Steel moves to NA3HL Central to compete as Wisconsin Wilderness

By JIm den Hollander 

Editor/Publisher 

Midwesthockey.info 

The North American ‘3’ Hockey League (NA3HL) is an American Tier 3 hockey league stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Rocky Mountains. 

Of the five divisions, two six-team groupings – the Central and West Divisions are located entirely in the American Midwest.  

There are a few changes this season including: 

— The New Ulm Steel have moved to Tomah, Wisconsin, switching from the West to the Central Division and operating this season as the Wisconsin Woodsmen. 

— Milwaukee Power remains in the Central Division but has moved outside of Cream City to nearby West Bend, operating now as West Bend Power. 

Below is a look at the two divisions with a recap on the 2022-23 performance and some key dates for the upcoming season, done it alphabetical order. 

Central Division  

Oregon Tradesmen — (31-10-6 68 points – 2nd in Central Division)  

The Tradesmen enjoyed its best season to date in the NA3HL coming up three points shy of Rochester for the division regular season title, the Tradesmen made up for that with playoff series wins against the Power and Grizzlies to capture the Division title, then reached the Semi-finals of the Fraser Cup tournament. 

The 224 goals scored topped the Central and was among the best in the league and the Tradesmen surrendered 127 goals, third best in the division. The 97-goal differential topped the division. 

Forward Bryce Stensrud (‘03/Mundelein, IL) led the Tradesmen offensively, scoring 25 goals and collecting 58 points in 45 games and he also added an assist in a two-game call up to the NAHL’s Janesville Jets. 

Stensrud capped a fine rookie season and was named to the league’s Second All-Rookie team as a forward. 

Close behind was forward Carter Watters (‘02/Sun Prairie, WI) who potted 28 goals and 53 points in 47 games to wrap up a three-year run with the Tradesmen. In that stretch, Watters collected 50 goals and 102 points in 109 games played. 

William Falconer (‘03/Sheboygan, WI) was the top scoring defenseman, putting up 10 goals and 36 points in 46 games. Falconer was noticed in the league, named as a defenseman on the league’s First All-Rookie Team.  

In goal, the Tradesmen got a look at a half-dozen keepers during the season, but Tyler Fromolz (‘04/Waupun, WI) got a bulk of the work, appearing in 30 games with a record of 17-6-2. His Goals Against Average for the regular season was 2.64 with a .916 Save Percentage. In the playoffs Fromolz played seven games, posting a 1.97 GAA and a .946 SP.  

Fromolz also made a pair of NAHL starts with the Austin Bruins, posting a 1-1 record with a 2.68 GAA and a Save Percentage of .897. 

Four players from the Tradesmen were tendered by NAHL teams in the off-season and the team’s General Manager, Eric Fenton received the General Manager of the Year Award from the NA3HL. 

Tradesmen will open the 2023-24 regular season on home ice against the Wisconsin Woodsmen Sept. 15-16 i

Peoria Mustangs — (26-18-3 55 points – 4^th in Central Division)  

The Mustangs were locked into fourth place, finishing 25 points in front of the fifth place Wausau Cyclones and 10-points behind the third place Milwaukee Power. 

The Mustangs captured the fourth and final playoff berth for the division but fell to the first place Rochester Grizzlies in the opening round of the post season. 

Ethan Chesney (‘02/Elgin, IL) wrapped up his third season with the Mustangs, scoring 30 goals and collecting 70 points in 47 games to lead the team offensively. The season wrapped up run of 74 goals, 156-point total in 122 NA3HL games. 

Jaycob Bland (‘02/Hudson, IL) wrapped up a rare five-season stint with Mustangs collecting 16 goals and 44 points in 45 games played. In his five seasons, Bland played 220 NA3HL contests, scoring 69 goals and 159 points. 

Both Bland and Chesney are expected to attend and play hockey at Illinois State University this fall. 

