They are not the No. 1 team in the United States. In fact, Little Caesars enters the 2022 Champions League hockey tournament ranked behind two other participants in top-ranked Windy City Storm and No. 2 Los Angeles Jr. Kings. Now, it takes a stellar team to be ranked third in the country, with a 30-4-2 record so far this season. However, that ranking does allow Caesars to fly under the radar a bit as teams like Windy City and L.A. enter the tournament with a much bigger bulls eye on their backs.
Little Caesars will have an opportunity to play spoiler in next week’s event, opening up play with Barys on Tuesday before playing Kiekko Blues and Yale Jr. Bulldogs the next day. Games with Järved IF and Los Angeles will wrap up pool play. Can LC last long enough to make it to the elimination rounds?
The team has produced 167 goals for, while allowing just 51 against. They thrive in low-scoring games, with nine wins coming in contests with four or fewer total goals scored. Having a good-sized defensive group helps, with Colten Dwarzski, Drake Gram, Dominic Pajkic and Jona Zimbalatti all measuring at 5-foot-8 or taller. Keegan Jordan and Shawn Lane help round out the unit that does a fantastic job of containing opposing offenses.
Goaltenders Trevor Paden and Vincent Sabala have a combined 1.42 goals-against average and 12 shutouts on the season. At one point, the duo played 12 consecutive periods without allowing a goal.
Offensively, Caesars has a great balance of size and speed. Tyler Hatcher, Stephen King, Waylon Rivet and Brooks Rogowski ‘bring the boom’ with large statures and long reaches for the 2008 age group. Donovan Durbin, Ethan Garden, Camden Langfeld, Landen Maltby and Jacob Monks provide an element of speed and skill that makes this a very dangerous three-line team with depth and diversity in playing styles.
The field of teams is loaded with top talent from around the world. Little Caesars is in a position where they could very easily go undetected until the playoff rounds, and capable of being a dangerous ‘underdog’ type team.
Look out for Little Caesars at next week’s Champions League, and be sure to follow World Hockey Hub on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube for continued coverage of the tournament, upcoming features, highlights and recaps, and so much more!
A city of roughly 55,000 people located in western Slovakia, Trenčín is home to 10 current and former NHL players. It’s the ninth largest city in its own country, and just the 118th largest country in the world, yet has produced the likes of Zdeno Chara, Marian Gaborik and Marian Hossa. This small city in central Europe has seen Olympic champions, Stanley Cup champions and world champions come up through its youth hockey programs, and the next wave of Slovakian talent is coming to Coral Springs, Florida, next week for Champions League.
Led by head coach Martin Sojka, this HK Dukla team of 2008s has dominated youth hockey in Slovakia with a 12-0-0 record. With scores so out of this world, one would think it’s a typo; 14-2, 20-6, 30-4, 46-0, 55-0! Fifty-five to nothing! The 13 skaters that suited up for Dukla that night combined for 124 shots and every player scored at least one goal.
It is a baffling score, but it illustrates Dukla’s sheer dominance in the region. While the competition at Champions League will be night-and-day different from the double-digit victories they’ve accrued in Slovakia, opponents at next week’s tournament can be assured they’re facing the best that this country has to offer.
“My expectation is that we will compete in every game and every shift,” said Sojka. “I do want to see one-hundred percent effort and dedication from each player towards our team.”
It starts up front with powerful forwards like Geonhu Ra, Timothy Kazda and Juraj Jonas Ďurčo, who lead the team scoring. Michal Jakubec, Tomáš Miroslav Kubis, Michal Maršálek, David Franz Niederleitner, Samuel Pisarčík and Jakub Slováček give Dukla three solid lines of skill and speed offensively.
Adam Goljer is the lone righty among a defensive group full of lefties. Jakub Syrný leads the group in scoring, while Dominik Chudoba, Filip Kovalčík, Benedikt Alexander Stadlmann and Šimon Šuranyi round out the unit.
HK Dukla is the only team in the field to travel with three goalies, and will have plenty of options with Dávid Dvořák, Nicko Zakk Havel and Filip Vavro between the pipes.
“It is a huge honor for us to play at the event where we can play against the best teams of the world in the ‘08 age group,” said Sojka.
They open up with the Los Angeles Jr. Kings on day one of the tournament. Matchups with Järved IF and Kiekko Espoo on day two and then games with Yale Jr. Bulldogs and Windy City Storm to conclude pool play. HK Dukla Trencin faces its biggest challenge of the season next week at Champions League. Be sure to follow World Hockey Hub on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube for continued coverage of the tournament, upcoming features, highlights and recaps, and so much more!
