Pool play is over at the ‘08 World Selects Invitational from Nashville. A field that started with 34 teams has been cut down to 24 left in the hunt for youth hockey’s world championship. Eighty-five games featuring some of the best 2008-born youth hockey players has seen 44 of those contests decided by two goals or fewer. It’s been a tightly contested tournament thus far, and playoff hockey moving forward should only continue that trend.
Elimination rounds begin on Friday afternoon with eight play-in games. Winners of those matchups will advance to face the top eight seeds in the round of 16.
Here’s how I see the playoffs unfolding in the Music City:
Chaos in the early rounds could lead to chalk in the later rounds. I like Team Minnesota — the last team to qualify for the playoffs as the 24-seed — to pull off not one, but two upsets. Andrew Clark, Danny Peate and Ryder Siedow have shown to be offensive threats. Plus, I feel like Kazakhstan Selects may have benefitted from a weaker schedule in pool play. Obviously, not something they could control but all three of their wins came against teams that have already been eliminated from the tournament. I like Team MN to be victorious, but really whoever wins that 9-v-24 matchup should make it to the quarterfinals.
I like another Minnesota-based team to pull off a stunner in the opening round as well. Hard not to, I mean there’s six playoff teams that call the State of Hockey home. Similar to Kazakhstan, I think Swiss Selects benefitted from a 3-0-0 start against opponents that failed to qualify for the playoffs. Minnesota Generals, on the other hand, have played everyone tough, even in defeat. They win on Friday and set the stage for a Generals-vs-SKA Yunost rematch from Thursday — SKA defeated the Generals 4-1 and out-shot them 30-19 in the process.
CCM Selects and Finland Selects have set themselves apart from the group in a big way. I like the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds to cruise to the semifinals, but only have one of them making it to the championship.
Should ID Selects and CCM clash in one half of the bracket, it’ll be the greatest collection of ‘08-born North American talent you’ll find in one place all year. J.P. Hurlbert, Michael Berchild, Cam Nimmer, Lukas Zajic on one side for ID. Alex McLean, Kent Greer, Maximus Crete, Avry Antsis on the other for CCM. It has the makings for an offensive track meet; a 6-4 type final. If you win that game, you win the tournament.
Finland Selects’ top players are something special. We’ve talked about players like Oliver Torkki and Viljo Kahkonen for about six months now. The team’s offense is dynamic, but in the playoffs of these elite tournaments, I think Finland may struggle to score. Teams tighten up defensively when it’s best on best. I just don’t see those top players having enough time and space to continue producing against Minnesota Blades, ID Selects and CCM. I’ll take Finland to squeak by the Blades, but come up just short in the title game.
Want to follow along with the action? Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Discord and YouTube for more!
Nearly 70 games are in the books at the 15U World Selects Invitational in Nashville. The tournament nears the halfway point, as playoff matchups will begin Friday afternoon and a champion ultimately crowned on Sunday. WHH takes a look at 10 teams with the best odds of winning the ’08 Elite world championship.
Disclaimer: This is purely for entertainment purposes only. We do not encourage sports betting on youth hockey games in any form.
 | Western Selects |  | 2-1 |
 | CCM Selects | | 3-1 |
 | Finland Selects |  | 3-1 |
 | ID Selects | | 5-1 |
 | Minnesota Blades | | 8-1 |
 | SKA Yunost |  | 8-1 |
 | Swiss Selects |  | 15-1 |
 | Minnesota Lakers | | 16-1 |
 | DevCo Hockey |  | 20-1 |
 | National Hockey Prospects | | 30-1 |
Led by a pair of Los Angeles Jr. Kings in Tyus Sparks, Logan Stuart and Noah Davidson, Western Selects comes in as the current front-runner through four games. Each Jr. King has scored at least three goals apiece, with Sparks leading the charge with seven points. They did fall 5-1 to another favorite on the list, Minnesota Blades.
CCM Selects has won, and won big in all four games so far. We talked about some of their standouts thus far, and they’ve continued to tear it up into Day 2. Through four games, their average margin of victory 7.75 goals. However, their opponent’s combined record in the tournament is 1-13-0.
Viljo Kahkonen and Oliver Torkki have shown out to be two of the most productive ’08s in the tournament. That duo has led Finland Selects to a 3-0-0 start, and has combined for 17 points; the team as a whole has scored 22 goals.
