Tampa Bay Lighting and every team in our division. Good luck Wild you need to win to be in the playoffs.

Other Minnesota Sports Notes:

The Minnesota Timberwolves play the Chicago Bulls tonight. Look for the Timberwolves to keep on falling backwards. Adam Morrison a scoring senior is looking like a great choice for the Timberwolves in the offseason. Kevin Garnett will play tonight following his weak ejection from the Memphis game where he threw a ball in the stands and hit a fan in the face.

Free agency in the NFL should start Friday look for the Minnesota Vikings to make a big splash in free agency. The NFL is waiting for a collective bargaining agreement with the NFLPA.

The Minnesota Twins play there first spring training game on Sunday againest the Boston Red Sox. After a few games players will report to the WBC and that includes some of our big name pitchers, and Luis Castillo and Justin Morneau.

The Minnesota State Hockey tournament starts pretty soon and look for me to show results. Class A bracket results:
http://brackets.ahaphantoms.com/class_a.htm

Slow times in Minnesota Sports

Good Morning Readers, well you probably notice that I haven't written in a week and I can sadly say it has been a very slow week in Minnesota sports.

The Minnesota Twins started training camp the other day with pitchers and catchers reporting to camp. The Twins are looking to make a run at the Central Division with new batters and a more mainstream infield. Fox Sports Net has agreed to broadcast some spring training games so look at your local listing for those games. It's going to be a very intresting training camp with players in the World Baseball Classic. Look for some of our top pitching players to play key roles in there selected countries.

The Minnesota Vikings are getting closer to trading or giving Daunte his bonus. Look for the Vikings to explore there options and either take a good trade or keep Culpepper for the next eight years. Teams getting involved include Baltimore, Jets, Miami and Arizona. I like the chances of Culpepper staying for a year and then being traded when we can get players in return.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are falling fast and it looks like the team will be looking at a lottery pick this summer. The Timberwolves lost to the Washington Wizards last night in a sad loss. Look for Kevin Mchale to hold steady and work in the offseason to improve this pathetic team.

The Minnesota Wild on the other hand are going up and looking for players. A little birdie says that the Ottawa Senators might be looking for goalie help and we could get a forward in return for either one of our goalies. Tampa Bay on the other hand is also looking for goalie help and they might want to barder on of there top flight scorers.

Please leave comments, coming up more draft speculation and highschool hockey.

Daunte Culpepper trade speculation

Good Morning Readers, it has been a slow week in Minnesota Sports. Daunte Culpepper has been reported seeking twice his bonus for the March 6 deadline. With that arrogence the Vikings have reported seeking a second round pick and maybe another player for Daunte Culpepper.

So what do I think about the whole situation, I think if he is going to be a baby about the money and the injury situation then trade his butt out of here and good ridence. But if he is trying to work with us and wants to be part of this team in the future then I say lets keep him and see what he brings to this team.

Baltimore has become a front runner for Daunte and they are willing to give us Jamel Lewis and a second round draft pick for him. I say trade him for considerations I mean Lewis was a 1500 yard runner two years ago and that second round pick could be used to pick up some linemen. I think it also depends on the draft pick position to trade Culpepper I think we need a draft pick before our second round draft pick. Teams that are interested Baltimore, Miami, Oakland and the New York Jets.

Another trade idea included the St. Louis Rams who have Scott Linehan a supporter of Daunte Culpepper. They have a pretty high second round draft pick and a guy named Adam Archuleta a Strong Safety that would bring pop to this team. I could see a guy like Ricky Williams being traded for Daunte Culpepper and a second round draft pick. I think whatever happens this is an interesting year for the Minnesota Vikings.

Other Minnesota Sports Notes:

The Minnesota Timberwolves won last night againest the Seattle Supersonics. The Timberwolves have fallen off the radar and are now in the newspaper everyday for trade speculation. The newest speculation is that Stephen Marbury wants to be traded and Minnesota might be a team that might want him. Make sure you watch K.G. in the allstar game on Sunday.

