Presenting the 2024 Duluth News Tribune All-Area Boys Hockey Team – Duluth News Tribune

If someone were to assign a title to the 2023-24 hockey season in the Northland it would likely be “the year of the goalie.”

There was so much good goaltending in the region, it’s tough to know where to begin.

Duluth Marshall freshman Kaenan Smith posted a .934 save percentage and a 2.15 goals against average and

Grand Rapids sophomore Carter Casey helped get the Thunderhawks to the Class AA semifinals.

Coach Grant Clafton faced a dilemma all season, however, with three quality netminders on his roster.

The first-year Thunderhawks coach had a delicate balancing act all season that was aided by the good attitudes of Casey and juniors Ryder Miskovich and Ryan Kerr.

North Shore’s Zach Bentler posted his own noteworthy season with a .910 save percentage and led the Storm to its first winning season since 2016-17.

Even with an extra goalie slot for the 2024 team, those are just some of the area’s goalie standouts NOT on the All-Area team.

Hermantown’s Dane Callaway was excellent all season in net for the Hawks and picked up one of the second-team spots after

pushing his team to its second Class A finals appearance

in the past three seasons.

Duluth Denfeld’s Connor Doyle wasn’t on everyone’s list to have an All-Area caliber season, but after injuries decimated the Hunter attack, the senior was outstanding. In the face of a relentless barrage of shots after an upper-body injury to forward John Scott, Doyle stood on his head just to keep Denfeld competitive, posting a .914 save percentage and 2.87 goals against average.

Still Proctor’s A.J. Reyelts, a

Frank Brimsek Award finalist

, stepped forward as the best of an elite group and picked up the 2024 All-Area Player of the Year award. Returning from a late-August knee surgery, Reyelts posted a .942 save percentage and 1.72 goals against average this season and helped the Rails to 19 wins and an appearance at Amsoil Arena for the Section 7A semifinals.

It wasn’t just goalies on the All-Area team this season — though it seemingly could have been.

Joining Reyelts on the first team are Hermantown’s Will Esterbrooks and River Freeman, as well as Duluth East’s Thomas Gunderson.

The second team includes Doyle and Callaway, as well as Rock Ridge forward Caz Carlson and Grand Rapids’ Nate Garski.

A.J….