Between Christmas, New Year’s celebrations and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior Championships, it’s both a busy and exciting time of year for hockey families. On top of all that, the Seacoast Performance Academy will also be in Coral Springs, Florida, this holiday season to compete at the first annual Champions League hockey tournament; the first world championship ever in youth hockey.
It’s certainly a balancing act, managing time with the family in celebration of the holidays while also taking advantage of winter break to play in an elite hockey event. The players, families and coaches are willing to accept the challenge for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity at Champions League next week.
“Our coaching staff here at Seacoast Performance Academy are all very excited and eager to participate in this year’s Champions League event,” said head coach Peter Ferraro. “We look forward to playing at a world-class venue against some of the world’s best competition and wish good luck to all the teams.”
The Spartans will make history at the event on Dec. 28th, when they take the ice for the very first game of the tournament. They’ll share the ice with Järved IF from Sweden, and then go on to play two teams from Finland — Kiekko Espoo and Kiekko Blues — the next day. After three straight games against Scandinavian opponents, Seacoast will play fellow U.S. teams Windy City Storm and Yale Jr. Bulldogs. Both of those teams rank among the top 20 in the country, and will present the two toughest challenges SPA has faced all season.
Seacoast is 28-8-5 this season, and enters the tournament on a 10-1-1 run in its past 12 outings. The offense averages 5.3 goals per game; a mark they’ve hit 24 times in the first four months of the season.
Tyler Callander, Benjamin Clary and Danick St. Pierre are a trio of towering forwards at 5-foot-10, 5-foot-8 and 5-foot-10 respectively. After that is a slew of speedy skaters in Blake Cash, Hunter Chadbourne, Evan Ferraro, Jameson Glance, Russell Kelleran, Sully Martin and Garrit Turcotte. Be prepared for a track meet with this group, as they aren’t shy to get up and down the ice in a hurry. They’re comfortable in high-scoring games, with 22 of the team’s wins coming in games with six or more total goals scored.
The back end is littered with lefties like Easton Genest, Matthew MacInnis, Jacoby Oliveira and Gavin Wakeland. Cameron Clark and Levi Kossatz balance out the group a bit and play in front of a tandem that is eerily similar to one another, with Tristin Leck and Kamden Jackson sharing goaltending duties.
One could argue that the five round-robin games at Champions League will be the five most challenging games that Seacoast plays all season. How will they fare? Follow World Hockey Hub on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube for continued coverage of the tournament, upcoming features, highlights and recaps, and so much more!
From one end of the continent to the other, the Los Angeles Jr. Kings will travel 2,700 miles cross-country to compete at the 2022 Champions League next week. Currently ranked 2nd in the U.S. and 9th in the world, the Jr. Kings come into the tournament as a confident bunch with a wealth of talent throughout the lineup.
“We are looking forward to playing some of the best teams from around the world,” said head coach Shawn Pitcher. “The competition will be fierce which will make it a great show.”
‘Fierce’ may be underselling it, too. The team’s first game of the tournament comes against a top-notch Slovakian team in HK Dukla Trencin. From there, they take on No. 1 U.S. team Windy City Storm who has already tied (4-4) and beaten (3-1) the boys from L.A. this season. They close out pool play with matchups against Järved IF, Kiekko Blues and Little Caesars.
Can the Jr. Kings keep pace with top international competition? Forwards like Kue-Gene Park, Cooper Soller, Tyus Sparks, Sammie Ochoa, Jake Brown and Nolan Beddow are averaging more than a point per game. Logan Stuart, Noah Davidson and Aidan Yu add even more depth of firepower up front as well.
Defensively, Michael Block, Sean Burick, Jacqueline Gasseau,Karsten Hirasawa, Kevin Shi and Alofa Tunoa Ta’amu have suffocated opposing offenses. Collectively, they’ve held opponents to two goals or fewer in 17 of their 25 games this season, and enter the tournament on a 12-0-1 run.
Morgan Stickney and Sascha Pitaev are two of the top 2008-born goaltenders in the country as well, providing a strong one-two punch between the pipes for Los Angeles. Both net minders maintain a save percentage north of .900 this season.
The Jr. Kings will have a chance to prove they’re not just the best in their home country, but the best in the world next week at Champions League. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube for continued coverage of the tournament, upcoming features, highlights and recaps of the tournament, and so much more!
Based out of Espoo, Finland, no more than 11 miles west of the nation’s capital of Helsinki, Kiekko-Espoo is a top program with teams currently ranked No. 2 and No. 6 in the country in the 2008 age group. Its players will compete at the Champions League later this month, and will again be divided into two teams for tournament play. They’ll play under the names Kiekko Blues and Kiekko Espoo, and we’ll take a deep dive into the program as a whole, how they’ve performed thus far this season and what players you need to know about before puck drop on Dec. 28th.
