Running for more than a decade now, the Shanahan International Tournament has brought top teams from Canada and the U.S. together for November hockey action.
The 2022 edition of ‘The Shanahan’ didn’t disappoint, either, as a few U.S. programs were able to make the trek across the border. Here’s a look at how each of the divisions played out:
The 2008 York Simcoe Express wrapped up a tournament title with a victory over the North Central Predators in the U15 championship game. It was the final push to bump the Express into the Top 10 in Canada, as they move all the way up to No. 6 in our latest Canadian rankings.
York Simcoe started with a pair of 3-1 games. First, it was a win over the Toronto Titans and then a 3-1 loss to the Kingston Jr. Gaels. That lone loss of the tournament led to an offensive explosion in the next game. The Express found the back of the net eight different times in a 8-2 beatdown of the Ottawa Valley Titans.
They wrapped up preliminary-round play with a 2-1 win over the London Jr. Knights. In the semifinals, they played Ottawa Valley once again, and the Titans shrunk the final score from 8-2 down to 4-2.
In the championship, it was a nail-biter, but York Simcoe prevailed 1-0 over the North Central Predators. Finn Kearns scored the lone goal between the two clubs for the tournament-clinching tally.
Brayden Boyle and Jackson Halloran led the Express in scoring for the tournament. Both recorded six points for a point-per-game average at the Shanahan.
Riley Barkey and Colin Ellsworth split time between the pipes; Barkey finished with a 3-0-0 record and a 1.67 goals-against avearge.
Ryder Cali of the North Central Predators led the U15s in scoring with eight points in six games. Kingston’s Maxim Dube and J.C. Lemeiux both had seven points in five games, as did Ottawa Valley’s Jordan Perrier.
The Upper Canada Cyclones prevailed in the championship game of the U14 division, claiming a Shanahan International Tournament title with a 5-2 win over the Mississauga Reps.
Their tournament run started nearly the same way it ended, as they beat the Reps 5-1 in their first game on Friday. After that, the Cyclones topped the Hamilton Huskies 7-3 before dropping their lone game of the tournament Saturday. They fell to the No. 5 ranked team in the world, Toronto Jr. Canadiens 4-0.
Upper Canada rebounded with a 5-3 win over the Niagara North Stars Saturday evening to wrap up preliminary-round play. In the quarterfinals, they snuck past the Mississauga Rebels with a 3-2 win in overtime, before topping the Windsor Zone 5-4 in the semifinals.
The Reps had pulled off the upset of the tournament when they beat the Jr. Canadiens in a shootout in the semifinals, but they ran out of steam and fell to the Cyclones in the final.
Brody Robertson led the Cyclones in scoring with 10 points in seven games, while Carter Cuglietta had nine.
Connor Haffner finished with a 3-1 record and a 3.25 goals-against average between the pipes; crease partner Beckett Campbell was 3-0-0 with a 2.00 GAA.
The Reps’ Cannon Thibodeau led the tournament in scoring with 13 points in seven games, while a pair of Jr. Canadiens — Noah Laus and Kingston Harris — had nine points in five games.
In the 2010 birth year, the Toronto Jr. Canadiens emerged at the top of a crowded Shanahan Invitational field.
There are three teams in the Canadian Top-10 Rankings who competed in the U13 division: the No. 1 Jr. Canadiens, No. 4 Don Mills Flyers and No. 9 Barrie Colts. Three other teams have been ranked previously or are knocking on the door in the Soo Greyhounds, Markham Majors and London Jr. Knights.
Ranked No. 1 in Canada and for good reason, the Jr. Canadiens’ lone blemish on the weekend was a Friday 4-4 tie with the Greyhounds. Other than that, it was all additions to the win column for the Toronto squad. They topped Ottawa Valley 5-2, the Ajax-Pickering Raiders 5-0 and Barrie 5-0 to round out the preliminary rounds.
In the semifinals, they blanked the Don Mills Flyers 3-0, and in the finals, it was nearly the same, as the Jr. Canadiens beat the Markham Majors 4-1.
Little Caesars crossed the border and claimed the Shanahan Invitational title at the U12 division. The 2011-born Michigan squad thrived against Canadian competition.
They were perfect through the preliminary round, beating Lambton Jr. Sting 4-0, Brantford 99ers 5-1, Niagara North Stars 6-1 and North York Rangers 5-2.