Are you ready for some Baseball? Because pitchers and catchers are in training camp and the baseball season is ready to start. Minnesota Twins lost arbitration to the Kyle Loshe for 3.95 million.

Minnesota Twins offseason almost over

Good Morning Readers, We got an ice storm in the middle of the night making Valentine's day 2006 a slippery one in the Twin Cities. Well with the Minnesota Wild and the NHL off for two weeks and the falling of the Minnesota Timberwolves lets look at the upcoming season of the Minnesota Twins.

The Minnesota Twins enter the season underdogs a position the Twins haven't been in for 3 years. The Twins have the weapons to be a deadly team in the 2006 season. The Twins return the number 2 pitching staff in MLB with the exception of Joe Mays who only won a few games and had stamina and control problems at the end of the 2005 season. With Joe Mays gone look for young Scott Baker to take his spot in the rotation. Scott Baker is a younger version of Brad Radke in my mind with soild control and a decent fastball. The other youngster that could make a play for the fifth position is Fransico Lirano who is a top 10 prospect with a 100 mph fastball and Johan Santana changeup. Look for both Baker and Lirano to fight for that last spot in the Twins mighty rotation.

The Twins batting order on the other hand was at the bottom of the MLB list in the 2006 season. Our infielder was awful with gaps at both second and third base. Terry Ryan Twins GM knew this team needed players to fill those holes. He picked up Luis Castillo a .300 hitter with one of MLB best on base percentage and he has a few gold gloves to go with that batting average. The Twins needed a leader on the field and in the club house and Luis Castillo can be that guy. At thirdbase Terry Ryan went to Japan to pickup Tony Batista a homerun power third baseman who can drive in runs. He doesn't have the batting average numbers or the gold gloves but has the power that can score runs for Twins pitchers to get wins. With Castillo and Batista in the infielder look for Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer have bigger years with experienced players helping them out. The only member of the infielder that is a question mark is Jason Barlett a high power hitter who had fielder problems last year and somehow got on Gardy's dark list. But he rebounded in Rochester and I think this is the year he rebounds.

In the Outfielder we lost free-swinger Jacque Jones to the Cubs. He has always been a favorite of mine and will be replaced with either Michael Cuddyer, Lew Ford, and Jason Kubel to mind right field. I think what is going to happen is Michael Cuddyer is going to get the position with Lew Ford taking a utilty oufielder role to spell Hunter, Stewart, and Cuddyer on off days. Jason Kubel needs a good showing in training camp to make this team and I think he is going to start off in Rochester. Another spot Terry Ryan needed to improve is the teams designated hitter and he picked up a power hitting right-handed Rondell White who has put up big numbers until he usually gets hurt. The logic behind this is White usually gets hurt in the outfielder and with White not needed in the outfield he will make a great DH in my mind.

On the Bench we will have the best bench player of the 2005 season Mike Redmond as backup catcher. Nick Punto and Juan Castro as infielder utility help, and my thinking is maybe only one is going to make the team. Lew Ford is going to be our utility outfielder option, with Ruben Sierra, Jason Pridle, Luis Rodriguez, or Glenn Williams in the last spot. The Bullpen is going to very interesting Joe Nathan is the closer, with Juan Rincon and Jesse Crain setup men. I can see Matt Guerrier as a long type of reliever and then J.D Durbin, Willie Erye, and Boof Bonser in the other long reliever role. The other spot is for a left handed reliever and it's going to be a fight between Dave Gassner, Darrell May, Gabe White, and Dennys Reyes.

Please leave comments.

Minnesota Wild win 2.5 and out of 4

Happy Monday morning readers, it has been an intresting weekend of NHL hockey. Last week I told you that the Wild needed to win 3 out of 4 this week to make ground in the Western Conference. The Wild got 2.5 out of the 4 and it is ok, but they really needed to win againest Colorado.

