The 63rd annual PeeWee Quebec is down to eight teams still in the hunt for a championship at one of youth hockey’s most iconic tournaments. An event that began last Friday with 28 teams in the AAA division is now down to the quarterfinals. Who will survive and advance their way to Sunday’s championship, and ultimately be crowned as the best U13 team in North America? Our pair of experts weigh in with complete bracketology of the remaining three rounds from the Videotron Center.
There’s still three different countries in the hunt for a championship at PeeWee Quebec. I think all three will still be in the race come Saturday evening as well.
The Czech Knights have always shown well at this tournament, finishing second in last year’s tournament and winning the championship in the one before that. Tomas Albrecht is one of five players in the tournament to record a hat trick. He did it in Tuesday’s 7-4 win over Laval Patriotes. Matyas Vik and Nicolas Novak have been a steady source of offense as well for the Czechs. I like them to get past the Buffalo Jr. Sabres in the quarters, and then be in a tight one in the semifinals. More on those matchups in a minute.
The other half of the bracket features several potential rematches from contests earlier in the season. Brantford 99ers have already beaten world-ranked No. 22 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite not once, but twice this season. I like leading scorers Gavin Martin and Emry Lowe to make it a trifecta with a third win over PPE to advance to the semifinals. Martin tops all skaters with four goals and seven points through three games in Quebec.
Should the 99ers advance, it will set up yet another rematch with No. 17 Little Caesars, who competes in the tournament as the Detroit Red Wings. Those two teams met back in September, where Caesars coasted to a 6-2 win. Ryder Adams, Ben Slavick and Jack Trupiano have been the best trio in the tournament, accounting for 11 of the Red Wings’ 15 goals. I like them to roll past Brantford Saturday to get to the championship game.
That would leave Sun County Panthers as the lone Canadian representative in the field Saturday night. It’s been a fortuitous draw for the No. 8 ranked team in the world. They’ve taken care of business against three straight American-based teams with a 14-2 goal differential. Czech Knights, on the other hand, have played three games against teams that have all been ranked in their respective countries. That includes a 4-3 win against Lions Lac St-Louis and pulling away from No. 24 Patriotes Laval with three late goals in a 7-4 win. Additionally, they had to knock off the No. 1 ranked team in the U.S., Philadelphia Flyers with a 3-0 win Friday.
The Czechs have been in playoff mode since the tournament started. They’ve been battle tested all week long against top competition in close games. They are also led by a coaching staff that’s gotten multiple teams to the championship game in recent years. Not only do they eliminate Sun County — and the last remaining Canadian team — from the tournament, but they go on to win the championship on Sunday in convincing fashion as well.
You can’t ignore the past history between No. 22 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite and Brantford 99ers. In two previous matchups this season, Brantford was victorious over Pens Elite by convincing scores of 3-1 and 6-2. The thing that will put the 99ers over the top is that two of the top five scorers at the PeeWee Quebec wear a Brantford jersey. As mentioned earlier, Martin (4G, 3A) and Lowe (2G, 4A) have done most of the heavy lifting for the squad, and show no signs of slowing down. Look for them to find the scoresheet once again and lead their team to the semifinals.
Meeting them in that game will be the Detroit Red Wings. Quite some time has passed since Brantford and Detroit met back on Sept. 30th. While Detroit won a lopsided game, many things have changed since then. One constant for the Wings has been the ability of Adams, Slavick and Trupiano to find the back of the net all season. Equipped with the formidable trio, the Red Wings have been able to score at will.
In order to reach the semifinals, they will have to take care of business against No. 23 Burnaby Winter Club. Burnaby has been going up against the best Canadian competition all season long and won’t be rattled by a talented Detroit contingent. Both squads have a talented top line, but the tipping point in the matchup will come down to depth; a facet that benefits the Red Wings more. Detroit will add another result to their win column and will move on to the championship game on Sunday.
