Mid-Season Top Prospects: Unranked Metro Area Teams.

With the widespread use of technology in sports it has become easier to rank and follow high school hockey teams. Sometimes teams and players get left in the dust when they haven’t performed great in the beginning of their seasons. In this article, we will briefly touch on teams and players from the Metro Area who have fallen under the radar this season.

• Buffalo 5-14-0
  • #8: Tyler Braccini: Senior Forward. 16 Goals, 15 Assists.
  • #7: Jake Braccini: Senior Forward. 16 Goals, 13 Assists.
    • The Braccini Brothers have led Buffalo’s team in goals and assists so far this season. Jake #7, is committed to play his college career at the University of Minnesota. Tyler and Jake are both team captains and their leadership skills are finely tuned and the energy they bring with them is captivating. These brothers play, lead, and live, gritty hard-nosed hockey. Although Buffalo is 5-14-0 this season, the Braccini Brothers have been grinding through game after game.
• St. Francis 8-9-1
  • #12: Corey Wilmer: Senior Forward. 4 Goals, 3 Assists.
    • Corey and the St. Francis Saints have had a tough season, not quite at .500 yet the Saints struggle to pull out big wins. Corey may only have 4 goals and 3 assists on the season, however that does not represent his dedication and passionate game play. He is a hard worker and a great teammate, he plays his hardest and expects the same from his teammates. The Saints may have a tough time reaching the State Tournament but if they do, look to Corey Wilmer to lead the team as they go marching in.
• Anoka 3-14-1
  • #4: Austin Lang: Sophomore Forward. 6 Goals, 3 Assists.
    • Austin is an up and rising high school hockey forward. He is the third highest scorer for Anoka, sitting behind the power forward, Jack Novack. Austin has a couple role models on the team he can look up to, especially Jack Novack and Matt Orr. I would go into the dominant play we have seen out of Novack and Orr all season, however it is Austin Lang who stands out for the Tornados, at this point in the year.
• Henry Sibley 5-14-1
  • #15: Nate Pace: Senior Forward. 13 Goals, 13 Assists.
    • Nate is an athletic, and tough hockey player. He leads his team in points and to say he puts the team on his back game after game, would be an understatement. Nate is a well tuned forward who is comfortable in the corners and in open ice. Henry Sibley has had a rocky start to their season and it would get any easier the closer it gets to the postseason. Pay attention to Nate Pace as he continues to lead his team to hopefully a few more wins.

These teams and players have generally fallen under the radar this season due to a variety of reasons, but mainly due to an unfavorable record. They still have a few games left in the regular season so it will interesting to see how these teams progress into February.