Each week, World Hockey Hub highlights a few of the most exciting upcoming games in youth hockey. Two of the top 2007-born teams in the U.S. kick off our slate of games to watch this week. Shattuck-St. Mary’s plays host to Little Caesars on Friday in a Top-25 tilt. The next day, Dynamo Moscow and Dynamo Spartak tangle in a Top-10 matchup between 2010s in Russia. The week concludes with a double-header on Sunday. First, a matchup in Sweden between Nacka and Täby. Then, a clash in Canada between Toronto Jr. Canadiens and Don Mills Flyers.
2007-born No. 15 Shattuck-St. Mary’s (24-10-3) will kick off the second half of its 2022-23 season with a three-game set against No. 2 Little Caesars (47-3-2).
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| Friday, January 13 @ 7:00 PM MST Shattuck-St. Mary’s Ice Arena |
Caesars likes to score…a lot. With a plus-189 goal differential, it has been nearly impossible for any team to slow down their offense. As a result, this series will come down to the ability of SSM’s goaltending to keep the puck out of the net.
Grayson Hanggi and Garrett Glaser have pretty much split duties between the pipes this season. Glaser has seen action in 19 games compared to Hanggi’s 18. The stat lines for both are also similar. Hanggi has compiled a 11-5-2 record, with a 2.12 goals-against average and .906 save percentage with two shutouts. Glaser is 13-5-1, with a 2.02 goals-against and 9.19 save percentage, with three shutouts.
Both should see action across the three games, and are preparing to face massive amounts of rubber thrown their way from the Motor City boys.
Before the long holiday layoff, Shattuck took two out of three against the No. 10 U.S.-ranked Pittsburgh Penguins Elite.
Pete’s Pick: To come out of a holiday break against the top team in your birth year is a daunting task for anyone. And Caesars just hasn’t lost that often. Just their third loss all season came against the Toronto Marlboros at the Marlies Holiday Classic. It might take a game or two for Shattuck to shake off the rust as well. Pulling off a sweep is tough no matter how talented a team is, so I will give SSM the chance to take one game, but Little Caesars takes the series, 2-1.
Craig’s Pick: Shattuck has only lost three games at home all season. Lots of teams at every age group have traveled to Faribault, Minnesota, to take on the Sabres, just to fall in defeat. It’s a tough barn to win in. However, I actually think Caesars does it not once, not twice, but three times this weekend. LC may be the pound-for-pound best youth hockey team in America. There’s multiple high-level prospects on this team, and I don’t know that anyone in the country can compete with them right now. Series sweep for Caesars.
No. 8 Nacka HK (19-4-4) and its leading scorer Oliver Sundberg will face fellow ‘08 Swedish foe No. 12 IFK Täby HC (21-6-1) on Sunday.
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| Sunday, January 15 Tibble Ishall |
Sundberg has put up six goals and seven points thus far into group play. Trying to counteract that production will be Max Johanssén of Täby, who currently sits at five goals and eight points.
Those two will try to fill the back of the net, but will have to contend with two of the best goalies in order to do so.
Statistically, Täby’s David Eriksson and Nacka’s Gustav Stengård are the second and third best goalies of their birth year in Sweden, respectively. The numbers for each jump right off the stat sheet. Eriksson has gone 2-1-0, with a 1.67 goals-against and.924 save percentage. Stengård has manned the crease for five games, going 3-1-1 with a 1.42 goals-against and .916 save percentage.
It will be the first time these two teams will meet since Täby bested Nacka, 2-1 in the semifinals at the Folke Filbyter Cup back in October. In that game, Stengard started for Nacka, making 38 saves on 40 shots. Caspar Lampe was the goaltender for Täby.
Pete’s Pick: Given the talent in net for this one, I expect a hard-fought, low scoring game. With each goalie knowing who is on the other end of the ice, the ability to make the necessary saves will be paramount. Stengard and Nacka get the best of Täby in the revenge game, 3-1.
Craig’s Pick: These two clubs are very evenly matched. They follow one another in our World Rankings, and they’ve played each other to one-goal games this season. Viggo Björck scored a pair of goals in their October matchup to give Täby the 2-1 win. I think the outcome again rests on his shoulders. Björck gets on the scoresheet, Täby wins (again). Nacka holds him at bay, and they win. Björck and Täby to win again, this time by a 4-2 finish.
For the fourth time this season, No. 1 Toronto Jr. Canadiens (32-8-1) will lace up the skates against No. 3 Don Mills Flyers (38-4-4) eager to tie the season series up.