So where do the Wild go now. Well they take a two week break for the olympics, then they have a murders row schedule of Western Conference teams. They need to come out flying after the olympic break and I think the first five games when they come back is key to making the playoffs.

The other thing the Wild need to do is trade a player for a scoring forward. When you have a line of Boogaard, Henry, and Burns you need a scoring forward. Roloson can go and we could trade a defensemen for a forward. If a team wants a Kuba, Mitchell, Schultz, or Zyuzin they should trade one of them for a good scoring forward. Players that are on the market include Martin St. Louis, Brad Richards, and Mark Parrish. Other players could be in the mix as teams fall off the playoff radar.

Other Minnesota Sports News:

The Minnesota Timberwolves are kissing the playoffs goodbye and I say WooHoo. By not making the playoffs this year the Timberwolves keep there draft pick and could add another young player. The team needs to trade Marko Jaric or Troy Hudson for draft picks or just money. They aren't needed on this team anymore with Marcus Banks the future point guard of this team. Marko needs to go and I think Kevin McHale should take a draft pick for him and maybe some considerations.

The Minnesota Vikings had two players in the Probowl last night which included Darren Sharper who had an interception to help the NFC team win over a stacked AFC squad. Koren Robinson was the other member and he didn't do as much, but was just glad to make the team.

The Minnesota Twins found out this weekend that Joe Mauer isn't going to play with the US, in the World Baseball Classic team because he wanted to get used to more pitchers. And I say good for you Joe Mauer, you want to help out and thanks for this judgement call.

More Vikings talk and Timberwolves talk later this week.

Vikings Mock Draft 2.0

Good Morning readers, here is the part 2 of the Vikings mock draft, I am working on a full 32 round 1 and 2.

1. First Round #17

• Chad Greenway Iowa LB: Not a true MLB but has the senses to play on all linebacker positions. Plays hard great tackler, great speed, and has a real sense for the game. Could be taken between 1st to 15th draft picks.
• Jay Cutler Vanderbilt QB: Has a very strong arm...Good size. Pretty good athlete who can move a little. Will take unnecessary risks and make some bad decisions. Gunslinging mentality can morph into recklessness. Could be taken between 5th and 25th draft picks.
• Winston Justice, OT USC: The Vikings could look to free agency to fill their needs on the offensive line, but if they don’t, they could address the position early in the draft..
• DeAngelo Williams Memphis RB: A natural and instinctive runner. Shows tremendous patience. Is built extremely well and is very strong for his size with a compact frame. Runs low to the ground and rarely lets defenders get a solid shot at him. May have some durability questions after suffering injuries the past two seasons. Could be taken between 5th and 25th draft picks.
• Laurence Maroney Minnesota RB: A big play threat who can take it the distance from any point on the field. Has been extremely productive at the college level. Patient runner with excellent vision and instincts. Doesn't have the size you would like to see in a feature back. Hands are questionable at best and he was not used much as a receiver in college. Could be taken between 10th and 45th draft picks.
• Ernie Sims FSU LB: Also not a true MLB but has great speed, and is a great tackler, he does have some off the field issues. Could be taken between 15th and 45th.
  
• LenDale White, RB USC Bennett came on strong toward the end of the ‘05 season, but he may not be back with the team in ‘06.
  
• Eric Winston, Miami (FL) The Vikings need a lot of help on the offensive line, and Winston could step in and play immediately. He possesses great size and intelligence, and can play either on the left or right side.

2. Second Round #49

• D'Qwell Jackson Maryland LB: A true MLB with speed and good size. Typical Maryland linebacker came from the same system as E.J. Henderson. Could be taken between the 20th and early second round.
• Adul Hodge Iowa LB: This guy is a monster he can play the run and pass. He is a machine smart and can smell out a play. He runs very well, but can be stopped if doesn't play with big linemen. Could be taken between the 10th and 45th picks.
• Brodie Croyle Alabama QB: Croyle enters his senior year at Alabama coming off season-ending knee surgery a year ago. Despite an injury that plagued him in 2003, Croyle set the single-season record for pass attempts (341), was second in completions (182), 2nd in passing yards (2,303) and tied for the single-season passing touchdown mark (16).
• Bernard Pollard Purdue S: A big time big ten safety was a cornerstone for that Purdue defense. Good size and speed and looks like a monster in the back field. Could be taken between 25th and 50th draft picks.
• Taitusi Lutui USC OG: The offensive line was a big problem area and this guy could be the next David Dixon for them.
• Joseph Addai L.S.U. RB
• Jonathan Scott Texas OT
  

3. Third Round and Fourth Round #81and #113

• Jason Allen Tennessee S: His size and speed makes him an intriguing prospect at corner, but he might be more suited for safety.
• Wesley Smith Memphis S: Smith was one of the top stars of last spring and kept it going with a huge season making 98 tackles and picking off three passes. At 6-3, he's a big, fast and dependable defender who should receive some All-Conference USA votes.
• Cody Hodges Texas Tech QB: He has a big arm and a good command of the offense, but he has to prove he can be consistent to hold down the starting job. He's one of the most mobile finishing third on the team with 31 rushing yards on his two carries.
• Mark Setterstrom Minnesota OG: Big time guard for Minnesota has good speed and size needs to work on hand work and had some ankle problems.
• Max Jean-Gilles Georgia OG: A very experienced blocker, Max Jean-Gilles has blocked against the top defenses of the SEC his entire career. Jean-Gilles doesn’t have the best mobility because of his large stature. He needs to react quicker to the play and hold his blocks longer.
• Davin Joseph Oklahoma OG: A very experienced blocker. He needs to react quicker to the play and hold his blocks longer.
• Brett Basanez QB Northwestern: Every game now, he breaks several NU Career Passing records as he starts his 4th season at QB. Presently holds NU's total passing, and total offense yardage records and is closing in on the most wins by a starting quarterback - with 17, he's 2 short of a tie.
• Dondrial Pinkins South Carolina QB: Pinkins is a rock of a passer who's hard to bring down and has a big arm with excellentmobility. What he isn't is accurate only completing 50.3% of his throws with ten touchdown passes and nine interceptions
• Daryn Colledge OT Boise State: The interior of the offensive line needs to be upgraded and this guy can play some guard.

More Draft specualtion coming up hopefully you enjoy my take. Waiting for the combine. Please leave comments.

Wild Win with Power Play goals

Good Morning Readers, Well the Minnesota Wild looked good last night againest the Kings. They had 5 powerplay goals and looked very potent with there offense attack. I like the line of Gaborik, Rolston, and White as the center and I believe that should the top line. I have been watching the Wild all season long and I believe these should be the lines for the Wild.

1 line: Gaborik, White, Rolston
2 line: Robatille, Walz, Daigle
3 line: Dupuis, Chouinard, Bouchard
4 line: Veilleux, Koivu, Burns

Mixing in: Wanzig, and Boogaard when we need to bring the hurt.

I think these are the best lines the Wild have and they need to play to make a playoff run. Lately the Wild have been scratching Daigle and Wanzig. I like the win last night but they really need to win 3 out of 4 games to make some ground in the Northwest Division. The Wild play Colorado on Thursday and really need to keep winning because they have Edmonton and Vancouver before the Olympic break.

Other Minnesota Sports News:

The Minnesota Timberwolves play the Cleveland Cav's tonight and Lebron James is in town. The Timberwolves need to start winning or start losing. Because they can't be in the middle or that first round draft pick is going to be a nice pickup for the L.A. Clippers. So look for the Timberwolves to come out rolling tonight and pick a win on the Cleveland Cav's.

Tommorrow some more NFL draft speculation.