Things were tighter in the elimination rounds. Caesars prevailed 4-3 over the Mississauga Reps in the quarterfinals. Then in the semifinals, they needed overtime to top the Rochester Coalition 5-4. In the title game, however, it was all LC, as they beat the Upper Canada Cyclones 4-1 to finish off a perfect tournament outing in Canada.
The 2012 birth year featured some top-notch competition, as well. The impressive finals matchup between the Toronto Jr. Canadiens and Toronto Marlboros went to the Jr. Canadiens in a 5-2 final.
The 2013 group featured a Little Caesars team capturing the title, as well. The 9U Michigan squad topped the Soo Jr. Greyhounds 3-1 in the final.
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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.
The 2007-birth year is set for some fireworks when the No. 1 Chicago Mission (23-6-2) head to Minnesota for a matchup with No. 2 Shattuck-St. Mary’s (15-4-3) on Nov. 11. Heading into these tilts, Shattuck is in the midst of an eight-game unbeaten streak.
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| Friday, November 11 @ 6:00 p.m. CT Shattuck-St. Mary’s Ice Arena |
With this being the first game in a three-game series, bragging rights won’t be the only thing on the line. These matchups could have serious implications when it comes to the top 10 rankings for the U.S.
Chicago bested SSM 2-1 back on Sept. 16 at the Minnesota Blades showcase. Despite that low score, Shattuck should be prepared for the explosive offense Chicago possesses with a current plus-80 goal differential.
Shattuck consists of nine players with 10 or more points, led by Gavin Katz’s 16 goals and 13 assists. Their main advantage, however, lies in net with Marlborough, Mass. native Garrett Glaser. The last line of defense will be crucial in attempting to skate away with a win.
If Glaser’s 8-2-1 record and 1.57 goals-against-average are any indication, it will take all of Mission’s firepower to remain on top.
Pete’s Pick: Shattuck has the ability to skate with Chicago and put up a fight, so I see them taking at least one game out of the three. But Chicago’s offense will be too much over three games, so the Mission take the series 2-1.
Craig’s Pick: It always seems to be a low-scoring affair when these two teams get together. Shattuck gets Mission at home, but the Sabres are just 3-3-1 in games with five goals or fewer scored this season. Five goals or less? Mission wins. Six goals or more? Shattuck wins. Mission takes the three-game series 2-1.
No. 1 CSKA Moscow (14-1-0) and No. 3 Dynamo Moscow (8-2-0) will both bring extensive streaks into their meeting this weekend.
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| Sunday, November 13 |
Winners of six straight, CSKA lit the lamp seven times in their last win against HC Balashikha.
Dynamo’s defense stood tall in a 5-0 shutout of Khimik last weekend, increasing their streak of victories to four.
Back on Sept. 11, CSKA edged Dynamo 3-2 in a thriller of a game. After Eduard Mishkov opened the scoring for Dynamo, Maxim Zaitsev tied things up just about a minute-and-a-half later with a top-shelf snipe. Kurban Limatov would add a tally for a 2-1 Dynamo lead but Ivan Okunev’s two goals towards the end of the game would propel CSKA to the victory.
This will be a skill vs. skill matchup, with both squads made up of players who pile up the points. Statistically, CSKA’s numbers jump off the page a bit more. Taking up the top of the stat sheet are the likes of Arseny Vorobyov (14 goals, 16 assists), Nikita Frolov (6 goals, 18 assists) and Ratmir Aubakirov (11 goals, 10 assists).
For Dynamo, they are supplied with the one-two punch of Ivan Ryabkin (7 goals, 14 assists) and Bogdan Kiselev’s seven goals and nine assists.
Pete’s Pick: Both rosters are composed of a decent amount of skill, but CSKA has a bit more polish to their game at both ends of the rink. As a result, I see them taking this one 4-2.
Craig’s Pick: CSKA’s top scorers were severely limited when these two teams first met eight weeks ago, and they still found a way to win with Ivan Okunev tallying two goals. I expect forwards like Arseny Vorobyov, Ratmir Aubakirov, Nikita Frolov and even Alexey Dontsov to get loose in the rematch and run away with this one a bit.
No. 8 RINK Hockey Academy Winnipeg (9-2-0), current owners of a four-game win streak, will face off against RINK Hockey Academy Kelowna (9-6-0) on Saturday.
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| Saturday, November 12 @ 5:00 p.m. ST Barkman Arena |
This matchup provides a solid opportunity for Winnipeg to not only build their resume in the World Rankings, but also solidify their position at the top of their group in the CSSHL. Sitting first with 37 points, they currently are 15 points ahead of second place Okanagan Hockey Adademy.
