Forest Lake Lakers
| Forest Lake Lakers | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| City | Forest Lake, Minnesota |
| League | USPHL-Elite |
| Division | Midwest |
| Founded | 1993 |
| Home arena | Forest Lake Sports Center |
| Colors | Purple, Black and Silver |
| General manager | Kasey Yoder (2016) |
| Head coach | Kasey Yoder (2016) |
| Franchise history | |
| 1993–2000 | East Metro Lakers |
| 2000–2009 | St. Paul Lakers |
| 2009–2014 | Edina Lakers |
| 2014–present | Forest Lake Lakers |
The Forest Lake Lakers are a Tier III Jr. A ice hockey team located in Forest Lake, Minnesota, a Northern suburb of Minneapolis-Saint Paul. The Lakers play in the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL) Elite Division. From 1993–2015 the team played in the former Minnesota Junior Hockey League (MnJHL).
History
Formed by Ralph Hayne[1] in 1993 as the East Metro Lakers, the team called Aldrich Arena in White Bear Lake home until 2000. The team renamed "St. Paul Lakers" and moved to Highland Arena for one season before relocating to Veterans Memorial Community Center in Inver Grove Heights until 2009.
Renamed "Edina Lakers" in the summer of 2009, the club called Minnesota Made Ice Center home until summer of 2014.
Under the guidance of coach Mike LaValle, the Lakers won the USA Hockey Junior B National Tournament in 1999.[2]
In 2015, the Minnesota Junior Hockey League was merged into the United States Premier Hockey League as part of the Midwest Division, a new Tier III league within the USPHL. However, the Midwest did not have its own league playoff championships, but instead the top teams from the Midwest Division played the top teams from the USP3 Division for a single championship. The Lakers won their conference semifinals, qualifying for the USPHL USP3/Midwest playoffs but failed to move on past the round robin stage. In 2016, the Midwest Division was split up among the USPHL Elite and USP3 Divisions with the Forest Lake Lakers going to the Elite Division.
Season-by-season records
| Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | GF | GA | Regular Season Finish | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999–00 | 36 | 4 | 31 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 97 | 266 | 7th, MNJHL | |
| 2000–01 | 36 | 11 | 21 | — | 4 | 26 | 130 | 205 | 4th, MNJHL | |
| 2001–02 | 42 | 13 | 24 | — | 5 | 31 | 145 | 209 | 6th, MNJHL | |
| 2002–03 | 42 | 26 | 16 | — | 0 | 52 | 186 | 156 | 4th, MNJHL | |
| 2003–04 | 40 | 20 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 42 | 174 | 170 | 3rd, MNJHL | |
| 2004–05 | 48 | 14 | 29 | 3 | 2 | 33 | 176 | 211 | 5th, MNJHL | |
| 2005–06 | 48 | 10 | 35 | 2 | 1 | 23 | 163 | 271 | 7th, MNJHL | |
| 2006–07 | 40 | 6 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 144 | 298 | 6th, MNJHL | |
| 2007–08 | 48 | 9 | 38 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 174 | 299 | 8th, MNJHL | |
| 2008–09 | 48 | 12 | 33 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 168 | 279 | 8th, MNJHL | |
| 2009–10 | 50 | 27 | 19 | 0 | 4 | 58 | 195 | 162 | 6th, MNJHL | Lost Division Quarterfinals |
| 2010–11 | 45 | 21 | 20 | — | 4 | 46 | 162 | 173 | 5th, MNJHL | |
| 2011–12 | 48 | 20 | 27 | — | 1 | 41 | 160 | 249 | 6th, MNJHL | |
| 2012–13 | 50 | 23 | 23 | — | 4 | 50 | 189 | 220 | 6th, MNJHL-MN | Lost Division Quarterfinals |
| 2013–14 | 46 | 12 | 30 | — | 4 | 28 | 107 | 205 | 7th, MNJHL-MN | Lost Division Quarterfinals |
| 2014–15 | 42 | 26 | 16 | — | — | 52 | 163 | 109 | 6th, MNJHL-MN | Lost Division Semifinals |
| 2015–16 | 48 | 39 | 7 | — | 2 | 80 | 257 | 91 | 1st of 9, Western Conf. 2nd of 17, USPHL-Midwest |
Won Conf. Quarterfinals, 2-1 vs. Decatur Blaze Won Conf. Semifinals, 2-1 vs. Wisconsin Rapids Riverkings 1-1-1 in USPHL Round Robin (L, 1-3 vs. Eels-USP3; W, 6-3 vs. Hounds-Midwest; T, 2-2 vs. Hitmen-USP3) |
Alumni
The Lakers have produced a number of alumni playing in higher levels of junior hockey, NCAA Division I and Division III, and ACHA college programs, and professional hockey.[3]
One notable former player is Joel Rechlicz, who played with the Lakers in 2003–04 at the age of 16. Recruited by former Lakers General Manager Scott Ludwig, Rechlicz was signed by the coaching staff at the team tryout held in the Madison area in the summer of 2003. Rechlicz went on to play professional hockey in the ECHL, AHL and NHL.
- New York Islanders (2008–10)
- Washington Capitals (2011–12, 2013–14)
- Portland Pirates (while signed with the Phoenix Coyotes) (2012–13)
- Iowa Wild (while signed with the Minnesota Wild) (2014–15)[4]
- Grand Rapids Griffins (while signed with the Detroit Red Wings) (2015)
Coaches
| Coach | Seasons | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1993–95 | ||
| Mike LaValle[5] | 1995–99 | Named assistant coach at Augsburg College |
| Jeff St. Martin | 1999–02 | |
| Don Babineau | 2002–04 | 46-34-1-1 record over two seasons. |
| Cal Ballard | 2004–05 | |
| Stu Ronsberg | 2005–08 | |
| Dan Strot | 2008–09 | |
| Wes Durand | 2009–10 | Single season most wins as a member of the MnJHL in franchise history and most goals scored in single season in franchise history. |
| Kasey Yoder[6] | 2010–11 | Named assistant coach at Austin Bruins (NAHL)[7] |
| Joe Long[8] | 2011–12 | Named assistant coach at Hamline University[9] |
| Dennis Canfield[10] | 2014–2016 | Named head coach of the Atlanta Capitals (NA3HL) |
| Kasey Yoder | 2016–present |
References
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