Hockey is the luckiest game to win of the four major sports in North America. Fact. Even when you lump in soccer for our European friends, hockey still ranks last. Studies show its basketball, soccer, baseball, football and then hockey, in order of predictability. As much as I love this game, the better team doesn’t always win. That can be a really tough pill to swallow as a player, a coach and a fan. I was reminded of this on multiple occasions this weekend while watching games around the state.

I don’t provide all this context in an effort to slight anyone in victory from the games I watched, either. We’ve all been on the wrong side of a 2-1 loss where we out-possessed, out-shot and out-chanced the opponent by wide margins. And I wouldn’t expect any of us to apologize for stealing a victory either.

Wednesday night, I watched Howell take on Salem in a Kensington Lakes Activities Association (KLAA) matchup. After 51 minutes, I was blown away by the Highlanders sheer amount of talent, structure and discipline. Yet, they walked away with a 4-2 loss.

Twenty-four hours later, I tuned in to a matchup between M-1 United and Marysville. Again, I was impressed by the Griffins’ consistent forecheck from their top nine forwards, structure in the D-zone and effort on 50-50 pucks. Yet, they too, left in defeat, 6-4 at the hands of the Vikings.

My point is, it’s not always about the wins and losses, and it’s not always about goals and assists. Teams have great games and lose. Players perform exceptionally well and don’t record a point. So that’s why some of my biggest takeaways from a weekend of watching hockey actually come from the teams suffering defeat.

Charlie Price is the real deal for M-1 United

I’ve watched Charlie Price for a couple years now. I’m very familiar with his game, and a lot of people have talked to me about him as well. He’s never been better than he is right now, and may just be one of the best in the state. Price continues to make significant improvements to his game, so much so that he was one of the hottest names amongst junior hockey scouts coming out of Michigan Hockey Advancement (MHA) this fall.

What I loved most about what I saw from him on Thursday was his consistency. His individual playing style did not change from fall hockey to the winter season. Time and time again, I’ve seen high-level prospects playing high-level fall hockey surrounded by other high-level prospects, and they play the game the right way. Making the simple plays, bumping pucks to wingers on a breakout or a zone entry. Executing scissor plays with line mates, moving the puck to where the play needs to go and playing very structured hockey. They do all that in the spring and fall, only to return to their winter teams and feel like they’ve gotta go play ‘hero hockey’ hanging onto pucks way too long and trying to skate their way through traffic.

Price played for M-1 United on Thursday the exact same way he played for MHA Red in October. Positionally sound, supporting the play in all three zones, aggressive on a forecheck and a purpose on the backcheck. Not only that, but he was just as good on his first shift as he was his last. I will be shocked if this kid isn’t playing Tier-II junior hockey or Canadian Junior-A 12 months from now. 

Howell hockey is a dangerous and deep contender in Division-I

I’ve been pounding the drum on Howell all preseason, talking about key returners like Chad Pietila, Rory Sturos, Ben Huotari and Marco Wolf. Plus, the addition of Henry Lansky in net, there’s a lot to like about this Highlanders team.

Even with all that said, after watching them Wednesday night, I left remembering newcomers like Luke Storm, Bryce Pietila and Daniel Avery the most. Storm was impressive, playing fast, flashing fancy moves and displaying some real explosiveness with the puck on his stick. He was able to create opportunities all by himself and was determined to take the puck to the netfront strong. 

Bryce Pietila and Avery are two of the three freshmen on this Howell team, and both are playing significant roles already. Avery has a pretty big frame and handles pucks so well, they’ve got him running point on the power play. Pietila is one of the smartest freshmen I’ve seen in high school hockey, with his vision and ability to turn broken plays into positive outcomes. They may still be a few years away from peaking at the high school level, but make no mistake, both will make significant contributions this season. 

That’s a lot of pieces to work with. Coach Keith Robertson is going to put these guys in position to succeed too. With some young guys and first-year players slotted into key roles, results could vary early on in the season. But come February, the Highlanders are going to be a real threat to make a run in Division-I. Hell, they’ve already tied No. 6 Livonia Stevenson and just beat No. 5 Houghton!

A first in Lansing high school hockey history

On Friday, Livonia Stevenson traveled to East Lansing to take on host Cap City. By all accounts, it is the first time in the modern era of Michigan high school hockey, that the No. 1-ranked team in a division has played a regular-season game on the banks of the Red Cedar. Ranked sixth in my preseason rankings, Stevenson is the highest ranked Division-II team, not just by my account but by the Michigan High School Hockey Hub as well.

I love this for Michigan high school hockey. Good on coach Joe Ford for taking on the challenge of a blue blood. Good on coach Dave Mitchell for expanding his non-conference opponents. Good on both teams for playing a competitive game. 

The Caps are a program that’s been on the rise for years. In ‘19-20, they ranked 85th in the state according to MyHockeyRankings. By 2022, Cap City had reached 65th, and climbed to 56th by March of this year. In that span, they’ve won three regional championships. All of this happening while Lansing area hockey numbers — like much of the state — have declined rapidly. 

The capitol area was once home to 10 different Michigan high school hockey programs. There’s now two, playing out of one rink. 

It’s a well-known narrative around the state that we’re all familiar with, with expanded co-ops and increased mergers from Traverse City to Novi. But for an area that’s lost players, lost teams and lost rinks, to have a program that’s ascending the state ranks and taking on top teams is exciting and encouraging. 

You wanna know how to build a program? Call coach Ford. He’ll probably tell you to find yourself a dedicated right-hand man like Travis DeLong. And to educate your players on spring and fall hockey opportunities. And to expand your network through the coaches’ association and Team Michigan, among other key reasons. 

In the last 12 months, the Caps have played eight Top-25 teams. Brighton, Houghton, Hancock and now Stevenson, among some of the highest profile opponents. They’re 1-6-1 in those games, but after going toe-to-toe with the Spartans by way of a 3-2 defeat, the Caps are as close as you can get. The big win might not have come on Friday, but it is coming soon and when it does, it won’t be the only one.