APX GOALTENDING TIER: DAWSON DESJARDINS

18-year-old netminder Dawson Desjardins has been selected as Goaltender of the Month after a strong start to his offseason training with APX. He has been involved with the program for three years now and has shown consistent improvement in his game over that time. He played some games with the Windy City Storm organization in 2025-26 and some games with the Minnesota Moose of the NA3HL.

“Desjardins has been lights out, demonstrating explosive lateral movement and a high level of compete in game situations,” said APX Director of Goaltending Drew Fielding about the young netminder. “He has worked hard to clean up his puck-tracking and has an outstanding attitude and effort to prepare himself for junior camps and his first full year of junior hockey.”

GOALTENDING TIER HONORABLE MENTIONS:

• Weston Smieja (Lakeville South Squirt A)

  • Coach’s Comments: Smieja is extremely coachable and battles like crazy everyday in practice.

• Elijah Sinkler (Lakeville North Peewee AA)

  • Coach’s Comments: Sinkler has made huge strides this month in reading plays and in his depth management.

• Eli Swenson (Lakeville South JV)

  • Coach’s Comments: Swenson’s early-season performance in training has been excellent and has earned him opportunities to skate up with our Selects group. He has smooth movement skills and a strong technical foundation.

APX COLLEGE TIER: LOGAN SMITH

Forward Logan Smith had an impressive season in 2025-26. The senior was one of the top forwards on his Elite League squad in the fall before leading Chanhassen in scoring with 27 goals and 23 assists through 27 games played. Smith has also shown high-quality character both on and off the ice and wore the ‘C’ for his high school team. He is currently in his third season training with APX Hockey.

“It starts with his mentality - he’s ultra-competitive and highly motivated to succeed,” said APX Director of Player Development, Wes Jirovec. “There’s a real positive energy to his competitiveness, too. He doesn’t get discouraged if a play or drill rep doesn’t go his way, and from this super-powered mindset, ‘Smitty’ has made substantial improvements to his skill set and game tactics. Specifically, his offense away from the puck has sharpened up a lot, anticipating strong support opportunities on the ice, making his teammates better in different ways.”

Smith signed an agreement with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs of the BCHL and was also recently drafted by the Des Moines Buccaneers of the 2026 USHL Entry Draft. Wherever he ends up this fall, the APX staff is incredibly excited to see what he can do in his rookie season of junior hockey.

APX SELECTS TIER: GAVIN SONDREAL

Hill-Murray defenseman Gavin Sondreal is a longtime APX athlete who has always been a high-impact player in his age group and has consistently shown steady improvement since his first day in our program back in 2021. The right-shot skater had a successful first season of varsity hockey this year with the Pioneers, posting 12 points in 27 games, and will likely be stepping into an even bigger role for Hill-Murray this winter.

“He has always loved coming to the rink, putting in the necessary work and maintaining a high compete level, but we believe he’s in the middle of a breakout year, following up a solid first season at the high school level,” said Jirovec about Sondreal. “There’s been a big boost to his overall confidence & poise. His pace of play is way up, both in terms of dictating offense with the puck and as a defender. It’s especially impressive to see him doing this night in & night out within a highly competitive group of players in our Selects Tier.”

Sondreal was recently selected by the Des Moines Buccaneers in the 2026 USHL Entry Draft.

APX HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS SELECTS TIER: SASHA GRABOW-PINTO

Defender Sasha Grabow-Pinto just wrapped up her sophomore season of high school hockey for Minneapolis. Her impressive skills out on the ice earned her 21 points through 27 games this past year, which was the second most on the entire varsity roster. Grabow-Pinto has been involved in the APX program for a handful of years now, and our coaching staff says that her skillset goes above and beyond just the impressive stats that you see on the scoresheet.

“Sasha is the kind of player that every team hopes for; she’s dedicated, driven, and always looking for ways to get better,” said APX Director of Girls Development Karyn Bye. “Her competitive spirit pushes her to give her best every time she steps on the ice. Sasha’s hard work and determination have made it easy and enjoyable to work with her on the ice. Sasha stands out for the heart, effort, and positivity she brings to APX every week, making her a truly deserved choice for Player of the Month.”

APX 18s TIER: ROAN ZIELIE

Sophomore forward Roan Zielie burst onto the varsity hockey scene this past year with a bang. The skater scored a whopping 34 points, which included 21 goals, in 31 games played for Lakeville South, which was the second-most points scored on the entire roster. Zielie is a skilled athlete who has put in lots of time and effort over his past three seasons with APX to become an incredibly tough athlete to play against.

“Roan continues to be the epitome of consistency. That’s a compliment to his tremendous work ethic on the ice and in the weight room, but that’s also about his coachability and desire to improve,” said Wes Jirovec about the sophomore forward. “We’re seeing him implement more and more tools & tactical edges to his game reps - new hard skill possession plays, better positioning away from the puck, and sharper tactics on the rush. You can also see some improved confidence and duration as a defender at the puck as well.”

