On Tuesday, USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program (USNTDP) announced 22 2007-born players selected to the U.S. National Under-17 team for the 2023-24 season. Selections were made from a group of 45 players who took part in an evaluation camp two weeks ago held at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan.
16U Shattuck-St. Mary’s and Dallas Stars Elite produced multiple selections from their respective teams. 15O Chicago Mission did as well, however, none filled more roster spots than Little Caesars. One forward (William Horcoff), one defenseman (Charlie Tretheway) and one goalie (Joey Slavick) from the No. 1 team in the country will represent the U17 team next season. In total, The group represents 13 different U.S. states as well as 16 different youth hockey teams and programs.
| Will Belle | Conrad Fondrk | Richard Gallant |
| Landon Hafele | William Horcoff | Jacob Kvasnicka |
| Cole McKinney | John Mooney | William Moore |
| Jack Murtagh | Andrew O’Neill | Cullen Potter |
| Carter Amico | Asher Barnett |
| Donato Bracco | Lincoln Kuehne |
| Garrett Lindberg | Maceo Phillips |
| Drew Schock IV | Charlie Tretheway |
| Harrison Boettiger Joey Slavick |
There are not many players in youth hockey that have a more incredible hockey journey than William Belle. His impressive stature of 6-foot-2, 205 lbs. allows him to be a net-front menace. Powerful legs aid his stride, which gives him an almost unparalleled ability to separate himself from opponents in rushes up the ice. As a result, he has been able to notch 23 goals and 48 points this season. Belle was the first 2007-born player to make a Division-I college commitment when he verbally pledged to join the University of Notre Dame in October of 2022. He can begin playing for them in the 2025-26 season.
In 50 games this season, Fondrk tallied 96 points. Perhaps more impressively was that in doing so, he was only penalized once. A good sign that when he hits the ice, he spends most of his time in the offensive zone.
Gallant just finished his second season at St. Mark’s School, putting up 12 goals and 30 points in 17 games. A slight decrease from last year’s 43-point total, but he also split duties by also lacing up the skates for Islanders Hockey Club 18U Prep team.
Has collected 50 points in 51 games, and generally when he is on the ice, good things happen. Collectively, he has amassed a plus-39 rating on the season. Forms a potent twosome with Cullen Potter.
Horcoff really began to make a name for himself last season skating with the Caesars 14U club, racking up 115 points in 62 games. A consistent source of offense, Horcoff’s dynamic play-making ability has helped Caesars retain a spot as one of the top U.S. teams of the ‘08 birth year.
Totalled 45 points in 28 games this season, serving largely in a playmaker role. Given his small frame, he uses speed and agility to his benefit, as often defenders have difficulty keeping up with him.
McKinney is in the midst of his third year with the Mission program. He has put up solid numbers in the biggest games, including two goals and seven points as a member of Chicago’s 14U team at USA Nationals last season.
What Mooney may lack for in size, he makes up for in speed. Mesmerizing with the puck, he uses quick feet and phenomenal edge work to dart around the offensive zone. A quick release has helped him become one of the main sources of offensive output for Pens Elite for the past several seasons.
The lone representative this year from a Canadian club, Moore is no stranger to big moments. An OHL Cup veteran, in last year’s tournament as a member of the Marlboros U16 team, he managed to post 11 points in seven games, including being a plus-9. He will once again play in the 2023 OHL Cup with GTHL champion and top-ranked Canadian club, Toronto Marlboros. While he was born in Mississauga, Ontario, CAN, he maintains dual citizenship in the U.S. as well.
Has incredible vision to see plays unfold and find open ice once he dishes the puck off to a teammate. His ability to carry the puck through the neutral zone is an integral part of Bishop Kearney’s offensive strategy.
Dependable two-way play is the focus of O’Niell’s game. The 6-foot-1 center from Fargo, North Dakota, has lightning quick reflexes that give him the ability to find teammates in transition with ease.
A player that has been on the WHH radar all season long, he has been one of the more impressive forwards among fellow Stars Elite skaters. Often able to control the pace of play, he has an uncanny ability to dip and weave through defenders. He plays bigger than he is, unfazed by hits while continuing to drive play. Shiftiness with the puck is a strength. If defenders are not careful, they will be left behind after Potter finesses his way around them. He is strong on defense as well when necessary, making him a dual threat at both ends of the ice.
Amico has loomed over the defensive zone this season for Mount St. Charles. Standing at 6-foot-4, he uses his long reach to knock pucks away from opposing players with ease. He is also quick on his feet and can even join the rush if necessary.
