Prep Sports: Four teams, extraordinary talent and a winter worth watching

I can't remember being this excited about the start of a Northland high school winter sports season. Not because there are more good teams than usual, but because there are a handful of extraordinary young athletes playing practically in our backyard, including a basketball player who could someday become a household name in the WNBA and several hockey players with legitimate professional potential.

My personal must-watch list begins with the Proctor girls basketball team and continues with the Hermantown, Hibbing-Chisholm and Duluth East boys hockey teams. Four programs, four compelling stories and enough individual talent to make this one of the most interesting winters in recent memory.

Start with Chloe Johnson, the 6-foot junior point guard who transferred from Duluth Marshall to Proctor and already has the attention of virtually every major women's college basketball program in America. ESPN ranks Johnson as the No. 2 overall prospect nationally in the Class of 2028. UConn, USC, Duke, South Carolina, North Carolina, Iowa, Michigan and numerous other national powers are recruiting her.

Think about that for a moment. A girl playing high school basketball in Proctor is among the most coveted young basketball players in the country. There have been some amazingly gifted girls basketball players in northeastern Minnesota over the decades, but I believe Johnson is already the greatest talent our region has produced.

Johnson averaged 31.3 points, 11.3 rebounds and approximately five assists per game last season at Marshall. Those aren't ordinary high school numbers. They're remarkable numbers for a player who was only a sophomore, particularly one who routinely faced defensive schemes designed specifically to slow her down. What separates Johnson from other gifted scorers is her complete command of the game.

She can handle the basketball, create her own shot, see passing opportunities before they develop and use her size to dictate mismatches. She has the physical tools and basketball intelligence to become a dominant Division I player. I wouldn't bet against her eventually playing in the WNBA, either. She's that special, and she's still only a junior.

Her arrival also changes the expectations at Proctor. Johnson doesn't have to carry an entire program simply because she's the best player in the gym. The Rails have an opportunity to build around her exceptional scoring and playmaking abilities, develop the chemistry necessary for a serious postseason run and compete against some of Minnesota's strongest Class 2A programs. Proctor basketball fans should appreciate what they're about to witness. Players with Johnson's combination of size, skill and national standing rarely spend their junior and senior seasons performing in small-town gyms in northern Minnesota. I intend to watch her every opportunity I get.

And then there's Hermantown boys hockey, where the expectations are becoming almost unreasonable — until you examine the talent. I'm prepared to suggest the 2026-27 Hawks could eventually challenge for recognition as the best team in school history. That's an enormous statement about a program with four Class A state championships, 20 state tournament appearances and nine state runner-up finishes. Hermantown won championships in 2007, 2016, 2017 and 2022. Its 2007 team finished 29-0-2, and from 2010 through 2017 the Hawks reached eight consecutive state championship games, winning the final two of that remarkable stretch. Few programs in Minnesota high school hockey history can match that sustained excellence.

For perspective, Hermantown reached the Class A state championship game six consecutive times from 2010 through 2015 without winning it. Those teams were exceptionally good, frequently dominating opponents throughout the regular season and sectional tournaments. The Hawks were almost automatic participants in the state tournament for much of that era, winning Section 7A championships against some outstanding northern Minnesota competition. That's the historical standard against which this winter's team must be measured. And it's worth remembering that Hermantown hasn't reached the state tournament since 2024, having lost in the Section 7A semifinals each of the past two seasons.

What makes this particular Hermantown roster so intriguing is the collection of offensive talent. Senior forwards Beau Christy and Micklain Martalock combined for 50 goals last season, Christy scoring 27 and Martalock 23. Now add junior transfer Jordan “Jordy” Sewell, who scored 28 goals for Cloquet-Esko-Carlton last winter and helped eliminate Hermantown from the section tournament. That's three established goal scorers capable of taking over a game, with other talented returning forwards giving coach Patrick Andrews considerable flexibility. It's difficult to remember a Hermantown team entering a season with this much proven offensive firepower.