Timberwolves need to trade Marko Jaric

Good Morning Readers, I like to say Kevin Garnett you can still block the ball. I watched the whole Timberwolves game last night, and Marcus Banks, Ricky Davis, Mark Blount, and Justin Reed I like the way you play. The new team looks good and I like the new style of play with speed play and lots of open looks.

So my dream lineup for this team looks like this if players progress:

C Mark Blount and Eddie Griffin split time
PF Kevin Garnett
SF Ricky Davis
SG Rashad McCants
PG Marcus Banks

Bench Players:

PF Mark Madsen
SF Justin Reed
SG Trenton Hassell
PG Troy Hudson

So we need to trade Marco Jaric to another team for a draft pick. Why a draft pick I think we have all the key spots filled and we need to develop some players for the future. Marko Jaric is young and can still play and has a lot of pop left in his step, but our roster is full and needs playing time for these younger players.

Other Minnesota Sports Notes:

The Minnesota Wild play the Kings tonight at the Excel energy center like I said before they are on a key week of making a playoff run. The Wild need to win the game tonight and win at least 3 out 4 games to make a good playoff run. I say good luck Wild and make these 4 games count because you have 2 and half weeks of olympics to think about wins and losses.

The Minnesota Twins have only one more year left in there lease with the Metrodome. So please if your a Minnesota Twins fan or a baseball fan please contact your local official and tell them you want the Twins to stay. Does everybody remember what this state was without Hockey, it will be the same way with baseball gone. The Twins want a new stadium and it is not the worst request in the world the Dome is not meant for baseball. This might be the last year of baseball so enjoy the season and take your family to games it is cheap and fun to watch.

Minnesota Vikings offseason moves start soon

Good Morning Readers, It was a wild Minnesota Sports filled weekend. A lot of us watched the Super Bowl which was pretty boring this year and it didn't have dramatic effects like the past years. With the Super Bowl over the Vikings are now back on an even playing field and looking for players like the other 32 teams in the NFL.

So what happens first well the Pro Bowl is next weekend in Hawaii, players start there offseason plans. After the Pro Bowl the scouts start taking a better look at the college ranks and the combine happens in Indianapolis. Look for the Vikings to take a good look at all players because there is no big empty hole the team needs to fill. The big draft happens in April and the team before that will look to resign players and sign free agents.

With the new cover 2 defense in place the key for the defense is to get linemen that can put up a strong 4 man rush. Linebackers that are fast and can cover the pass as much as they can stop the run. And Safeties that can cover large amounts of the field.

Defense Subtractions:

Corey Chavous SS
Brian Williams or Fred Smoot CB
Keith Newman or Napolene Harris OLB
Dontarrias Thomas or Ranoll Smith or Ron Davis LB

The offense on the other hand is changing to a west coast offense and this means more a short style passing attack with a FB in the backfield and a more dynamic running attack.

Offense Subtractions:

Michael Bennett RB
One or Two of our TE's not Wiggins or Kleinsassar
J.T. O'Sullivan QB
An offense lineman

Look for the Vikings to sign some free agents in the offseason. I think the most important key is to get a good coverage linebacker for defense. I know there has been alot of talk in the offseason to trade Daunte, if they do indeed trade Daunte trade him for a good coverage linebacker and a draft pick. And if any other personal are reading this blog trade Fred Smoot and keep Brian Williams because Smoot only will get in trouble in a cover 2 defense, because he can't tackle.

Other Minnesota Sports News:

The Minnesota Wild rolled over the Coyotes on Saturday night there 6 points back of the last playoff spot. They have four games until the olympic break with four teams that are above them in the standings. The LA Kings, Colorado Av's, Edmonton Oilers, and Canucks. They need to win three out of four to be in good shape and really need wins againest the Av's and the Oilers the lower seeds in the standings.

At the Target Center the Timberwolves are falling off the map and this could be good news. The Timberwolves keep there 2006 draft pick if there lottery eligible which the first 15 teams are and if the Timberwolves keep losing they will keep that pick and keep rebuilding this team. They lost both games this weekend againest Portland and Golden State. They play the Suns tonight and look for them to keep losing, but there is a long season to go.