Barnett brings size to the blue line, coming in at 6-foot, 181 lbs. But don’t let those numbers fool you, he can find the scoresheet as well. He managed to post five goals and 11 points in 15 High Performance Hockey League (HPHL) matchups.
One of the most dependable defenseman of his birth year, Bracco has an impeccable ability to break up plays with incredible stick work and positioning. The Gulls have enjoyed one of the top spots in the U.S. rankings all season, largely thanks to Bracco shutting down the top offenses he faced on a nightly basis.
Kuehne is a dangerous weapon on the back end for his club, adding 25 points in 44 games as a defender.
Lindberg doesn’t shy away from the physical aspect of his position. Often laying the body on attacking forwards, he knows his first job is to take away time and space of opponents. He can chip in offensively when needed, with a decent shot that often finds its way through traffic from the blue line. He put up four goals and 19 points in 30 games for Moorhead High.
Armed with a big body and dependable when it comes to contributing to offense, there aren’t that many weaknesses in Phillips’ game. He’s already coming in at 6-foot-5, 194 lbs., bringing a physical edge and 22 points in 27 games.
A dependable option for offense, Schock uses great mobility to patrol the defensive zone and chip pucks out with ease. Almost serving as a third forward, he scored 11 goals and 44 points this season.
One of the bigger aspects of Trethewey’s game is his elusiveness when handling the puck either in his own zone or at the offensive blue line. His ability to side step attacking forwards gives his team a great option to reset play.
Boettiger has been one of the premier netminders in the country. Backstopping SSM to 22 wins, he recorded a 1.79 goals-against average and .927 save percentage with three shutouts. He’s also set to compete in his second consecutive USA Hockey National championship this month with Shattuck.
Standing at 5-foot-9 and 161 lbs., Slavick is slightly smaller than the prototypical goaltender that the NTDP has targeted in the past. All three goalies from the current U17 team are north of 6-foot, as is Boettiger. Despite Slavick’s smaller stature, he uses a quick glove and versatile agility to stop the puck. Slavick has competed in just about every major youth hockey tournament there is, playing in the Brick Invitational, PeeWee Quebec and World Selects Invitational. He’s also been the go-to guy for Caears and HoneyBaked in the last three season, both ranked in the top 10 in the country with Slavick in net.
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Craig Peterson, on-site at 14U Nationals
World Hockey Hub was on-site for the 2023 USA Hockey Nationals in Plymouth, Michigan, and Wayne, New Jersey. The team provided wall-to-wall coverage of the 14U and 15O tournaments from pool play to playoffs, and the championship game. In addition to that, our writers assembled All-Tournament Teams to spotlight some of the top performers from both the 2007 and 2008 birth years. See below for more details:
| Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll Chicago Mission | Camden Nimmer Bishop Kearney | Kalder Varga Chicago Mission |
| Michael Berchild Shattuck-St. Mary’s | Tynan Lawrence Shattuck-St. Mary’s | Lukas Zajic Chicago Mission |
| Noah Davidson LA Jr. Kings | Logan Stuart LA Jr. Kings | Kase Kamzik Pittsburgh Penguins Elite |
| Ethan Garden Little Caesars | J.P. Hurlbert III Dallas Stars Elite | Sean Miller Pittsburgh Vengeance |
Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll is a big-bodied forward who does a good job of keeping his feet moving on the attack. At times, showed he could be Mission’s best forward on the ice. He tied for the team lead in goals with five in six games.
Camden Nimmer was the best forward in the tournament on several occasions. Constantly in possession of the puck, crafty with his feet and very tough for defenders to corral. I don’t think Bishop Kearney wins the national championship without him.
Kalder Varga is a well-rounded forward who dominated the game with his puck skills. Every time he was on the ice, good things seemed to happen. Whether he scored goals, set them up, forced turnovers or disrupted opponents’ offensive attacks.
Michael Berchild is a guy I circled every time I watched Shattuck. He’s fun to watch with the puck on his stick. Berchild’s style of play easily grabs your attention and there’s a lot to like about the things he makes happen in the game.
Tynan Lawrence tied for the tournament lead in scoring with nine points, despite Shattuck being eliminated in the quarterfinals. As the top-line center, Lawrence played well in both ends of the rink.
