Forest Lake Lakers
| Forest Lake Lakers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Forest Lake, Minnesota |
| League | USPHL-Midwest |
| Conference | Western Conference |
| Founded | 1993 |
| Home arena | Forest Lake Sports Center |
| Colors | Purple, Black and Silver |
| General manager | Ralph Hayne |
| Head coach | Denny Canfield |
| 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) Midwest 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]
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 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | USPHL-Midwest |
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)
- Minnesota Wild/Iowa Wild (2014–present)[4]
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–present |
References
- ↑ "About Our Sponsor". White Bear Lake Hockey Association. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
- ↑ "Lakers Sink Mariners in Semifinal". Los Angeles Times. 30 March 1999.
- ↑ "Alumni". Forest Lake Lakers. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
- ↑ "Joel Rechlicz hockey stats". HockeyDB.com. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
- ↑ "Staff Directory". Augsburg College Athletics. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
- ↑ "Edina sticks with Yoder as next head coach". MNJHL. 25 April 2010.
- ↑ "Former MNJHL Coach Kasey Yoder is headed to MN State Tournament". MNJHL. 4 March 2014.
- ↑ "Edina Lakers Tap Joe Long as Next Head Coach". Lakers Junior Hockey. 19 April 2011.
- ↑ "2013-14 Men's Ice Hockey Coaching Staff". Hamline University Athletics. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
- ↑ "Changing of the Guard". Lakers Junior Hockey. 4 April 2014.