It’s a place where kids have flirted with frostbite and battled their best friends over the past 23 years, and the Slukynsky name is well-known in Warroad, known to some as Hockeytown USA.

As Hockey Day Minnesota took place this past weekend in Shakopee, it’s been a year since Warroad hosted the same event, as all eyes focused on the town of 1,900 and its rich hockey history.

However, a pair of Warroad kids are still receiving plenty of attention, as Grant and Hampton Slukynsky are enjoying a tremendous season at Western Michigan.

“Grant and Hammer have meant so much to our town and specifically our hockey program, and the example they set and the way they conduct themselves is second to none,” said Hardwick, who coached both brothers in high school. “Obviously, they’re both talented hockey players, but they’re awesome leaders and they both set a great example for their teammates and future players.

“They were raised right and in everything they did growing up – They did it the right way and they showed up with a purpose. They’ve really helped set the standard here the last few years, and you don’t find many kids like them. So, we were super fortunate to have both of them come through our program.”

Grant (right) and Hampton (middle) Slukynsky grew up skating on their family’s backyard rink, which their father, Tim (left), has maintained since 2002. “I still make it every year and clean it off, and even this year Grant came home over Christmas break and skated,” Tim said. “It’s a family tradition and our nieces and nephews come over to skate, and I just remember the boys always begging to skate growing up. There were so many good memories made out there as kids.” (Photo courtesy of the Slukynsky Family)

Grant, 22, played three seasons with the Warriors and the left-shot forward captained the team twice, putting up 101 points (39-62-101) in 2019-20.

Hampton, 19, followed soon after, tending the Warroad crease for three seasons before heading to the USHL. Hampton won the Frank Brimsek Award in 2023 as the state’s top goaltender and led the Warriors to back-to-back Class 1A championship games and runner-up finishes. The success has followed both out of Warroad, too.

Grant won a Clark Cup with the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers in 2021-22 and spent last season at Northern Michigan before transferring to WMU in June. Hampton was named the USHL Goaltender of the Year and back-stopped the Fargo Force to an Anderson and Clark Cup last spring. He flipped his commitment to WMU at the same time.

Hampton, who was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2023 NHL Draft (fourth round, 118th overall), has continued to excel this winter, too, as one of the nation’s top freshmen goaltenders.

He’s currently 5-3-1 with a .946 save percentage and 1.55 GAA for the Broncos, and Grant has 15 points (4-11-15) through 22 games. WMU has won six straight, is ranked third in the country and sits atop the NCHC standings with 30 points.

“You grow up wanting to play for the high school team and make the state tournament, and then you want to play at this level and in a conference like the NCHC, and it’s been great so far,” Hampton said. “Going back to this summer, we honestly didn’t know a ton about Western. But we were looking for a spot that would be a good fit for both of us and a place we could win.

“We knew they had a successful program and the staff was highly-regarded, and everyone here has been great to us. I think we have a really good team and can hang with anybody in the country.”

Hampton Slukynsky is sharing the crease with Cameron Rowe this season, who has been “huge’” for Slukynsky’s development. WMU allows 1.8 goals per game, tied for third in the NCAA. Slukynsky earned his first NCAA shutout on Jan. 25 against Miami. (Photo courtesy of Western Michigan Athletics)

Reunited
This season has been an adjustment for both brothers, in a good way.

It’s their first year living in Kalamazoo and attending a new school, and the first at the college level in Hampton’s case. The two are sharing an apartment and living together and they even share a few classes, which has helped ease the adjustment.

However, it’s also their first time playing on the same team.

“It’s been unbelievable and definitely something we’ve been looking forward to,” Grant said. “From the moment we got here, we’ve loved every minute and it’s been a ton of fun going to the rink every single day and working to get better. We’re just taking it one day at a time, and I think that’s part of why we’ve had so much success. But I know for us personally, it’s been really special to finally play together and the off-ice part and living together has been fun too.”

Hampton added: “It’s been really cool. Obviously, he’s three years older, so we never got the chance to play together in youth hockey or high school, but I know both of us and our family have really enjoyed it so far. Playing at this level is special as it is, but to do it with your brother is something both of us will cherish forever.”

Make no mistake, the rest of the family is enjoying it too.

“I think when they were committed to Northern we just took it for granted and kinda expected it was gonna happen, but it’s been surreal seeing it come to fruition and Western has been an amazing fit for both of them,” said Tim Slukynsky, who doubles as their dad and the backyard rink’s maintenance manager. “I don’t know if you want to call it fate or hockey karma, but it’s been amazing how everything has worked out over the past few months. Obviously their team has been playing lights out on top of it too, and I know they’re really happy with where they’re at.”

Grant (left) and Hampton (right) Slukynsky have played in nine games together this season. “You would’ve thought given our numbers in our small town there would’ve been a little bit of overlap, but it’s just never happened,” said their father Tim. “It’s been amazing to watch them this year, and it’s really special for our family.” (Photo courtesy of the Slukynsky Family)

Family Affair
Tim and his wife, Jenny, have attended nearly every WMU game this season. They’ve missed three games total – two of which they were in Ottawa watching Hampton at the World Junior Championships.