Lukas Zajic displayed his explosiveness both as a skater and a scorer. His speed sprung Zajic on multiple breakaway opportunities. His quick wrist release led to five goals in six games. Factored in on a third of Mission’s offense with eight points.
Noah Davidson has the size and speed to be a top prospect in the birth year. He led the Jr. Kings in scoring with six points and was the team’s best forward on multiple occasions. There’s a lot to like about Davidson’s future in the game.
Logan Stuart was a do-it-all center that made others around him better. Made his presence felt on the forecheck, highly influential in the D-zone, made things happen offensively while also blocking shots and winning face-offs.
Kase Kamzik has plenty of intangibles to like. Good size, speed, footwork and puck skills that made him stand out on the game’s biggest stage. He’s a playmaker that significantly influenced the game from the wing.
Ethan Garden is a work-hard whose feet don’t stop moving. That energy leads to a lot of positive little plays that influence the game in big ways. He wins puck battles, clears the zone, goes on the offensive and attacks defenders relentlessly.
J.P. Hurlbert III is another one with great intangibles. He’s a good skater with a high hockey IQ that you love to see from a center. Without him, DSE might not make the tournament, let alone win two games at USA Hockey Nationals.
Sean Miller had big performances that were impossible to ignore. He’s a shooter, who doesn’t need much room to let it go. This was most evident in his three-goal performance that helped beat Chicago Mission.
| David O’Brien Bishop Kearney | Kent Greer Pittsburgh Penguins Elite |
| Dominic Pajkic Shattuck-St. Mary’s | Kaden Sienko Bishop Kearney |
| Abraham Barnett Chicago Mission | Brody Berard Mount St. Charles |
David O’Brien played some of his best hockey at USA Hockey Nationals. He was constantly the most influential defender for BK, making good things happen all over the ice. O’Brien was always composed, rarely rushed and constantly in control of the game.
Kent Greer may have been the best prospect on the blue line all tournament. His combination of size, footwork, vision and puck skills made him an easy standout. In the process, Greer led PPE — and all defensemen — in scoring with eight points.
Dominic Pajkic looked to be Shattuck’s best defenseman on several occasions. His educated feet sets him apart from others on the blue line. His ability to maintain tight gaps and forces opponents into mistakes is fun to watch.
Kaden Sienko was very stout defensively. His 6-foot frame was magnified at this age group. His size and reach made Sienko extremely difficult for smaller attackers to get around. He owned the neutral zone and transition game.
Abraham Barnett was a towering presence on the back end for Mission. Very few mistakes in his performance at USA Hockey Nationals. That performance helped put Chicago into the championship game.
Brody Berard might have been Mount St. Charles’ most influential player of the tournament. Quick on retrievals and foot speed that gets him heading north in a hurry. Berard snapped off crisp passes constantly, and you just love to see that from the back end.
| Gavin Weeks Bishop Kearney |
| Jake Windbiel Chicago Mission |
Gavin Weeks was easily the best goalie in the tournament. Likely the biggest reason BK won the national championship as well. He gave his team a chance to win every time out, and posted tournament highs in wins (five), goals-against average (1.13) and save percentage (.947).
Jake Windbiel was huge in net. At 6-foot-4, nobody in the tournament took up more space in goal than Windbiel. Plus, his vision and angles always seemed to have him in good position. Rarely, if ever, was Windbiel out of position in net.
Peter Rossi, on-site at 15O Nationals
| Benjamin Kevan Los Angeles Jr. Kings | Will Horcoff Little Caesars | Gavin Kor Shattuck-St. Mary’s |
Benjamin Kevan was clutch all tournament long. He tied with Gavin Kor at 14 points (6G, 8A) in six games, Kevan was the engine of the Jr. Kings championship run. Possessing incredible vision and passing skills, Kevan was often finding teammates in critical moments for game-tying or game-winning goals.
Will Horcoff may be the best overall player at the ‘07 birth year. Possessing great size at 6-foot-3, 170 lbs., he exudes confidence with the puck, especially rushing it up the ice or aiming to control play through the neutral zone. Despite Caesars’ surprising loss in the semifinals to Shattuck-St. Mary’s, Horcoff still ended up in third in total points with 13.
Gavin Kor was dominant on the power play this week. Eight of his 14 points came on the man advantage. Kor’s biggest assets are his quick feet and slick hands, often providing him enough to find open areas of the ice for teammates to feed him the puck.
| Charlie Tretheway Little Caesars | Stephen Grumley Los Angeles Jr. Kings |
Charlie Tretheway had the ability to turn the momentum of a game with a single shift. His ability to shut down opponents, either one-on-one or odd-man rushes is almost second to none. Great hockey sense helps him determine when to jump up in the rush or when to hang back. Thretheway finished with five points (2G, 3A) in five games.
