BUFFALO — Mason West will play quarterback at Edina High School in Edina, Minnesota, one last time before trading in his cleats for hockey skates for good in 2025-26.
“I’ll play football in the fall and then head to Fargo (of the United States Hockey League),” West told NHL.com. “It was really important for me to play football as a senior with my friends. I always set goals for the year, and that was to win a state high school hockey championship and also a football championship.
“I haven’t done it in football so I kind of want to achieve that and stay loyal to my team because I think they need me.”
West (6-foot-6, 215 pounds) has been a two-sport standout at Edina the past three seasons. The right-shot center led the team in goals (27) and shots on goal (44), tied for first in game-winning goals (five), and was second in points (50) in 31 games as a junior this season.
He’s No. 27 on NHL Central Scouting’s final ranking of North American skaters eligible for the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft.
On the gridiron, he completed 178 of 244 passes for 2,592 yards, with 37 touchdowns and four interceptions. He finished with a 139.9 passer rating.
He said he will likely leave for Fargo in December after the end of football season.
“Fargo really gave me that experience of what the hockey path could look like,” West said. “Obviously, they don’t have that in football, so I got to see what the next step is for a hockey career, and I want to pursue that. I think I can get way better when I really focus on one sport.”
Selected in the fifth round (No. 75) of the 2023 USHL futures draft, West had nine points (one goal, eight assists) in 10 games after joining Fargo on March 14.
He hasn’t committed to a college but has narrowed his choices to Michigan State and Boston College. He has 27 interviews with NHL clubs at the scouting combine.
“I would say my best asset is my shot,” he said. “I really think I have a really good shot when I can get it off quick. I think I have really good awareness and vision on ice, whether it’s in the breakout zone, neutral zone, or in the offensive zone. I’m going to make those little slip passes in the offensive zone, anticipate the next play, knowing where guys are and where they need to be for the puck.”
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