Team Southeast defenseman Hunter Warner of Eden Prairie. Photo by Katherine Matthews
Standing six feet and two inches tall -- even taller with skates -- Eden Prairie and Team Southeast defenseman Hunter Warner ducked as he exited the locker room after Team Northeast’s 6-3 victory over Team Southeast.
He seemed worn out, scratching a bandage on his chin doing a poor job of covering blood from a cut he suffered earlier in the game. His hockey hair flowed down past his ears, slicked back with sweat.
Warner has the look of a classic hockey enforcer, and he backs it up with his play.
Although he didn’t tally a point in Saturday’s loss, the junior Minnesota State recruit made his presence felt by dishing out punishing hits and getting into jawing matches. By the end of the game, he was nearly thrown out for getting into it with Team Southeast and Holy Family Catholic forward Dylan Woolf.
“Woolf, he’s a softy,” Warner said, smiling with the grin of a trash-talker. “He’s a Minnesota kid so he acts tough when his cage is on but he won’t take it off.”
For the record, fighting isn’t allowed in the Elite League, but that hardly slows down Warner who prides himself on his ability to throw opponents off their games with by being an agitator.
“I’ve been doing it for three years,” Warner said of his role. “I just play that way, I get in their head. Tthey talk to me and take them off their game.
“I don’t mind it. I think it’s awesome, I love to chirp too.”
Trash talking aside, Warner isn’t a stereotypical one-dimensional goon. With his strength and stature, Warner is tough to move aside, making him a great shutdown defender in front of the net.
With this skill in the bag, he’s been working to add quickness and agility to his game in order to become a better puck mover.
“I’m a big kid and I’ve already got the hitting down so I need to work on my agility,” he said. “I do a lot of explosives so I can get quicker.”
The ideal player he wants to become is a hybrid of Detroit Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall and Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger.
“Both very physical but Niklas Kronwall can do a lot with the puck and that’s what I’m trying to work on right now,” Warner said.
Returning to Eden Prairie as a junior, Warner should hold down the back end on a team looking to rebound from a tough loss in the first round of the Section 6AA playoffs to underdog Robbinsdale Armstrong. A fearsome sight, kids who aren’t up to the talent in the Upper Midwest High School Elite Hockey League will have a tough time getting around him.
“I’m gonna have to protect everyone and not let us get scored on very often,” he said. “I’m not gonna have to generate offense and assists but I’m gonna be the guy who gets it out of the zone and lets the forwards do the rest.”
-- Walker Orenstein, MN Hockey Hub staff
1. Garrett Riebling, Team Northeast
Reibling led all scorers with two goals. The Holy Family Catholic senior had a great one-on-one goal against defender Jack Dougherty while shorthanded. He added in the third period when he tipped in a goal from the point. Riebling has three goals in five games this season.
2. Rory Davidowski, Team Northeast
The senior from Totin-Grace made 27 saves to pilot Team Northeast to victory. He looked solid in net and made some spectacular saves on odd-man rushes by Team Southeast. Davidowski has allowed 4.38 goals per game and has saved 87.5 percent of shots faced.
3. Alex Johnson, Team Southeast
Johnson made an impact early when he scored a goal and assisted on another within a minute to give Team Southeast a 2-1 lead in the first period. Although the lead wouldn’t last, the senior from St. Thomas Academy had a nice game. He has four points so far this year with two goals and two assists.
-- Walker Orenstein, MN Hockey Hub staff
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