The Sabres and Knights’ game will come down to goaltending. Olivia De Lisle, who has started both games for Buffalo had been a rock in the crease, and is a trustworthy last line of defense. It will take a concerted team effort from her and her defense in shutting down the Czech attack. Despite the Jr. Sabres’ best efforts, the championship pedigree of the Czechs will give them a slight edge here to take the win.
After that, Sun County and the Knights will duke it out for the chance to reach the championship game. Given the immense talent and how evenly these two teams match up, this one is going past regulation. Look to leading scorers Carter Trudell or Gianluca Mclure to nab the winning goal in overtime for the Panthers.
Sunday will be an all-out, offensive showcase between the Red Wings and Panthers. In the end, the scoring depth of Detroit will be too much for Sun County to overcome. Even if the main trio of players has a rare off day, there are plenty of other skill players in that lineup to take down even the most talented opponent. The PeeWee Quebec trophy will be taken home by a U.S. club for the first time since 2019.
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The 15th season of the World Selects tournament series will begin on April 25th. Following that day, 12 different events will take place over the following weeks. They’ll be hosted in five exotic locations across six different age groups for both boys and girls international youth hockey players.
The World Selects Invitational has a long and decorated history as one of, if not, the most iconic tournament series in youth hockey today.
More than 650 participants have gone on to be chosen in the NHL Draft. That includes 2022 first overall selection Juraj Slafkovsky (Slovakia Selects), 2021 sixth overall selection Simon Edvinsson (Sweden Selects), 2020 second overall selection Quinton Byfield (Canada) and 2019 second overall selection Kaapo Kakko (Finland Selects). Every NHL roster features at least one name that’s been etched in the World Selects halls of history.
The next wave of top-tier talent in youth hockey will take the stage this Spring. It begins with the 2008 Boys Elite tournament in Nashville, Tennessee, USA on April 25th. The U14 Girls Elite event will take place at the same time 4,600 miles across the globe in Chamonix, France. Also taking place that week is the 12U Boys AAA tournament in Bolzano, Italy.
That trio of events will signify the beginning of a World Selects season of events that will decorate the calendar over the next three months. Here’s a complete list of dates, ages and locations:
World Selects tournaments fall into two categories. The first is the Elite events, where participating teams apply for entry, and go through a thorough vetting process. Those teams compete in the World Selects Invitational. Participants include franchises such as DraftDay Hockey, Eastern U.S. Selects, NorthStar Elite, Premier Ice Prospects, Pro Hockey, Sweden Selects, Finland Selects and other European Selects programs.
In total, 20 different North American programs and 20 European programs will be represented this season. Additionally, teams from more than 18 different countries will take the ice including the United States, Canada, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Czechia, Slovakia, France, Norway, Latvia and Kazakhstan, among others.
Teams consist of players that are carefully recruited and selected to compete in the Elite events. These are high-level AAA players capable of competing against the absolute best in the world. These teams typically represent the best youth hockey players their respective countries have to offer. Hundreds of futures NHL players, thousands of NCAA college hockey athletes and countless national team representatives from around the world.
The AAA events provide the same, exotic experience offered in Elite events, but are open to any AAA caliber youth hockey player. Hosted in many of the same locations as the Elite events, the AAA World Selects Trophy tournaments provide players — and teams — with an opportunity to compete, perform and potentially be promoted to compete at Elite events in the future.
World Hockey Hub is the exclusive media provider for all 12 World Selects tournaments and will produce one-of-a-kind content you won’t find anywhere else in youth hockey. Games can be live-streamed on SolidSport, and WHH will have complete breakdowns, commentary, analysis, highlights, photo galleries, interviews and more from some of the top players and teams in the WSI.
Join more than 28,000 people in following WHH on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Discord and YouTube. The WHH community will be the first to receive updates as the WSI unfolds this spring. Additionally, you’ll receive announcements regarding upcoming events, future tournaments and other news about the World Selects tournament series.