Winnipeg knows it has the ability to come out on top, as they won a 4-1 game against Kelowna back on Oct. 16. They too, will look to this game as a measuring stick opportunity. With their astounding offensive flair, a complete 60 minute defensive effort will be key for Kelowna to have any chance of a win.
The schedules of both programs continue to be full of CSSHL matchups, so it will be vital to bank as many points as possible in these games for playoff implications later on in the season.
Pete’s Pick: Winnipeg dispatched Kelowna with ease last time out, and I think it will be another victory for them in this one. They have absolutely dominated league play and have been in a decent groove the last few outings. Kelowna may put up a fight, but Winnipeg’s ability to fill the net will be too much for them to overcome.
Craig’s Pick: Winnipeg dominated play much more than the 4-1 score would indicate from last month. The boys from Manitoba put 51 — yes, fifty-one — shots on goal the last time these two teams met. RINK Winnipeg has outshot its opponent in every game this season as well. I think they do it again against their RINK family rivals, winning even more decisively than the first meeting.
If these names look familiar to you, that is because we featured the first matchup of these 2011-born teams in our games of the week preview back on Oct. 24.
This week, the No. 7 Patriotes Laval (6-1-3) will square off against National Montréal (8-0-0) for a chance at redemption.
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| Sunday, November 13 |
In their last outing against one another, Laval opened the scoring thanks to a Tyler Stephen goal. Shortly after, Montréal would knot things up at 1 with Jonah Puma finishing off a pretty passing play. Taiyo Turcotte’s first goal of the season at the end of the first period gave Montreal a 2-1 lead. With Laval scoring the only goal of the second period, things were all even 3-3 heading into the final frame. Turcotte sniped his second goal of the game for a 3-2 lead before Thomas Thibault would pad it minutes later for the eventual 4-2 final.
The last win by Montréal was a testament to the strength of their club, led by the scoring prowess of Leo Fernandez Pisanu’s 13 points (4 goals, 9 assists) across nine games. Laval’s offense is largely supplied by Shawn-Anthony Senat (7 goals, 4 assists) and Keironn Davis Diakite (4 goals, 7 assists).
A victory for Laval would not only strengthen their ranking nationally among the top teams in Canada, but also would inch them closer to vying for the top spot in their LHEQ group, currently occupied by Montréal.
Pete’s Pick: While I almost went with my gut in saying Laval might get their revenge, logic tells me that Montreal will come out with some extra fire in their bellies to continue their win streak. They will use a victory here to state their case that they are one of the top teams in all of Canada and could very well find themselves in the top-10 come next rankings.
Craig’s Pick: If Shawn-Anthony Senat gets on the scoresheet by way of goals or assists, Laval wins. He’s the team’s leading scorer and main supplier of offense. I like the Patriotes to win the second matchup in the season series, but only if Senat gets going offensively.
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The party starts Thursday, while the games officially start on Friday. This weekend, Chicago will be the busiest city on the planet when it comes to youth hockey. Roughly 528 teams will be in the Windy City for the annual CCM World Invite.
A total of 10,032 players will be playing in a combined 1,210 games from Nov. 4-6, as the tournament continues to claim the honor of the largest youth hockey event in the world.
Because of those grandiose attendance numbers, most age groups are split into as many as three sub-divisions — Supertacks, Jetspeed and Ribcor. This provides a competitive balance for all teams involved. Because of this, our focus is narrowed to the Supertacks Divisions that include elite and top-level AAA teams.
We’re starting with the 2009 birth-year because it reads like a USA Hockey Nationals lineup, not a November tournament.
Six of the top 10 teams in the country are slated to compete in the World Invite. The No. 1-ranked Chicago Reapers will look to defend home ice, while being challenged by No. 2 St. Louis AAA Blues, No. 4 Windy City Storm, No. 6 Little Caesars, No. 7 New Jersey Rockets and No. 10 Chicago Mission.
An added bonus? The Huron-Perth Lakers, ranked No. 9 in Canada, crossing the border to join the crowded field.
Big games appear on the calendar rather quickly, as Little Caesars and New Jersey Rockets square off at 2:55 p.m. on Friday. Elimination rounds should be where the most drama happens, as these top teams will likely clash in playoffs.
