There’s only two teams in Michigan high school hockey that have currently won four straight conference — or league — championships: Detroit Catholic Central and White Lake Lakeland. That’s some rarified air that the Eagles share, being mentioned in the same breath as the best program in the state. Both will be on a quest to make it five in a row this winter, and Lakeland may not face much resistance from the Lakes Valley Conference. Can anyone in the seven-team conference close the gap and dethrone the reigning Eagles?

Last Season’s Champion: White Lake Lakeland

Lakeland made history in’ 23-24, with its first Final Four appearance in program history, as well as its first regional championship since 2012. All of that success happened after the Eagles claimed their fourth straight LVC title by way of a 10-1-1 conference record. Top scorers Austin Scanlon, Nathan Dell and Adam Trzcinski are back, but Lakeland will have to fill a huge void in net left from the graduation of Paul Baker. He played in 28 games last season with a 22-5-1 record leaving one big question mark in the Lakeland lineup heading into the upcoming season. 

Returning Players to Watch

Austin Scanlon, White Lake Lakeland Junior Forward

A good skater with nice puck skills, Scanlon led the LVC last season with 32 assists. He led the Eagles in scoring as a sophomore with 51 points, including a 14-game point streak last season. 

Nathan Dell, White Lake Lakeland Junior Forward

Small and scrappy forward who’s willing to do a lot of the dirty work. Also has a knack for being in the right places at the right times. He scored 29 points as a sophomore and is coming off of a real strong fall season with the Michigan Developmental Hockey League (MDH).

Nathan Ligi, South Lyon Unified Junior Forward

South Lyon graduated 11 guys last spring from a senior-heavy team. Ligi returns with an opportunity to step into a much larger role in the offense. He does so with a really high motor and good compete level that produced 18 goals and 35 points in his first year of high school hockey.

Nicholas Griggs, Fenton-Linden Junior Defenseman

Played forward and D for the Griffins last season. When I saw Griggs last winter, he showed good jump on pucks and was responsible defensively while playing on the wing. Wherever he is in the lineup, Griggs is dependable and effective. 

Carl Merkle, Lakes Area Senior Defenseman

Merkle led his team in scoring from the blue line, scoring 18 goals and 33 points in 27 games. That was tops among all LVC defensemen, as Lake Area compiled an 11-5-2 record in games where Merkle picked up a point.

Jakob Van Zweden, Lakes Area Senior Goalie

It’s rare when one of the best goalies in Michigan high school hockey returns. Most often, that title belongs to seniors on the verge of graduating; not in this case. Van Zweden’s .914 save percentage and 2.72 goals-against average put in him the conversation last season, and after a good showing in the MDHL this fall, I expect him to be in the mix again in’ 24-25. 

Petey’s Prediction: White Lake Lakeland

On the heels of their best season in program history, I do expect a bit of a drop off from their 22-win campaign in ‘23-24. However, even with taking a step back from the Eagles’ Final Four appearance last March, I still consider this team to be the class of the LVC. Juniors Austin Scanlon and Nathan Dell are enough of a reason to keep them at the top of the standings for the foreseeable future. Additionally, they only graduated six seniors from last season’s squad. It’s an experienced group who now knows what it takes to compete at the state level. That’s invaluable, and I don’t know that anyone else in the conference has seen MIHL or KLAA-type opponents like the Eagles. 

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