One-hundred and twenty youth hockey teams will take part in the 63rd annual Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament, starting this week. For the AAA division, 28 2010-born squads from three countries — Canada, the United States and Czechia — will suit up for action.
And taking a look at the participants at this year’s event, it’s safe to say the games will be jam-packed with action.
Canada’s clubs are ready to defend home ice, as four of the Top 10 teams in the Canadian Rankings are lacing up their skates. No. 2 Sun County Panthers and their explosive offense will be leading the way. No. 8 Burnaby Winter Club and No. 10 North Shore Winter Club will be bringing the skill from Western Canada. The No. 7 Patriotes Laval will be put to the test as well. Not to mention the defending champion Montreal Canadiens will be out to repeat what last year’s 2009 team achieved.
A decent contingent of U.S. teams will also be making appearances. The No. 2 Boston Jr. Eagles, No. 5 Minuteman Flames, No. 7 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite and No. 9 Buffalo Jr. Sabres will all be striving to add their names to the prestigious list of past winners. There are even some teams, such as the New Jersey Devils, Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers who have built their rosters as collections of the top talent from their respective locations.
One lone club from overseas will be in attendance, but make no mistake they are veterans of making some noise at the Pee-Wee Quebec. The Czech Knights, winners of the 2018 and 2020 tournament, will look to make things difficult for their opponents. The team also comes in with a bit of a chip on their shoulder, as they fell to the Canadiens in overtime in the championship game last year.
With AAA teams being included at the Pee-Wee beginning in 2014, the Knights have certainly been a mainstay among the top performers at the competition since then.
Both the Knights and Canadiens face tough tests right out of the gate. The Canadiens will open against the Los Angeles Jr. Kings, a club that won the 2019 AAA division. The Knights begin action with Lions Lac St-Louis.
For fans wanting to stay up to date with the latest scores, standings and more, there is an official mobile app you can download HERE.
Plus, WHH will have exclusive coverage, recaps, predictions and more as the tournament unfolds! Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Discord and YouTube!
Florida Alliance captured the 2023 Champions League title this past weekend in their home state. It was a pair of prolific scorers leading the way at various points of the tournament.
Justin Fernandez and Trevor Daley were unstoppable at different times, creating a one-two punch that carried the 2009-born club to a 6-1-0 record. That was enough to earn a tournament championship against international competition at the Florida Panthers IceDen.
Fernandez led the Alliance in scoring through the round-robin play to kick things off in a big way. He registered five goals and five assists in four games; a more than two-point-per game average. Only a collection of Finnish skaters — Toomas Reijonen, Aleksi Leinonen and Jusso Fredrikson — topped or matched Fernandez in preliminary-round scoring.
With that impressive display of offensive production, teams knew they had to keep tabs on Fernandez heading into playoffs. There, he was contained to five total points in three games. Still an impressive stat line but certainly slowed from his round-robin pace.
So that’s when Trevor Daley took over.
In the quarterfinals against the NA Stars, Daley recorded two goals and an assist to power the Alliance to a 7-1 win. The son of former Stanley Cup champion Trevor Daley, he set up Florida’s first goal, which evened the score 1-1 in the middle of the first period. Then, the younger Daley went on to score the go-ahead goal eight minutes later.
Daley added another strike in the second period to make the score 5-1. That effectively putting the game out of reach and secured the win for his Alliance squad.
In the semifinals, Daley again helped the Alliance to victory with a 6-3 win over Finland-based Tappara. Florida was the only team to beat Tappara in the tournament, after they prevailed 5-1 in the preliminary round on Dec. 29th. In the New Year’s Eve semifinal rematch, Daley posted a goal and two assists. First, he set up Reese Tracy’s goal that made it 2-0 early in the first period. Later on, Daley scored to make it a 5-3 game before getting the second assist on Fernandez’s power-play goal. That performance solidified Alliance’s spot in the final.