S.P. Merck (‘02/Mokena, IL) was the top scoring defenseman for the Mustangs, scoring five goals and collecting 35 points in 46 games. In two seasons, Merck collected eight goals and 51 points in 92 regular season games. 

Joe Ambroffi (‘02/Plainfield, IL) appeared in 17 games in goal for the Mustangs, posting a record of 12-3-0, a Goals Against Average of 2.34 and a Save Percentage of .919. Ambroffi will move on to play at University of Pittsburgh. 

Cam Pendleton (‘02/Little Elm, TX) was the busier keeper in tougher games, with an overall record of 8-14-2, a 2.98 GAA and a SP of .911. He played all three playoff games against Rochester and came up short despite a .939 Save Percentage. 

Mustangs will open the new season on home ice Sept. 15 against the St. Louis Jr. Blues and wraps up a home-and-home weekend at Affton Arena near St. Louis the following night. 

St. Louis Jr. Blues (8-39-0  16 points –6th in Central Division) 

The Blues will be looking for an improvement on a tough season that saw the team allow 296 goals against, highest of all except the 350 scored against Mid-Cities in the South Division. The 103 goals for was among the lowest as well so there is plenty of room for improvement. 

One of the bright lights was the play of Jacob Heuerman (‘03/Eureka, MO) who played a part in nearly a quarter of the team’s 1-3 goals with 16 goals and 24 points in 45 games,  

Jordan Behnen (‘03/St. Louis, MO) was the busiest of four goalies that suited up for the Jr. Blues, appearing in 27 games and picking up three wins while Ian Zeumer (‘04/Lauderdale, MN) played in 21 and won four. 

The Blues will begin its road back to respectability in the league on Sept. 15-16 as the team kicks off the 2023-24 regular season with a home and home set against the Peoria Mustangs – at home for the first game and in Peoria the following night. 

Wausau Cyclones (13-30-4   30 points – 5th in Central Division) 

The Cyclones wrapped up the previous season comfortably ahead of the Jr. Blues but also more than 20 points behind the fourth place Mustangs in the fourth and final playoff position.  

The Cyclones scored 127 goals for an average of 2.70 through the 47-game schedule, allowing 198 for an average of 4.21.  

Leading the way offensively for the Cyclones was Gabe Randel (‘04/Hortonville, WI) with 12 goals and 43 points, closely followed by Ricky Nelson (‘03/Edina, MN) who scored 16 goals and collected 41 points.  Isaac Baker (‘03/St. Cloud, MN) was the top scoring defenseman collecting five goals and 24 points. 

In goal, Michael Miscevich (‘02/Niles, IL) was the busiest for the Cyclones, appearing in 21 game, winning six and posting an .896 Save Percentage and a Goals Against Average of 3.76. 

Best numbers in goal belonged to Collin Lemanski (‘03/Midland, MI) who appeared in 10 games after playing 23 with the Austin Ice Bats. Lemanski picked up a couple wins with a .913 Save Percentage during his time in Wausau. 

The Cyclones will open its 2023-24 regular season schedule on home ice against the West Bend (formerly Milwaukee) Power. 

West Bend Power (31-13-3  65 points – 3rd in Central Division) 

The Power is coming off its most successful season since joining the league in 2018 and thiis season has moved out of Milwaukee down the road to West Bend, WI. 

The Power scored 184 goals and allowed just 122 in a 65-point season, reaching the post season but making a first-round exit against the Rochester Grizzlies. 

In the off season, the team made a northwest move to the town of West Bend where the team will likely be more visible in a smaller community. 

The Power was led offensively last season by Canadian import Patrick Toomey (‘02/Pickering, ON) who fired 32 goals, half of his 64-point total, 18 points more than Michael Dalaly (‘02/Naperville, IL) who scored 16 and wrapped up with 46 points. 

