It seems like success follows Casey Vandertop wherever he goes. The 17-year-old from Edina knows about winning hockey games and has proven that he can win at pretty much every level he has competed at so far. As a young hockey player, the Edina native won state titles at both the PeeWee AA and Bantam AA levels before moving up to varsity and winning a Class AA state championship with the Hornets as just a sophomore. In addition to those accolades, he also suited up to skate for Team USA in the Five Nations Tournament in 2024 where the squad finished in first place with a 3-1 record.

Vandertop now hopes to bring his winning ways to the ice in Lincoln this fall as he ventures into his first full season of junior hockey. Obviously, things will be different though with a roster full of guys from around the U.S., and around the world, who are just starting to create a team identity and culture. The Stars are currently 0-3 to start the 2025-26 season but it is way too early to tell what will be in store for the team this winter.

“We got some stuff to clean up but I think once we get that started that then we’re just going to keep getting better and start winning games,” said Vandertop, who was a fourth-round pick of the Stars in the 2024 USHL Futures Draft. “We’re just starting to know and play with each other so once we form those connections and keep working hard, keep buzzing in practice, then we’ll go in and win games and it won’t stop there and I think things will keep going up.”

It’ll definitely be a change for the Edina native this season though since he won’t be with his Hornet teammates that he accomplished so much with during his time in youth and high school hockey. Winning so many titles throughout the years with the same group of guys made each victory more and more special as time went on - winning big games and state titles never gets old.

“It gets better every time you do it (winning a championship) and especially with the same guys who you’ve been playing with for pretty much your whole life,” he said in an interview with APX reporter Sydney Wolf. “There’s nothing really better than that, … it’s just an awesome feeling.”

Vandertop won both a PeeWee AA and Bantam AA title in Edina prior to making the jump up into the ranks of varsity high school hockey as a sophomore. That first year of high school was special though as the 5-foot-10 forward netted 31 points through 31 games for the Hornets and the team went on to win the Class AA state title with many of the same guys that he won youth titles with in the years prior.

“Our summer skates definitely helped me kind of adjust to the speed (of varsity hockey) and as we got into the season our older guys were just great leaders and they helped all of us younger guys through any adversity that we might have faced and also my coaches put me in great opportunities, I was playing with great players and I had powerplay opportunities and stuff like that which really helped me work my way into high school hockey,” he said about making the jump up from youth hockey into high school.

Looking back at the seniors on the rosters that season, there sure was plenty of good leadership in talent in that Class of 2024. The list includes names like current Madison Capitols captain Jackson Nevers, who is committed to play at Minnesota, current Western Michigan freshman forward Bobby Cowan, and UMass committ Barrett Dexheimer, among plenty of others.

“We thought it was going to be something special (the season in 2023-24), we had been working hard all summer and then we got to the season and we knew we were going to have a good team,” he added. “Our goal is to win it all every year so we’re working hard all season during practices, during games, just trying to keep improving so we can be at our best once tournament time comes around.” 

The Hornets only lost four games that season, and had one tie, as they entered the legendary Minnesota high school state tournament in the spring of 2024. They won their first two games, to Elk River/Zimmerman and Grand Rapids, without too much hassle, but the championship match against a powerful Chanhassen squad was a nail-biter. The packed crowd at the Xcel Energy Center (now recently renamed ‘Grand Casino Arena’) had fans cheering at very high decibels either in favor of - or wildly against - the Hornets, which created an atmosphere unlike any other.

“It’s just an unreal environment … especially that game (the state championship),” Vandertop said. “I remember the first goal they scored I couldn’t hear anything for a solid like 10/15 seconds, it was so loud in there, so for us to regroup and come back from that I think that was really special and it was a testament to our guys and how strong they are.” 

Chanhassen eventually scored in the second period to break a scoreless game thus far, taking a 1-0 lead into the third period. The Hornets would come back to win the game though, and the state title, by a final score of 2-1.