The scoring spree from Daley continued into the final. He factored into all but one of Alliance’s goals in a 5-1 victory over SPA Futures. After Logan Anderson scored a goal for Florida early in the first period, Daley set up Fernandez for another tally. Daley wasn’t done there, as he scored a short-handed goal after that. Florida went up 3-0 quickly.
After SPA scored to pull within two, Daley found the back of the net for his second goal of the night. And moments later, he’d put a bow on his performance — and the team’s tournament run — by setting up Fernandez once again to round out a four-point night.
Daley finished with 13 points in the tournament, while Fernandez had 15. Additionally, Reese Tracy registered 14 points in the seven contests. While Daley, Fernandez and Tracy led the charge up front, it was Nello Torriero taking care of business at the other end. He logged every minute of goaltending duties for Florida, finishing with a 6-1-0 record, a .854 save percentage and 1.86 goals-against average with one shutout. In five of his seven games, he held the opposition to a one goal or fewer.
SPA came up short in the championship game, but it wasn’t from a lack of effort from two talented forwards. Samuel Pisarcik led the playoffs in scoring with 10 points in three games, while Oliver Ozogany had seven.
Pisarcik, a forward from HK Dukla Trenčín in Slovakia, finished the tournament with 14 points over his seven games. Ozogany, a forward who plays for HOBA Bratislava in Slovakia in the regular season, had 13 during his trip to Florida.
With the tournament all wrapped up, Fernandez ended up leading the whole field in scoring with 15 points. Tracy was right behind him with 14, as was the aforementioned Pisarcik of SPA and Reijonen of the Kiekko-Espoo Blues out of Finland. Reijonen was the only skater to produce that many points in just six games, compared to seven for the rest of the group.
Kasper Aihinen of Kiekko-Espoo finished with a .901 save percentage and 2.57 goals-against average in five games – he was the only goaltender to crack the .900 save percentage mark. Torriero, as previously mentioned, posted a 1.86 goals-against over his seven contests for tops in that category.
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The second day of Champions League play among 2009-born programs saw all eight participants complete their preliminary round schedules. Teams will be re-seeded based on their positions of group play with the playoff rounds beginning Friday, Dec. 30.
One of the most impressive runs at this year’s tournament has been that of Seacoast Performance Academy Futures, who has gone 3-0-0. SPA opened their slate of games with a thrilling 6-5 comeback victory over Finland-based Kiekko-Espoo Blues. Down 4-2 at one point early in the second period, they tallied four unanswered goals en route to the win. Bolstering the offense for SPA were Pavol Strnadel (2G, 2A) and Oliver Ozogány (1G, 2A). Both players are tied with Max Malicerík (4G, 1A) for second in overall team scoring.
Led up front by Juuso Frederiskon (1G, 7A), Toomas Reijonen (5G, 3A) and Luca Santala (4G, 2A), K-Espoo would get back in the win column in their next two games. Outscoring Mountfield HK and NA Stars by a combined score of 15-3 placed them second in the group. As an added note, all three players led Group A in scoring.
Kiekko Blues would finish second in group A with a 2-1-0 record, followed by Mountfield (1-2-0) and NA Stars (0-3-0).
While Seacoast ran away with Group A, the race for the top spot in Group B was much more of a dogfight. Tappara and Florida Alliance stood equal with 2-0-0 records heading into their final game of the round robin format, which just so happened to be against one another.
Sent to an early power play, Tappara would open the scoring off a goal from Oliver Raimovaara. But just 23 seconds later, Kyle Hofelich would even the score at 1 thanks to a great individual effort.
Then the Justin Fernandez show began.
Fernandez capped off a pretty passing play between Trevor Daley and Reese Tracy to put Florida up 2-1. Shortly after, he sniped home his second goal of the contest increasing the lead to 3-1. Daley would tally a goal of his own towards the end of the first period for a 4-1 advantage. At 12:49 of the second period, Fernandez beat Tappara netminder Kai Tummonen for the third time of the afternoon to cap off his hat trick.
