FARGO — Mason West’s decision to return to Edina for his senior season of football this fall couldn’t have gone any better. Now, with his gridiron career behind him, the first-round draft pick of the Chicago Blackhawks rejoined the Fargo Force on Dec. 1 and traveled, but did not play, in last weekend’s series at Muskegon.
He is expected to play Thursday when the Force host Sioux City before taking on Sioux Falls on Friday at Scheels Arena.
West, the 6-foot-6, 218-pound forward, spent this fall quarterbacking Edina to the Minnesota state Class 6A football championship over Moorhead. It was the Hornets first title in the Prep Bowl era and first since 1979 when they won the Class AA championship.
He played 10 games with Fargo last spring after Edina was eliminated by the Spuds in the state hockey tournament. A deft scorer for the Hornets, he had 49 points in 31 games last winter.
He said after Tuesday’s practice at Scheels Arena that he didn’t really consider staying at Edina for the hockey season. The plan set this summer was to return to Fargo after football and he stuck with that.
Edina quarterback Mason West warms up before kickoff against Moorhead on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025, during the Minnesota 6A championship game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
David Samson / The Forum
“So, maybe it was a little thought,” West said. “But I’m kind of just trying to compete against the best players I can and just do the best I can versus the highest competition. So that’s kind of the biggest thing.”
West, a Michigan State commit, put the skates on as much as he could this fall, working with a skills coach and a skating coach, while navigating the Hornets to a 9-4 record on the football field, throwing for 2,389 yards and 28 touchdowns.
“I tried to skate like once or twice a week just to stay fresh and polished and then I work out like three or four times a week to stay strong and stay good on my edges and stuff like that,” he said.
In the meantime, he kept in contact with his future teams who monitored his progress. West appreciated the flexibility they granted.
“I think they checked in every now and then, but they really just kind of let me do my thing, and kind of just really wanted me to focus on the football season, because they knew how important it was to me,” he said.
After more than a week of practice, West said his legs feel great and is ready to take the ice Thursday.
“He comes in in good shape, and off the ice, he’s doing a good job here in a short period of time working hard and doing the best he can to get his legs under him here to play a USHL game,” Force head coach and general manager Brett Skinner said. “So it sounds like the plan is for him to play (Thursday).”
On the recent road trip, West took part in the morning skates and got acquainted with new teammates and re-acquainted with his old ones.
“Obviously, it’s not the most fun thing to get back skating, but that’s what I need and I think I really take pride in working hard in practice,” West said. “So I think I’m just trying to get better every single day and just feel good for the games coming up.”
Rob Beer is the sports editor for The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. He’s been a journalist with Forum Communications since 1991. He can be reached at rbeer@forumcomm.com.