Hermantown vs. Wayzata
7 p.m., Friday, Dec. 2

Friday's clash at Plymouth Ice Center is more than a meeting of last year's state champions, it is also a clash between two of the state's top-ranked teams, as Hermantown holds the No. 1 spot in the Class 1A rankings provided by Let's Play Hockey while Wayzata is No. 5 in Class 2A.

While this will be the first contest of the season for the Hawks, the Trojans already have two contests under their belt, having hosted last weekend’s Turkey Trot Tournament. Wayzata left the event 0-2 after falling to No. 19-2A Maple Grove (5-2) and No. 6-2A Edina (4-1).

The Trojans lost 11 players from last year’s championship team, though four juniors and five seniors return to help fill the void. Leading the way is senior defenseman Grant Anderson, who has committed to Nebraska-Omaha. He's among 14 skaters in Minnesota who appeared on NHL’s Central Scouting preseason “Players to Watch” list.

While two of last year’s top point producers graduated and are currently playing in the United States Hockey League, Hermantown has plenty of skill, both up front and on the blue line.

Senior co-captain Ryan Sandelin, a Minnesota-Mankato commit, scored 27 goals last season and is expected to be one of the driving forces for the Hawks offense. On defense, co-captain and Minnesota-Duluth commit Dylan Samberg enters his senior season on the NHL Central Scouting’s preseason watch list.