BOYS - Edina
Next up in our way way too early preview - #6 in the Lax Numbers final 2023 rankings… Edina
2023 Record
13-3, Section 6 Runner - Up
Lost Notables
Tyler Davis - 52GB, 31CT
Max Rhoades - Goalie - .547 sv%
Anders Gustafson - 34GB, 13CT
Cole Brazel - 79GB, 33CT
Returning Notables
Cooper Anderson - 37G, 23A
Drew Stocco - 29G, 24A
Eli Busse - 29G, 22A
Luke Seaman - 16G, 18A
Charlie Velner - 55% FO
Instant Reaction
The Hornets are a team that I, admittedly, don’t know a ton about. They pass the eye test from the little bit of film that I have seen and were very close to representing section 6 at state last year. Edina had a great 2023 with a fairly young team. They did not put graduation years on LaxHub, so, it was a bit of a process to figure them out. From first glance, it looks like edina will have no problems on offense the next few years. They were putting up good numbers last year with mostly sophomores and freshman out there. That is extremely impressive. Usually, young teams struggle offensively due to athletic mismatches, but, edina did not have that issue. Not only do they get everyone back, they will have them for 2 more years.
The real question that the Hornets will be looking to answer in the off-season and early in the spring is who will fill some of the key roles on defense with Davis, Gustafson and Brazel graduating along side starting goalie Max Rhoades. Edina should have no problem finding new players to fill in on defense and with most of the offense returning, that should take some of the pressure off the new guys while they get integrated.
The Future
The Hornet’s get so many guys back (who are still young) it’s hard to say who might make an impact - but here are a couple guys I think will find their way on to the varsity roster this spring
Wyatt Spindler - Goalie - was the backup as a freshman last year but did see some game time
Dylan Dubuc - Defense - Most likely going to fill one of the roles at close defense
2024 Schedule
The Lake conference used to be the standard by which all schedules were measured. The verdict is still out on if that is the case. I think that Eden Prairie and Wayzata will both be improved and give Edina tough games again this year. Minnetonka lost a huge 2023 class so I think they are going to have a different look. I don’t see Buffalo, STMA or Hopkins providing any real challenge to the Hornet’s conference hopes in 2024. Right now, Edina looks to be the Lake Conference favorite. That being said, Edina has always beefed up their OOC schedule and while I don’t see any games posted I would assume they have similar games this year. Last year they played: Rosemount, BSM, Blake, Stillwater, Irondale, Jefferson and Lakeville North. Edina was the only team to really hang with BSM in the regular season and Ill be excited to see if that matchup occurs again this upcoming season
In Conclusion
I think there are some people in the DTA crew that give Edina a hard time and that produces a narrative that we don’t think Edina is good. Quite the contrary. Edina has been getting the job done with mostly underclassmen the past few years and now, those guys are on the older end. Many of them committed to play at a high level in college already as Juniors. This team has firepower. They are well coached. They have the booster/parent/admin support. The only downer for this small town on the west side is that they moved all of your favorite top 10 teams into section 6 to join the party. Edina will have to play near perfect lacrosse just to get through their section. If they, or any, section 6 team goes on to win the State Tournament in 2024… they will have probably had the toughest road to a championship in MN Lacrosse history.