MAP SOUTH HIGH SCHOOL TIER: AVERY SELVIK

Forward Avery Selvik had a successful year with Waseca in 2025-26. He scored over a point per game for the Bluejays and increased his goal-scoring output from 9 goals to 16 goals from his sophomore year to his junior year. He has been a member of MAP South for multiple years now and has shown impressive growth from year to year.

“Avery is someone who you're happy to see walk into the rink each training day,” said MAP South Director of Hockey Development Kevin Schulze. “He shows up often, works hard, and pushes himself to get better every day. He always has a smile on his face and is very coachable.”

APX HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS TIER: ASHLEY PUTT

Putt just wrapped up her sophomore year of high school hockey with a talented Farmington team in 2025-26 that made a run all the way to the state tournament and won the Class AA consolation championship. The forward is in her second season with APX and continues to get better and better each week. Her positive attitude and determination is something that makes those around her better both on and off the ice.

“Ashley brings a smile to the rink every day. You can see that she loves hockey and wants to improve every time she steps on the ice or enters the weight room,” said Karyn Bye about the Farmington forward. “She is dedicated, passionate, and competitive. She is a joy to work with, and I look forward to seeing her improvement over the summer.”

APX 16s TIER: DREW MORRELL

Hill-Murray defenseman Drew Morrell just started training with APX this year, but he has already made an incredibly positive impact on the coaching staff at the rink. The defenseman suited up for his first few games of varsity hockey this past season and has a bright future ahead of him as he enters his sophomore year this fall. Even though he’s still young, our staff believes that he is absolutely on a Division I trajectory at the moment if he keeps up with his hard work on and off the ice.

“It’s quite the splash that Drew is making in his first year with the program; he’s such a driven player, so focused on getting the most out of his days at the rink - every shift, every battle, every rep in the weight room, and also every bit of feedback that he gets from the staff,” said Wes Jirovec about the freshman defenseman. “It’s remarkable to see such a young player establish a lot of the exciting attributes that most don’t adopt until they move past high school - and that’s on top of an elite level of athleticism and game processing.”

APX 15s TIER: KOOPER EWING

Kooper Ewing of Hastings is an extremely exciting young hockey player in Minnesota. He had an impressive season this year as a forward for his PeeWee AA team and has been described by our staff as being a ‘human highlight reel’. Ewing holds extreme offensive prowess, but at the same time is very positionally sound and doesn’t skip out on the details of his defensive game. He makes a positive impact on the culture of his teams and is a great person to have around at the rink.

“Kooper is dominant on the ice both in games and in drills, and he never takes a day off,” said APX Director of Player Development Kyle Osterberg. “He continues to push himself to get better each and every day, and he makes the players around him elevate their own game.”

APX 14s TIER: BO WILCOX

Defenseman Bo Wilcox is in his first season training with APX but has already made a very memorable impression on our coaching staff. Wilcox just finished up a strong season at the PeeWee AA level with Lakeville North.

“Bo has had an excellent start for APX, He has a great attitude and extreme determination every time he enters our building,” said Osterberg about the Lakeville North defender. “He’s very coachable and applies teaching well, too.”

MAP SOUTH BANTAM TIER: WILSON FRITZ

Forward Wilson Fritz just wrapped up his season with Lakeville South’s PeeWee AA team. He is in his first season of training with MAP South but has already made a positive impact on those around him.

“Wilson is a player who has been attending often with the intention of wanting to get better with each session,” said Kevin Schulze about Fritz. “He listens and focuses on the little details that a coach brings up or is working on in practice, and he’s very engaged. Fritz is proof that you can have fun while still working hard and trying to get better.”

APX 13s TIER: BRENNAN SHERER

Forward Brennan Sherer is also in his first season within the APX Invite training program and has already shown lots of promise during his time with us. The Lakeville North skater has a bright future ahead of him if he keeps up with his hard work.

“Brennan’s size, reach, and puck control stand out right away to anyone watching him out on the ice,” said Kyle Osterberg about Sherer. “He has been putting in lots of time at APX to become a clear standout in his age group. For a taller player, he skates very well and is great in tight areas with the puck.”

APX 12s TIER: WILL GETTY

Will Getty of Lakeville South is the youngest athlete to be named Player of the Month in May, but despite his young age, he has been an absolute force out on the ice. Getty is set up to have a strong offseason of training and will be a fun athlete to watch once the hockey season starts back up this winter.

“Will continues to improve each and every time that he gets out on the ice at APX, whether he’s fine-tuning his good skating or perfecting his puck control, ” said Osterberg about Getty. “Will has great game awareness and small details for a young player, which brings a lot of excitement.”

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