Continuing down in age groups, the 2010 birth year has so many participating clubs that they made Supertacks Crosby and Supertacks Ovechkin Divisions. The 2010 Supertacks Crosby has the highest-ranked teams competing, and there are three from the American Top 10. The No. 3 Chicago Mission, No. 4 Anaheim Jr. Ducks and No. 10 Chicago Fury will clash in the top 2010 division.
American teams like Florida Alliance, South Shore Kings and Top Gun Elite will travel from across the country to challenge the top group. Additionally, the Sun County Panthers join the mix from Canada. The trio of top-rated teams will have plenty of hurdles to clear if they want to win a World Invite title.
In the 2011 Supertacks Division, the hometown Windy City Storm is the only ranked competitor — they check in at No. 5. The K&B Slovakia Stars surely don’t want to waste a trip all the way across the globe though. There are plenty of storied programs showing up in Chicago, as well. The 16-team field contains the Los Angeles Jr Kings, Sun County Panthers, Chicago Mission, St. Louis AAA Blues, Belle Tire, Oakville Rangers, among others.
Going back up the age groups, the 16U Supertacks field is wide open. None of the teams are ranked, but that doesn’t mean it’s a group to sleep on. Minnesota and Michigan both show up with all-star teams of high school hockey players in Minnesota SDP and Michigan Hockey Advancement, while the Wenatchee Wild and Elgin-Middlesex Canucks represent the Canadian contingent. There’s also three California teams in the Los Angeles Jr. Kings, Golden State Elite and Anaheim Jr. Ice Dogs.
The 15O age group — split into Crosby and Ovechkin divisions — has some ranked teams, on the other hand. In the Crosby Division, No. 1 ranked Chicago Mission looks to win a tournament without leaving home, while No. 3 Mount St. Charles arrives in the Windy City looking to make some noise. Those two will be challenged by No. 5 Little Caesars, and a bevy of other squads looking for some hardware. Watch out for Minnesota SDP, Minnesota Blue Ox and Team Wisconsin, among others.
And to round things out, the 2008 age group is led by No. 2 Chicago Mission. They are the only ranked team out of the 16 participants, but nonetheless, they will have challenges. The Burlington Eagles, Lambton Jr. Sting, and Markham Waxers all come in from Canada, while in-state rivals Chicago Fury and Team Illinois will try to make things rough, too.
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More than 100 teams showed up in Boston, Massachusetts, USA this past weekend for the Eastern Exposure Cup. The top teams in each birth year played in the Blue Division, and that’s where our attention is focused. Many divisions featured some interesting crossover battles between top American and Canadian teams.
The 2008 Blue Division went to the Los Angeles Jr. Kings, a squad that was named world champions earlier this calendar year. One team slated to compete in the Eastern Exposure had a higher ranking than the Kings, but they ended up sorting that one out on the ice.
The Jr. Kings squared off with the No. 3-ranked Windy City Storm in the ’08 Blue Division final. The boys from Hollywood pulled off a 2-0 victory to finish the tournament with a perfect 5-0-0 mark.
Los Angeles also beat Ottawa Myers Automotive 6-0 and the CT Wolfpack 2-1 in preliminary-round play before topping the Ottawa 67’s 3-2 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, they played the Boston Jr. Eagles to a 1-0 final score, before the big showdown with Windy City in the final.
There, Keegan Davis and Tyus Sparks scored first-period goals, and a late tally from the Storm wasn’t enough as the Kings prevailed 2-1.
Sparks led the team in scoring with eight points in five games. Logan Stuart had seven, and Noah Davidson had five.
Sascha Pitaev and Oliver Kanat split time between the pipes. Kanat played in three games to a 1.00 goals-against average and one shutout. Pitaev, meanwhile, played in two games and finished with a 0.50 goals-against and one shutout, as well.
Sparks led the tournament in scoring, as well. A pair of Windy City Storm forwards — Nathan Hauad and Jack Hextall — both had seven to match Stuart.
The Sun County Panthers — ranked No. 3 in Canada — scratched and clawed their way through the 2009 Division, emerging victorious with a 4-2-0 record.
After starting things off with a 4-3 win over Florida Alliance, the Panthers dropped a 3-2 decision to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Jr. Knights in their second game of Friday’s action.
Saturday started with another tough outing for Sun County, as the Mid-Fairfield Jr. Rangers beat them 6-3.
In the elimination rounds, however, Sun County sorted things out. First, they topped RSG Academy 3-2 in the quarterfinals. Then, in the semifinals, they were able to get some revenge, topping Mid-Fairfield 3-2 to advance to the finals.
