Offseason breakdown No. 6: Proctor

With most sports on hold and the 2020-21 season still months out, it’s time to take a look at teams from all over the State of Hockey and examine what happened this past season and what’s ahead. The next team we’re breaking down is Proctor.

How last season went

It was a bit of tough sledding for the Rails as they finished the regular season with a 10-15 record. That included a rough end to the season as they lost six of their last seven in the regular season. One of the biggest wins for Proctor came against Hibbing/Chisholm.

Heading into the postseason, the Rails earned the No. 7 seed in a Section 7A that has now produced each of the past two Class 1A runner-ups. In the opening round of the section tournament, Proctor rattled off a win against Ely before seeing its season end against Duluth Denfeld in the quarterfinals.

Who’s back and who’s gone

Two of the Rails’ biggest scorers – Ben Harnell and Reece Ward – each graduate after leading the team’s offensive effort. Harnell finished the year with 44 points (18 goals, 26 assists) while Ward tallied 39 points (27G, 12A).

The biggest returner for Proctor appears to be Connor Pavlowich, who’s expected to return after a 9-goal, 14-assists season. The other shining returner looks to be goaltender Sam Johnson, who played a back-up role for the most part to departing senior Cody Urie. Johnson finished last season with a 3.24 goals against average and a .881 save percentage.

What to expect next season

Section 7A has quickly become more than just a cakewalk for Hermantown as the Hawks have seen teams such as Greenway rise up. That means it’s now even tougher for teams such as Proctor to break through in this northern section. Some players are going to need to show some marked improvement if the Rails are going to compete in this tough section in 2021.