Stephen Grumley led all defensemen in scoring with five points. Displaying great patience with the puck, he allows teammates to get into the best scoring areas before distributing the puck. That passing ability also serves him as the quarterback of the power play, where he can chip in offensively as well.
| Seid-Ali Nabiev Los Angeles Jr. Kings |
Seid-Ali Nabiev recorded a 1.91 goals-against average and .935 save percentage in three games. He backstopped the Jr. Kings in their two overtime victories, one of which was for the championship. Has a great ability to see the puck through traffic, and a dependable and quick glove hand.
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One year after Michael Misa broke Connor McDavid’s record for points, history happened again at the 2023 OHL Cup. However, it wasn’t a surge offense and goals, it was quite the opposite. Goaltending tandem — and twin brothers — Alex Armellin and Nico Armellin completed an OHL Cup championship run by allowing the fewest goals in a single tournament.
Through seven games, the Armellin brothers combined to allow just three goals against, breaking the previous team record set in 2012. The Mississauga Rebels allowed just four goals against during their championship run.
Both brothers posted two shutouts, with Alex putting together a 21-save blanking of the Vaughan Kings in a 3-0 championship win. It was his fourth start of the OHL Cup, and he finished with a 0.67 goals-against average and .972 save percentage. Brother Nico had a 0.44 goals against and .981 save percentage in one less game.
“My defense made it pretty easy for me,” Alex told OHLCup.ca. “I didn’t really get tested too much, and all tournament our forwards and defense were great in the defensive zone. It’s just unbelievable to get the win.”
Entering the tournament with a 49-16-4 record, the Jr. Canadiens ranked No. 5 in the country and 10th in the world. Ironically, they opened up OHL Cup action the same way it eventually ended. A win over the Vaughan Kings, plus another win over Thunder Bay Kings on the first day of the tournament put JRC in the driver’s seat of the Shanahan Division. Alex stopped 15-of-16 shots in the Vaughan matchup while Nico turned away 14-of-15 against Thunder Bay.
The twins continued to alternate starts as Alex shut out York-Simcoe Express before Nico shut out Sun County Panthers. That clinched the top spot in the division for Toronto and moved them on to the quarterfinals.
In the playoffs, Alex again answered the call, as the Jr. Canadiens eliminated the London Jr. Knights 4-1. Eight hours later, Nico made his playoff start as the team took on the Waterloo Wolves in the semifinal. There, he stopped all 26 shots faced, allowing JRC to pull off the 4-0 win. That set the stage for Alex to close out the OHL Cup championship with his second shutout of the tournament.
The Armellin brothers closed the week without surrendering a single goal in the final 133:14 of game action.
The tournament featured highly-touted OHL prospects from the 2007 birth year like Ryan Roobroeck, William Moore and Brady Martin. Yet it was Jr. Canadiens forward Jake O’Brien that not only led his team to a championship but led the tournament in scoring in the process. O’Brien put together multi-point performances in six of the seven games for a total of seven goals and 17 points. One of those being a goal and an assist in the OHL Cup championship.
Jake O'Brien lights the lamp again! 🚨
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) April 4, 2023
The #OHLCup's leading scorer tallies his seventh of the tournament to double the @JrCanadiensAAA lead!
WATCH LIVE FOR FREE 📺: https://t.co/EACCIQuI4x pic.twitter.com/gTG5vy9noX
“We fought through a lot of adversity throughout the year,” O’Brien told OHLCup.ca. “We didn’t win anything until now, but this is the most important and I’m so happy that we did it.”
He also scored two goals and an assist in the semifinal game against Waterloo to elevate Toronto to the championship game.
Peter Rossi, on-site at 15O Nationals
If there was one thing that became well known about the Los Angeles Jr. Kings during the 15O USA Hockey Nationals tournament, it’s that they handle pressure quite well. It was evident in their incredible overtime comeback against Mount St. Charles in the playoff quarterfinals. It was apparent once again as seen in today’s National Championship game against Shattuck-St. Mary’s.
