GIRLS Top 20 Preview: #8 Minnetonka
Reminder: our list is based off of the laxnumbers ranking list…here. Don’t hate the journalists…hate the algorithm or your shooting percentage.
We know we’ve pimped Section 3 as being the free for all…and that’s been a disservice to Section 2. 1/5 of all the teams in the top 20 are from Section 2…and this is the third of four teams.
We also know we’ve been the biggest Minnetonka Skipper bobo for the past 2 seasons…and man, did they lose a lot and have a very young and ornery (see what we did there…Orono…ornery) squad on their side of town breathing down everyone’s necks.
What They Were
16-3, 78.09 Lax Number Rating against a 74.35 strength of schedule.
#2 seed in Section 2. They beat #1 Eden Prairie 16-13 in section finals. Were consolation champs at state, losing 18-5 to Stillwater, and then beating CDH 10-6 and Elk River/Zimmerman 13-9.
What They Lost
(8) 2024s graduated.
Ava Wixo - A: 55g/24a/79 points, 44 GB/27 FT/32 DC
Jordyn Helling - A: 32g/43a/75 points
Elli Fuchs - M: 9g/1a/100 points, 54 GB/7 FT/71 DC
Ruby Swenson - D: 45 GB/24 FT
What They Have Coming Back
2025 Clara Gilbert - A: 59g/33a/92 points, 33 GB/12 FT/19 DC
2026 Lily Palm - M: 65g/10a/75 points, 73 GB/51 FT/26 DC
2025 Claire Christopherson - M: 17g/12a/2p points, 39 GB/16 FT/70 DC
2025 Adi Rothschild - GK: 10.15 GAA, 48.9%
What They Have Looking Forward
Another squad with all 13 games ready to go - we are super proud of these coaches and ADs.
Lake Conference featured matchups:
Buffalo
#7 Eden Prairie
#12 Edina
Wayzata
Non conference featured matchups:
#10 Maple Grove
#11 Orono
#15 Rosemount
#17 Elk River/Zimmerman
#16 Chanhassen
#2 Prior Lake
Farmington
8/13 games against top 20 teams from last year. Pretty legit.
Our Take
OK. They lost some BIG hitters from the 2024 class…which is why we were so high on Tonka…what they had at all grad years and how those pieces fit together.
They still have a lot of firepower (Gilbert and Palm), but what made the team so dangerous was all the options…and lots of those options are now busy adulting.
Tonka will be tough…like top 10 tough, but are they going to be better then last year? Feels like, just slightly…no.
But they have a couple top notch middies, a top notch attacker and a top notch goalie. You can make a lot happen with those pieces, so seeing ho the 26s and 27s fill in to support will be great to watch.