Three More Teams to Watch Out West This Spring

In this article I feature 3 more West Coast teams that have the potential to make some noise this spring.   1. Pinecrest Sloan Canyon Pirates (NV) - The Pirates will be a young group this season, with only a handful of seniors on the roster. Still, they should be able to find success if players buy into their roles. Commanding the defense from the cage will be Ryland Peterson, who gives the Pirates a real advantage with his reaction time, communication, and ability to distribute.   Alongside Peterson, the Pirates will lean on freshman Kellen Fines at the faceoff X. His performance there will play a major role in controlling possession and setting the tempo.   At attack, the trio of Ashton Duncombe, Anderson Kelmanson, and [player_tooltip player_id='171892' first='Mason' last='Mclay'] forms the team's most experienced unit. Duncombe figures to operate at X, while Mclay is a strong wing dodger capable of powering through checks. Kelmanson will look to capitalize as a catch-and-shoot threat. Additional players to watch include Gage Priest, Colin Davis, Kian Rowe, and Jaxon Bush - all solid athletes who can make plays in the middle of the field. While some growing pains are expected, the Pirates should steadily progress as the season unfolds.   2. Spanish Springs Cougars (NV) - The Spanish Springs Cougars look like they may be one of the tougher and deeper teams up in Reno this season. They only graduated five seniors last year, and they are set to have around 15 seniors this year, making them a veteran-heavy squad. They're set to have both of the Brown brothers back (Kaden and Kanden), who were two of their more effective producers in 2025. Junior attackman Kanden was their leading goal scorer, and he also dished out 22 assists, while senior middie Kaden averaged a point per game in addition to his play on defense.   Outside of them, the Cougars also have Ethan Berry at attack, who averaged 2.9 PPG, and middie Parker Fewins, who averaged 1.2 PPG and contributed as a defender as well, giving them ample options on offense. On the defensive end, Roman Cervantes will be in goal for them. He had over 100 stops last season and recorded multiple shutouts, while helping the Cougars to a winning 8–5 record.   A couple of other middies to watch for are Brevon Miles and Gage White, who both produced over 10 points last season. White will also likely take a majority of the faceoffs again after winning 172 last year. All in all, they have the roster to break into the top five, and we'll see how things shake out.   3. TNT (CA) - Truckee North Tahoe is another squad that could be dangerous this season due to its experience and overall skill level. The Wolverines finished 9–4 last year and went an impressive 7–1 in league play. Although they graduated a strong senior class, five of their top seven scorers will return.   Seamus Colburn, Cooper Old, and Sam Kuntz are expected to lead the charge. The trio combined for 53 goals last season and should be poised for even bigger production this spring. At the faceoff X, Jonah Peyzer and Griffin Radar will once again anchor the unit after winning over 100 faceoffs combined a year ago.   In net, CJ Smith returns for his third season as the starting goalie. Smith allowed just 55 goals last year, a major improvement from the 85 he surrendered as a sophomore — a leap that signals continued growth and the potential for another strong campaign.   With all of that said, they'll definitely be a team to keep on the look out for.

In this article I feature 3 more West Coast teams that have the potential to make some noise this spring.