The game would be a special teams battle right up until the end of regulation. Wyatt Cameron opened the scoring on a man advantage when he slipped a shot through the pads of Seid-Ali Nabiev. With his team given another power play opportunity, Gavin Kor doubled the SSM lead just over a minute later. Kor found open space at the side of the net, and patiently waited for a perfect pass from Aaron Obobaifo and tapped it into the wide-open net. Kor and Obobaifo have been the engines for Shattuck’s potent power play success this tournament. Both scored three times with the extra skater, and combined for eight power-play points across all games.
The Jr. Kings began to find their legs in the second period, forcing Shattuck goaltender Garrett Glaser to make a few crucial saves. Just as time was winding down, Joseph Gugino took a tripping call with 2:29 remaining. Already 0-2 on their power play to that point in the game, it was a critical moment for Los Angeles to have any chance at clawing their way back. After gaining the zone, Benjamin Kevan sent a pass towards the front of the net. It slid by a heap of Shattuck defenders before being corralled by Luke Norcross, who then backhanded it into the top of the net with 1:30 left.
Cutting into the 2-0 deficit gave new life to the Jr. Kings. For the short remainder of the period, they had multiple chances to tie the game, including a breakaway by Kevan that was turned aside.
Momentum would remain on the side of the Jr. Kings when Tyler Russell knotted the score at 2 just under two minutes into the final frame with a shot from the blue line. James Russell fed a puck up to Norcross, who gained the zone and fired it on net. He picked up his own rebound and sent it back to the point, when Tyler Russell sent it in from distance.
The rest of regulation would be even for both squads, with both goalies standing tall in making saves to push this contest into overtime. On a power play early into overtime, Tyler Russell sent a stretch pass to James Russell who was darting up the ice. He skated into the Shattuck zone and whipped a short-side shot by Glaser’s glove to cement the Jr. Kings’ first-ever 15O National Championship.
It should not have come as a surprise to anyone that Benjamin Kevan and Gavin Kor ended up at the top of the point leaderboard tied with 14 points. Throughout Nationals, the two forwards had their names show up numerous times on stat sheets. Their play also stood out in the most important moments for their respective teams.
Kevan collected his first two points in the Jr. Kings’ first game of pool play at USA Nationals with a goal and assist in a 5-3 win against the Neponset Valley River Rats. He followed that up with four points (1G, 4A) in a 7-1 victory over the New Jersey Rockets. In the team’s final game of group play, Kevan notched an assist in a 4-1 loss to the Bishop Kearney Selects.
Los Angeles got back on track when they stunned Mount St. Charles in the quarterfinals. After assisting on the tying goal, Kevan scored the overtime winner to advance the Jr. Kings to the semifinals. A second hat trick was recorded against Pittsburgh Penguins Elite in on Sunday for Kevan, and he chipped in an assist there as well.
Kor opened up his run at Nationals with back-to-back three-assist performances. He truly shined in the playoffs, recording seven points (4G, 3A), including three power play goals in the last two games.
Craig Peterson, on-site at 14U Nationals
There was just under five minutes left in the second period. Top-seeded Chicago Mission maintained a 1-0 lead in the 14U USA Hockey national championship game. Not only that, but they held a significant edge in shots over Bishop Kearney, 13-8 as well. However, a wrist shot by Josh Henry would perfectly embody BK’s Cinderella story in Plymouth, Michigan.
Coming in as the No. 7 seed in the tournament, Bishop Kearney was likely the underdog in three of its last four games. It didn’t matter, though, as the deeper into Nationals they went, the better they got. That performance culminated with a 2-1 win over No. 2 seed Chicago Mission on Monday.
The game was incredibly tight from opening face-off to final horn. Through the first 10 minutes of game action, the two teams combined for just four shots on goal. Mission would go on the offensive, through the neutral zone only to be turned away by BK defenseman Kaden Sienko at the blue line. Sienko and company would regroup, bump up to Camden Nimmer and they’d take a turn at a rush. Only, his centering pass attempt would be deflecting by a mess of Mission sticks, and the defensive dance would continue.
Time after time, the two teams traded rushes, only to deny the other. It wasn’t sloppy or reckless offensive hockey, it was just the opposite. A beautiful display of defensive structure and commitment that got both of these teams to this point in the season.
With 6:18 left in the second period, Lukas Zajic made an impressive outside-inside move to get past Dominic D’eletto. From there, Zajic created enough space for himself to send a wrist shot high short-side over the left shoulder of Gavin Weeks. The highly skilled move and finish broke the 0-0 stalemate that the two teams were stuck in.
However, less than two minutes later, BK would respond with a goal that aptly defined the game, the tournament and their season.