Having both kids under one roof has “been a game-changer” Tim quipped, especially after they racked up thousands of miles in recent years. At times driving through the night after Northern Michigan’s games in the upper peninsula to watch Hampton in Des Moines, Omaha or Sioux City – among other locations.

“We wouldn’t be where we are today without them, and I know they’re loving watching us on the same team, and it’s been awesome sharing it with them,” Grant said. “It’s hard enough to play college hockey at this level as it is, but to go through it with your best friend makes it that much more special, and I know we’re not taking it for granted.

“Just being there to support each other in practice, or working together on a project has been awesome, and obviously Hammer’s handled this season tremendously well. At the end of the day, we’re each other’s biggest supporters and we’re just hoping to keep it going.”

Grant Slukynsky has played in all 22 games this season, including two in Grand Forks earlier this month. WMU swept North Dakota and the Slukynskys had roughly 25 friends and family in attendance from Warroad. “We love Warroad and are super proud that we grew up there,” Grant said. “We know a lot of people back home are always pulling for us and that’s pretty special, and we love representing the community.” (Photo courtesy of Western Michigan Athletics)

It’s been quite the year for the Slukynsky brothers, and the Broncos look poised for a deep run in the spring. Hampton also helped the U.S. win a gold medal earlier this month at the above-mentioned WJC in Ottawa, where he won a pair of games.

They both have promising careers ahead of them and have found a good home in Kalamazoo, and they’re making everyone back home in Warroad proud in the process.

“When you know how much hockey means to their family and how professional and caring they are every single day, it’s not a surprise at all to see them having the success they are,” Hardwick said. “They’re both extremely driven and passionate kids, and that’s been evident from a young age, and they’re just winners.

“I’m sure they’ve spent thousands of hours skating in their backyard and during the summer together, but to see them playing together now and being big contributors on one of the country’s top teams – it’s incredible. I know it means so much to both of them and for them to be representing our community in the process, I know everyone here in Warroad is super proud of them and they deserve it.”

The post Successful Slukynskys appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

But early results from this season indicate that the northern corner of the state known as Section 7 will continue to be a viable threat at least for the foreseeable future.

The mixup of the area is that Hermantown — a geographical area large in size but small in enrollment, just northwest of Duluth — has emerged as the best team and youth program in the area. But while some of the larger, Class 2A, Section 7 schools fluctuate quite a bit in their good fortune, Hermantown insists on staying in Class 1A, Section 7, to play with the smaller schools where it is most likely to succeed.

While the Hermantown youth teams all play at the highest classification, and win consistently, they feed an expansive high school program that can roll out three or even four balanced forward lines, three sets of defensemen, and depth in goaltending that is usually the best in the region.

If the proof of the pudding is in how successfully players advance to play with college scholarships, and maybe even pro hockey, the Hermantown Hawks are a constant source of amazement. For the past decade, the University of Minnesota Duluth has been criticized for taking so many prospects from Hermantown. But when the Bulldogs won three NCAA championships with teams all strongly flavored by Hawks, the critics started to realize that instead of suggesting UMD had too many Hermantown players, maybe they needed more!

The Winnipeg Jets, for example, have Neal Pionk as the anchor of their defensive corps, and Dylan Samberg is another Jets teammate. Both played together on state tournament teams at Hermantown, then played on the same UMD teams winning NCAA titles before they signed NHL contracts.

This season’s UMD team is led by Blake Biondi, who is captain and second-generation forward following his dad, Joe Biondi, to UMD. Blake, of course, was captain and Minnesota’s Mr. Hockey at Hermantown as a senior, where he was joined by current UMD defensemen from Hermantown, including veterans Darian Gotz and Joey Pierce, and just brought in freshman Aaron Pionk, Neal’s brother, who played forward until this season, when coach Scott Sandelin moved him to defense and put him in charge of running the power play.

At Hermantown this season, coach Pat Andrews had to rebuild from key goal-scoring losses to graduation, and the departure of highly skilled brothers Zam Plante and Max Plante, who played as teammates on a state championship Hermantown team. Both committed to UMD before joining their parents in a move to Chicago. Father Derek Plante, a former UMD standout who played over a decade in the NHL, was hired as assistant coach of the Blackhawks in their rebuilding plan.

Max Plante made the U.S. Development camp’s Under-18 team, and Zam — who is a year older — made the Chicago Steel and was traded to the Fargo Force in the U.S. Hockey League. Both will come to UMD next fall as freshmen, but they left enormous holes in the Hawks high school lineup.

