Vote: Who should be SBLive's Minnesota high school Athlete of the Week? (12/19/2023)

Read through the candidates and cast your vote!

Here are the candidates for the Minnesota High School Athlete of the Week for Dec. 11-17.

Read through the nominees and cast your vote. Voting will conclude Sunday at 11:59 p.m. and the winner will be announced Monday.

If you would like to make a nomination in a future week, please email athleteoftheweek@scorebooklive.com with “MNHSAW Nomination” in the subject line.

Editor’s Note: Our Athlete of the Week feature and corresponding poll is intended to be fun, and we do not set limits on how many times a fan can vote during the competition. However, we do not allow votes that are generated by script, macro or other automated means. Athletes that receive votes generated by script, macro or other automated means will be disqualified.

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Minnesota high school Athlete of the Week nominees

Shad Torola, Park Rapids Area

If there was any time for Torola to go and get his first point of the season, it was in overtime against Wadena-Deer Creek. Deadlocked at 6-6 in the first overtime period, Torola took the puck and buried it in the net, earning his first varsity goal on the year as he lifted his team to a 7-6 victory. 

Gavin Uhlenkamp, Chanhassen

Since November 28th, Uhlenkamp has scored in every single game he’s played, leading the Storm on a hot streak that has helped it win five of its last six games. He’s scored 10 points in his last three contests, including a two goal, two assist performance that helped hand Rogers its first loss of the season. 

Kam Hendrickson, Chanhassen

Speaking of excellent performances against Rogers, Hendrickson had yet another gem between the pipes that helped his team cruise to victory. Despite Rogers being undefeated at the time, Hendrickson saved 27 of the 28 shots that went his way, earning the hard-fought victory with an impressive .964 save percentage. 

Trey Fredenberg, Stillwater

Another late game hero on this list, Fredenberg netted his first career varsity goal at the perfect time. The Ponies were tied 4-4 against conference mate Roseville, then Fredenberg called game, netting a goal that brought his team to a 5-4 victory. The sophomore has scored in his last two games, and could be a player to watch as the season wears on. 

Johnny Conlin, Mounds View

A four goal game against a bitter rival? Yep, Conlin did that, and then some. Facing Irondale in one of the biggest games for Mounds View every year, Conlin put up five points on four goals and an assist. Conlin leads the Mustangs with 17 points, and is on pace to be one of the program’s most decorated scorers. 

Kai Weigel, Moorhead

Facing a Minnetonka team that has averaged nearly seven goals per game, Weigel shined under pressure. He saved 48 shots, keeping his team in the game until the final horn sounded thanks to his excellent .941 save percentage. 

Will Kortan, Lakeville South

The junior skater had a big night for the Cougars, putting up four points on two goals and two assists against Eastview. The forward has been a scoring machine for South thus far, and his performance has brought the team to a perfect 5-0 record. 

Noah Hacker, Sartell

Hacker picked up a 20 save shutout in a game where his team needed him most. Thanks to Hacker’s heroics, Sartell secured a 1-0 victory, moving to an undefeated 7-0-1 on the year. 

Bobby Thornton, Cloquet/Esko/Carlton

Thornton secured a hat trick this past week against a Blaine school that is much larger than many of the programs his team is used to playing. Even so, Thornton picked up three goals for his team, and Cloquet/Esko/Carlton ended up upsetting Blaine, 5-4.

Nate Celski, White Bear Lake

Celski and the Bear defense were nothing short of brilliant this past week. Against fellow Suburban East member East Ridge, Celski and the defensive unit kept their goalie clean, allowing only 10 shots on the net en route to a shutout victory. 

Taylor Kressin, Moorhead

Yet another electrifying goalie from Moorhead on this list, Taylor Kressin has been a machine between the pipes for this program. She’s allowed two goals across her last three starts, boasts a .939 save percentage on the year, and is a big reason why Moorhead has roared out toa 8-1-1 record to start the year. 

