2024 MDHL Regular Season Wrap-Up

2024 MDHL Regular Season Wrap-Up

As Halloween approaches and the weather is finally getting cooler (maybe?), MDHL regular season play has wrapped up and this weekend’s playoffs will determine who wins the championship.  As we look forward to the remaining five games, here’s a quick breakdown of each team’s performance up to this point.

Green (1^st Place – 10W, 2L)
Once again, West Michigan-based Green finds themselves in first place heading into the playoffs with a record of 10-2 and a league-leading scoring differential of +25 (57 goals for, 32 goals against).  They’re a deep team full of two-sport MHSAA athletes, and when they have a full roster they are very difficult to beat.

Grandville Calvin Christian’s Bennett Eisma leads the team and the league in scoring with 19 points (4G, 15A), followed closely by West Catholic’s Landon Smith with 17 points (second in the league with 11 goals).  On defense, two senior defenseman are in the top 5 in scoring (Jackson Lumen Christi’s Joshua DuMont and Traverse City West’s Kallen Ray), and they’re both extremely solid defensively as well.  Another defenseman turning heads is Grandville’s Lewis Gardine.  A 2009 birthyear, his patience, decision-making, and strength are well beyond his age.  In net, all three goalies have been solid, with Jackson Lumen Christi’s Zachary Jaakola (3^rd best save percentage in the league at 93%) and Traverse City St. Francis’s
Tyler Boynton-Fisher (4^th best save percentage in the league at 90%) tied for 2^nd in the league in GAA (2.16).

With three goalies who can all take over a game and a quarterfinal bye, the team should be rested and ready for whoever makes it out of the Black vs. Orange quarterfinal on Saturday morning.  With a full squad, it’s hard to see Green losing in the playoffs.

Blue (2^nd Place – 7W, 5L)
Bouncing back from a 6^th place regular season last year, Blue has put together a solid – although inconsistent – 2024 campaign.  They’re second in scoring differential at +5 (50 goals for, 45 against) but three of their losses have come against Green, where they were outscored 14-3.

Up front, Blue’s top line of Owen Hall (Stevenson, 17 points), Connor Buchanon (Stevenson, 17 points), and Eian Szerlip (Catholic Central, 11 points) lead the team in scoring and have found some really good chemistry together.  On defense, Byron Center’s Jaxson O’Keefe and Catholic Central’s Samuel Masek (a sophomore) anchor the blue line.  Both good skaters, the duo have solid offensive skills and can defend well in their own zone.  In net, Waterford Mott’s Jakob Van Zweden and Lakeshore’s William Young have been steady all season, and are certainly capable of stealing a game in the playoffs. 

With a bye in the quarterfinals, Blue can earn a spot in the finals by playing better in the defensive zone and getting more secondary scoring out of players like Catholic Central’s Tyler O’Brien and the Lakeland duo of Nathan Dell and Austin Scanlon.

Black (3^rd Place – 6W, 5L, 1T)
With 62 goals for and 59 goals against (scoring differential of +3), Black can both score and give up goals in bunches. 

Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Julian Johnston (12G, 6A) and Midland’s Lucas Mankoff (7G, 11A) are tied for the team lead (and are second in the league) in scoring with 18 points apiece.  Two very different players, both are effective in their own rights.  Johnston is more of a natural goal scorer, with good edgework and a knack for finding the back of the net, while Mankoff is more of a two-way player who creates chances with his size and work ethic.  Three other players have 10 or more points, with Fruitport’s Hayden Taylor (13 points), H.H. Dow’s Nolan “Big Rig” Harris (10 points), and Stevenson’s Jackson Sholler (10 points) rounding out the top five in scoring.  On defense, Black is led by Brighton Senior Ryan Watkins.  One of the top shutdown defensemen in the league, Watkins makes great first passes, is very good in the transition game, and has improved his offensive abilities since last year.

To make it past Orange in the quarterfinals, Black will need their offense to keep clicking while getting solid goaltending from Williamston’s Shaun Story, Catholic Central’s Joe Bedells, and Brighton’s Reece Hutcheson.  
 
Red (4^th Place – 4W, 6L, 1L OT, 1T)
Even with a league-worst scoring differential of -16 (47 goals for, 63 goals against), Red sits in fourth place and will take on White in their quarterfinal matchup.

Leading the team in scoring is standout Catholic Central defenseman Sam Wolak (7G, 8A), who has shown an offensive ability to match his steady play in the defensive zone.  What he lacks in size, he makes up for with a well-rounded skillset that helps him excel in all aspects of the game.  Behind Wolak in scoring are a trio of Catholic Central forwards (Constantinos Karadimas 14 points, Jack Dorgan 13 points, and Jack Chivas 10 points) and Howell defenseman Chad Pietila (10 points). 

Complementing Wolak and Pietila on the backend is Howell goalie Henry Lansky.  Leading the league in both save percentage (95%) and GAA (1.95), Lanksy is turning heads with his size and steady play, and has the attention of a number of junior teams.

For Red to move on, their top players will need to keep producing, Howell’s Luke Storm (4G and 5A in 8 games) will need to continue to elevate his play, and they’ll have to limit grade-A scoring chances.

White (5^th Place – 4W, 7L, 1L OT)
Coming off of last season’s championship run, White has struggled with consistency and comes into the playoffs losing four of their last five games.  Over that stretch though, they did beat Green 5-2 in what was their best performance of the season.

Catholic Central’s Dominic Testani leads the team in scoring with 14 points (4G, 10A), followed by Howell’s Marco Wolf with 13 points (7G, 6A), Salem’s Karsen Patel with 11 points (6G, 5A), and Divine Child’s Braeden McNamara and Catholic Central’s Justin Bloink with 10 points apiece.  Bloink anchors the blue line, where his size and skating ability make him one of the top defensemen in the league.  Paired with Salem’s Cameron Eichner, there might not be a better D pair in the league.  In goal, Gull Lake’s Owen Anderson has been a bright spot, where he’s 2^nd in the league in save percentage (94%) and 3^rd in the league in GAA (2.70).

To keep their season alive, White will need more production from Catholic Central’s Nino Suhy, their 2009 birthyear players like Northville’s Lucas Goerke and Brighton’s Connor Duffany will need to play bigger than their age, and they’ll need their other two goalies to help pick up the slack.
 
Orange (6^th Place – 4W, 8L)
Orange has had a weird season.  Nine of their 12 games have been decided by two or less goals, their goaltending has been solid, and they’ve gotten decent production across their lineup, but they haven’t been able to generate sustained momentum, going 3-3 in their final six games.

Riverview Gabriel Richard’s Connor Forster and Catholic Central’s Peter Sanin are tied for the team lead in points with 13 apiece, followed by Catholic Central defenseman Nicholas Leiter with 10 points.  With only three players having 10 or more points, players like Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Matthew Mourad and Trenton’s Nathan Sparks will need to increase their production for a successful playoff run.  Defensively, the team is led by Leiter and Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Diezel Cariera, with 2009 birthyear Sean Goff impressing as well.  In net, Blake Tice (Cranbrook) and Luke Webster (Chelsea) have kept Orange in all their games, with Tice carrying the majority of the workload throughout the season.

For success in the playoffs, Salem’s Dominic Chaput will need to show up.  Projected as one of the top players in the league, he’s only played in five of the team’s 12 games up to this point (and put up 5 points in those games).  If Chaput makes an impact, Sanin continues to produce, and they take care of their defensive zone, Orange certainly has a shot at winning it all.