A date with the United States’ No. 9 ranked Boston Jr. Eagles served as the 2009 Blue Division finale. There, the top-ranked Canadian team in the field tangled with a Top-10 U.S. team. Sun County played its most complete game of the weekend, blanking the hometown squad 3-0.
Sun County found success in Beantown with a balanced attack on offense. Standout forward Jaakko Wycisk recorded nine points in the team’s six games. He was the only player on the Panthers’ roster to register more than a point per game. Alexander Lisi recorded five goals and five total points, while Eamon Edgar had three points in the six games. Jordan Maine led the scoring from the blue line, leading the Panthers’ defensemen in scoring with three total points.
Daniel Cinelli took care of the majority of the crease duties; he registered a 1.75 goals-against average and one shutout over his four games.
Trevor Daley, Jr. led the ’09 Blue Division in scoring with 10 points in only five games, while the aforementioned Wycisk was second in the scoring race. Brady Scali of RSG Academy had eight points in only five games.
Five players had seven points — Don Mills Flyers forward Caiden Clair, Florida’s Harrison Hecker, Jr. Eagles’ Carter Meyer, Mid-Fairfield’s Braydon Sisco and Florida’s Reese Tracy.
Aside from Sun County’s Cinelli, Boston’s Daryn Szabo led the goaltenders with a 1.56 goals-against average and one shutout in six games played.
Szabo, and the Jr. Eagles, deserve an extra tip of the cap for running through a gauntlet of ranked teams on their way to the finals. Their tournament experience included three games against World Top-25 teams. It started with a 3-2 win over the No. 18 Toronto Marlboros. Then, the Jr. Eagles dropped their second game 3-1, against the No. 4 ranked Don Mills Flyers. On Saturday, Boston rebounded with a 4-0 win over No. 25 Windy City Storm and a 5-3 win over unranked Ottawa Myers Automotive in the quarters.
In the semifinal, they got revenge on Don Mills, taking down the top Canadian ’09 team by a final score of 4-1.
In the 2010 Blue Division, the Philadelphia Jr. Flyers took care of business. Entering as the only team in the field ranked, the Jr. Flyers had a tall task at hand of proving their standing. They did just that with a perfect 6-0-0 record against all challengers on the weekend.
On Friday, they posted a pair of 5-0 blankings against Kuper Academy and the Long Island Gulls. Saturday, the shutout streak continued, as they beat the New Jersey Rockets 4-0. In the first playoff game, they gave up a goal — four, in fact — but scored seven of their own to take down the Toronto Nationals.
In the semifinals, Philadelphia had a rematch with the Gulls, and this time it was a 4-0 final. To wrap things up, the Flyers took down the North Jersey Avalanche 7-3.
Bo Christini led the Flyers in scoring with 11 points in six games. Colin MacCormack had nine, and T.J. Petropoulos had eight. Andrew Devyatkin, Henry Albu and Matty Lynn all had six points across the six games.
The Flyers’ goaltending duties were split between Charles Liu and Bryan Schwartz, and they were both dominant. Liu finished with a 1.00 goals-against average and two shutouts in three games, and Schwartz finished with a 1.33 goals-against average and two shutouts in three games, as well.
North Jersey’s Christopher Pinko led the field in scoring with 12 points in six games; teammate William Losauro had 10. Ty McGroarty of the Philadelphia Hockey Club had eight points in five games.
There were four Top-10 U.S. teams in the field of teams at the 2011 Blue Division. The Dallas Stars Elite were the lowest ranked of four heading into the weekend, but that may need to change.
With a 4-2-0 record, the Stars took home the ’11 title, capping it off with a 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Jr. Kings.
The Jr. Kings weren’t ranked at the time, but they did plenty of the heavy lifting. First, they defeated U.S. No. 3 Boston Jr. Terriers in the semifinals. Then, the knocked off U.S. No 2 Mid-Fairfield Jr. Rangers in the semifinals. They also took down the Stars in preliminary-round play.
For the Stars, it was wins over the U.S. No. 7 Middlesex Islanders, No. 8 Philadelphia Hockey Club and Lehigh Valley Phantoms along the way. Easton Scott led the Stars in scoring with 10 points in six games; Ethan Zhang had five and Payne Deloach had four. Brooks Del Signore played in four of the games for the Stars, registering a 3.08 save percentage along the way.
A pair of Mid-Fairfield forwards led the tournament in scoring in Jackson Liao and Peter Lyden. They both scored 15 points in only five games.
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