By Emily Vojtech

Minnesota Lacrosse Magazine is ranking each conference this season, predicting which teams will earn the title as Conference Champions for the 2026 season. Rankings were completed by local lacrosse coaches and fans.

The first conference we are breaking down is the Lake Conference. The Lake Conference has a big change this year, Maple Grove is joining the competition this season for both boys and girls lacrosse. The Lake Conference includes: Buffalo, Eden Prairie, Edina, Hopkins (Hopkins/St. Louis Park co-op for boys), Maple Grove, Minnetonka, St. Michael-Albertville and Wayzata.

Boys lacrosse

Last season, Edina was on top of the Lake Conference for boys lacrosse. The Hornets ended with a 6-0-0 record in the conference.

Edina won the state championship for boys lacrosse, defeating Stillwater 9-7. We predict the Hornets will remain on top after a strong season with some of their top players returning. Key returners for Edina include: Luke Seaman- Midfield, Michael Sieve- Attack, Torgnyr Wilson Elg, Beau Simonson- Defense and Wyatt Spindler- Goalie.

We predict Minnetonka will earn the second place spot, with Wayzata in third. These two teams both bring strong competition to the Lake Conference. We ranked the rest of the Lake Conference for boys lacrosse as follows: 4. Eden Prairie, 5. Buffalo 6. Maple Grove 7. St. Michael-Albertville 8. Hopkins/St. Louis Park.

Girls lacrosse

The Hornets Girls Lacrosse team made it to the Section 6 Championship against Prior Lake. They lost in a close game with a final score of 9-11. The Prior Lake Lakers would go on to win the state championship.

We predict another strong season for the girls lacrosse team, with continued dominance in the Lake Conference. Key returners include: Kathryn Ewers, Siri Austin and Libby Moe.

We expect Minnetonka to earn the second place spot in the Lake Conference. A top program in the state, Minnetonka defeated Edina by 1 goal last year, we expect them to be the top two teams in the conference again this year. Between Minnetonka and Edina, it’s hard to predict who will earn the top spot.

We predict Maple Grove will have a strong start for girls lacrosse in their first year in the Lake Conference. Previously, the Crimson were a top competitor in the Northwest Suburban Conference.

We rank the rest of the Lake Conference for girls lacrosse as: 4. Wayzata 5. Buffalo 6. St. Michael-Albertville 7. Eden Prairie 8. Hopkins.

Note: pre-season rankings are for entertainment purposes only. These standings have not been set yet. Pre-season rankings were determined by coaches & lacrosse fans. Stats and rosters were from data entered on mnlaxhub – the official place for MSHSL boys and girls lacrosse stats.