Wadena-Deer Creek senior Kade Woods was selected as one of the top boys hockey players in Minnesota to participate in the Minnesota Hockey High Performance Tournament in South St. Paul April 17-18, 2021. Woods' father, Scott, who is also the Wolverines head coach, was selected to coach the 2A/AA and 6A/AA team in the tournament.
Coach Woods said it is quite an honor to be voted on this team. "They chose players from 16 AA schools and 16 A schools to make one team," he said. "Kade played in the program at the 14 and 15 levels but wasn't able to try out at the 16 and 17 levels for various reasons."
In his senior season, Kade was one of the Wolverines standout players. He was named Park Region All Conference player, All-Section 6A second team, and WDC's Most Valuable Player. He was also the recipient of the Hobey Baker Award.
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Coach Woods was excited and proud to be part of the tournament both as a coach and a father. "I was set to coach last year but COVID changed that," he said. "It just worked out to coach this year when Kade made the team. We hope to have a fun weekend and compete hard."
The 2A/AA and 6A/AA team's first game of the tournament ended in a 2-2 tie. In the second game, the 2A/AA and 6A/AA team won 4-0, and they won the third game by a score of 7-2.
According to Mike MacMillan, executive director of the MHCA, players participating in the tourney benefit from great competition and are evaluated by some of the top scouts and coaches from the NHL, college, and junior leagues.