A strong performance that garnered Fernandez 10 points (5G, 5A), securing second in total scoring among all skaters at the tournament. The flashy forward currently sits behind Tappara’s Aleski Leinonen’s three goals and 11 points.
Tummonen finished with 24 saves on 29 shots, while Nello Torrio’s 22 saves on 23 shots helped backstop Alliance to the win.
Tappara would finish group play at 2-1-0, followed by Geneva Futur Hockey’s 1-2-0 record and HC Slovan ending at 0-3-0.
After all is said and done with regards to re-seeding, SPA will be tasked with taking on Alliance in their next matchup. With these two squads ending up in first place of their respective groups, expect the goals and emotions to run high. It will be imperative for SPA to start the game on time, as most of Florida’s offense in the Champions League has come in the first period. Seacoast, on the other hand, has found the back of the net evenly across both periods up to this point.
Also top of the list for SPA is to not be deterred by Torrio. Alliance’s saving grace between the pipes has statistically been the best goalie, racking up a 0.67 goals-against average and .938 save percentage. SPA will likely counter with Nicko Zack Havel in net.
Set your alarms and prepare the coffee because you won’t want to miss when these two teams drop the puck at 9:00 AM tomorrow morning.
Other matchups throughout the day are as follows:
NA Stars vs. HC Slovan – 10:00 AM EST
Mountfield HK vs. Geneva Futur Hockey – 2:15 PM EST
K-Espoo Blues vs. Tappara – 2:30 PM EST
For more coverage of the Champions League and other top youth hockey tournaments around the world, follow WHH on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube.
While the month of December is known for chilly temperatures and festive greetings, the action inside the Panthers IceDen in Coral Springs, Florida, will be heating up. The venue will host the second annual Champions League tournament from Dec. 28 – 31st. Eight 2009-born teams from Europe and North America will tangle in a rare international event.
Participating Teams:
| Florida Alliance (United States) | Mountfield HK (Czech Republic) |
| Seacoast Performance Academy (United States) | Geneve Futur Hockey (Switzerland) |
| NA North Stars (North America) | Kiekko-Espoo (Finland) |
| HC Slovan (Slovakia) | Tappara (Finland) |
Any teams from similar countries will be split into different groups so that pool play provides unique international competition. After completing three preliminary-round games, teams will qualify for either the championship rounds or consolation rounds, based on in-pool standings. After a day of rest, the championship rounds will be held, where competition will follow an elimination-style playoff.
In some instances, there are also rosters that have been compiled to be all-star squads of sorts. Tappara and Kiekko-Espoo usually have numerous split quads for a majority of their regular season. Then, come tournament time, they compile the ‘best of the best’ players into one unit to strut their stuff on the big stage.
Three of the split squads from Kiekko-Espoo have been mainstays in the Top 10 of Finland in the WHH World Rankings. In the latest installment, K-Espoo Blues I, K-Espoo Blues II and K-Espoo EPS I hold positions as No. 1, No. 2 and No. 8, respectively.
In similar fashion, the NA North Stars are a melting pot of players from varying teams across North America.
Don’t count out teams like the Florida Alliance or Seacoast Performance Academy from making some noise at this year’s tournament. The Alliance have played some close games against the best in America. It certainly helps when your coach is two-time Stanley Cup champion Trevor Daley.
To take a deeper look into some of the more prominent matchups, click HERE.
Complete stats, standings and upcoming games are available HERE. For continued coverage of the Champions League, be sure to follow WHH on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube.
Each week, World Hockey Hub highlights a few of the most exciting upcoming games in youth hockey. From the hottest rivalries to the biggest tournaments, we focus on matchups that will impact the landscape among top teams in the sport. This week’s action features plenty of international matchups from tournaments like Champions League in Florida, Marlboros Holiday Classic in Ontario and Folke Lindström Cup in Sweden.