Josh Henry collected a loose puck at the blue line and sent a quick wrist shot towards the Mission net. The puck skipped off of the skate of Cody Powels as he dropped to a knee, challenging the opposing shooter. It ricocheted end over end in an arc, out of sight to goaltender Jake Windbiel. The puck came down into the back of the net surprising players on both sides. A game that had quickly burst open was just as swiftly deadlocked again.
Henry’s goal was perfect, on both sides of the puck. He jumped on a turnover and quickly put a shot on goal. Powels was just as swift to respond, not only challenging the shooter but getting a piece of the shot in the process. Factor in Windbiel’s positioning in net as well as the tied up sticks in front. Players for BK and Mission had played the scenario perfectly. However, ‘puck luck’ just happened to break Bishop Kearney’s way.
Just 50 seconds into the third period, Rudolfs Berzkalns would put home a long rebound shot from the slot to give BK a 2-1 lead.
Bishop Kearney didn’t win games pretty. They didn’t have to. It was about playing disciplined hockey with timely scoring. Play the game the right way and good things happen. Oh, and having the best goaltender in the tournament helped too.
Any lead was safe with Gavin Weeks between the pipes. The 5-foot-10 goaltender was certainly the best at 14U USA Hockey Nationals, playing in all six games. He compiled a .947 save percentage and a 1.13 goals-against average and never let his team relinquish a lead in the tournament.
In the quarterfinals, Weeks made 29 saves against the top-seeded offensive juggernaut Shattuck-St. Mary’s. He kept his team in the hunt as the 1-1 game entered overtime. Again in the semifinals, Weeks made 21 saves as the Boston Jr. Eagles out-shot and out-possessed BK with a late offensive push. Finally, in the championship, the New Hampshire native held the highest scoring offense in the tournament to just one goal. That ultimately kept Bishop Kearney in the game and won the 14U national championship.
In front of him was a very sound team effort.
Tight gaps from the defensive group kept the high-flying Chicago Mission grounded. There was little time or space for dynamic scorers like Kalder Varga, Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll or Aurelio Garcia to get going. Even when Mission gained entry into the zone, they were met by stick checks, limited passing lanes and plenty of blocked or disrupted shot attempts.
With Weeks in net and a stout defensive effort, the 2-1 lead was all BK needed to secure the win and the 14U national championship.
It is the second time Bishop Kearney has won a USA Hockey national championship, but just the first time the program has done so at the 14U age group.
Peter Rossi, on-site at 15O Nationals
Despite it being a chilly and windy morning in Wayne, New Jersey, the 15O semifinal matchups inside the Ice Vault were heating up. First up, top-seeded Little Caesars was set to take on No. 3-seed Shattuck-St. Mary’s. Next, the afternoon would wrap up with a contest between No. 5-seed Los Angeles Jr. Kings and No. 8-seed Pittsburgh Penguins Elite.
While many had picked Little Caesars to be the team victorious at this year’s 15O tournament, someone forgot to tell that to Shattuck-St. Mary’s. Realizing the opportunity before them, SSM took to the ice against a team who had dominated opponents since Nationals began. It seemed as if that would be the case yet again when Easton Pace opened the scoring when he managed to shoot the puck past a diving Garrett Glaser while falling.
Caesars would then fall into some penalty trouble, which Shattuck made sure to take advantage of. Gavin Kor tied the game when he finished off tic-tac-toe passing between Aaron Obobaifo and Joseph Gugino. Sent back to the power play shortly after that goal, Caden Lindsay was able to bang in a pass from Chase Nehring to put Shattuck up 2-1 just 44 seconds after the game was tied. SSM was able to take advantage of extended zone time, mainly by outworking Caesars in getting to loose pucks and winning board battles.
Just when it seemed Shattuck would take a 2-1 lead into the first intermission, Aiden Janz made his presence known. Rocketing through the neutral zone, he split two defenders and beat Glaser’s right pad to even the score with 22 seconds left on the clock.
Caesars got its lead back in the second period when Clark Nehmens coughed the puck up to Janz, who quickly began a 2-on-1 rush in the other direction with Pace. After a short give-and-go between the two, Pace finished off the play for his second goal and to put his team up 3-2.
Been super impressed with @HockeyCaesars forward Easton Pace (#27 White) all week at #USAHNationals, but this interception & give-and-go with fellow standout Aiden Janz is the highlight I’ve been waiting for. pic.twitter.com/ZgNWDt31JO
— Brayden Olafson (@olaf1393) April 2, 2023
But once again back on the power play, Kor tallied his second goal with a blast off a perfect feed from Gavin Katz, tying things up at 3.