Wild Win a close one in San Jose

Hi Friday readers, it is a ice filled slippery slope in the Twin Cities this morning. The Minnesota Wild won in a shoot-out againest the San Jose Sharks last night a game I turned off and went to bed because I thought they wouldn't win.

The Wild were tied 1-1 going into the third period and a early goal by Joe Thorton I thought was the end of the Wild, but they came back with a goal from Marian Gaborik in the third to tie the game 2-2. After an big overtime period the Wild went to a shoot-out and Brian Rolston put in the winning goal. The Wild did look better in this game than the Colorado game a few nights ago.

The Minnesota play the Coyotes on Saturday and look for the Wild to try to sneak off a win before they come back home and play the Los Angelos Kings. If the Wild can keep winning they might have enough steam to make it to the playoffs. Brian Rolston looks like he is having an career year, and look for the Wild to keep winning.

More Sports News:

The Minnesota Timberwolves play the Portland Trailblazers tonight I think we will win this game in good fashion. Look for Kevin Garnett and Ricky Davis to have big nights and maybe a bench player. Minnesota plays the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night this is going to be a tough matchup for the Timberwolves. Look for the Timberwolves to win one of two this weekend.

Brett Hull is getting his number 29 Jersey retired at my old stomping grounds the University of Minnesota Duluth DECC tonight. He was a kid that nobody wanted and UMD took in with open arms. Nobody wanted him because he was the son of Bobby Hull and was diagonsed a trouble maker. He currently has a house in the Duluth and Dallas area and still skates in Duluth once and awhile, but his favorite hobby is golf.

Have a good weekend everybody and GO SEAHAWKS!!

Marcus Banks are you our Savior?

Hi Readers, well I watched some of the Timberwolves game last night, and when you play the Detroit Pistons you are only looking not to get embarassed. So today I am going to talk about our new point guard Marcus Banks.

If you never watched Marcus Banks the first thing you would notice is he is very fast off the dribble. He went to UNLV and was a lottery pick for the Boston Celtics. He is a great defender and likes to defend and kept Chancey Billups to nine points last night. This is what a scout said about Marcus Banks "Very aggressive... Excellent defender on the ball... A steal waiting to happen... Good quickness... Decent spot shooter... Shot off the dribble needs work... Not the best playmaker in the world... Does not always make the good decisions... Turnover prone".

So is he the savior to the Timberwolves he might be but don't hold your breathe. He has the speed and the defending skills to become a big time point guard in the NBA. He has some shooting skills but he needs to have a better shoot selection. Our team needs a sparkplug and Marcus Banks might be the energy we need to make a little run at the NBA playoffs. Only time will tell with this kid and out of all the options for point guard isn't he the best option.

Other Notes:

The Minnesota Wild play the San Jose Sharks tonight at 9:00 so be ready for a late one. The Wild despartely need a win and with Jacque Lemaire having three players hurt, and his team in a downward spiral. Look for the Wild to have a new captain tonight and maybe a little momentum swing.

The Minnesota Vikings former head coach Mike Tice is now the Assistant Head Coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, rumor has it that good old Mike Tice had some contact with some of the Vikings free agents before he could have contact with them. Look for Mike Tice to get another big fine.

Please leave comments.

Section AA Minnesota Highschool Hockey

Earlier this year I wrote an article on section double A hockey we are almost to the finals and I need to look at the choices I made and- re-discover my thoughts.

1AA: A very competitive division with most of the teams losing lots of there talent. Rochester Century is the narrow favorite with Marshall and Rochester Mayo coming from behind. This section is going to be a dog fight and sadly the winner is not going to make it to the second round of the State Tournment.

New Outlook: It is a dog fight between Rochester Century 9-10-1, Marshall 13-6-0, and Rochester Mayo 10-8-1. I going to stay with my prediction of Rochester Century to make it to state, but once there not making it out of the first round.

