Yale brings a group of battle-tested Bulldogs to Champions League

‘Don’t wake a sleeping dog’ or so the old adage goes. On the surface, some may look at Yale’s 11-17-3 record, and think the Jr. Bulldogs are just a friendly neighborhood stray with a good story to its name. The truth, however, is that this group of 2008s has had one of the toughest schedules in the U.S., having played 10 games against teams ranked in the World Hockey Hub Top 10. 

Led by head coach Oktay Armagan, the Jr. Bulldogs open up Champions League action with matchups against Kiekko-Espoo and Barys. After that, tilts with Little Caesars, HK Dukla Trencin and Seacoast Performance Academy to round out pool play at the tournament. Can they keep up with top competition from around the world? Yale has a 4-5-1 in those 10 games against top-end teams, with all four of those victories coming in the last two months. So if ever there was a time for the Jr. Bulldogs to match up with top teams, it’s right now.

The field is small, but highly competitive. Just 10 teams will be at Champions League this week, but they’re the top three teams from the U.S., two top teams from Finland, a top Sweden organization, Kazakhstan’s premier team and one of the best programs in central Europe, among others. Who will come away as youth hockey’s first ever world champion? Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube for continued coverage of the tournament, upcoming features, highlights and recaps, and so much more!  

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