ID Selects is loaded with some of the top talent in the U.S. That includes forward Cam Nimmer whose fresh off of a national championship run. Michael Berchild leads the team with six points. That’s matched by defenseman A.J. Francisco who began the tournament with points in three straight games.
ID Selects will open up Friday morning action against SKA Yunost. That matchup could have significant playoff seeding implications as well.
As mentioned, Minnesota Blades did beat Western Selects on Thursday. Forward Riley Zupfer posted three points in the win for Minnesota. He leads the team in scoring with seven points, and factored in on half the Blades’ offense.
Want more coverage of the 2023 World Selects Invitational series? WHH is the exclusive media provider of all 12 WSI events, so be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Discord and YouTube for the latest news!
The best 2008-born youth hockey players in the world took to the ice at the 15U World Selects Invitational on Wednesday. Thirty-four teams from 12 countries squared off in Nashville, Tennessee, for the 14th annual WSI. Teams began pool play with two games each on the opening day of the tournament.
In 12 hours, more than 30 games went down across three rinks in the Music City. A lot of action crammed into a short amount of time saw plenty of standout performers. Canada’s Alex McLean, American-born Cooper Soller and Finnish forward Viljo Kahkonen were among those to make an early statement on the international stage.
Coming into the tournament, CCM Selects were one of the early favorites to perform well at the 15U WSI. Alex McLean being on the roster was one of the reasons for that, after scoring 112 points for the 14U Pittsburgh Penguins Elite this past season. He delivered in a big way in the first game of the tournament, with a six-point performance in a 12-3 win over Toronto Elite Hockey.
That game was the largest margin of victory among all contests on opening day. While CCM Selects were certainly thought of as a top team in the field, the dominant win validated just that.
Their second game of the day came against another North American-based program in Top Speed Hockey. And again, provided little resistance as CCM rolled to a 9-1 win. Defenseman Zach Nyman was a standout on the No. 1 ranked Vaughan Kings this season. He proved why with back-to-back three-point performances as a major factor in both wins for CCM Selects.
With 21 goals in just the first two games of the tournament, CCM Selects players dominate the scoring leaderboard. McLean, Nyman, Maximus Crete, Avry Antsis and Rudolfs Berzkalns are all among the top producers at the WSI thus far.
For as dominant of wins as CCM Selects has had in its first two games, there have been plenty of tight contests out of the gate.
A matchup between the Carolina Whalers and Kazakhstan Selects was just that, tied 3-3 with under 10 minutes to play in regulation. Then, Cooper Soller struck not once but twice in the waning moments to give the Whalers a 5-3 victory. Soller factored in on all five goals scored in the win, plus an assist in their 5-2 loss earlier in the day. The 5-foot-9 forward is no stranger to producing offense; he scored 31 goals and 76 points for the No. 1 ranked team in the U.S., Shattuck-St. Mary’s this season.
Factoring in on six of his team’s seven goals, no other player in the tournament has accounted for more of his team’s offense so far than Soller.
Viljo Kähkönen split time this past season playing up an age group for HIFK’s U16 team. The other half, he spent playing up even further with the club’s U18 team. It didn’t matter where he played, he produced, with 10 goals and 29 points in 29 games between the two rosters. It should come as no surprise that now playing against the best of his 2008 birth year, Kähkönen continues to produce at an impressive clip.
In Finland Selects’ first game of the tournament Kähkönen scored a pair of goals and assisted on two more. That led to a dominant 7-0 win over DraftDay Red. Him and fellow HIFK teammate Oliver Torkki could prove to be an impressive tandem at the WSI. Torkki was one of the leading scorers at the U16 age group in Finland this season. He picked up a pair of points alongside Kähkönen as well.
DraftDay Black got a 28-save performance out of Andrew McLouth in Game 1 of the WSI. They needed every one of those stops against ALPS Selects as Noah Barton scored the game-winning goal with 4:08 left in regulation. The 2-1 final was one of 14 games decided by two goals or less on the opening day of action.
McLouth is a 5-foot-11 goaltender who played for HoneyBaked this season. His showing in net was one of the better performances on Day 1, fueling a DraftDay Black victory.
He wasn’t the only one to steal a victory for his team. Andover, Minnesota native, Cash Cruitt stopped 24-of-25 shots faced against Pro Hockey White. That helped his Minnesota Blades team get out to a 1-0-0 start to the tournament with a 4-1 win despite being out-shot 25-20 in the contest.
Other standouts in net include Kazkhstan Selects Arseniy Kuchkovskiy, who’s stopped 37-of-40 shots in two games. ALPS Selects goaltenders Lenny Oppikofer and Nicolas Arcilla strung together back-to-back games of 24 and 25 saves. Each have allowed just two goals against, however, ALPS was unable to win either of those games despite the strong showings in net.
The 11-team 16U World Selects Invitational is running concurrent to the 15U tournament in the Music City this week. After six games on Day 1, NorthStar Elite Green sits comfortably in first place. A pair of goals from Cruz Martin helped NorthStar to a 6-1 win over Black Bear Selects. Black Bear was the lone team to play two games on opening day. They fell to Performance Hockey 5-1 as well.
Of the six games on Day 1, three were decided by two goals or fewer. TPH Selects and DevCo Hockey needed a shootout to settle their 2-2 tie. Michael Zajac’s goal, as well as Marcus Johnson’s three stops, were the difference in the shootout for TPH Selects.
Tournament action continues Thursday with 10 pool-play games.
Want more coverage of the World Selects Invitational? Visit our WSI Hub or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Discord and YouTube for the latest news!
The U14 Girls World Selects Invitational kicked off on Wednesday in Chamonix, France. Twelve teams from nine countries are competing for the chance to be crowned world champions. All participating teams have two games under their belts after the first day of action. Here’s some of the biggest headlines out of the tournament thus far.
The Sweden Selects made a major statement in their first two contests of the preliminary round. Facing off against Midwest Prospects and Draft Day — two North American-based clubs — Sweden outscored them both by a combined 10-2. A major reason for that offensive explosion was the dependable two-way play of Ebba Hesselvall. Facing a 1-0 deficit after the first period against Midwest, Emma Holmberg tied things up 18 seconds into the second. Hesselvall would score her first two goals following that to secure a 3-1 win. Not done there, Hesselvall kicked off the scoring in the club’s second game of the day; an eventual 7-1 win over DraftDay. She would add three assists as well, ending the day atop the leaderboard with three goals and six points.
If the Sweden Selects were all about offense, France was all about defense in its first two matchups of the U14 WSI. Italy Selects and Pro Hockey squads were unable to solve the incredibly tight defense of France, as both were shutout 2-0. Italy was only able to produce three shots on goal, while Pro Hockey managed 14. Of the seven players to record at least one point thus far, three hailed from the dependable blue line corps of France. Leana Galibert, Domitille Ratto and Naïs Vala Viaux all collected assists. Adding to the team’s scoring depth are Maëlie Moussier and Gabrielle Roussel. Both forwards are tied for the team lead in points with two apiece.
The North American Prospects were down 2-1 in the second period to the Finland Selects and needed a big play to even the score. Just over three minutes after Finland’s second goal, Jaiden Krushelniski found the back of the net to tie the game. That pushed the game to overtime, where Krushelniski would again beat goaltender Peppi Kontio for her second goal of the game. That secured the victory for North American Prospects.
In the team’s second game against Swiss Selects, Krushelniski kicked off the scoring with a power-play goal in the first period. She would add her fourth of the tournament with an insurance goal in the second period to complete a 3-0 shutout win. One of the best goal scorers so far, it will be interesting to see how long Krushelniski can continue her torrid scoring rate.
World Hockey Hub will have continued coverage of the Girls U14 World Selects Invitational! Follow WHH on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Discord and YouTube for the latest news, updates and more!
Following a solid showing at the U15 Ontario Hockey Federation championships, the 2008-born Soo Jr. Greyhounds carved out a spot in the Top 10 for the first time this season. Skating to a 6-1-1 record, they handled most teams they faced, including No. 3 Elgin-Middlesex Canucks. But it was two matchups against No. 1 Vaughan Kings that allowed them to stand out. In their first meeting, the Jr. Greyhounds bested the Kings 2-0. In a rematch with the championship on the line, Vaughan regained its form to shut out Soo 4-0. Still, a solid showing with two wins against ranked opponents gave the Soo enough of a jolt to crack the top-tier Canadian of their birth year.
Since April 15th, the Toronto Marlboros have collected three massive victories to propel them into the ‘11 Canadian Top 10. With a 6-5 win over No. 2 Toronto Jr. Canadiens and a two-game sweep of No. 10 Toronto Nationals, the Marlboros made a statement among fellow Ontario programs. Going back to the beginning of the month, the Marlboros have faced off with the Jr. Canadiens three times before their most recent win. In those matchups, the Marlboros went 1-1-1. In the two battles with the Nationals, the Marlboros outscored them 12-5.
Coming in as winners of their past two contests, the SKA Silver Lions made the jump from No. 5 to No. 4 with victories over SKA Strelna and Dynamo St. Petersburg. Back on April 1st, Strelna edged past the Silver Lions in overtime, setting the stage for a rematch between the two on April 15th. Resulting in a 5–3 win, the Silver Lions leapfrogged Strelna among the Russian ‘06 Top 10.
With No. 5 CSKA Moscow idle, SKA St. Petersburg nabbed two victories to move up to No. 4 among 2008-born teams in Russia. One of those wins — a shootout victory against No. 10 SKA Strelna — continued a current four-game winning streak for the team as well. St. Petersburg has been one of the most consistent teams this season, currently sitting with a 41-0-2 record. Before a 3-2 overtime loss to Dynamo St. Petersburg on April 1st, you would have to go all the way back to January 11th to find SKA’s last loss.
Another team reaping the benefits of a major win against a fellow ranked club was the ‘11 Markham Majors. A matchup with the Sun County Panthers in the U13 All-Ontario Championships had significant tournament and rankings implications on the line. Following a scoreless first period, Markham would strike three times in the second frame to take a 3-1 lead into the third period. Justin Boudreau netted his second goal of the game to secure the 4-1 final. The Majors would go on to finish 7-0-1 with a championship and a new No. 2 spot among the Top 10 in the country. Sun County, who finished 3-4-1, dropped to No. 3.
Be sure to check out the complete world rankings, including Top 10s by country and World Top 25s for each of the 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 birth years.
The 2023 World Selects Invitational spring series of events begins on Wednesday, with the ’08 WSI Elite tournament getting underway in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. More than 500 of the top prospects from the 2008 birth year will compete in the six-day event. Participants will represent 12 different countries, as they compete across 30 select teams assembled specifically for this tournament.
This tournament series dates all the way back to 2009, when names like Alexander Barkov, Filip Forsberg and Radek Faksa debuted on the youth hockey scene. Them, along with 650 other WSI tournament alumni have gone on to be selected in the NHL Draft over the past 10 years. This year, North American prospects like Michael Berchild, Caleb Malhotra and Ethan Garden look to make their mark on international youth hockey. Additionally, top Euros like Oliver Torkki, Arvid Ermeskog and Vladimir Provorov will make the trek across the Atlantic to go toe-to-toe with North America’s best.
Last year, Ryan Roobroeck broke the tournament record for points with 28 in nine games. Twelve months later, he’s projected to be a Top-5 pick in the 2023 OHL Priority Selection. His teammate in the WSI last spring, Gavin McKenna, went on to be the first overall selection in the 2022 WHL Draft. Together, they led Pro Hockey to the 15U championship against an International Stars team that was loaded with top American-born prospects. So much so that seven players from the Stars’ roster were just named to the 2023-24 U.S. National Team Development Program roster.
Bottom line, the WSI regularly serves as a launching point for top prospects in youth hockey.
Still dealing with the fallout of COVID-19 last spring, the 2022 tournament only featured five European teams. Travel restrictions and difficulties kept others from making the trip overseas. This spring, that number is expected to double, as teams from Sweden, Finland, Russia, Czech, Slovakia and Kazakhstan will be in attendance. The Ford Ice Centers in Nashville will be packed with wall-to-wall action all week and WHH will have exclusive coverage of all the action.
The province of Ontario will be well represented in the Music City. In fact, 20 players from five of the Top-10 teams in the country are expected to be on hand for the ’08 WSI. The No. 1 ranked ‘08 team in the world, Vaughan Kings, will have five players competing for two different teams. Two of their top scorers, Caleb Malhotra and Zach Nyman will skate for CCM Selects. Their regular-season teammate and goaltender Joseph D’Angelo will suit up for opposing team Carolina Whalers; he is one of five Canadians playing for the U.S.-based select team.
