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All-Senior Team

By Craig Peterson, 02/27/20, 8:00AM EST

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Class of 2020 finishes careers off strong

I’ve saved the best — and toughest — team for last! Wrapping up this week’s series of articles of All-Freshman, All-Sophomore and All-Junior Teams, we finish with top players from the Class of 2020. I fully anticipate this to be the most polarizing team, as there’s close to 40 or 50 names that are worthy of being in the mix. With just 20 roster spots at my disposal — and maybe a couple honorable mentions — I’ve got my lineup set from the Senior Class. My top 12 forwards, six defensemen and two goalies from the Class of 2020 are...

 

Jake Onstott

*NAHL Shreveport Tender

Grand Rapids Catholic Central

28G, 25A, 53P

Kyle Gaffney

*NAHL Aberdeen Tender

Detroit Catholic Central

8G, 27A, 35P

Seth Lause

Livonia Stevenson

17G, 27A, 44P

Luke Blasy

*NAHL Austin Tender

Midland Dow

15G, 29A, 44P

Will Jentz

*NAHL Aberdeen Tender

Brighton

16G, 19A, 35P

D.J. Dixon

Brother Rice

16G, 26A, 42P

Brady Rappuhn

Saginaw Heritage

37G, 40A, 77P

Alex Schaumburger

Salem

11G, 28A, 39P

Ian Smith

Plymouth

15G, 38A, 53P

Nathan Vazquez

Riverview Gabriel Richard

29G, 15A, 44P

Stefan Frantti

Howell

19G, 30A, 49P

Gaetano Cammarata

Marquette

15G, 19A, 34P

Brendan Miles

Detroit Catholic Central

5G, 11A, 16P

Dakota Kott

*NAHL Jamestown Tender

Hartland

10G, 17A, 27P

Shane Romback

Macomb Dakota

14G, 19A, 33P

Ashton Bol

Grand Rapids Christian

9G, 19A, 28P

Jacob Thomas

Country Day

8G, 17A, 25P

Isaac Lippert

Ann Arbor Skyline

16G, 34A, 50P

Joey Cormier

Trenton

15W, 1.80 GAA, .937 SV%

Alex Studebaker

Calumet

14W, 2.08 GAA, .916 SV%

 

TAXI SQUAD

F, Ryan Murphy, Brother Rice

F, Jacob Kornoelje, Woodhaven

F, Matthew Babinski, Midland

D, Gino Sessa, Country Day

D, Dominic Rossi, Howell

G, William Strickler, Grosse Pointe South

Boom. Twenty-five players. Probably could’ve listed 25 more with little to no drop-off. Also worth noting Dylan Dooley, Daniel Juzych and Enzo Tarducci who all have NAHL Tenders for next season. Look, there’s so many talented seniors in the Mitten State. This lineup is a couple of my favorites but I am well aware that there are still plenty of fantastic players still out there.

I thoroughly enjoyed what Jake Onstott was able to accomplish this season. He was regularly the best player on the ice and never let his foot off the gas, taking a good GRCC team and elevating them to D-III contenders with his performance and leadership. D.J. Dixon was personally, my favorite player from the No. 3-ranked Warriors. He’s dynamic and dangerous, can create offense on his own or use his hockey smarts to utilize teammates and exploit opportunities. 

Brendan Miles only played a partial season but I think there’s little doubt that he’s the most talented player in the state and most ready for the next level out of this group. A great skater, phenomenal distributor, stellar defender, smart shooter and a locker room leader to top it all off. 

Finding new prospects were some of the most exciting moments for me this season. So when I stumbled upon guys like Shane Romback and Isaac Lippert, even my own eyes were opened and I was reminded of the motto #TheresMoreHere. Maybe a little rougher than some other prospects out there, but the intangibles are definitely there. One scout even said Lippert was, “The best kid on the ice by far” in Skyline’s 3-1 loss to Trenton in Round 1 of the playoffs. I’d be curious to see how Romback holds up to a faster-paced game with less space to operate but he’s big, skates well and makes smart plays regardless of the competition he’s up against.

Looking at his body of work, and his numbers with the schedule of opponents he faces, I don’t think there’s much of an argument against Joey Cormier being the best goalie in the state. He’s certainly the most decorated in the game today and his senior year may be his finest work too. 

I couldn’t put Matthew Babinski into the Top 12, but it’s to no fault of his own with an injury-shortened season. He did in 11 games what most players couldn’t do in a complete season, posting 14 goals and 30 points, and producing against everyone including No. 11 Saginaw Heritage and No. 17 Traverse City Central. If he stays healthy, Babinski could have been in the running for Dream Team. 

That’s 92 players from 51 different programs across my four Freshman, Sophomore, Junior and Senior teams this week. I try to be fair, I try to be balanced, I’m open and honest about a lot of my opinions on teams and players. Who were your top players from this season? Connect with me on Twitter and let’s talk about it.