The Three Key Door for Wayzata
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Every team in the state, whether it is a defending state champion or a struggling squad, starts their season out with a door that stands between them and success. Nonetheless, every team is just as capable of unlocking their potential…
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Continue ReadingEvery team in the state, whether it is a defending state champion or a struggling squad, starts their season out with a door that stands between them and success. Nonetheless, every team is just as capable of unlocking their potential through an interwoven combination of skill, strategy, leadership, and coaching. In this new series kicking up here for Prep Hockey, I will be taking a look at the three keys each and every team in the state needs to open up the door that stands between them and a great year by their unique standards. Today, the Wayzata Trojans and their ridiculously difficult strength of schedule will be featured.
Key #1: A Freshman Frontrunner
Out of all of the teams I have covered in the state, maybe a handful of programs have a freshman that contributes to their varsity team. Heck, some even score consistently from game-to-game. Most of these young guys are on smaller schools, usually playing up by circumstance rather than raw talent. That being said, imagine my surprise when I saw that Class 2A powerhouse Wayzata had a freshman leading its entire varsity program in scoring. Jacob Kvasnicka could very well be one of the top Class of 2026 skaters in the state when his career is all said and done, and so far, he has put up quite the case for himself. He racked up 45 points as a freshman in 2022-2023, assisting 34 goals and scoring 11 himself. Kvasnicka has an innate ability to find streaking skaters in the offensive zone, often fitting the puck between tight windows in space with a razor thin margin for error. His teammates also play a huge role in his success, as the majority of his 45 points were in part thanks to skaters with great vision who could capitalize off the opportunity their freshman teammate gave them. Kvasnicka will be back this fall for what should be a memorable sophomore campaign, one in which he will be flanked by a well balanced attack that includes Rhys Wallin Rhys Wallin 6'2" | Forward Wayzata | 2024 State MN , Jake Mattson Jake Mattson 5'11" | Forward Wayzata | 2024 State MN , Cade De St. Hubert, and Brittan Alstead Brittan Alstead 5'8" | Forward Wayzata | 2024 State MN . These four skaters rounded out the top five point getters for the Trojans last season, and even better, will all be entering the prime of their careers as seniors together. With Kvasnicka set to improve drastically and his supporting cast all returning, the Trojan attack should be among the best in the state this upcoming winter.
Key #2: The Departure of a Great
Will Ingemann had one of the best single seasons between the pipes from any Trojan ever. The University of St. Thomas commit spent his senior year posting a stat line that put him among the state’s finest net protectors. His 19 wins ranked him ninth among goalies, his 1.38 Goals Against Average was good for sixth, but his best stat was his .941 Save Percentage, a figure only two points behind the state leader. Clearly, Ingemann had himself a career year, and Wayzata was much better off because of it, but now the Trojans will be left scrambling. There doesn’t seem to be anyone on the roster who can match Ingemann’s dominant of level of play, and his near-perfect presence between the pipes left the Trojans with no other option than to play the guy week after week. If this team wants to hold a candle to last year’s roster, they will need their defense to step up early in the year until Ingemann’s replacement is comfortable manning the net on his own.
Key #3: A Very Strong Schedule
Not many teams drew worse hands in terms of Conference and Section placement than Wayzata. Not only did they share a Conference with Minnetonka, last season’s State Champion, but they also lost in the Section 6AA Championship to Edina, a team that finished as the State Runner-Up. Losing out on both a Conference Title and a State Tournament bid is one thing, but the fact that the Trojans had to compete against the best two teams in the state to earn either accolade is just plain bad luck for this team. Nonetheless, the Skippers and Hornets aren’t going anywhere, and both teams are set to return many of their top guys, meaning Wayzata has no other way out but through. The Trojans won 19 games last season, and even beat Edina and Minnetonka during the regular season, so talent is not the issue here. This team has the potential to beat State Champion caliber teams, but as it stands now, the Trojans need to be able to send these teams home when it counts if they want to bring home some hardware this winter.
What Lies Behind the Door: Wayzata is a special team that has plenty of talent on all fronts of the ice. Its biggest hurdle likely lies in the form of finding a Will Ingemann replacement, but aside from that, this team has the talent necessary to make a postseason push for the Xcel Energy Center.