Some other top performers from Ontario includ Maximus Crete, Bryson Morgan and Nikolas Rossetto. They were among the top scorers at the U15 All-Ontario Championships earlier this month. Goaltenders Cameron Ingram and Colin Elsworth were also impressive in that tournament with 1.00 and 1.50 goals-against averages respectively.
There is a plethora of American talent expected as well. Each of the top nine teams in the country will be represented by multiple players. Some of the more notable being No. 1 Shattuck-St. Mary’s leading scorer Michael Berchild. He finished the ‘22-23 season with 106 points; the fourth-most among ‘08s in the country. J.P. Hurlbert III led all U.S. skaters with 195 points in 75 games. Him and Berchild will be teammates at the ’08 WSI for ID Selects.
Lukas Zajic and Camden Nimmer will also skate for ID Selects. They were among some of the top performers at USA Hockey Nationals earlier this month. They also went head-to-head in the national title game, as Nimmer and his Bishop Kearney Selects took home gold.
The last time a European team won the North American WSI, Oliver Wahlstrom, Rasmus Sandin and Ryan Merkley were playing for Sweden Selects. Wahlstrom is in his third season for the New York Islanders. Sandin just finished his second season in the NHL with the Washington Capitals. Merkley made his NHL debut for the San Jose Sharks last season.
None of those three will be able to help Sweden claim World Selects gold in Nashville this week. However, players like Arvid Ermeskog, Salim Ismailov and Fabian Merkle-Rohdin certainly could.
Ermeskog is a standout forward for the No. 1 ranked team in Sweden, Nacka HK. He led the Sweden Hockey Trophy in scoring last fall with 11 points in seven games. Ismailov finished closely behind with 10 points for Flemingsbergs IK. On top of that, Merkle-Rohdin was a top performer at the U15 DIF Elitcup in September as well. He scored 14 points in that tournament for HV71. He also spent 23 games playing up an age level with the club’s U16 team.
Speaking of under-agers, Oliver Torkki and Jiko Laitinen were among some of the top scorers in Finland’s U16 SM-Series this season. Playing amongst competition where 85 percent of the players were older than these two ‘08s, Torkki and Laitinen finished third and fourth in points. Torkki scored 33 goals and 77 points in 39 games for HIFK. Laitinen finished with 76 points in 40 games. They will certainly be a force for Finland Selects at the ’08 WSI.
While he maintains dual citizenship being born in Tampa, Florida, Alex Theodore played the ‘22-23 season for the U15 Pilsen Wolves. He led the team in scoring with 53 points in 34 games. He also scored 16 points in 10 games with the club’s U17 team as well. Teammate Ben Reisnecker is another standout performer from Central Europe. From the blue line, Reisnecker scored 63 points in 47 games between the Wolves’ U15 and U17 teams as well. The pair will likely lead the Czech Knights’ offensive attack this week in Nashville.
In addition to the 2008 Elite event in Nashville, two other tournaments get underway this week as well. The U14 Girls event begins on Wednesday as well, hosted in Chamonix, France. Additionally, the 2011 AAA tournament kicks off from Bolzano, Italy, on Thursday.
Twelve girls teams from nine different countries will compete for the U14 championship. Czech Selects won the tournament last year. That snapped a three-year run of North American teams winning gold.
DraftDay, Minnesota Prospects, Premier Ice Prospects (PIP) Hockey and Pro Hockey will travel across the Atlantic to represent the U.S. and Canada. Select teams from Czech, Finland, France, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland will make the field of teams at the U14 tournament one of the most diverse among WSI events this spring.
The 2011 AAA tournament — open to all AAA-level players — consists of 13 teams from as many as nine different countries. It is the first of three WSI events to take place in the city of Bolzano.
Want more coverage of the World Selects Invitational? WHH is the exclusive media provider of the tournament series and will have continued coverage of the events on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Discord and YouTube!
Ilves and JYP clashed last Friday in one of the more exciting games of pool-play action at the 2023 Unikie U13 Spring Cup. A 2-1 win for JYP was one of six games decided by one goal on the first day of tournament action. Onni Olkkola’s goal with just under seven minutes left in the contest proved to be the game winner for JYP. The victory wrapped up a perfect 3-0-0 record in Group E. Ilves, despite the loss, finished second in the group.