There will be plenty of first-time meetings and intriguing matchups when play begins at the second-annual Champions League in Coral Springs, Florida, this Wednesday. Eight 2009-born teams from Europe and North America will take to the ice in the hopes of being crowned champions.
Day one will see one of the premier teams in Slovakia, HC Slovan, going up against Tappara.
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| Wednesday, December 28 @ 5:45 PM EST Panthers IceDen |
Pete’s Pick: This will pit top talent against top talent, with both programs being popular names in their respective countries. Tappara mainly has their players divided into different squads throughout group play, such as Tappara Sininen, Tappara Musta etc. Bringing the “cream of the crop” onto one team to go against the best from other European teams should be a recipe for success. I expect high offense and both goaltenders for each side to be working overtime in this one, an eventual 5-4 win for Tappara.
Craig’s Pick: I’m very curious to see how the Finns stack up in this international tournament. Last year, Kiekko went 0-6-0 as the lone representative in the event from Finland. I think Tappara — and Kiekko in its return trip to the tournament — fares better this time around. However, I like Slovan to win the matchup here in a scrappy one, 4-2.
On the second day of action, Mountfield HK will battle Kiekko-Espoo in a game that is sure to keep the scorekeepers busy. Mountfield enters competition as one of the best youth hockey teams in the Czech Republic. Countering their top-tier talent will be a roster full of the best Finland has to offer.
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| Thursday, December 29 @ 8:00 AM EST Panthers Iceden |
Pete’s Pick: Kiekko-Espoo Blues I and II hold down the top two spots in the Top 10 of ‘09 Finnish teams. Compiling a team of the best players from those two rosters, as well as No. 8 K-Espoo EPS 1, and you are bound for success. If K-Espoo brings even just half the top scorers that make up those blues teams, Mountfield is in for a long morning. With both offenses possibly canceling each other out, this one will come down to goaltending. K-Espoo wins in a high-scoring 5-4 affair.
Craig’s Pick: The Czechs typically tend to play a balanced style of hockey between skill and toughness. Kiekko-Espoo may out-skill Mountfield in this matchup, but the Czechs are just a little bit grittier here. I’ll take Mountfield in a 3-2, grind-it-out type of game.
From Dec. 27 – 29th, 2008-born teams will take part in the 2022 Folke Lindström Cup. Some of the very best the country — and birth year — has to offer will be in action, as four clubs in the Top 10 will take to the ice.
Overall, 10 teams will be split into two groups of five. Group A houses most of the premier teams like No. 5 Boo Hockey, No. 7 Djurgärdens IF, and No. 9 Mälmo Redhawks. The only ranked team in Group B is No. 6 Mäläro Hockey.
Flemingsbergs IK and Rögle BK — two bubble teams — will also be participants in group A and B, respectively. A strong performance by either could increase their chances of cracking the Top 10.
Here are a few matchups to keep an eye on this week…
Pete’s Pick: Back on Dec. 8, Boo edged out a 2-1 win over their current group opponent Djurgärdens. There is sure to be some carry over from that tilt, with the latter club wanting to get revenge for the loss. These two teams are the second game of the first day of the tournament, so early fireworks are to be expected. The winner in this one could get a nice boost in confidence for the rest of the tournament. Djurgärdens brings two of the top leading scorers in group play into the contest, Nick Travergård and Lexus Zahn. They nab a win in this one, 3-2.
Craig’s Pick: Boo has won both games against Djurgärdens this season, albeit by one goal each time. However, they outshot DIF by a noticeable margin both times and Leon Andersson backstopped them to victory in September and again two weeks ago. Djurgärdens has to go prove to me they can get pucks past Andersson. Until I see it, I’m riding with Boo by a 3-1 finish. Also, keep an eye out for forward Dante Islercelik. He’s got an assist in four of Boo’s last five games and factored in on three of the team’s five total goals against DIF this season.