“Our leaders were great, I think they kept us calm (in between the second and third period of the state final), they had been there before, they had been in these situations, so they were there to keep us on our toes and keep us ready to go and not get down on ourselves, so they were really helpful,” he added about what helped propel the team to victory. “And our coaches have been through a lot as well so they were there to calm us down and help get us ready for the third period and I think that just helped a ton.” 

Vandertop and his teammates then won the Class AA state title during his sophomore season and despite being a young athlete on the roster the 5-foot-10 forward scored at a point-per game pace and was tied for fourth in overall scoring in 2023-24. That obviously brought quite a bit of attention to Vandertop’s name and he wound up securing a spot on Team USA’s roster for the Five Nations Tournament that summer in Piestany, Slovakia.

“Putting on those colors was one of the best moments of my life for sure, nothing really compares to it,” the Edina native said about the experience to wear the red, white and blue. “Getting to represent your country, especially on an international stage, it’s unreal, and the tournament was awesome.”

The U.S. team took first place at the event that summer, posting a 3-1 overall record, with wins over Germany, Switzerland and Slovakia (not including a victory in an exhibition game against Hungary) and a lone loss during a close game to Czechia.

Obviously, after a successful sophomore season of high school competition and getting to represent his country on an international stage, Vandertop had a busy recruiting process that summer as well since he was in talks with various Division I college hockey coaches and he was able to take official visits starting August 1 of that offseason. He wound up committing to the University of St. Thomas on September 25, 2024.

“I am very honored and excited to announce my commitment to play Division I college hockey and further my education at the University of St. Thomas. I would like to thank God, my family, friends, advisor, coaches, teammates, and everyone else who has helped me get to this point. #rolltoms” he posted to his social media pages that day.

Vandertop said that he kept his options open during the recruiting process and that he enjoyed talking to any team who was interested in him as a player but that he was looking for the right fit with things like the college campus, team culture, and coaching staff, and that he eventually found a good fit with the Tommies.

“I just decided that St. Thomas would be the best place for me and my development … I think their coaching staff was definitely a game-changer. I thought they were awesome,” he said. “I went on a visit there and I went in and saw a practice and I loved everything they were doing and how they were competing in practice and how they push their guys and make them better players. The campus was great, the hockey was great and the culture was awesome so I just liked all aspects of it.” 

It’s a great time to be a Tommie now too as the program will be joining the NCHC in the years to come and the university is also opening a brand new arena in October of 2025. There is plenty to like about this UST program and what they have done in just a few short years of being Division I team so far.

After a busy summer in 2024, Vandertop returned to Edina and competed in the Upper Midwest High School Elite League and then went on to led the Hornets in scoring as a junior by posting nine goals and 41 assists for 50 total points through 31 games played.

“With the guys that I was playing with last year in Mason West and Caleb Pittsley, they can score goals, so I would get them the puck in a good spot and they’d put it home almost every time,” he said about the main reason of how he was able to score over 40 assists in one year. West recently was selected in the first-round of the 2025 NHL Draft before and committed to Michigan State and Pittsley has also had a busy summer as he recently joined the Madison Capitols of the USHL and committed to play college hockey at Augustana.

The Hornets weren’t able to win another state title in 2025 but they still were a top team in Class AA and had an entertaining state tournament run. The team had a thrilling overtime victory against Rogers in the quarterfinals, one of Vandertop’s favorite memories of the tournament, before then falling to eventual state champion Moorhead in the semifinals. The Hornets still ended their season with a win though as they took home the Class AA third-place trophy with a 4-3 win over St. Thomas Academy.

After his junior season at Edina, Vandertop is now ready to join the ranks of the USHL on a full-time basis. He is now a member of the Lincoln Stars and has already competed in three games with the team, recording an assist already for his first official USHL point. Lincoln is still in the hunt to get its first win of the 2025-26 season but for now Stars fans can get excited about Vandertop’s playmaking skills and his ability to distribute the puck to teammates who can then fire it home. Up next for the Stars is a road series against Cedar Rapids on Oct. 3 and 4 where they hope to find their first big win of the fall season.