It wouldn’t be the last time the two teams met in the tournament. Both JYP and Ilves managed to win in the semifinals to set the stage for a rematch on Sunday. Ilves jumped out to an early lead, thanks to a goal from Kalle Havakka six minutes into the game. However, 17 saves from Roni Rautiainen would hold Ilves to just the lone goal on the scoreboard. Veeti Virolainen, Terho Antila and Wäinö Tuomaala would fuel a comeback for JYP in a 3-1 championship victory. The win gave JYP its second of the tournament over Ilves, and fifth overall as they completed a 5-0-0 gold medal run.
Four of the top 10 scorers at the conclusion of the tournament all hailed from JYP. Kalle Viitanen led the tournament in scoring after producing back-to-back three-point games in pool play. He added another multi-point game in the semifinals against Kiekko-Espoo EKS to push his tournament total to five goals and eight points. Veeti Virolainen and Elias Rantanen also finished among the top scorers in the tournament with six points apiece. Rounding out JYP’s impressive lineup were Onni Olkkola, Terho Antila and Eliel Halonen, who all tied with five points.
Having a bevy of offensive options allowed JYP to dominate group play. Initially placed with Kiekko-Laser, Ilves and Kiekko-Espoo Blues, JYP outscored them all by a combined 14-1. Ilves was the lone team able to get a puck past Roni Rautiainen in net.
As a result of its first-place finish, JYP drew K-Espoo EKS in its semifinal game. Rantanen, Halonen and Olkkola all recorded at least three points in an 8-3 win. In the opposite semifinal, Ilves was matched with first-place finisher Tappara, who went 3-0-0 in group play. Juho Nyberg notched both goals and Mio Nieminen made 23 saves in a 2-0 win for Ilves. That set the stage for the championship rematch between JYP and Ilves.
With three of JYP’s top four scorers kept at bay, Ilves managed to get an early 1-0 lead. The trio of Viitanen, Rantanen and Olkkola combined for 11 of JYP’s 24 goals in the tournament. However in the championship, they struggled to find the back of the net in the rematch with Ilves. That’s when Terho Antila and Wäinö Tuomaala were able to break through, to gain a lead for JYP late in the championship.
The pair of goals from its depth players fueled JYP to a come-from-behind win over Ilves. The victory was their fifth of the weekend, and clinched the gold medal.
Want more coverage of Finland and its top youth hockey players and teams? Follow WHH on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Discord and YouTube for the latest news, updates and more!
During the course of Finland’s U16 SM-Series Playoffs, numerous individuals displayed their talents in a tournament of the top teams in the country. Two of those players, Eetu Orpana and Joonas Rajala, were main reasons why Tappara was able to win its first national championship since 1998.
| Joonas Rajala Tappara | Olli Wahlroos TPS | Eetu Orpana Tappara |
For a majority of this season, Joonas Rajala and Eetu Orpana have filled scoresheets with their names. Providing a one-two punch up front for Tappara, much of the club’s success can be attributed to the way these two forwards play the game. Their dynamic play carried over into the national playoffs, where they each tallied 12 points in seven games. Rajala put up eight goals, while Orpana was more of a distributor of the puck, collecting eight assists.
Olli Wahlroos was one of the most consistent forwards for TPS en route to their run to the championship game. Wahlroos put up five goals and 11 points in 10 playoff games. He shined as a fantastic two-way player whose patience with the puck allowed teammates to find scoring opportunities. Wahlroos is a leader that makes those around him better.
| Ossi Tukio Ilves | Aaron Paju TPS |
Ossi Tukio led all defensemen in scoring with two goals and eight points, which was also good enough for third overall among all Ilves skaters. With a decent frame, his long reach prevented attacking players from being able to establish much zone time. With only two penalty minutes to his name, Tukio is rarely seen out of position.
Aaron Paju added complimentary scoring from the blue line for TPS, racking up one goal and seven points in 10 games. A mainstay on the power play because of his excellent puck movement, his lone goal came on the man advantage in the second game against Tappara.
| Eero Rönö Tappara |
Statistically, there was no better goaltender in the U16 SM-Series Playoffs than Eero Rönö. Compiling a .955 save percentage and 1.25 goals-against average, only five goals made their way past him in four starts. Constantly exhibiting calm demeanor in the crease, you would be hard pressed to find another 2007-born Finnish goalie who is as technically sound as he is. If not for a late power-play goal, Rönö would have secured a 30-save shutout in the Game 2 of the Finals against TPS. He made 23 saves in Game 1 as well.
