Congratulations to the Penguins on winning the 2026 Bantam Elite League championship with a 7-6 double-overtime victory against the Devils on Sunday, August 2nd, at the Bloomington Ice Garden.

In the final game of the ultra-competitive summer league, the Penguins took an early 3-2 lead in the match but then had to claw back from both 5-3 and 6-5 deficits later on. Eventually, the team in blue would push things to overtime and went on to win the championship in double-overtime fashion. Goal scorers in the victory for the Penguins included Wyatt Irlbeck (x2), Wyatt Klava (x2), Pierce Wedebrand, Barrett Sporcich, and Colton Bang, while Drew Hagen and Van Kollofski were both excellent in net.

The Penguins also finished at the top of the six-team league in overall points with an 8-1-1 record.

The Bantam Elite League, powered by APX Hockey, is a hockey league designed to attract and promote the top bantam-aged players in the state of Minnesota. In 2026, games were held in West St. Paul, South St. Paul, Bloomington, and Mendota Heights.

A handful of changes were made to how the Bantam Elite League functions this summer, compared to in years past, and all of the staff members involved agreed that the new features helped to foster the extremely competitive yet fun environment that makes the league unlike any other. The number of overall teams in the league was reduced, and the schedule as a whole was condensed to take up less of the summer for those who participate in other sports or family activities during the offseason.

“The changes that we made this summer elevated the entire BEL experience,” said Casey Weimer, the Director of the Bantam Elite League and the APX Director of Operations. “We reduced the league from 12 teams to six, allowing us to focus on the top 102 Bantam-eligible athletes from across the state of Minnesota. Every Bantam-eligible player was considered, and the smaller field created a higher level of competition with fast-paced, highly-skilled hockey that benefited the players, coaches, and scouts.”

The entire Bantam Elite League staff is extremely proud of the partnership between Youth Hockey Hub and APX Hockey that made this year’s Bantam Elite League a true success. The league has proven time and time again that it is able to provide a top-notch experience for athletes, parents, staff, scouts, and spectators alike.

“The Bantam Elite League has consistently been able to showcase some of Minnesota’s top hockey talent out on the ice, and this year was no exception,” said Peter Odney of Youth Hockey Hub. Some of the top alumni of the BEL include recent Stanley Cup winners K’Andre Miller and Jackson Blake, among other high-level NHLers such as Brock Faber. “By shrinking the schedule this summer, players were more easily able to keep up with their summer sports and family activities.”

Multiple APX athletes wound up competing on the championship-winning Penguins team this summer (Krueger, Sporcich, Potts, Bang) or were at the top of their respective leaderboards. Kooper Ewing, an APX athlete, led the entire league in scoring in 2026 with 30 total points, while APX goaltender Ryan Cui finished with the second-highest save percentage. You can view the full standings and leaderboards below.

2026 FINAL STANDINGS: