Five teams closed out the 2022 calendar year with impressive runs in December. It was a big stretch for 2007-born teams like Kiekko-Espoo, Little Caesars, Toronto Marlboros and Täby HC. Not forgetting the performance from ‘06 Spartak Moscow, either. WHH takes a look at a few programs across all countries and birth years that established themselves among the best of the best in youth hockey.
2007-born Little Caesars has been on an absolute tear. Heading into the month of December, they were in the midst of a 35-game unbeaten streak. They carried that hot stretch into last month, where they rattled off 11 straight victories. During that time, they bested two Top-10 teams. No. 10 U.S.-ranked Compuware fell 9-3 and No. 7 Canadian-ranked Southern Tier Admirals, defeated by a final score of 4-1.
Riding that momentum, they then were tasked with a semifinal showdown at the Marlies Classic against the No. 1-ranked ‘07 team in the world, Toronto Marlboros. While Caesars may have come up short in the contest, they didn’t go down without a fight, being eliminated 4-3 in overtime. That was only Caesars’ third loss of the season, bringing their overall record to an impressive 45-3-2.
It was generally a slow month across all birth years for Finnish youth hockey, but top-ranked 2007-born Kiekko-Espoo laced up its skates for five matchups. Winners of all five, the highlight of their schedule was a tilt against No. 4 HIFK on Dec. 10.
In a back-and-forth-affair, K-Espoo placed its faith in Aapo Vannine and Tomas Racz, who both tallied a goal and assist each. Across the club’s five victories of the month, they outscored opponents 35-9.
Kiekko now sits at 25-3-1 overall for the season.
While the victory against Little Caesars was one of the highlights of their December, the Marlboros experienced much more success than that. After kicking off the month with back-to-back losses against No. 10 Mississauga Senators and Vaughan Kings, they got back on track rattling off 12 wins.
Their biggest victories occurred in the Marlies Holiday Classic, where after edging Caesars, the No. 11 world-ranked Halton Hurricanes stood in the Marlies’ way. Staying true to their reputation of an offensive powerhouse, they rolled past Halton 4-1 to nab the gold medal.
Ending the month with a 12-2-0 record and primed with a plus-145 goal differential. The Marlboros will look to continue their extensive win streak into the New Year.
No. 12 IFK Täby HC further proved in December that their spot in the world rankings is no fluke.
And that when it comes to ‘07 Swedish teams, they stand out above the rest.
In six games the club had in group play, five were against programs in the Top 10 of Sweden. First, they topped No. 8 SDE Hockey with a 7-4 win. Then Täby topped Solna SK, 4-0.
‘The season of giving’ continued as Täby handed out , a 7-3 decision to No. 9 Flemingsbergs IK. Then, followed it up with a 4-1 showing against No. 2 Djurgårdens IF. Putting a stamp on the 6-0-0 stretch were victories over No. 5 Södertälje and No. 3 Nacka HK.
Viggo Björck and Isac Nilsson stand as the current team leaders in point scoring. Björck tallied six goals and 15 points. Nilsson just behind compiled six goals and 10 points across the team’s six games.
No. 4 Spartak Moscow did not have the busiest December, but they made sure to get results in the five games they played. Garnering a 4-1-0 record, three of their matchups came against teams not only in the Top 10 of Russia, but among the Top 25 in the world rankings.
A close 3-2 win against No. 5 Dynamo Moscow would kick off their slate of games. But their next meeting with No. 2 CSKA Moscow would be a frenetic, high-scoring affair, with Spartak escaping with a 6-5 win.
No. 18 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl would end Spartak’s eight-game winning streak. The next weekend, Spartak knocked off Lokomotiv 2004 Yaroslavl in a 3-1 decision. One final win, 4-2 over No. 7 Krylia Sovetov, would close out the month for Spartak.
Ivan Kosarev led the team in December with six goals and 13 points. Overall leading scorer Silantiy Kozhushko would pot four goals and nine points.
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The 2007-born No. 4 Bishop Kearney Selects laced up the skates against three Canadian opponents last week. After tying the Waterloo Wolves 1-1, their schedule strengthened with dates with No. 5 Halton Hurricanes and No. 8 Peterborough Petes. A 3-1 win against the Petes was secured but the Selects dropped a tough matchup against the Hurricanes, 5-1.
All eyes were on the premier tilt between No. 1 Toronto Marlboros and No. 2 Little Caesars at the Marlies Holiday Classic. More than bragging rights were on the line in this one. It was an opportunity for each club to not only prove their standing within their own country but in the global youth hockey landscape as well.
The Marlboros came into the game winners of 10 straight, while the last loss for Caesars came all the way back on Aug. 28th. An astounding stretch of 46 unbeaten games, which recently included a 4-1 W against No. 23 Southern Tier Admirals. Undaunted however, the Marlboros managed to dig deep and slip out a 4-3 victory, validating their place at the top.
There was movement among the Top 10 for 2008-born Sweden teams, thanks largely to contests from the Folke Lindström Cup. Boo HC, who went undefeated at the tournament to win gold, bumped up to the No. 4 spot. Silver medalists Mälarö Hockey also used a strong showing to slide up to No. 5.
Both sides will try and use the confidence gained from their tournament run to translate into league-play wins. Boo currently has a 2-0-4 record in Sweden’s Group Play, compared to the 5-1-1 record of Mälarö. Stronger results in the win column could mean more upward movement as the second half of the season progresses.
No. 3 Dynamo Moscow attempted to hold onto its grasp of the top spot among 2008-born Russian teams. However, they could not contain the dynamic play of No. 1 CSKA Moscow’s premier point scorers.
This season, Roman Rizvanov has collected 27 goals and 36 points for CSKA. In the game against Dynamo, he factored in on all six goals his squad managed to throw into the back of the net. Following the win, CSKA managed to defeat Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, 5-2, to further bump them to the No. 1 position.
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, 200, 2010 and 2011 birth years.
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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One of the more iconic youth hockey tournaments in Canada, the Marlboros Holiday Classic has a rich history of more than 30 years of champions. On Sunday, the No. 1-ranked ‘07 team in the world, Toronto Marlboros won the very event that they host annually during the holiday season.
A field of 48 teams consisted of seven of the top 10 teams in Canada, and three of the top 10 teams in the United States. Competitors were split into eight divisions of five teams and two divisions of four teams. The top team in each division advanced to the playoffs, with six more at-large bids being awarded.
The Marlies went 4-0-0 in pool play, with wins over the Kingston Jr. Gaels, Windsor Jr. Spitfires, Syracuse Nationals and Hamilton Bulldogs. That earned the host team the top seed in the playoffs. When the field was whittled down to 16 teams, eight of the 10 nationally ranked teams remained.
As the top seed, the Marlboros rolled past the Vaughan Kings 7-2 in the round of 16 teams. That set the stage for a quarterfinal matchup with No. 6-ranked York Simcoe Express. Despite being two of the top teams in the country, this meeting proved to be the first between them this season. The Marlies continued their offensive domination with a 6-1 victory.
The semifinals included the Marlies, No. 7-ranked Mississauga Rebels, No. 8-ranked Halton Hurricanes and the No. 1-ranked team in the U.S., Little Caesars.
Friday morning’s first semifinal matchup pitted the top team in Canada against the top team in the U.S., and the matchup did not disappoint.
“All the boys did their part,” Kieran Witkowski said to OntarioHockeyLeague.com. “We faced a lot of adversity through the week, but we pulled through and got the job done.”
Four goals against a team that hadn’t given up three all week certainly was enough for the Marlies to ‘get the job done.’ Witkowski and company handed Little Caesars just its third loss of the season, 4-3 to advance to the finals.
The No. 8-ranked Halton Hurricanes awaited in the championship. They had defeated American No. 2-ranked Bishop Kearney 5-1 in the quarterfinals before beating No. 7-ranked Mississauga Rebels 8-2 in the semifinals.
Jeremy Martin scored the first goal of the game for Toronto with a quick shot over the goaltender’s left shoulder.
“It felt great to get the team going,” said Martin. “I just kind of picked up the puck in the neutral zone, and at that point in the game, I just went in and shot it hoping for the best, and it went in.”
Witkowski, Lev Katzin and William Moore rounded out the scoring for Toronto en route to a 4-1 championship win.
The Marlies have now won the Whitby Silver Stick and Holiday Classic within a few weeks of each other. As the top ‘07 team in youth hockey, the Marlboros continue to build their resume and cement themselves as the best in the birth year.
The No. 5-ranked Oakville Rangers exerted their dominance on the field of 39 teams. In its eight-game run to a Marlies Holiday Classic championship, Oakville blanked not one, not two, not three but four opponents. The most important shutout coming 4-0 over the Halton Hurricanes in the championship game. As a team, they allowed just six goals against in the tournament, while tallying 38 goals.
Ranked 10th in the world, Oakville showed why it’s been one of the best 2008-born teams in youth hockey. The team enters the New Year on a 28-game win streak and a Marlies Holiday Classic championship to the resume.
Four of the top 10 teams in Canada tangled in the ‘09 Division at the Marlboros Holiday Classic. No. 2 Don Mills Flyers came in as the highest ranked of the bunch, and lived up to the billing in the two biggest games of the tournament.
Chalk would win out in the tournament, as all four ranked teams survived to see the semifinals. There, Don Mills drew a matchup with No. 4-ranked Toronto Titans. A strong defensive effort led to the Flyers’ fourth shutout of the tournament, 2-0 over the Titans.
In the championship, No. 8 Huron-Perth Lakers looked to crack DMF’s stingy defense. The Lakers found the back of the net three times, which was more than the entire field of teams had done in the tournament against Don Mills. However, the Flyers’ offensive ability created problems that Huron-Perth could not match. It would be a 6-3 final in favor of the Flyers in the ‘09 championship.
Only two 2010 teams in the field of 11 came into the Marlboros Holiday Classic ranked by World Hockey Hub. Eventual tournament champion, No. 1-ranked Toronto Jr. Canadiens, and No. 9-ranked in the U.S., Buffalo Jr. Sabres.
The Jr. Canadiens edged past Buffalo 1-0 in the first game of the tournament. Narrowly escaping victory in the only ranked matchup of the tournament gave way to Toronto cruising past its next five opponents en route to the Marlies Holiday Classic championship.
Toronto out-scored its opponents 20-6, with shut-out wins over Buffalo, the Markham Majors and Toronto Marlboros.
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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
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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 2010-born Philadelphia Jr. Flyers (37-4-3) came out of the gates flying into the 2022-23 season with a 22-game unbeaten streak, and haven’t looked back. Eight of those wins came against opponents such as the St. Louis Blues AAA, Dallas Stars Elite and No. 10 Chicago Fury.
Included in that stretch was an undefeated 6-0-0 run at the Eastern Exposure Cup. Their first loss of the season did not come until Nov. 4, a 2-0 shutout at the hands of Little Caesars. In response to the loss to Caesars, the Jr. Flyers went 16-3-2 over their next 21 games. Most recently, they participated in the 2010 division at the Penguins Elite Mid-Winter Classic where they went 4-0-2. Leading the charge at that tournament were Matthew Lynn (6G, 3A) and Bo Christini (2G, 6A).
A proven track record has placed them consistently among the top tier of U.S. teams in the World Rankings. The one program preventing the Jr. Flyers from reaching further heights were the Minuteman Flames (31-3-3).
While both teams have a decent chunk of games played against premier opponents, the Jr. Flyers have six wins against Top-10 teams compared to the Flames’ four. Expanding the field a bit more, against Top 15 teams, the Jr. Flyers have 11 wins to the Flames’ 10.
From an offensive standpoint, these two teams couldn’t be closer to the other, and further apart from their peers. The Jr. Flyers ’goal differential is plus-185, with the Flames slightly behind at plus-161. A sign that if you have an upcoming game against either club, your goalie better be ready. Breaking down these numbers versus top teams shows even more how impressive the Jr. Flyers have been.
Even though the Jr. Flyers and Flames have not played head-to-head, they do have eight opponents in common. All of them are in the Top-25 of their birth year, with three also reserving spots in the Top 10. The Jr. Flyers have fared better against these teams, with a higher win ratio (6-1-1 to 9-3-1) and goal-differential (plus-1.8 to 1.2).
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What exactly is a family advisor?
“Highly debated.”
That was Chad McDonald’s answer when he was asked to describe his role as a family advisor.
He’s right, of course. Helping a youth hockey player and their family navigate the complexities of the sport is no easy task. For less than one percent of players, it’s a straightforward path right to where they always wanted to be. For everybody else, decisions have to be made along the way. Sometimes, a player may benefit from having an expert in their corner promoting and lobbying for them.
“What’s right for one player is not right for all,” said McDonald. “One of the first things I ask parents is, ‘what are you looking for in an advisor?’ A lot of parents, I hate to say it, but they think their kid is so good that they don’t need somebody to help mentor them. That they don’t need somebody to have for education or anything like that. They believe, deep down, that they just need somebody to push their kid on and get them a spot. That’s not necessarily incorrect, but it’s not necessarily correct, either. It’s debatable and not a one-size-fits-all.”
McDonald founded the True Advising Group; an affiliate of the Puck Agency. His team has consulted with dozens of youth hockey players that have gone on to play high-level junior and college hockey.
Where the definition of an advisor matters most — the NCAA rulebook — it’s still somewhat vague. In North America, there are two main paths a hockey player can take; major junior in Canada or college hockey in the United States. With the latter, understanding what is acceptable and what is not for an agent and/or an advisor is crucial.
McDonald points to two bylaws in the NCAA rulebook that are specific to hockey, and specific to the topic at hand. Rule 12.3.1.1 is an exception for hockey and baseball. They are the two major sports that feature drafts involving student-athletes graduating from high school. They both allow for an agent to represent a player in the draft process. Rule 12.3.3.1, meanwhile, allows for a “scouting service or agent” to send information to NCAA programs to lobby for a particular player, so long as the payment between the player and agent/advisor/service has nothing to do with whether the player receives a spot at said NCAA program.
12.3.1.1 Exception — Baseball and Men’s Ice Hockey — Prior to Full-Time Collegiate Enrollment. [A] In baseball and men’s ice hockey, prior to full-time collegiate enrollment, an individual who is drafted by a professional baseball or men’s ice hockey team may be represented by an agent or attorney during contract negotiations. The individual may not receive benefits (other than representation) from the agent or attorney and must pay the going rate for the representation. If the individual does not sign a contract with the professional team, the agreement for representation with the agent or attorney must be terminated prior to full-time collegiate enrollment. (Adopted: 1/15/16, Revised: 1/19/18)
12.3.3.1 Talent Evaluation Services and Agents. [A] A prospective student-athlete may allow a scouting service or agent to distribute personal information (e.g., high school academic and athletics records, physical statistics) to member institutions without jeopardizing athletics eligibility, provided the fee paid to such an agent is not based on placing the prospective student-athlete in a collegiate institution as a recipient of institutional financial aid.
There are two other rules most important for the hockey community. First is 12.3.1.3, which states, “an individual shall be ineligible… if the individual enters into an oral or written agreement with an agent for representation in future professional sports negotiations that are to take place after the individual has completed eligibility in that sport.” The second is 12.1.3.1.4 which says that agents/advisors cannot give gifts or benefits to players. That means those advisors/agents who offer help with equipment deals to lure you in as a client are toeing a fine line, no matter how tempting it is when you see that $350 price tag on a new stick.
Those are the rules a player should follow if they wish to maintain their college hockey eligibility. From there, well, that’s where it’s up to the player and family on what they need from an advisor. Additionally, it’s what an advisor can offer in terms of helping the player both on and off the ice. For some, it can be consistent phone calls to discuss various topics relating to the player’s development and well-being. For others, it can be leveraging connections to help a player advance to higher levels of play.
For McDonald, his experience as a college and professional athlete provides valuable knowledge of the hockey landscape. Also, his law degree from Michigan State provides the education necessary to guide the next generation of youth hockey players.