Despite an evenly played third period, it seemed as if destiny was on Caesars’ side when Nehmens was called for hooking with just 17 seconds remaining in regulation. Unable to score, the contest would require overtime, where Caesars would have 1:43 remaining on the power play to find the winner.
The penalty kill for Shattuck came up huge in the opening moments of the extra frame. With tired Caesars skaters unable to change, Graham Jones ripped a shot on net that bounced off the pipe and in for the game-winning goal. SSM players poured off the bench and mobbed Glaser in celebration.
Finishing with two goals and an assist, Kor now sits in third in total points at 15O Nationals, with three goals and 12 points.
Not even a day removed from scoring the overtime winner to get past Mount. St. Charles in the quarterfinal round, Benjamin Kevan once again was the star for the Los Angeles Jr. Kings. Collecting four points, including three goals, Kevan led his team over a tough Pittsburgh Penguins Elite squad. He now is tied with William Horcoff of Little Caesars for first in overall scoring with 13 points.
The game opened with a flair for the dramatic when the Jr. Kings believed they had gotten the first goal. After initially being called a good goal, after a short conference the officials reversed the call to no goal. Still sending wave after wave of players into Pittsburgh’s zone, Los Angeles was finally rewarded for its efforts with a power play. Luke Norcross fired a pass through the crease that found the stick of Kevan, who slid it in for a 1-0 lead.
Continuing to struggle to find any offensive zone time, Pens Elite did not register a shot on goal until 4:45 left remaining in the period. With 3:14 remaining, Caden Campion doubled the lead when he deposited a pass from Kevan into the net. Overall, the Jr. Kings outshot Pittsburgh 8-2 in the first period.
Trying to cut into the deficit on a power play of their own, PPE got mixed up on a passing play in the neutral zone, resulting in Kevan knocking a puck loose. He skated in on a breakaway and after a few deft dekes, chipped the puck over the pad of Giulio Torriero for a commanding 3-0 lead. 23 seconds after, Kieren Dervin would finally cash in for the Pens to cut the lead to 3-1.
Jacob Cloutier would bring it to a one-goal game when he fired a clean wrist shot from in front into the net. The line of Dervin, Cloutier and Quinn McKenzie once again came in clutch. From that point on, it was all Pittsburgh as they threw everything on net in an attempt to tie the game. With the Jr. Kings on their heels, Hayden Russell forced a turnover at PPE’s blue line, pushed his way to the front of the net and beat Torriero for a crucial insurance goal. Kevan would net his third goal when he found the empty-net, securing the 5-2 win.
Just one year ago, Shattuck found themselves in a similar position. They were in the championship game at 15O USAH Nationals, only to be bested by Chicago Mission. With confidence at an all-time high, the club is eager to finally earn some hardware that has eluded the program at this division.
If there is one thing both teams remaining have in common, it’s that they both are playing their best hockey of the year at exactly the right time. Both have a top player in total points, goaltending has been a strength, and special teams have been firing on all cylinders.
My prediction: This one is almost too close to call. Both teams have put together solid wins the past two days, with Shattuck taking down an absolute behemoth in Caesars. While goaltending has been solid for each squad, this may just come down to who manages to put more pucks in the net. I’m very excited to see Benjamin Kevan and Gavin Kor go head-to-head when a championship is on the line. Given the fact with how evenly they looked with Caesars in the semifinal battle, I think SSM gets the edge for the win here.
Craig Peterson, on-site at 14U Nationals
Semifinal action at the 14U USA Hockey Nationals got underway with No. 7-seed Bishop Kearney and No. 11-seed Boston Jr. Eagles. They were followed by No. 2 Chicago Mission and No. 3 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite facing off on the other half of the bracket.
The tournament has delivered a little bit of everything in terms of chalk — with the top seeds winning out — as well as chaos, where upsets and underdogs stole the show.
On one half of the bracket, top-seeded Pens Elite and Chicago Mission delivered. Their semifinal matchup set the stage for two heavyweights to collide. The other half of the bracket was wild, to say the least. Bishop Kearney stunned top-seeded Shattuck-St. Mary’s in overtime, thanks to a power-play goal from Dain Gordon. It was the first time since December 3rd that Shattuck had suffered defeat, snapping a 24-game win streak.