Finland AAA hockey teams are divided into Blocks during the season — six blocks at the 2008 age level — based on geographic location. Kiekko-Espoo has two U14 teams competing in Block 1, with the first-place Blues I maintaining a 14-0-2 record and the second-place Blues II at 14-1-0. The two teams have yet to go head-to-head with one another, but with a strong showing, there’s a chance of an All-Kiekko matchup in the playoff rounds at Champions League later this month.
The coaches and players of Kiekko-Espoo share some core beliefs that carries them to success both on and off the ice:
“There is no shortcut to success. Consistency, dedication and putting in the effort on a daily basis is the only way to succeed. Respect everyone involved in the sports and carry yourself and your team with dignity. Our team has pushed for these goals and tries to live by these values. We are honored to be involved in this tournament.”
Kiekko Blues
The Blues squad opens up tournament play with four straight North American teams: No. 1 Windy City Storm, No. 3 Little Caesars, Seacoast Performance Academy and No. 2 Los Angeles Jr. Kings. A matchup with Barys on New Years Eve will conclude pool play for the Blues.
Forwards Onni Kovalainen (38), Juuso Fredrikson (31) and Toomas Reijonen (31) are one, two and three in points this season. Julius Heinrichs, Joel Ikonen, Alvari Kuusisto, Remi Leppӓlӓ, Nicolas Mero, Matias Salmijӓrvi and Riko Salutskij provide a diverse makeup of hockey IQ and raw skill that will allow the Blues offense to attack with speed and precision.
Oskari Ahmajӓrvi and Sisu Alanen are not tall in stature, listed at 5-foot-6 and 5-foot-3 respectively. However, Both Ahmajӓrvi (96.50) and Alanen (89.78) have posted impressive save percentages in what is a high-scoring Finland league that averages nearly eight total goals per game.
The defensive group will have its hands full, with just five players on the blue line. Emil Finell, Jone Mӧlsӓ, Nooa Jӓrvenpӓӓ, Lauri Pajunen and Luukas Vahvaselkӓ make up a small but talented group that will see plenty of ice time between the five of them.
Kiekko-Espoo
Espoo, on the other hand, will play five teams from four different countries. A matchup with U.S.-based Yale Jr. Bulldogs to begin tournament action for Espoo, followed by contests against Seacoast, Slovakia’s HK Dukla Trencin, Barys and Järved IF from Sweden.
With seven defensemen, Kiekko-Espoo has good size and depth on the back end with 5-foot-10 Max Syrjäläinen, 5-foot-8 Aleksi Ahola and 5-foot-7 Olli Ronkainen. Couple that size with Marcus Christodoulou, Kalle Kuntanen, Luukas Lehtimäki and Ossi Nyman who are good puck movers and defensively responsible, and the group is tough to score on.
Matias Ruuskanen is the lone goaltender on the roster, with an impressive 94.01 save percentage in 12 games this season, allowing just 17 goals against.
Forwards Noel Pakarinen (23) and Emil Holopainen (18) are averaging a point per game in Finnish action. Emil Holopainen, Eero Ilmonen, Matias Koukkunen, Max Laatikainen, Noel Pakarinen, Tomas Raunio, Oliver Torkki, Joona Virta and Atte Vuori add grit and toughness to the lineup. With strong goaltending and a scrappy game plan, Kiekko-Espoo could thrive in low-scoring contests that frustrate opponents.
Will we see an All-Kiekko matchup in the playoffs? Only time will tell, as these teams take the ice with eight others vying for youth hockey’s first ever world championship. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube for continued coverage of the Champions League, upcoming features, highlights and recaps of the tournament, and so much more!
They are the top ranked team in the United States, and on Dec. 28th, the Windy City Storm will get a chance to prove they’re the top team in the world when they take on the international field of opponents at Champions League. With a 38-6-3 record this season, coach Ryan Ward his the Storm firing on all cylinders and ready for the inaugural event at the end of the month.
“We are thrilled to be able to compete in the Champions League Tournament in Florida over the New Year,” said Ward. “It is a privilege to be asked to play against top competition from across the Globe and we certainly do not take that for granted.”
Based out of the Chicagoland area in Illinois, The Storm will start off the tournament with the Kiekko Blues (Finland) on the first day of the tournament. After that, a rematch with the No. 2 ranked U.S. team, Los Angeles Jr. Kings. It will be the third time this season that the two teams have met, with Windy City holding a slight edge at 1-0-1. The remaining round-robin action includes Barys (Kazakhstan), Seacoast Performance Academy (USA) and HK Dukla Trencin (Slovakia). Five games against teams from four different countries will present unique style matchups and challenges for everyone on the ice.
