Prospect Series – MPLS: First Look
The Adidas Prospect Series takes hold of the Minneapolis metro area this weekend. Headquartered at Chanhassen, the tournament attracts teams local and outstate for one final run as the last NCAA evaluation period begins. NHR brings you a primer on the best teams and matchups, including predictions!
17U – The tournament is set up in a play-in bracket format. Seeded top to bottom, everyone plays one game to try and advance to the winner’s bracket (however, teams in games A-L will automatically move to the winner’s bracket regardless of their play-in outcome).
The hosts are well-represented. D1 MN 17U and 16U are both in the top division, accompanied by D1 MN Prospects and D1 MN Rise. D1 17s come back to play locally and finish out a strong Adidas Gauntlet campaign, while the 16s want to challenge and show what they’ve got at a higher level. The Prospects and Rise both have very recruitable talent looking to garner more attention as grassroots season winds down. Arguably the best play-in matchup of the weekend puts D1 16s against MN Comets Lewis.
Grassroots Sizzle has completed their Under Armour season and will take advantage of one more open evaluating period to get their flashy game on display, while multiple Sanford league teams like the MN Comets, MN Heat, WOTN and Crossfire end their years looking for wins against familiar squads. Those programs also bring several more teams with them; there are five Heat teams, four Comets teams and also three MN Select teams.
Speaking of Select, their top 17s led by Mitch Ohnstad will look to get to Powerhouse MN Black once more for an NHR State title rematch. Both of these teams have highly regarded NSIC and MIAC caliber talent that will be watched closely all weekend. Look for those coaches to be watching the always gritty Fury Antl and MN Eagles groups as well.
The out-of-state competition doesn’t fall off here either. Teams like ECI Prospects, Iowa Mavs, Iowa Pump ‘N’ Run, Nebraska Select and Wisconsin Starz drive in to challenge the state of MN’s best.
Bracket Predictions
Quarterfinals:
D1 MN 17U over MN Select Ohnstad
D1 MN 16U over Grassroots Sizzle
MN Comets Lewis over Crossfire Schmidt
Powerhouse MN Black over MN Comets Servaty
Semifinals:
D1 MN 17U over D1 MN 16U
Powerhouse MN Black over MN Comets Lewis
Championship:
D1 MN 17U over Powerhouse MN Black
16U – The 16s division carries the same format as the 17s, with the D1 MN 15s leading the way along with MN Comets Stumpf, WOTN Swedberg, Fury Kaupa and Crossfire Bellefeuille. Plenty of contenders in this division. The Iowa Mavericks send multiple teams, as does the ECI program. Nebraska Select and Iowa Pump ‘N’ Run are also added to the outstate list. Again, lots of local MN teams scatter the schedule like Comets, Heat and Select.
15U – At the top of the talent list in the 15U division are teams like Comets DLR, Iowa Prep, MN Fury Kline and others. The D1 MN Prospects at the 15U level could make a splash here too. Iowa Mavs, Pump ‘N’ Run and Nebraska Select round out the non-locals, while a plethora of Select, Heat and Comets are in the mix as well.