The Three Key Door For White Bear Lake
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, Suburban East top dog White Bear Lake will be under the microscope.
Key #1: Suburban East Supremacy
It is no secret to any prep hockey fan in the metro that White Bear Lake, Cretin Derham-Hall, and Stillwater have been in a gridlock for the Suburban East over the last decade. In fact, these three teams have been so dominant that it has been seven years since any of them finished below third in the Suburban East (The Bears still finished fourth during this “down” year). The competition is fierce, as all three programs are armed with deep rosters, winning cultures and collegiate prospects. If White Bear wants to turn the corner in 2023-2024, they need to string together consecutive conference championships, something they haven’t been able to pull off since they went back-to-back in 2014 and 2015. Considering it has been nearly a decade since they achieved this feat, it seems about time that this upcoming Bears team would have a legitimate shot at repeating. Fresh off a 20-6 year in which they are returning plenty of starters, the Bears are poised to be in contention for another Suburban East Conference Title, and if they can notch another one, they should be in a good spot entering the postseason.
Key #2: A Young Goalie
Leo Gabriel was a name outside of many fans’ radars entering this past season, but as a sophomore manning the net for White Bear, he quickly began to carve out a name for himself in the prep hockey hemisphere. During the 2022-2023 year, this guy beat out a senior for the starting goalie spot, then proved his team made the right choice by posting a 17-6 record and .904 save percentage to go with five shutouts, two of which were against fellow conference mate East Ridge. These kind of numbers on varsity are usually reserved for upperclassmen or returning starters who are familiar with the breakneck place of play at this level, yet Gabriel pulled this off in his debut year in the net, a feat that earned him a spot in the 2023 Elite Fall League. Now entering his junior season with plenty of buzz around him, it will be interesting to see how Gabriel fares as an upperclassman. Considering the guy will be spending his fall against some of the state’s best Forwards, odds are he is set to take another big stride forward in his development.
Key #3: New Leaders
White Bear Lake has some of the best young talent in the state. Between aforementioned goalie Leo Gabriel, up-and-coming freshman defenseman Nate Celski, and defenseman Will Distad, there are plenty of skaters to be excited about for the next few years over in White Bear Lake. Celski hasn’t played any varsity just yet, but he was recently selected for the BioSteel Boys 15U National Development Camp, and Dilstad was a USA National Development Camp nominee himself, which should make for an exciting defensive core to watch next season. However, for all of the young talent the Bears have, it will be especially important for their captains to lead well this year considering former Head Coach Tim Sager has retired after 21 years at the helm. Nolan Roed Nolan Roed 5'11" | Forward White Bear Lake | 2024 State MN , Kevin Laska and Dylan Buetow are the three guys entrusted to take on the leadership mantle for this coming year, and as both the main captain and leading scorer for the team, Roed’s role will be especially important. The guy recently committed to Saint Cloud State University after leading the Bears in scoring last year with 55 points off of 24 goals and 31 assists. Roed and newly named head coach Chris Anderson, who spent 15 years in the program as an assistant, will have some big shoes to fill, but with help from guys like Laska and Buetow, it will hopefully be a smooth transition for the program.
What Lies Behind the Door: White Bear Lake has the potential to be a state bound team, there is no doubt about it. They have a rare blend of talent from both under and upperclassmen alike, and SCSU commit Nolan Roed Nolan Roed 5'11" | Forward White Bear Lake | 2024 State MN is the cherry on top of this stacked-roster sundae. Last season, the Bears were upset early in the playoffs, losing to Gentry 1-5 in the Section Semifinals, a game this team probably won’t forget for a while. As aforementioned though, they are returning a lot of young talent that is only set to get better, and if this team heats up late in the year, I don’t see many other programs being able to stop them. At the very least, this is a team that should be in contention for another Suburban East Title.