Then consider sophomore defenseman Nikolai Zhukov, an ultra-elite prospect whose skating, puck movement and offensive instincts make him one of the more interesting young defensemen to come through the program. Zhukov was selected in the first round of the 2026 United States Hockey League Phase I draft by Dubuque. His return from junior hockey would provide Hermantown with a dynamic talent on the blue line. The Hawks have other highly regarded players whose availability must be established before the season, and they must replace graduated goaltender Bryce Francisco. Those are significant considerations. But if the projected lineup comes together and the goaltending develops, Hermantown could have a historically talented team.

Of course, there's one substantial obstacle to another Hawks trip to St. Paul, and it's located about 75 miles northwest of Hermantown.

Hibbing-Chisholm isn't surrendering Section 7A to anybody. The Bluejackets have won the section championship two consecutive seasons and were agonizingly close to winning the 2026 Class A state championship. Hibbing-Chisholm led Warroad late in the third period of the championship game before surrendering the tying goal with 46 seconds remaining and losing 5-4 in overtime. That defeat will be difficult to forget, particularly for the players returning with another opportunity to bring a state championship to one of Minnesota's most storied hockey communities.

Junior defenseman Whitaker Rewertz, a prized Minnesota Duluth recruit, is one of the state's most gifted players at his position. Rewertz scored 23 goals and added 27 assists last season, extraordinary production from a defenseman. He has also signed with the Penticton Vees of the Western Hockey League, who have announced that he will return to Hibbing-Chisholm for the high school season. Junior forward Cole Swanson, a Western Michigan commit, scored 29 goals and collected 34 assists last winter. He has been identified by NHL Central Scouting as a potential 2027 draft selection. Those two give Hibbing-Chisholm the kind of high-end offensive ability that can decide sectional championship games. The Bluejackets must replace important graduated players, including their starting goaltender, but their returning star power makes another trip to St. Paul a realistic ambition.

The Hermantown-Hibbing-Chisholm rivalry could become one of the best stories in Minnesota high school hockey this winter. Both programs have legitimate championship aspirations, outstanding individual players and a recent history of postseason disappointment or success that should make every meeting meaningful. I wouldn't be surprised if the Section 7A championship again comes down to those two programs, although Cloquet-Esko-Carlton and other section contenders will have something to say about that. In a section this competitive, having the best collection of prospects doesn't guarantee anything.

At Duluth East, meanwhile, the story is considerably different, but no less interesting. The Greyhounds are coming off a disappointing 9-16-2 season, a record that would have seemed almost unthinkable during the program's glory years. But East has a nucleus of young players who gained substantial varsity experience during that difficult season, and the opportunity for a meaningful turnaround is real. Senior forward McKennen Kramer, junior forward Zane Medlin and junior defensemen Greyson Medak and Liam Brooks are the foundation of that optimism.

Kramer and Medlin each produced 32 points last season, while Medak finished with 28 and Brooks with 27. Those are encouraging numbers for a group that was still relatively young, particularly for the two defensemen. Brooks was selected in the second round of the USHL Phase I draft by Omaha, another indication of the young talent developing at East. The Greyhounds don't need to become a state championship favorite overnight to make this season successful. They need to defend more consistently, establish reliable goaltending and turn their offensive opportunities into victories against the stronger teams on their schedule. If those things happen, East could make a substantial climb in Section 7AA.

I have followed high school sports in this region for more than half a century, and the attraction has never changed. Major college and professional athletes often begin their careers in community gyms and local ice arenas, playing before a few hundred spectators who may not fully appreciate what they're watching. We have that opportunity this winter with Johnson, Zhukov, Rewertz, Swanson, Christy, Martalock, Sewell and several emerging Duluth East players. Some will eventually move on to big-time college programs, and a few might make professional careers out of their remarkable athletic ability.

But for now, they're ours to watch. And I plan to enjoy every minute of it.