Alexa Bricko, Woodbury

Bricko took Cretin Derham-Hall to the cleaners last week, becoming an effective scoring option from anywhere for Woodbury. In her last game, She put up four points on one goal and three assists, helping the Royals leap out to an early lead and hold it until the final horn. 

Laini Gnetz, Woodbury

The second cog in Woodbury’s offensive machine this past week, Gnetz was neck-in-neck with her teammate Bricko for top offensive honors. Against Cretin Derham-Hall, Gnetz was nothing short of brilliant, scoring two goals, three assists, and five total points en route to her team’s 5-1 victory against a fellow Suburban East Conference opponent. 

Sarah Stauber, Duluth Marshall

Arguably one of the most unselfish skaters in the state, Stauber may not be the flashiest athlete, but make no mistake, her contributions to the team are irreplaceable. She may only have one goal on the year, but with five assists in her last two games, it is clear for anyone to see that Stauber thrives at spreading the puck around. The sophomore has 20 assists through 13 games, a figure that currently has her leading Duluth Marshall in points. 

Addy Finn, Stillwater

The Stillwater senior has been thriving so far to start this year thanks to her absurd production on the offensive end. Finn, a New Hampshire commit, had six points on four goals and two assists over the weekend, pushing her point total past the 20 mark through only 10 games of play. 

Grace McCoshen, Northfield

Northfield has been an absolute force to opposing teams this season, and thanks to excellent defenseman like McCoshen, this dominance will likely continue to permeate girls’ hockey. Against Winona, McCoshen had a hat trick and then some, totalling six points on an even three goals and three assists. 

Penny Gorman, Mankato West

Another skater to join the list of overtime heroes this past weekend, Gorman’s performance wasn’t just a game winner: it was three and a half periods of dominance. The freshman netted four points on two goals and two assists, helping Mankato West squeak out an overtime victory over Rochester Century/John Marshall

Claire Bronson, Lakeville South

Usually, ties are not celebrated, but in Bronson’s case, her performance in the net is worthy of recognition. Despite being against her rival school and facing 18 more shots than her opponent across the ice, Bronson was poised and near-perfect, saving 37 of 38 shots as she forced Lakeville North to a 1-1 stalemate through four periods. 

Anthony Smith, Hopkins

A 30 point performance at the prep level is a pretty rare occurrence, but Smith felt like doing the crowd one better, literally. Facing a solid Lakeville South team, Smith put up 31 points en route to a 89-78 victory.

Justin Courneya, Win-E-Mac

Courneya was nothing short of excellent this past weekend, dropping back-to-back standout performances as he helped his team pick up two wins over the weekend. Courneya went for 44 points against Bagley, then followed this up the next day with a 34 point performance versus Warren-Alvarado-Oslo.

Greyson Uelmen, Minnetonka

The Skippers were red hot on the offensive end in their last contest against Osseo, and Uelmen was the red-hot performer that kept his team on fire. Uelmen added 26 points to an offensive onslaught, and Minnetonka secured a 99-78 victory. 

MarNaires Ferguson, Duluth Denfeld

Ferguson was a thorn in Zimmerman’s side all game, and was a big reason the team was held to only 33 points when it played Denfeld. Ferguson stole the ball 10 times, adding 19 points and four rebounds to an already stellar stat line as Duluth Denfeld cruised to a 83-33 victory. 

Jazmin Daing, Rochester John Marshall

In defensive bouts, all it takes is one athlete to break through and help their team win, and that’s exactly what Daing did this past week. Facing a tight matchup against Hastings, Daing put up 26 points, a figure that led any athlete on either team by a wide margin as Rochester cruised to a 67-57 victory. 

Sidney Klauer, East Ridge

Another athlete who fought hard to push her team to victory, Klauer was a force to be reckoned with in a game where both teams desperately needed someone to step up. Facing Edina and gridlocked in a defensive battle, Klauer stepped up significantly, scoring 24 of her team’s 68 points to secure the win.

Glissa Gorter, Simley

Gorter and the Simley defense had a performance for the ages. Already a strong defensive team, Simley went above and beyond, holding a Columbia Heights squad to just 19 points en route to a lopsided victory. 

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