We’re at the halfway point as I work my way through the grades after sharing my All-Freshman and All-Sophomore Teams. I’ve had some tough decisions, missed on some talented players and had some very constructive conversations with parents, players and coaches alike. I’m quite confident that it will only be more challenging from here, trying to cut down an entire grade to just 20 names. I’ll add in a little wiggle room here with three extra spots and go with a 23-man roster like the NHL.
Plenty of the players mentioned below filled integral roles for their respective teams, some even sporting captain’s letters. My All-Sophomore Team consisting of 12 forwards, six defensemen and two goalies from the Class of 2021 are...
19G, 22A, 41P |
13G, 21A, 34P |
35G, 19A, 54P |
11G, 36A, 47P |
13G, 20A, 33P |
20G, 33A, 53P |
22G, 17A, 39P |
19G, 18A, 37P |
19G, 20A, 39P |
21G, 17A, 38P |
20G, 5A, 25P |
9G, 11A, 20P |
15G, 22A, 37P |
14G, 32A, 46P |
5G, 14A, 19P |
11G, 13A, 24P |
8G, 9A, 17P |
13G, 17A, 30P |
11W, 2.10 GAA, .920 SV% |
14W, 2.03 GAA, .917 SV% |
The Junior Class is loaded with talented players, I mean chocked full of kids with next-level abilities. Personally, I think Tanner Rowe is the best player I’ve seen in MI-HS this year regardless of grade. He has the most complete game, and combination of size, speed and skill set than anyone else I saw over the last four months. As good as he’s been at forward, the same argument could be made for Nick Justice on the back end. He’s as good as any defenseman in the state, and has gone from fighting for ice time in AAA to completely blossoming into the total package for Stevenson in the span of a few short months.
Mason Kelly, like Rowe, has plenty of intangibles being a strong skater at 6-foot-2 and having fantastic puck skills. He’s not as polished as “The Calumet Kid” but tons of upside, especially when he plays at a fast pace. Lucas Krol was already on my watchlist at the beginning of the season but he absolutely took off in the second half, fast-tracking his development and leading Country Day in scoring in impressive fashion.
Graceful. That’s the only word I can conjure up to best describe Leyton Stenman’s game. He is just so smooth with and without the puck, everything is so fluid, and he always looks calm and composed. As far as junior goalies, I really felt like Jimmy Pietila set himself apart from the crowd. There’s a lot of good netminders in this Class — including Gavin Brady — but Pietila has set the bar pretty high for his classmates with a very impressive outing in his third season with the Gremlins.
I was torn between two Traverse City defensemen for the one D spot, so I figured I’d include Ethan Vander Roest from Central in the mix as well with 14 goals and 32 points. Dean Therriault was a key forward for Grosse Pointe South, producing 14 goals and 32 points on its top line and Austin Salani led Hancock in scoring with 22 goals and 47 points.
That’s my All-Junior Team with a couple bonus players to boot! LOTS of other guys in the mix here too. I’m not exaggerating when I say you could swap 10 names on this list with 10 that aren’t and still compile a solid roster. The Class of 2021 is deep and loaded with potential for the next 12 months, it will be very exciting to see them really come into their own.
Alright, swing away. Who’s your top junior from this season? Tell me something more than just their stat line on Twitter; what they do well and maybe what they need to improve.
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