The 2025-26 high school hockey season ended March 7 when helmets soared into the air before an audience roughly 20,000 people and Moorhead clinched its second consecutive state title at Grand Casino Arena.

For others, it was just the beginning.

In the days leading up to the boys hockey tournament and in the immediate days after it concluded, players across Minnesota repacked their hockey bags and traveled everywhere from Muskegon to Madison to compete in junior hockey leagues, designed to help players between the ages of 16 and 20 develop skills before playing in the NCAA or professional leagues. Most Minnesotans play in the United States Hockey League, Western Hockey League and the North American Hockey League

Strib Varsity compiled a list of some high-performing high school hockey players and where they’re spending the rest of their seasons. Note: junior league stats are through April 1.

Tyden Bergeson

Moorhead senior forward; Madison Capitols

Mr. Hockey himself didn’t wait too long after leading the Spuds to state tourney glory before heading back to the Madison Capitols. The forward decided to return to Moorhead for his senior season, and it paid off with 81 points (29 goals, 52 assists) in 31 games. During his USHL career in Madison, he has scored 11 goals and racked up 10 assists. He heads to Augustana next fall.

Max Cullen

Moorhead junior forward; Muskegon Lumberjacks

Cullen logged two goals and four points during the state tournament, bringing his total to 63 points in 31 games. He joined the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks after the season and has played in six games so far.

Brandon Mickelson

Moorhead senior defenseman; Wenatchee Wild

Mickelson had a brief stint in Washington with the Wild ahead of the season, but he decided to push off junior hockey until after his senior season. After ending his Moorhead hockey career with 21 goals and 44 assists, he spent the rest of March playing with the Wenatchee Wild.

Jayden Kurtz

Rogers senior defenseman; Chicago Steel

Days after Rogers lost its section game to Wayzata, Kurtz boarded a plane to Chicago. After a 13-goal, 25-assist senior season, the NHL draft prospect and University of Wisconsin commit scored his first goal in the USHL for the Chicago Steel on March 22.

Cole Bumgarner

Rogers senior forward; Chicago Steel

Bumgarner joins his teammate at the Steel after being traded by the Fargo Force where he had seven goals and eight assists. Bumgarner scored 23 goals and 32 assists for Rogers. In 10 games, he has four points in 10 games with the Chicago Steel.

Brock Cheslock

Rogers senior forward; Omaha Lancers

The Royals’ top-scorer with 34 goals, Cheslock joined the Omaha Lancers in the USHL after his senior season. Cheslock has scored one goal in seven games so far.

Bode McConnell

Edina junior forward; Madison Capitols

The Hornets may not have made it to the state championship game, but they sure did make an impact in the quarterfinals with McConnell’s first-period hat trick. He also had a viral hat trick in the section final game against Wayzata. Those goals brought his total for the season to 36 goals and 57 points in 31 games. With the Capitols, he’s scored two points in two games.

Mason West

Edina senior forward; Fargo Force

After leading the Hornets to a football state tournament win in the fall, West decided to forgo his senior hockey season in favor of the USHL. The Chicago Blackhawks draft pick has scored nine goals and 15 assists in 36 games with the Fargo Force.

Tate Hardacre

Minnetonka senior defenseman; Wenatchee Wild

The Minnetonka senior helped the Skippers finish as the 2A state runner-up with 28 season points. In March, Hardacre signed a scholarship and development agreement with the Wenatchee Wild.

Ethan Sturgis

Minnetonka senior forward; Green Bay Gamblers

The Skippers forward capped off the 2025-26 season with 32 points in 30 games. Before he heads to Dartmouth in 2027-28, he’s playing in the USHL for the Green Bay Gamblers. He sits at two points in five games.

Cole Braunshausen

St. Thomas Academy senior forward; Lincoln Stars

St. Thomas Academy fell just shy of making it to the state tournament, but senior forward Braunshausen brought the team close with 30 goals and 67 points. He joined the USHL’s Lincoln Stars this spring, logging five points in just as many games.

Caz Carlson

Rock Ridge senior forward; Des Moines Buccaneers

The St. Cloud State commit racked up 53 points for Rock Ridge this year and scored one goal in nine games for the Buccaneers in the USHL after being traded from the Waterloo Black Hawks.

Connor Schubert

Rosemount junior forward; Youngstown Phantoms

After leading the Irish to a third-place state tournament trophy with a 20-goal season, Schubert joined the Youngstown Phantoms roster.

Daniel Halonen

Delano senior forward; NAHL Watertown Shamrocks

The Tigers’ top scorer came close to bringing Delano a third-place trophy with 44 goals and 36 assists during the 2025-26 season. Halonen scored 10 points during the team’s state tournament run. The Michigan Tech commit has scored four goals and one assist in the North American Hockey League so far.

Joe Erickson

Blake senior forward; Chicago Steel

Delano beat Blake in the section championship to make it to the state tourney, but Erickson stood out this year with 32 goals and 32 assists. After the season, he joined the Chicago Steel roster where he has yet to put up a point.