West 'all hockey now' for Blackhawks after Minnesota H.S. football crown

Before Mason West focused solely on hockey, he had one more goal to reach.

The Chicago Blackhawks forward prospect wanted to finish his football career with Edina High School and win the Minnesota Class AAAAAA state title, which Edina did last Nov. 21.  

“I think it was just special (winning the state title)," said West, who will turn 19 on Monday. "Obviously, I’m still a kid. I’m just trying to have fun so it was special to hang out with those guys and be able to chase something special."

West, a quarterback, threw a pair of touchdown passes in Edina's 42-35 win against Moorhead to capture the state crown.

“I’ll always have football in hand," he said, "but I’m all hockey now and I kind of love it because I can dedicate my time to hockey and focus on things I need to get better at.”

Indeed, it's back to hockey for West, who is part of the United States’ roster for the World Junior Summer Showcase in Windsor, Ontario, which ends Saturday. Players from the U.S., Canada, Finland and Sweden attended the 10-game showcase in preparation for the 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship, set for Dec. 26-Jan. 5, 2027, in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta.

“It’s such a great opportunity,” West said. “It’s something I’m thinking about now. Whenever I’m in the workout room, whenever I’m on the ice, I’m thinking, ‘What can I do to get better, what can I do to help make that team and help them win a gold medal?’ I’m super excited and hungry to make that team.”

West (6-foot-6, 215 pounds) will play at Michigan State this fall. The No. 29 pick by the Blackhawks in the 2025 NHL Draft joins a roster that includes five first-round picks from the 2026 NHL Draft.

“Anytime with big players it’s playing to an identity," Michigan State hockey coach Adam Nightingale said. "Every time you move up you’re playing against bigger, stronger guys and for him, it’s using his frame to both protect the puck, kick the puck to the net and then also when he doesn’t have it, using his size and reach and physicality to end plays.

“I think that’s pretty common for guys at his size is really embracing what it means to play the game like a power forward.”

West took his latest step in that quest with Fargo of the United States Hockey League, where he had 25 points (10 goals, 15 assists) in 38 games last season; because West came straight from football to Fargo, it took a little time for him to adjust, opposed to 2024-25, when he arrived immediately after playing high school hockey with Edina, where he had 49 points (27 goals, 22 assists) in 31 games. 

“He was skating 1-on-0 on the ice and doing some skating stuff, but it’s just a totally different beast," Fargo coach Brett Skinner said. "He started three months late, never mind just missing training camp. But I give him a ton of credit. It speaks to his talent level and what he’s capable of that he can come into that time of year and be able to do what he did the second half of the year.

“The first thing people evaluate is probably the point totals and he had good numbers, but this was a great development period of his journey moving forward where he was hockey all the time. He was focused on a daily basis. He was challenged, he was up against other teams’ top lines every night, he was a focal point. So, there’s just much good there as far as development goes. He tackled it with a great approach.”

West said the biggest adjustment has been to movements and workouts concentrating solely on hockey.

“In football there are a lot of those power lifts," he said. "It’s a lot of group lifting because you want to be with the team. When I started focusing on hockey training, it’s a lot of leg work and a lot of agility. I think something I really tried to focus on was my strength and my core work. When I get on the ice, I can be really coordinated and it can help with my skating, too.”

West has gotten off to a good start in hockey, but the journey is just beginning.

“The sky’s the limit for him," Skinner said. "Whatever we were able to do for him, I think he’s just scratching the surface for what he’s capable of.

“I’m proud of what he accomplished with us, but he needs some time in college, and he’ll go in and be a piece (for Michigan State). They have a ton of first-round draft picks, and he’ll go in there and complement all the talent and skill they have. He’s a big body but he’s smart, cerebral, he can see the ice, he can make plays. It’ll be a great step for his development, and I know he’s going to go in there and do a really great job for them.”