River Freeman, Hermantown senior forward
Henry Peterson, Hermantown senior defenseman
Karson Young, Cloquet-Esko-Carlton senior defenseman
Bobby Thornton, Cloquet-Esko-Carlton senior forward
Caz Carlson, Rock Ridge junior forward
Tate Swanson, Hibbing-Chisholm junior forward
Carter Casey, Grand Rapids junior goaltender
His stat line towered over the league: a .383 batting average, 17 home runs, 68 RBIs, 23 doubles, three triples, 48 runs scored, 28 walks, and 15 stolen bases over 52 games. His OPS landed at 1.252, powered by a .471 on-base percentage and a .781 slugging percentage.
This isn’t corporate sports media. This isn’t fluff. Howie Sports is Independent. Local. Unfiltered. Fifty years in the game — telling you who’s hot, who’s not, and who needs a swift kick in the butt.
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.