“I feel like the one thing I offer up as compared to others is just my experience and understanding the landscape,” he said. “To put it lightly, a lot of the guys I’m competing with for players are either guys who coached when I was playing or guys who were advisors when I was playing, who have either helped a friend or somebody I know. I feel like I have a pretty good knowledge base of what the advisor role is and when you pair that with my education and my experience playing at a somewhat elite level, that’s where I would say I offer up things that others don’t.”
McDonald said most players who could benefit from having a family advisor will be approached. There’s no need for a Google search.
“I am of the opinion that I approach the family,” said McDonald. “If I’m interested in the kid, I’m going to find the family. I always tell kids that if you want to play, you have to make it so obvious that if an 8-year-old’s parents with no knowledge of hockey were watching the same game a USHL scout or college coach was watching, they and the scout/coach should both be able to say ‘wow, he is really good!’ That’s how obvious it should be, and if it is, then I’ll approach you.”
Another highly debated topic in the industry. Players and families continue to get approached at younger and younger ages every year.
“Prior to the USHL Draft at the 15s year — which only 150 kids either get drafted or tendered in — what can you do for a kid?,” McDonald said. “I really struggle in this business when I hear of kids who are 12 years old but have advisors, because truly, at that age, what are you advising them on?
“I’m not a parent, but I can’t imagine that my parents would have wanted somebody in my ear at that age. But, part of the issue with hockey is the journey is incredibly confusing and not like other sports. So, a lot of families who get approached with their kids at these young ages almost feel it is necessary to have an advisor because of how crazy the hockey world is. Not to mention, you also have those families who see it as a ‘status’ thing, as well.”
So, what if time comes and goes and you do not have an advisor? McDonald believes that an advisor will identifies those top players at the younger ages. Then, at 16, 17, 18 years old, it may make sense at that time to reach out to an advisor.
Born in 1993, McDonald played forward while growing up in Michigan. He estimates that during his playing days, about five percent of players had family advisors and 95 percent didn’t.
“It’s completely flip-flopped now,” he said. “I would argue that there’s 95 percent of people who have [an advisor] and five percent who don’t. My feeling on that is that it’s hard because it’s a business for some, but I think the rule of thumb for families going through the process is that you have to ask yourself, what do you want in an advisor? Are you wanting somebody who is going to help ultimately try to place you in junior hockey and make your dreams of Division 1 college hockey come true? Or are you looking for somebody for the, ‘hey I got this email, what should I do?’ Because if you’re looking for somebody to place you, you need to find somebody who likes your game and believes you have talent.
“I couldn’t imagine helping a kid who I looked at and thought, this kid has no hope in playing college hockey but I’m going to take him on as a client anyway because that’s how I do business. I think that’s completely wrong. For me, if your kid is aspiring to play college hockey, you need to wait until there’s somebody who approaches you and says, your son is good, I really like his game, I think he could do this. Even then I would be suspect, and I would ask questions.”
Families must find an advisor who is in it for the right reasons. However, avoiding the ones looking for a paycheck off an unsuspecting family is no easy task.
“The one thing I would like to clear up is that not all advisors are the same,” he said. “I think there are advisors out there who truthfully do this because they love the game and they want to be involved. And, I truthfully think there are advisors out there who do it because they don’t have any means to make money anywhere else or they just choose not to and this is how they want to make their living. Not saying either is right or wrong, but you have to sort through that. That’s on the parent. Do your homework. You don’t just pick up the phone and take the first offer when somebody calls you for something unrelated to hockey. So why do that if an advisor calls? Do your due diligence.”
Remember, scouts are watching and evaluating parents throughout the process too. McDonald breaks it down into typically four different relationships. First, with the player. Then, with the program the player lands at. And also, both parents involved in the process.
“Parents can ruin things, one hundred percent,” said McDonald. “When you’re helping young hockey players, there are multiple parties [involved]… One of my biggest struggles is when I meet a family and get the vibe that the parents want it more than their kids. So, yes, parents, you can ruin it for your kid. You can. Don’t ruin it for your kid. Let them live their dream, and you support them. This can’t be your dream.”
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