Minn Starks 17U National won its final two games Sunday to finish 2-2 in The Players’ Platform last weekend at Hyvee Arena in Kansas City, MO.
Starks was led by 6-foot-5 Duluth Marshall sophomore-to-be Brooks Johnson, a rising Division I prospect. Denfeld standouts Aidan Altona and Finnley Powell, both 6-foot-2 seniors-to-be, are also on the team.
Player of the Year frontrunner Malik Henry of Michigan tops my 2026 AF1 Dream Team, as teams battle for six playoff spots. Offense QB — Malik Henry, Michigan League leader in passing yards and touchdown passes. Nashville's Tyler Kulka and Albany's Sam Castronova are close, but Henry
The first five names on this list will generate most of the headlines. That's how the draft works. The real story, however, often emerges years later. Somewhere between picks 25 and 50 sits a future NHL star. Every draft has one.
The rankings begin this way: Hermantown, Grand Rapids, North Branch, Cloquet, Duluth Denfeld, Duluth East and Rock Ridge.
Recruiting services rank Duluth Marshall's Chloe Johnson among the top players nationally in the Class of 2028, and ESPN has rated her among the elite prospects in her class.