Peter Chlebowski and Jack Zilewicz combine to post a 1.55 goals-against average this season and an impressive 13 shutouts. It also helps playing behind a defensive corps of seven strong, with four lefties in Zach Klaich, Ethan Miller, Augie Vennetti and Louis Vittorio and three righties in Logan Chesna, Patrick McCormick and Memphis Wilcox. The blue line has been involved at both ends, producing at least 92 points through the first 40 games of the season.
Offensively, the Storm is deep, with 11 talented forwards including the line of Nathan Hauad, Jack Hextall and Caden Dabrowski. Kalder Varga, Luke Dubsky and Cody Powels provide a dangerous wave of offense as well. The group of Ashton Drozd, Jack Dwyer, Ashton Flores, Lawson Krueger and Jacob Lukes is a bit compact — all listed at or below 5-foot-5 — but their games are larger than life with a ton of speed and energy.
It is not an easy team to keep down. They’ve earned the top spot in the U.S. through skill, grit, toughness and hockey IQ. ‘Four’ seems to be the magic number for Windy City, as the team is 38-0-1 when scoring four or more goals in a game. Having hit that plateau that many times in a 47-game stretch means opponents will have to quite literally weather the storm in order to keep up with Windy City.
“On behalf of the entire Windy City Storm organization, we would like to thank World Hockey Hub, the Florida Panthers, and everyone that has helped put this first-class event on for our student-athletes and their families,” said Ward.
Want more coverage of the Champions League? Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube for upcoming features, highlights and recaps of the tournament, and so much more!
Puck drop for the 2022 Champions League is two weeks away, and top teams from five different countries will compete for youth hockey’s first ever world championship. The inaugural event will begin on Dec. 28th, when Seacoast Performance Academy (USA) takes on Järved IF (Sweden) to kick off the 10-team, five-day event in Miami, Florida. Participants will compete in five games of international pool play before being seeded in a single-elimination playoff tournament, deciding a champion on Jan. 2nd.
The field consists of five American teams, three of which rank in the top 10 in the country. Top-ranked Windy City Storm, No. 2-ranked Los Angeles Jr. Kings and No. 3 Little Caesars represent the best that the U.S. has to offer. Other top programs like Seacoast and Yale Jr. Bulldogs from New England provide a diverse makeup of teams from all four corners of the 50 states.
The No. 2 and No. 6 ranked teams from Finland travel across the Atlantic to represent the very best from Scandinavia with Kiekko Espoo and Espoo Blues. They’re joined by bordering neighbor and No. 6-ranked Sweden-based Järved IF also in the mix.
HK Dukla Trencin is a top team among central European countries, representing Slovakia while in the Sunshine State. Similarly, Barys is the lone representative from Eastern Europe, carrying the Kazakhstan flag into the international event.
Several Canadian organizations faced challenges regarding travel restrictions involving COVID-19, as did some programs from Russia and other European regions.
The 10 teams will compete at the Florida Panthers Ice Den in Coral Springs, Florida; a state-of-the-art venue that also serves as the practice facility for the NHL franchise. Participants will be treated to an opening-night party filled with food and an official welcome from tournament directors, including gift bags and other memorabilia to commemorate the inaugural event. Teams have also been invited to attend the Panthers’ home game against in-state rival and reigning Stanley Cup champion, Tampa Bay Lightning, at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida.
The Champions League will be available to live stream for free, provided with full play-by-play, all week long. World Hockey Hub will also have exclusive coverage, player interviews, highlights, photo galleries and recaps of all the action. Stay up-to-date on everything tournament related by following us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube.
EXETER, NEW HAMPSHIRE — World Hockey Group (WHG) and Total Package Hockey (TPH), in partnership with the Panthers IceDen, are proud to announce a ‘first-of-its-kind’ youth hockey tournament, the 2022 Champions League. This invitation-only event is the first and only youth hockey event to have international teams face off to decide one World Champion. Featuring 2008-born winter club teams from the United States, Canada, Sweden, Finland and Russia, the Champions League will be hosted at the Panthers IceDen, from Dec. 28, 2021 – Jan. 2, 2022.
“The idea of the Champions League is something that’s been on my mind for a long time,” said WHG’s Chief Executive Officer, Travis Bezio. “With the resources that we have in various countries around the globe, as well as working alongside TPH and its team, we were able to bring this vision to life.”