2AA: Tartan went to State last year and lost most of there talent in the off-season. Cretin-Derham Hall has a very soild team, but I like Hastings and Woodbury in this division they are returning the most talent and have come a long way in there programs. Watch out for St.Paul Johnson they have some talent and they have been to State before.

New Outlook: Well the overall dominate team of this division is Cretin-Durham Hall with a 17-3-1 record, there big competition is either Woodbury 13-6-2 or St. Paul Johnson with a 13-5-2 record. The under horse team is Hastings with a 10-8-2 record and was a pre-season favorite.

3AA: I was superised that White Bear Lake took a early exit last year in the tournment. This is a two team race between White Bear Lake and the power house of Hill Murray, this is going to be a very interesting section and I think the winner between these two teams will be in the State Tournment Finals. Also watch out for that dang Centennial.

New Outlook: Hill Murray on all accounts are heading back to state with an impressive 17-1-1 record. There only competition looks like White Bear Lake 11-7-2, and Centinnial 10-8-2. If Hill Murray wins there section look for them to take state.

4AA: Wayzata is the big team to beat in this section with Blaine and Osseo a close 2nd and 3rd. This is another division where they have lost many of there seniors to graduation. This is going to be a beating with Wayzata getting ready for a tournment birth.

New Outlook: This section is another weak section and it is between Wayzata 12-8-0, and Blaine 15-4-0. I think Blaine is going to take this section, but there not going to make it to far up the state brackets.

5AA: Holy Angels wants to repeat and has a very good chance too. They are returning many juniors and seniors and both of there goalies. Apple Valley has a chance to beat them but it is probably not going to happen. Rosemount is another big team in this section but I think Holy Angels is too big and strong to loss out.

New Outlook: Like I said before Holy Angels is a bigger stronger team and should win this section easy with a 15-1-2 record so far. The other teams with a chance Rosemount 11-7-1 and Eagan 11-7-1. I am looking for a Holy Angels vs. Hill Murray final at state.

6AA: Minnetonka looks like a pretty good team this year, but they will have to beat Bloomington Jefferson to get to State. I think Minnetonka has a very good chance returning most of there talent and goalies. But Bloomington Jefferson has the experience and the pristege of being to state many times. Watch out for Eden Prairie and Chaske in this section too.

New Outlook: This section is a three way dog fight between big dog Bloomington Jefferson 14-4-1, Minnetonka 11-8-0, and Eden Prairie 14-2-2. I think Bloomington Jefferson is going to win this section but Minnetonka could give them some problems.

7AA: Duluth East is the top range team and should return to state. Elk River now joins there section and could make a run at state. This division is going to be a two team race since Cloquet and Grand Rapids lost lots of talent . East has two soild lines and seems to find talent around the range.

New Outlook: This section is very competitive section with four teams with great records having a chance to win the section. Duluth East has a 14-5-1 record and has played some hard teams. Elk River switched sections and has a 13-4-2 record, Cloquet a team that I have downplayed has a 16-3-1 record and has looked strong in the division. And finally Grand Rapids has a 12-7-0 record and has a chance to make the section finals.

8AA: Moorhead lost alot of talent and will have to work really hard to make it back, they lost there starting goalie to another team and looks like they won't repeat. So enter Roseau who has been working hard to get back on top. They have lots of talent returning and should make it to state again. Buffalo switched sections and could have a chance to make it to state.

New Outlook: This is a two team race between Roseau 17-4-0 and just had a tough loss againest Warroad, and Moorhead who is 13-4-1 and has lost most of there big name players. I think Roseau will win this section but look for a dog fight againest Moorhead.

So my new picks for Minnesota Boys Hockey section AA:

1. Rochester Century
2. Cretin-Durham Hall
3. Hill Murray
4. Blaine
5. Holy Angels
6. Bloomington Jefferson
7. Duluth East
8. Roseau

Please leave comments.