Dalaly also collected the league’s Community Service Award for 2022-23 along with the Central Division Community Service Award while Toomey was named to the all-NA3HL Second Team as well as the all-Central Division first team. 

Both players have aged out. Toomey will move on to University of Dubuque as the school moves up to play the NCAA D3 this season and Dalaly will begin this fall with the ACHA team a Indiana State University. 

Max Mudge (‘03/Burden, WA) was the leading scorer among defensemen with six goals and 25 points and he is expected to play in West Bend this season. 

The Power roster included seven goaltenders – five of them playing at least one game over the course of the 2022-23 campaign. Easily the busiest was Adam Prokop (‘04/Wausau, WI) who went to the crease 29 times and posted a record of 22-4-2 with a 2.33 Goals Against Average and a Save Percentage of .933. Prokop also suited up five times for the Austin Bruins in the NAHL and he has been tendered by the same Bruins for the upcoming season. 

Prokop was also named to the NA3HL’s all-Rookie First Team and collected the Central Division’s Rookie of the Year Award 

First game of the regular season for the Power will be Sept. 22 in Peoria, against the host Mustangs. 

Wisconsin Woodsmen (15-26-6 36 points – 5th in West Division) 

The New Ulm Steel wrapped up its final season in 2022-23 missing the post season by six points. A move to Tomah, WI also triggered a move to the Central Division which will now have for Wisconsin teams along with one in Illinois and one in Missouri. 

The Steel scored 145 goals but also allowed 205, the latter number one that the team will likely be looking to address this season. 

Gus Cantwell (‘03/West St. Paul, MN) led the team in scoring last season, potting 26 goals and collecting 48 points. Close behind was Jack Laser (‘03/San Jose CA) with 13 goals and 36 points. 

Nick O’Brien (‘03/White Bear Lake, MN) was third in team scoring and tops among defensemen with six goals and 34 points. He is expected to suit up with the Woodsmen this season.  

In goal, the Steel split the work primarily between Nolan Ryan LaCosse (‘03/Stillwater, MN) and Dixon Ehlers (‘04/Red Wing, MN). La Cosse appeared in 26 games posting a record of 17-13-2-1, a 4.63 Goals Against Average and a Save Percentage of .891.  

Ehlers went to the crease 23 times with a record of 7-10-3-0, 4.08 Goals Against and a Save Percentage of .895. Dixon is slated to move up to Tier 2 with the Wisconsin Windigo this season and Ehlers is expected to start the regular season in Tomah. 

The first game for the Woodsmen will be Sept. 15 at the Tomah Ice Center against the visiting Oregon Tradesmen. 

West Division  

Alexandria Blizzard — (32-12-3 67 points – 2nd in West Division)  

The Blizzard is coming off a solid 32-win season and second in the tough West Division. The Blizzard would love to post the same, or better results this season with a deeper run into the post season as well. 

The Blizzard outscored opponents 219-118, the 219 ranking the team among the top five in terms of scoring and the 101-goal differential was also among the top half dozen in the league. 

Offensively, the Blizzard was led by Ryan Hadland (‘02/Prior Lake, MN). Hadland notched 32 goals and 70 points in his second full season with the Blizzard and he will continue his career this fall at the University of New England. 

Hadland was named to the all-West Division Team and the all-NA3HL First Team.  

Next in team scoring was hometown forward Joe Gronholz (‘03/Alexandria, MN) who scored 23 goals and collected 51 points with one game played with the NAHL’s St. Cloud Norsemen as well. According to Elite Prospect, Gronholz is set to play in the USPHL with the Vegas Thunderbirds this season. 

Wyatt Johnson (‘02/Oxbridge, ND) collected 11 goals and 38 points to top all defenders in his third and final season with the Blizzard. He has committed to attend and play ACHA hockey at the University of Jamestown beginning in September. 

In goal the Blizzard had five play at least one game, led by Kyle Abrahamson (‘04/Cloquet, MN) who appeared in 22 games posting a record of 12-6-1 with a 2.34 Goals Against Average and a Save Percentage of .916. 

