Andover defenseman Wyatt Kaiser was recently honored as the top senior defenseman in the state when he received the Reed Larson Award at the March 4 Class AA banquet.

Kaiser helped lead the Andover Huskies to the 2020 Minnesota State High School Tournament. Kaiser possesses top notch skating skills, puck control and on-ice awareness that set him apart from his competition for this award.

The University of Minnesota-Duluth commit put up impressive numbers offensively by scoring 11 goals and adding 32 assists, but more importantly he was a top-notch defender, helping lead the Huskies to a No. 1 ranking and a berth into the Class AA State tournament. Kaiser is also ranked the 56th best skater in North America by the Central Scouting Bureau for players eligible for the 2020 NHL draft.

The 2020 candidates for the Reed Larson Award included: Cody Kelly (St. Michael-Albertville), Michael Scherer (Henry Sibley), Caden Rubischko (Lakeville South), Luke Gramer (Moorhead), Will Troutwine (Eveleth-Gilbert), Reid Bogenholm (St. Cloud Cathedral), Charlie Killian (St. Thomas Academy), Ben Dexheimer (Blake), Will Svenddal (Blake), Stevan Blauert (Academy of Holy Angels), Leighton Weasler (Faribault), Daniel Chalmers (Albert Lea), Preston Thelemann (Cretin-Derham Hall), Dusty Bergstrom (Pine City), Nate Schweitzer (Benilde-St. Margaret’s), Evan Bushy (Thief River Falls).

Reed Larson, a native of Minneapolis, played on the blue line for Minneapolis Roosevelt High School and the University of Minnesota, followed by 904 regular season games in the NHL, most notably as a captain of the Detroit Red Wings. He finished his career with 685 points and is now enshrined in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.

The winner of the Reed Larson Award is based on the following criteria: academics, community/extra-curricular activities, coachability and, of course, on-ice performance. 

Past recipients include: 2019 Mike Koster (Chaska), 2018 Luke LaMaster (Duluth East), 2017 Dylan Samberg (Hermantown), 2016 Wyatt Aamodt (Hermantown), 2015 Jacob Olson (Hill-Murray), 2014 Luc Snuggerud (Eden Prairie), 2013 Jake Bischoff (Grand Rapids).