Similar to the Little League World Series in youth baseball, the Champions League will feature the absolute best youth hockey teams, from various countries, in a six-day spectacle set to take place in Coral Springs, Florida. Participating teams will be divided into groups for pool play. Groups will be composed of teams from various countries so that pool play provides unique, unparalleled international competition. After completing five preliminary-round games, teams will qualify for either the championship rounds or consolation rounds, based on in-pool standings. In the championship rounds, teams will compete in an elimination-style playoff, where the World Hockey Group and Total Package Hockey will award youth hockey’s first ever world champion.
“We couldn’t be happier to be a part of this world-class event,” said TPH’s Chief Executive Officer, Nathan Bowen. “At TPH, we strive to be the world leader in positively impacting the lives of student-athletes, and hosting the Champions League with World Hockey Group creates an opportunity to make a real impression on hockey families across the global hockey landscape.”
The state-of-the-art Panthers IceDen, the practice facility for the NHL’s Florida Panthers in Coral Springs, Florida, will be home to the Champions League this holiday season.
“We’re thrilled to host the first-ever 2022 Champions League Youth Tournament at Panthers IceDen,” said Panthers IceDen General Manager Keith Fine. “Our Coral Springs-based athletes and the South Florida community will have the opportunity to watch elite youth hockey talent compete from all over the world for this special weekend tournament.”
The Champions League runs parallel to the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) under-20 world championships. With both events running simultaneously, the hockey world will now get to experience top-notch international competition at the amateur and youth levels at the same time.
“There’s nothing like this anywhere in youth hockey,” said Bezio. “There are many opportunities in the spring and summer to compete in international tournaments, but when it comes to in-season, winter club competition featuring Swedish versus American teams, Canadian versus Russian teams, Czech against Finnish teams, those matchups are extremely rare. The Champions League is designed to bring the top teams from around the world together for a week of the most competitive hockey you’ll find at the youth level.”
Currently, 16 teams have formally accepted invitations to the inaugural event, and any interested teams are welcome to apply at worldhockeyhub.com/champions-league.
The list of currently accepted teams are:
| Ak Bars (Russia) | Los Angeles Jr. Kings (United States) |
| CSKA Moscow (Russia) | Mid-Fairfield Jr. Rangers (United States) |
| Czech Knights (Czech Republic) | SDE Hockey (Sweden) |
| Dinamo Minsk (Belarus) | Seacoast Performance Academy (United States) |
| Dynamo Moscow (Russia) | SKA Yunost (Russia) |
| HoneyBaked (United States) | Tappara (Finland) |
| Kiekko-Espoo (Finland) | Toronto Jr. Canadiens (Canada) |
| Little Caesars (United States) | Windy City (United States) |
For more information and the latest news regarding the Champions League, click HERE or follow WHH on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
About World Hockey Group: The worldwide leader in youth hockey tournaments and events. World Hockey Group (WHG) provides more than two dozen unique events in exotic locations around the globe. The team at WHG is deeply involved in the youth hockey community, with an international presence in various countries including the United States, Canada, Sweden, Finland, Russia and central Europe. WHG prides itself on providing world-class competition along with a first-class travel experience. Events like the Champions League and World Selects tournament series offer amazing opportunities abroad both on and off the ice for the entire family to enjoy.
About World Hockey Hub: The Pulse of Youth Hockey. World Hockey Hub (WHH) is your number one resource for the latest news, team rankings, highlights, analysis and more from the world of youth hockey. WHH is the worldwide leader in providing global coverage of the game year-round. With an international rankings system, a comprehensive list of more than 100 tournaments, event ratings and reviews as well as the latest team and prospect news, WHH is your one-stop-shop for everything youth hockey related.
About Total Package Hockey: Founded in 2001, it is Total Package Hockey’s (TPH) vision to become the world leader in positively impacting the lives of student-athletes through sport. TPH prides itself on operating at a standard that exceeds expectations of student-athletes, families, coaches, teachers, advisors and all other entities within both athletic and academic circles. With platforms that include association management, elite prospects programs, tournaments and showcases, camps and clinics and its hallmark Center of Excellence academy model, TPH services over 10,000 student-athletes on an annual basis, throughout 15 U.S. based divisions.
About Panthers IceDen: The Florida Panthers IceDen is a community facility that hosts over 1 million annual guests in the tri-county area. Located in Coral Springs, Fla. the 125,000-square-foot facility is the official practice facility of the Florida Panthers. The Panthers IceDen is home to the Coral Springs Makos, Youth Hockey Leagues, Learn To Skate, Learn To Play as well as figure skating lessons, making it the perfect location to serve families in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach Counties. For more information on Panthers IceDen and its offerings, please visit PanthersIceDen.com or follow @PanthersIceDen on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.