The Blizzard made a 17-point improvement in the standings and moved from fourth to second in the division last season. Head Coach Jeff Crouse was recognized for the accomplishment receiving the league’s Coach of the Year Award. 

Granite City Lumberjacks (39-6-2 80 points – 1st in West Division/Fraser Cup Champions) 

Historically, the Lumberjacks are the team to beat in the NA3HL. Perennial Division champions, the Lumberjacks got a good push from Alexandria in 2022-23 but finished 13 points in front before getting past Willmar and Alexandria in division playoffs. 

When the North Iowa team was in the league, it was almost always between them for the league title. The Fraser Cup Championship was the team’s fourth but also the first since 2017. 

As champions, it came as no surprise the team was well represented when it came to awards, highlighted by the NA3HL’s Organization of the Year. 

Tucker Skime (‘02/Thief River Falls, MN) led the team in scoring with 21 goals and 53 points and he was named to the West Division team as a forward. Skime will suit up with Concordia University in 2023-24. 

Kyle Mortenson (‘02/Wayzata, MN) was next with 13 goals and 47 points in 47 games, second on the team and first among the defense corps. He was named as the league’s MVP and on both the West Division and NA3HL First team. He will take that resume with him to Hamline University beginning this fall. 

Other Award winners included Jacob McPartland (‘03/Victoria, MN) third in team scoring with 14 goals and 38 points along with two games played in the NAHL with Wisconsin Windigo. McPartland was also named to the league’s all-Rookie First team as well as the Division’s Rookie team and he will move to St. John’s University for the upcoming season. 

Ryan Lehet (‘03/Seven Hills, OH) led the team in the crease, appearing in 21 games with a record of 18-2-1, a Goals Against Average of 2.04 and a .921 Save Percentage. Lehet was named to the West Division’s First team and played a couple games in the NAHL with Aberdeen where he is expected to play this season. 

Parker Comstock (‘04/Sartell, MN) received the West Division’s Academic Achievement award and Joe Clemence was presented with the Broadcaster of the Year Award. 

The Lumberjacks will begin its title defense on Sept. 15 against the division’s newest addition, the Rochester Grizzlies. 

Mason City Toros (30-16-1 61 points – 3rd in West Division) 

The North Iowa Bulls joined the NA3HL in 2011 and when that team moved to the NAHL, the Mason City Toros were formed to continue in the NA3HL a few years ago. 

This past season the Toros finished third in the division, six points behind second place Alexandria and a comfortable 19 in front of the Willmar Warhawks in fourth. The Bulls were sidelined by the Blizzard in the West Division semi-finals. 

Offensively, the Toros were led by Carter Newpower (‘02/Cottage Grove, MN) wrapping up his third and final split between North Iowa and Mason City with 21 goals and 69 points in 45 games. Newpower also finished the season on the all-NA3HL First Team and all West Division team.  

Right behind was Cullen Hogan (‘02/Dallas, TX) with 22 goals and 55 points. Hogan was also honored with the Division’s Leadership Award.  

Joining Newpower on both the NA3HL First team and all-West Division team was defenseman Colin Headland (‘02/Fairbanks, AK), third on the team in scoring with eight goals and 43 points and a game played in Aberdeen of the NAHL as well.  

Hogan is scheduled to move on to play ACHA hockey at the University of Central Oklahoma and Newpower will continue his career at St. Mary’s University. 

In goal, Connor Graham (‘04/Fort Wayne, IN) appeared in 26 games with a record of 19-5-0, a Goals Against Average of 2.76 and a .918 Save Percentage. 

The Toros will open play on the 2023-24 season Sept. 15 with a roac game against the Minnesota Loons. 

