Hockey: Duluth considering junior team; Select 17 and 16 picks

A meeting to gauge local support to locate a junior team in Duluth is scheduled for Sunday at 4 p.m. at the new Clyde Restaurant in Lincoln Park.

"It is my hope that we will have a good turnout for this meeting," said Butch Williams, 57, a Duluth native and former National Hockey league player who is leading the charge to put the team in his hometown. "In the last year I had the opportunity to see a lot of junior hockey in different leagues, and I think we have a real market to host a successful team in Duluth and make it a long-standing tenant in the business community.

"I invite coaches, players and members of the public to attend this meeting. My hope is to get a lot of people here, generate a buzz in the community, and hit the ground running with this program very shortly."

The team would be a member of the Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL), a Tier II junior league based out of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. The league is a member of and is governed by Hockey Canada, the Canadian equivalent of USA Hockey.

Ron Whitehead, the commissioner of the SIJHL, will be in attendance at the meeting.

"It's a great chance for people to get out and see what we're all about," said Williams. "We know that there will be a lot of questions about what we're trying to do, but we will have all the people necessary to answer those questions. People will leave with a clear understanding of what our goals are and how we plan to go about our business." For more information, contact Williams at 218.590.3632.

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D — Max Everson (Edina), Taylor Fleming (St. Thomas Academy), Dan Molenaar (Eden Prairie), Nick Seeler (Eden Prairie), Andy Welinski (Duluth East)

G — Charlie Lindgren (Lakeville North)

Minnesota Advanced 16s (June 24-June 30)
F — Nate Arentz (Lakeville North), Erik Brenk (Moorhead), Jake Guentzel (Woodbury), Nick Kuchera (Eagan), Will Merchant (Eagan), A.J. Michaelson (Apple Valley), Kyle Osterberg (Lakeville South), Tony Paulson (Maple Grove), Gage Torrel (Monticello), Tyler Vesel (Shattuck-St. Mary's)

D — Jake Horton (Benilde-St. Margaret's), Ian Janco (Bloomington Jefferson), Zach McQueen (Shattuck-St. Mary's), Meirs Moore (Duluth East), Vince Pedrie (Apple Valley), Brady Skjei (Lakeville North)

G — Blake Cates (Stillwater), Collin Olson (Apple Valley)

ADVANCED 17
Blue
G -- Connor Girard (Edina), Nick Lehr (Roseville)

D -- Joey Hess (Centennial), J. D. Controneo (Hill-Murray), Ben Ostlie (Edina), Jake Bushey (Duluth Marshall), Dan Molenaar (Eden Prairie), Brandon Parker (Faribault)

F -- Jake Sampson (Edina), Pat Stein Hauser (Benilde-St. Margaret's), Mike Zajac (Eagan), Bryant Christian (Moorhead), Canon Pieper (Shattuck/St. Mary's), Christian Hom (Benilde-St. Margaret's), Peter Krieger (St. Thomas Academy), Tony Cameranesi (Wayzata), Joe LaBate (Hill-Murray), Matt Pohlkamp (Brainerd)

Red
G -- Bodhi Engum (Burnsville), Ryan Coyne (Maple Grove)

D -- Eric Schurhamer (St. Thomas Academy), Miles Death (Wayzata), Ryan Bullock (Blake), Tyler Robert (Cretin-Derham Hall), Andy Welinski (Duluth East), Max Everson (Edina)

F -- Alex Harvey (Lakeville South), Michael Sit (Edina), Max Bikinied (White Bear Lake), Judd Peterson (Duluth Marshall), Cullen Hurley (Holy Angels), Ben Greiner (Shattuck/St. Mary's), Ben Walker (Edina), Kevin Becker (Hill-Murray), Derek Frawley (Minnetonka)

White
G -- Charlie Lindgren (Lakeville North), Alex Glockner (Minnetonka)

D -- Garrett Schmitz (Red Lake Falls), Kevin Schultze (Hill-Murray), Mitch Hall (St. Cloud Tech), Nate Repensky (Duluth East), Nick Seeler (Eden Prairie), Taylor Fleming (St. Thomas Academy)

F -- Josh Erickson (Roseau), Steven Fogarty (Edina), Justin Kloos (Lakeville South), Austyn Young (South St. Paul), Ben Bahe (Hill-Murray), Nick DeCenzo (Hibbing), Jonny Brodzynski (Blaine), Zac McCarver (North St. Paul), E. J. Faust (Blake), Thomas Schutt (Minnetonka)

ADVANCED 16

White
G -- Zach Thompson (Duluth Denfeld), Collin Olson (Apple Valley)

D -- Charlie Heller (Lakeville South), Jonah Johnson (Hill Murray), Derick Kuchera (Eagan), Zach MacQueen (Shattuck/St. Mary's), Jon Plaszcz (Eastview), Brady Skjei (Lakeville North)

F -- Eric Brenk (Moorhead), Max Coatta (Minnetonka), Will Merchant (Eagan), Lou Nanne (Edina), Jake Randolph (Duluth East), TJ Roo (Totino-Grace), Zach Stepan (Shattuck/St. Mary's), Jared Thomas (Hermantown), Dom Toninato (Duluth East)

Red
G -- Blake Cates (Stillwater), Anders Jecha (Benilde-St. Margaret's)

D -- Drew Aspinwall (Maple Grove), Lance Carney (White Bear Lake), Jake Horton (Benilde-St. Margaret's), Ian Janco (Bloomington Jefferson), Meirs Moore (Duluth East), Matt Pilot (South St. Paul)

F -- Newton Fuller (Minneapolis West), Jake Guentzel (Woodbury), Blake Hallenberg (Wayzata), Nick Kuchera (Eagan), Adam Lovick (Centennial), Kyle Osterberg (Lakeville South), Tony Paulson (Maple Grove), Levi Talarico (Duluth Denfeld), Tyler Vesel (Shattuck/St. Mary's)

Blue
G -- Aaron Dingman (Wayzata), Anders Franke (Elk River)

D -- Jordan Freberg (Maple Grove), Joe Freemark (Lakeville South), Matt Halverson (Wayzata), Vince Pedrie (Apple Valley), Jacob Peterson (St. Cloud Tech), Matthew Stumpf (Little Falls)

F -- Nate Arentz (Lakeville North), Andrew Commers (St. Thomas Academy), C.J. Franklin (Forest Lake), Steve Holappa (Duluth East), Jordan Jancze (Hill-Murray), A.J. Michaelson (Apple Valley), Jake O'Borsky (Red Wing), Bo Pieper (Shattuck/St. Mary's), Dylan Steman (Maple Grove), Gage Torrel (Monticello)