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.
The awards, judged by journalists from outside Minnesota, recognize outstanding work published during 2025. The Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists, founded in 1956, advocates for press freedom, journalism ethics and professional development throughout the state.
The awards represent a significant achievement for the Duluth-based online news outlet, which has built a reputation for watchdog reporting on local government, development projects and public policy issues in northeastern Minnesota.
Ness convinced Duluth to stop speaking about itself like a city waiting for the next economic funeral and start speaking about itself like a place with a future worth competing for nationally. Not perfectly. Not without backlash. Not without legitimate criticism. But undeniably.
The moves reflect an aggressive approach by the Monsters as the regular season enters its final stretch. Rather than standing pat, Minnesota has continued to reshape its roster in pursuit of a postseason berth.