Minnesota Loons (13-31-3 29 points – 6th in West Division) 

Despite a solid start to the season, the Loons wrapped up the final spot in the West Division and missed the post season for a fifth straight season. It was the eighth time since the team began play as the Breezy Point North Stars a decade ago, they have watched the playoffs from the sidelines. 

There were some promising signs. The 136 goals for are the highest total since the 2017-18 season and the 198 against was the first time under 200 since the 2016-17 campaign. 

The Loons will be hoping this season triggers a turnaround for the club soon. 

Defenseman Evan Fritze (‘02/Fairbanks, AK) scored seven goals and picked up 32 points to pace the Loons offensively with Dmitri Kuleshov (‘04/Sydney, Australia) collecting 26 points in 29 games. 

In goal Matthew Ryynanen (‘03/Houghton, MI) appeared in 27 games, posting a record of 7-14-2 with a 3.90 GAA and a Save Percentage of .901. 

The Loons will open the regular season on Sept. 15 with a home game against the Mason City Toros. 

Rochester Grizzlies (33-9-5 71 points – 1st in Central Division) 

The Grizzlies entered the NA3HL in 2015-16 after 16 previous seasons in the MNJHL including a half dozen Bush Cup Championships. 

After three seasons in the Central, the Bruins spent a season in the West, then returned for five more in the Central and now have moved back to the West Division again. 

In 2022-23 the Grizzlies placed first in its final season in the Central, entering the campaign as the defending Fraser Cup Champs. The Grizzlies edged the Oregon Tradesmen in a season long battle for top spot in the division, but the Tradesmen captured the division crown defeating the Griz in the division championship series. 

Offensively, the Bruins were led by Spencer Klotz (‘03/Northfield, MN) who paced the Grizzlies’ offense with 21 goals and 44 points in 43 games and he was also called up to play three games with the Minot Minotauros of the NAHL. Klotz was named to the league’s all-Rookie Second Team and is slated to start the 2023-24 season with Anchorage Wolverines of the NAHL. 

Austin Meers (‘02/St. Charles, MO) had 18 goals and 36 points and was the only player to appear in all 47 games for Rochester. He committed to attending and playing hockey at Lindenwood (ACHA) starting this fall. 

In goal, Taten Cothern (‘04/Rochester, MN) played 21 games with a record of 17-3 and four of his wins were shutouts. Cothern had a sparklig 1.70 Goals Against Average and a Save Percentage of .927. 

Defenseman Per Waage (‘02/Plymouth, MN) picked up six goals and 22 points for the Grizzlies, named to the league’s Third Team and the all-Central Division team. Waage also played a game with Chippewa of the NAHL and will move on to Hamline University this fall. 

Forward Erik Hernborn (‘04/Sollentuna, Sweden) received recognition as the West Division’s Academic Achievement Award Winner. 

The opening game of the 2023-24 season for the Grizzlies will be a battle of division champs as they play host to the Granite City Lumberjacks. 

Willmar Warhawks (20-25-2 42 points – 4th in West Division) 

The Warhawks finished five games under .500 but that was good enough for the fourth and final playoff spot, six points ahead of the New Ulm Steel. 

The Warhawks were eliminated in two straight games by the eventual league champion Granite City Lumberjacks.  

Michael Sweetland (‘02/Stillwater, MN) led the team offensively with 17 goals and 49 points. Luke McCarthy (‘04/Cottage Grove, MN) was close behind with 16 goals and 37 points. 

Gavin Simon (‘04/Monticello, MN) led the defensemen with three goals and 12 points. 

In goal, Zackary Ortolano (‘03/Las Vegas, NV) played the most of five goaltenders, appearing in 21 games with a record of 10-8-1 after a 2-2 start in five games in Mason City. Ortolano had a 3.76 Goals Against Average and a .863 Save Percentage in his games with the Warhawks. 

The Warhawks, led by new Head Coach Payton Ruter will begin the 2023-24 season on Sept. 22on the road against the Granite City Lumberjacks.