Want more coverage of Finland and its top youth hockey players and teams? Follow WHH on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Discord and YouTube for the latest news, updates and more!
Propelled by key victories at 16U USA Hockey Nationals, the Long Island Gulls found a new home in the No. 1 spot among 2006-born clubs. They defeated No. 3 New Jersey Rockets, No. 4 Compuware, No. 6 Little Caesars and No. 9 Mount St. Charles, all Top-10 U.S. teams. The Gulls also managed to pull out a strong victory over previous top spot holder Shattuck-St. Mary’s, who slid down to No. 2.
In Sweden, Täby HC maneuvered its way to the top, thanks to a deep run to the championship game versus Brynäs IF for 2007-born teams. Even more impressive was the final result of the matchup, with Brynäs managing to put up seven goals en route to winning the club’s first-ever Sweden National Championship. A win that helped boost Brynäs, who was previously unranked, into the Top 10.
Sticking with the ‘07s, Tappara went 6-1-0 in the Finnish SM-Series playoffs to secure the top spot from Kiekko-Espoo. TPS and KalPa also experienced jumps to No. 3 and No. 4 in the Top 10, respectively, resulting from key victories during their playoff runs as well. In the ‘08s, Jokerit’s 3-0-0 stretch allowed them to take the No. 1 spot, with second-place Kärpät Musta in the No. 2 spot and third-place Kärpät Valkoinen settling in to No. 3.
Fresh off winning gold at the 2023 U14 Uplandia Trophy with an undefeated run, Brinkens IF is enjoying a new view from the No. 1 spot.
The 2011-born Vaughan Kings put up a stellar showing against the No. 2 Toronto Jr. Canadiens, defeating them 8-1 to leapfrog them to the No. 1 spot. Vaughan also managed to split two games against No. 10 Toronto Nationals. In Russia, the ‘11s saw a new club take the No. 1 spot as well with CSKA Moscow taking over for No. 2 Dynamo St. Petersburg. CSKA put three crucial victories against Top-10 teams under its belt to slip past Dynamo.
No. 5 ‘06 SKA Strelna suited up for two games against No. 6 SKA Silver Lions, resulting in two wins for Strelna to move them up a spot. Traktor Chelyabinsk put together a decent string of wins to slide into the No. 10 spot for the first time this season. 2009-born Dynamo St. Petersburg took two out of three games against No. 9 SKA Strelna to push them out of the No. 8 spot.
There were some big showdowns at the ‘07 USA Hockey Nationals tournament, and the Los Angeles Jr. Kings’ championship run vaulted them from No. 7 to No. 3. It started with wins against teams like No. 4 Mount St. Charles and No. 8 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite. Then, it culminated with a championship win in overtime against No. 5 Shattuck-St. Mary’s. In Canada, the Halton Hurricanes took advantage of two games with No. 5 York Simcoe Express, taking the No. 4 spot among other ‘07 teams with two wins.
Continuing to impress with the 2008-born clubs was No. 2 Linköpings HC, who bested No. 3 Djurgårdens IF twice at the 2023 Swedbank Trophy. Linköpings went on to win the gold medal, which ended a perfect 5-0-0 run.
Be sure to check out the complete world rankings, including Top 10s by country and World Top 25s for each of the 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 birth years.
The U13 Resport Trophy and U14 Uplandia Trophy regularly close the book on the youth hockey season in Scandinavia. In Sweden and Finland, the only national tournaments at the youth hockey level happen at the U16 age level. So, teams in younger age groups compete at iconic events like Resport and Uplandia, serving as de facto season-ending tournaments.
The pair of events featured 50 teams at the A, AA and AAA levels. Participants hailed from the host country of Sweden, as well as Finland, Norway, Iceland, Latvia, Denmark and Austria.
Brinkens IF, the No. 1 ranked 2009 team in Sweden, proved why it’s the top-ranked team in the country. They went 8-0-0 to win the Uplandia Trophy in Sollentuna, Sweden. Meanwhile, 15 minutes away in the city of Solna, Lukko, earned the championship at Resport Trophy.
Both tournaments were full of top teams, with representation throughout Europe and Scandinavia.