Keeping things on day one of the schedule, Boo has their second game against Flemingsbergs.
Pete’s Pick: With this being both team’s second game of the day, this one will come down to whoever finds that last bit of energy in their legs. Flemingsbergs is off to a 6-0-0 start to their group, and come into the tournament feeling good about their game. Sharing a division with a split squad of Boo, there will be some familiarity between the two programs in regards to who they see on the ice. While a full squad of Boo’s top players may put up more of a fight, I expect Flemingsbergs to skate away with the victory here, 5-2.
Craig’s Pick: Yea, I like Flemingsbergs here too. They just beat Boo a week ago 6-3 in Group Play. While it was a split squad for Boo, it still featured names like Leon Andersson, Dante Islercelik, Erik Lanestrand and at least six other players that will also be skating in the Lindstrom Cup this week. Flemingsbergs for the win, but I don’t think they put up six goals a second time, 3-2 final.
For a full schedule and results of the tournament games, click HERE.
The Toronto Marlboros will be heating up the holiday season with their annual Marlboros Holiday Classic. Teams from the 2007 to 2010 birth years will be in attendance.
And with a tournament of this size, there are bound to be some exciting cross-border matchups that should keep fans on the edges of their seats.
First up from the 2007 birth year is a U16 contest between No. 8 U.S.-ranked Buffalo Jr. Sabres vs. Canadian No. 4-ranked Don Mills Flyers.
Pete’s Pick: Here’s the most interesting thing about this matchup…neither team has played an opponent on the other side of their border this season. With no previous head-to-head matchups, these two programs enter this one with some uncertainty about their foe. Things might start slow in a feeling-out process, but once the competitive juices get flowing, the fun will begin. This one could be decided by the flip of a coin, but give me Don Mills taking the win, 4-2.
Craig’s Pick: The Jr. Sabres have lost eight of their last 10, and four have been to teams ranked ahead of them in the U.S. Rankings. They desperately need to get back on track, and I think they could rack up a couple wins in the tournament. I just don’t think it happens here against DMF. I’ll take the Flyers 4-1, with a strong showing in this matchup and the tournament as a whole.
In the 2009 birth year, No. 8 Canadian-ranked Huron–Perth Lakers square up against Ottawa Myers Automotive. It will be the second time the two sides will battle, with the Lakers emerging victorious in a 3-1 game back on Nov. 27.
Pete’s Pick: I expect Ottawa to play hard in this one, as they are sitting as one of the bubble teams just outside the Top 10. Like many teams across the tournaments listed here, a strong showing could do wonders for their position moving forward not only in HEO play, but in the world rankings as well. A fact that will not be lost on these players. It will be close and hard fought, but the Lakers snag a second victory, 4-1.
Craig’s Pick: Huron-Perth has proved to be the better of the two teams for the majority of this season. They proved so back in November, and I think they do so again here. Andrew Menlove and Vaughn Barr have a combined 1.65 goals-against average this season, and gave up just one goal to Ottawa Myers last time out. That tandem should force multiple offenses to struggle this weekend, and help HP to another 3-1 win.
Stay up to date on the latest scores and information about the Marlboros Holiday Classic HERE.
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The AAA Kickoff Classic was the first big tournament of the fall in the United States, and in the process it provided an early look at some teams to watch for this season.
While the 15U, 16U and 18U divisions were showcase-style events with no true playoff structure, the 14U division featured a round-robin preliminary round before semifinal and championship contests, allowing Seacoast Performance Academy to flex some muscle at the 2008 birth year.
The SPA crew finished 5-1-1 over the course of the four-day event, leaving Grand Rapids, Mich., with a tournament title before the calendar flips to September.
In the championship game, the Spartans and Team Wisconsin both scored three goals apiece in the opening frame, but in the final two periods, SPA took control, and eventually won 6-3.