While all the other Class 2A and Class 1A Section 7 teams lost heavily from graduation as well, and perennial powers such as Duluth East, Cloquet-Esko-Carlson, and even Grand Rapids are rebuilding, Hermantown is the only program rich and deep enough to merely reload to find scoring. Against Class 2A foes this season, Hermantown beat Cretin-Derham Hall, tied Hill-Murray and then beat Centennial. It also defeated defending Class 1A champion Mahtomedi 5-1. Then, they faced Duluth Denfeld.

Duluth Denfeld moved up to Class 2A this season, ties Hermantown
Denfeld has an interesting program. Located in the West End, West Duluth and Piedmont Heights youth program region — which produce good players, but without the depth Hermantown enjoys. But the Hunters broke new ground in football during the fall. They also have a strong basketball program. Their hockey team, coached by former UMD defenseman Dale Jago, started off beating teams and establishing what might normally be considered an upset is not an upset when facing this Denfeld team’s swift-skating, puck-skilled players.

In an interesting maneuver, Denfeld made a controversial decision to move up from Class 1A to the larger Class 2A. Many larger schools have traditionally sought to move down, to avoid getting beaten by usual meat-grinder Duluth East. But this year in northern Minnesota, Cloquet-Esko-Carlton moved from Class 2A to Class 1A in Section 7, while Denfeld passed the Lumberjacks going the other direction, moving up a class.

Hermantown’s Jack Slattengren (11) peeled away from the goal after scoring the Dec. 19 game’s first goal against Duluth Denfeld goalie Connor Doyle. (MHM Photo / John Gilbert)

Denfeld and Hermantown played at Essentia Duluth Heritage Center on the Tuesday before Christmas, and the Hunters were definitely swift and skilled enough to take on their heralded rivals. That was evident from the drop of the puck. 

The result was mostly a coming out party for Connor Doyle, Denfeld’s goaltender. The more the Hawks attacked, the better Doyle seemed to play. Jack Slattengren gave Hermantown a 1-0 lead as he raced in on a goal-crashing attempt and redirected a goal-mouth pass.

In the second period, the Hawks outshot Denfeld 17-8 and took a 2-0 lead on a Bradford Skytta goal. Doyle kept the Hawks at bay. Denfeld narrowed the gap with a Brady Wick power-play goal from the right poinot. The Hawks almost seemed content to hold that 2-1 lead over Denfeld through the third period, and maybe that was coach Andrews’ intention — to let the Hawks prove to themselves that then can hold onto a slim lead against a team that was throwing everything they could summon at them.

It almost worked. As Denfeld pulled Doyle for a sixth attacker late in the game, Cory Backstrom scored a power-play goal and the sudden 2-2 tie stunned the Hawks, and the fans, into silence. The eight-minute overtime still ended with a 2-2 result as the final score. Hermantown outshot Denfeld 44-28. Doyle’s 42 saves commanded the spotlight and led the Hunters to center stage.

Maybe that’s what those pushy Class 1A schools get for taking on those proud big-school Class 2A teams!

NCHC to leave Xcel Center for campus sites
While the battle among top Western college hockey conferences continues through its midseason break, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference made a move to catch up to its brethren in the Big Ten and Central Collegiate Hockey Conference by making a sweeping change to its future league playoff structure.

Or, from another standpoint, the NCHC had the best idea and has chosen to abandon it.

Since the NCHC began in the 2013-14 season, it decided to offset the big-city attractiveness enjoyed by Minnesota and the Big Ten, or Detroit and the CCHA and Big Ten, and the Chicago and Milwaukee regions of Wisconsin and the Big Ten. So, the NCHC renamed its league playoff semifinals and finals the Frozen Faceoff, and contracted with the Minnesota Wild to hold the event at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul.

Since then, the NCHC has always held its tournament at Xcel Center or at Target Center in Minneapolis — the two largest facilities in the state. Meanwhile, the Big Ten capitulated by playing its playoffs at the site of the highest seeded team, and the CCHA did the same. The advantages of taking the biggest games away from the sites where the teams play all season were quickly overlooked when the Frozen Faceoff drew huge crowds of UMD, North Dakota, and St. Cloud State fans, as well as hard-core hockey fans who might still be upset that Minnesota pulled the plug on the old WCHA, the best and most successful hockey conference in men’s hockey history.

In conference meetings during the holiday break this year, the NCHC voted unanimously to change formats and to give those semifinals and finals back to the college sites where the teams have the best records. For the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, the format will remain the same, although Arizona State will join the NCHC officially for 2024-25, when the quarterfinals will be best-of-three at the highest seeds, and the four finalists will return to Xcel Energy Center for their semifinals and finals.

But when the existing contract expires, the NCHC will give up the big-city draw of St. Paul and play at campus sites in 2025-26. Those playoffs will expand to consume three weekends, with Team Nine playing Team Eight at the site of Team One, which will face that winner the next night in single-elimination play. The top two seeds gain the benefit of being host to the semifinals, with the surviving finalists advancing to play for the championship on the third weekend, at the site of the highest remaining seed.

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