From the opening game of the tournament, forward Viggo Mallmin dominated the AAA Division at Uplandia Trophy. He scored twice in Brinkens’ 4-0 win over Flemingsbergs IK. It was the second time that top-ranked Brinkens had played the No. 2 ranked FIK. Both resulted in shutouts in favor of Mallmin and Brinkens.
The left-handed forward continued to make his presence felt, scoring two goals in each of the next two games. In those games, Brinkens knocked off Diskos 6-0 and Bäcken HC 7-1. On the final day of pool play, Mallmin assisted on the game-winning goal in a 2-0 win over No. 7 Kållered SK. But his best performance came in a four-point game against Latvia’s Baltic Wolves, where Brinkens won 5-2.
That wrapped up a perfect 5-0-0 run in pool play that earned Brinkens the top seed in the playoffs.
They drew unranked Viggbyholms IK in the quarterfinals, and Mallmin and company made quick work of them with a 9-3 win. In the semifinals, a familiar foe waited in Flemingsbergs. The second time the two teams had met in the tournament — and third time this season — it was tied 3-3 at the halfway point of the game. In the second half, Ognjen Martinovic scored a pair of goals, while Oskar St. John-Parker, Eric Sevallius and William Fällström all found the back of the net as well. FIK had kept the game close as long as they could, but Brinkens’ offense eventually blew the doors wide open. An 8-3 final score would give Brinkens its third victory over FIK as well as a spot in the championship.
In the final, the top team in Sweden took on the top team from Austria, Red Bull Salzburg. A balanced attack put Red Bull into the championship, as five skaters came in averaging a point per game. Their lone blemish in the tournament thus far was a 4-3 overtime loss to Södertälje SK on the final day of pool play.
Red Bull played Brinkens tough; something they had done to opponents all tournament long. While Mallmin and Brinkens maintained a significant 3-to-1 edge in shots, the game remained close down to the wire. With Mallmin held off the scoresheet for the first time in the tournament, Sevallius saw an opportunity to step up. He scored three consecutive goals to provide Brinkens with enough of a cushion, as they hung on to a 4-2 championship win.
Other champions from the 2023 U14 Uplandia Trophy include SDE Hockey, who won the AAA Tier-2 playoffs. Iceland’s One Ice Stars won the AA Division as well with a 6-3 victory in the championship.
For the first time in five seasons, a team from Finland won the U13 Resport Trophy. The No. 4 ranked team in the country, Lukko was one of three Finnish teams in the AAA Division. The other five teams in the tournament’s top division included four that were among Sweden’s Top 10 and Latvia’s Baltic Wolves.
With a jam-packed field of talented teams, Lukko went 2-1-0 on the first day of the tournament. It’s lone loss was a 1-0 decision to Sweden’s No. 3 ranked Järfälla HC. The next day would bring another one-goal loss, this time 4-3 at the hands of Sweden’s No. 6 ranked Flemingsbergs IK.
Lukko entered the playoffs as the 3-seed, where they met Flemingsbergs for the second time in as many days. This time, though, Lukko would be victorious as the offense put 41 shots on goal to overwhelm FIK in a 4-3 win.
After making quick work of the Baltic Wolves in the semifinals, Lukko set its sights on another rematch. Järfälla, the top team in the tournament — and highest ranked in the field — had already defeated Lukko on Thursday.
The championship would be all blue and white right from puck drop. Kaapo Honkaheimo made it 1-0 Lukko less than two minutes into the game. Two minutes later, Joona Lautamäki made it 2-0. Sixty seconds later, Honkaheimo scored again to swell the early lead to 3-0. Then, after a four-minute lull in the action, Lautamäki struck again as well to make it a 4-0 lead heading into the half.
Lautamäki completed the hat trick 11 minutes into the second half, and Vilho Aaltonen scored his fifth goal of the tournament to wrap up the scoring.
The 6-0 final meant Lukko had won the U13 Resport Trophy, avenging both of its tournament losses in the process. It is the first time on record that a Finland-based club has won the event, as the trophy remained with a Sweden team each of the previous four tournaments.
Mälmö Redhawks Red won the AA Division championship with a 6-1-0 record. The A Division playoffs also went to a Finland-based team, as Ässät won 5-1 over Jarfalla.
Want more coverage of top teams, players and tournaments in Scandinavia? Follow WWH on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Discord and YouTube for the latest news, updates and more!