It was a big victory for SPA in terms of winning the AAA Kickoff Classic title, but also because they avenged their only loss in the early-season tournament. The Spartans started things off with a 3-2 nail-biting loss to the same Team Wisconsin club, ending up on the wrong end of a three-goal third period between the two clubs.
That was the only time they would lose in Grand Rapids, however, as Seacoast rebounded with a 7-1 thumping of Team Illinois Friday morning. In their second Friday tilt, SPA played one of the two clubs from Czechia, battling the Pilsen Wolves to a 5-5 tie.
On Saturday, SPA won their two contests by scoring five goals in each – first they beat Chicago Fury 5-2, before taking care of the Nashville Jr. Predators 5-1 later in the day.
In the first of two playoff games on Sunday, SPA took on the other Czech club, and HC Trinec dragged them all the way to a shootout. The Spartans prevailed in the shootout session, leaving with a 2-1 final on the scoreboard and a rematch with Team Wisconsin at 2 p.m.
In the title contest, Timothy Kazda wasn’t about to let SPA fall to Team Wisconsin again. A native of Slovakia, Kazda was dominant in the final, scoring a hat trick in the first period alone, and finishing with five goals in the 6-3 win.
That five-goal outing put Kazda in first place in scoring for both the 14U division and the Kickoff Classic field across all age groups. He finished with 12 goals and 13 total points. Aside from Kazda, SPA had well-balanced scoring throughout the tournament, as Jackson Smail had six points, while Daniel Trucka, Rockland Babcock, Hunter Chadbourne and Garrit Turcotte all had five.
Kamden Jackson and Filip Vavro took care of business between the pipes for SPA, both appearing in four contests apiece.
Team Wisconsin had plenty of firepower throughout the tournament, as well, as the next three spots in the 14U scoring race went to members of the second-place squad. Mack Diggins had 11 total points, while Grant Molski and Owen Porter both had nine.
They didn’t play in as many games as the 14U division, but the 16U Team Wisconsin made their own early-season statement in Grand Rapids.
After making the trek across (or probably around) Lake Michigan, Team Wisconsin played to a perfect 3-0-0 record in the showcase-style event.
None of their games were decided by more than two goals, showing that TW can go up against top competition and hold their own when things get tense.
On Friday, they took down SPA 3-1. Caden Feinstein scored in the first, Dylan Bryne scored in the second, and Will McDonald wrapped things up in the third.
Saturday, they took care of Team Minnesota, a collection of high school players from the ‘State of Hockey.’ Bryne’s third-period goal turned out to be the difference in that one; Riley Boyle and James Flanigan also scored for TW.
To wrap things up, they went toe-to-toe with Little Caesars in a Sunday afternoon affair, taking on a team that was a national title contender last season. All three goals in the contest were scored in the third period; TW scored twice, while LC only scored one. Quinn Smith and Jackson Hoem had the goals in a 2-1 win, as TW picked up a statement win early in the year.
Smith ended up leading TW in scoring with five points in the three games, while three players — Bryne, Vincent Greene and Joseph Coghlin — had two points apiece.
Rowan White started two games, finishing with a .938 save percentage and 1.00 goals-against average. Devin Rustlie played in one game, allowing two goals and registering a .913 save percentage.
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Compete against players from all over the planet at the World Selects Trophy! It's world-class competition with a first-class travel experience. Join Sixty Hockey Development, make lasting memories and lifelong friends in an environment unlike any other in youth sports.
2008 Sixty Hockey Development WSI
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Dates: May 17 - 20, 2023
2009 Sixty Hockey Development WSI
Location: Prague, Czech Republic
Dates: May 3 - 6, 2023
2010 Sixty Hockey Development WSI
Location: Mont Blanc, France
Dates: May 3 - 6, 2023
2011 Sixty Hockey Development WSI
Location: Bolzano, Italy
Dates: April 26 - 29, 2023
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