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Wildcat senior defenseman Max Koch is the first player from Chisago Lakes High School to be selected to play in the Upper Midwest High School Elite League, a fall league for Minnesota’s top high school hockey players.  Koch played for the Minneapolis-St. Paul Magazine team in 2024 and skated for APX this season.  Koch was selected to the Elite League all-star team this season, and his Elite White squad played in the International Invitational Tournament two weekends ago at New Hope Ice Arena.

“It's been really fun, especially going from playing single A hockey to all these kids being really good … a lot of them going to college,” Koch said. “Maybe this would kind of lead a path so people from Chisago will get more looks and stuff like that.”  Defenseman Koch has focused most of his attention on holding opposing forwards in check in Elite League play.  “My goal is to be a plus on the plus/minus and just kind of get used to playing this fast,” Koch said. “I think it'll help slow the (high school) game down, for sure. It'll also give me confidence that I know I'm a good player and I can be out here competing with these guys.”

The 6’2” Koch led the Wildcats in assists last season with 31 and was the team’s third-leading scorer with 37 points overall.  In his two years on the Wildcat varsity, Koch has tallied six goals and 50 assists.  The Wildcats lost 3-1 to the Mahtomedi Zephyrs in the Section 4A championship last season, and top seniors Koch, leading scorer Jacob Kletti, and Austin Slettom return this season in their quest to lead the Wildcats to the third appearance in the state tournament in Chisago Lakes High School history.  Another boost for the Wildcats’ state tournament chances is senior newcomer Colton Horak, who also played in the Elite League and transferred in from Forest Lake High School.

The Elite League provides a path for top high school players to get a high level of competition and still play for their high school hockey team during the winter.  The mission of the Elite League is twofold – hockey development and personal development.  From their website (hselitehockey.com): “The High School Elite League is a proven path to critical exposure.  Colleges, junior leagues, and professional scouts attend every one of our games.  Players can expect to receive feedback from colleges, junior leagues, and professional scouts regarding their own progress. The league also provides something that is less tangible than achievement, but, we believe, equally critical. The player gets to experience high school, just like everybody his age. There is merit in these regular high school activities to balance out the dedication, determination, and sometimes even stressful pressures of hockey at this Elite level of hockey.

Wildcat head coach Cory Lushanko is proud of Koch and his achievements.  Lushanko said, “Max is a trailblazer for our program.  He is the first to not only play in the Elite League but also to be selected as one of the best players in the league, making it to the all-star tournament last weekend.  You could argue that he’s one of the top 20 high school defensemen in the state right now.  Max is a really good golfer, too, and I think early on he wasn’t really sure what path he wanted to take.  But I think it’s become pretty apparent these last couple of years, with his size and improved skating ability, that hockey is going to be a better path if he wants to play at a high level in college.  He’s one of our captains, his friends and the community are a big part of his life.  In one more year here, he will get some seasoning under his belt, and, with high school hockey, at the end of the day the kids just want to have fun. To play in juniors, you have to not just be physically ready and ready in terms of ability to play, but be ready to leave home, move across the country, and go on 12-hour bus trips.   It’s a pretty big change, and with the opportunity to play in this Elite League and still play on his high school team, he wanted to take advantage of that.

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