Additionally, the Jr. Eagles jumped out to a 2-0 lead on No. 4-seed Los Angeles Jr. Kings. While the Jr. Kings had come back from a deficit twice already in this tournament, Boston made sure there wouldn’t be a third. They out-shot, out-worked and out-disciplined the heavily-favored Jr. Kings and advanced to a semifinal matchup between two Cinderellas.
In the first semifinal, both the Jr. Eagles and BK Selects delivered their best performances of the tournament. Much of the game felt like a mental chess match as both ends traded scoring opportunities, power plays and plenty of zone time.
Lance Toland broke the 0-0 tie three minutes into the second period, as he put the Jr. Eagles on top with a power-play goal. BK was quick to respond, though, as its leading scorer, Camden Nimmer snapped off a wrist shot from the blue line to make it 1-1 just a minute and five seconds later.
With both teams on the board, the strategery resumed, as they played 15 more minutes of scoreless hockey. Then, in the third period, Dain Gordon cashed in on Bishop Kearney’s fourth power-play opportunity of the game to give them a 2-1 lead. Austin Brekelmans added a wrist-shot goal a few minutes later and BK had a stranglehold on the scoreboard.
An empty-net goal would make it a 4-1 final, and the Jr. Eagles’ run would come to an end.
Despite the loss, they out-shot BK 23-17 but did not have an answer for Gavin Weeks in net. The backbone of Bishop Kearney’s run thus far has been the stellar play of Weeks between the pipes. He’s played all 249 minutes of game action at USA Hockey Nationals. In that span, Weeks is 4-1-0 with a 1.17 goals-against average and .948 save percentage.
The Chicago Mission and Pittsburgh Penguins Elite clashed in the second semifinal on Sunday. With Shattuck-St. Mary’s eliminated, Mission and PPE were the two highest remaining seeds in the tournament. By the end of the afternoon, only one of them would move on to the championship.
Fortunately for Mission, their top performers continued to shine as the stage of the tournament got bigger.
Lukas Zajic — the team’s leading scorer — struck back-to-back times in the first period, just over three minutes apart. That pair of goals put Chicago up 2-1 and in the driver’s seat for the first time. From there, power forward Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll scored a pair of his own to end the first period and open the second period. That furthered Mission’s lead to 5-2 with just over half the game left to play.
Despite maintaining a 6-3 lead through two periods, Mission was being out-shot and out-possessed for long stretches by Pens Elite. At one point, PPE held a 21-14 advantage in shots. However, Mission’s Jake Windbiel was up to the task.
While PPE managed to produce offense — three goals through the halfway point of the game — much of their success came on second- and third-chance opportunities. Listed at 6-foot-4, Windbiel is the biggest goaltender in the tournament. His combination of size and mobility left talented attackers like Alexander McLean, Brody George and Kase Kamzik stifled. Pittsburgh generated plenty of quality looks but were unable to challenge Windbiel from distance.
The struggles continued into the third period, and time became PPE’s biggest enemy. With 3:23 left in regulation, Carson Lindberg capitalized on a blue-line turnover and snapped a shot past Windbiel to make the deficit 6-4. It was too little, too late though, as Aurelio Garcia would score an empty-net goal just moments later that sealed each team’s fate.
Mission was on to the championship with Bishop Kearney. PPE, on the other hand, was heading home for the final time this season.
The Cinderella story in Bishop Kearney collides with the powerhouse favorite in Chicago Mission for the 14U USA Hockey national championship. The battle for supremacy in the 2008 birth year comes down to Chicago’s Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll, Lukas Zajic and Kalder Varga on one end. BK counters with Camden Nimmer, Rudolfs Berzkalns and Nolan Duskocy. Though, the ultimate difference-makers in this matchup reside between the pipes. Gavin Weeks has been arguably the best goaltender in the tournament. His counterpart in Jake Windbiel will be a big riddle for BK’s offense to solve.
This has the makings of a low-scoring, grind-em-out kind of game. Mission’s high-powered offense may run into a 5-foot-10 wall in Weeks, who has the best save percentage and lowest goals against in Plymouth. Meanwhile, BK’s scrappy style of play shouldn’t produce a wealth of offense against the towering Windbiel either. I think a low-scoring affair favors Bishop Kearney, who just might complete their Cinderella run with a 14U national championship.
My prediction: A huge performance from their goaltender in net paired with a couple timely, greasy goals leads to a 3-2 win for BK.
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