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| Sunday, January 15 @ 1:55 PM EST Scotiabank Pond 1 |
The Flyers have gotten the better of the Jr. Canadiens in the first two matchups of the season, by scores of 5-2 and 4-1. In their most recent battle on Dec. 13, Toronto shut out the Flyers, 3-0. Each club has put up at least 150 goals to date, and has not allowed more than 50. With tight defensive units and potent offenses, one of them is bound to cancel the other out.
With the Flyers entering the contest unbeaten in their last nine and the Jr. Canadiens winners of four straight, fans can expect the very best from each team as they hope to continue their success into the start of the New Year.
Pete’s Pick: While the Flyers have been playing stronger competition as of late and getting wins, I think the Jr. Canadiens come out with a little extra fire wanting to tie up the season series. They take a high-scoring 4-3 final.
Craig’s Pick: I wouldn’t wanna face either of these teams at the moment. They’re No. 1 and No. 2 in Canada for good reason. The Jr. Canadiens have suffocated just about every opposing offense they’ve faced… Except one. Don Mills is one of two teams this season to score four or more goals on the Jr. Canadiens, and they’ve done it twice. The Flyers might not tally four goals, but I do think they win. I’m feeling a 3-2 finish here.
No. 10 Dynamo Moscow (15-9-0) hopes to finally end up in the win column in their third game against No. 5 Spartak Moscow (31-7-0) this weekend. Spartak has won the previous two matchups, outscoring Dynamo 11-6.
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| Logos Saturday, January 14 |
Despite not being able to keep the high-octane attack of Spartak in check in their first outing, Dynamo kept things close in a 5-4 loss on Oct. 22. In that game, Spartak’s leading scorer Artem Korolev got the scoring started in what was a back-and-forth contest all game. For any hope of getting their first win of the season against Spartak, Dynamo will have to contain Korolev’s insane production, currently at 38 goals and 74 points.
Arseniy Rychagov (5G, 14A) and Yegor Groza (5G, 9A) will try to combine their efforts to boost Dynamo.
Pete’s Pick: Spartak has simply been one of the more dominant Russian squads of their birth year, and I don’t expect them to drop this result. They handle Dynamo in a 4-1 win.
Craig’s Pick: Eleven goals against in their previous two games. For Dynamo Moscow to win, they’ve got to do something they haven’t done yet. Stop — or even just slow down — Spartak’s offensive attack. I believe Dynamo can trade goals with Spartak; they’ve done it already this season. However, that also proved to be an ineffective approach. I just don’t think Dynamo is strong enough defensively to beat Spartak here. I’m gonna roll with the favorite to win its third game of the season series.
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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.
Youth hockey schedules have been jam packed with teams getting as many games in as they can before halting for holiday breaks. Three clubs in particular took advantage of a heavy slate of games to pick up some big victories. The recent runs earned them spots as new No. 1 teams in their respective countries.
No. 1 Dynamo Moscow (12-4-0) showed up in a big way in a resounding 10-1 win over previous No. 1 in Russia Vityaz Podolsk. Ivan Ryabkin, one of Dynamo’s leading scorers, led the charge with four goals and one assist. With the match being Vityaz’s second loss on the season overall, it just shows how perfect of a game their ’07 opponents must play to best them. Dynamo proved it was more than up to the challenge.
The Toronto Jr. Canadiens (31-7-1) put up a strong defensive effort in a 3-0 shutout of the No. 2 Don Mills Flyers. The win effectively vaulted The Jr. Canadiens into the top spot among 2009-born Canadian teams. Winners of their last four, the Jr. Canadiens will need to continue to pile up wins against premier teams to continue to hold their new position.
2010-born U.S. programs also have a new leader of the Top 10, with the Philadelphia Jr. Flyers (37-4-3). It has been a spot the No. 2 Minuteman Flames have held since rankings for this season began, but it was time the Jr. Flyers got their due. Solid wins amongst fellow Top-10 teams such as the No. 9 Buffalo Jr. Sabres and No. 8 Chicago Reapers gave them the boost they needed to finally leapfrog into the first overall spot.
When the Bishop Kearney Selects (24-13-2) faced off with the Buffalo Jr. Sabres on Dec. 10, the latter was in a firm position in the No. 10 spot among 2006 U.S. teams. The Selects were on the outside looking in, not having been in the Top 10 since Oct. 26th.
However, a two-game series was a huge opportunity for BK to make some noise, and they passed with flying colors. By beating the Jr. Sabres in both games, 4-1 and 3-2, Selects edged their way into the top tier of clubs amongst their birth year.
Some other teams that were able to get into the Top 10 conversation were ‘07 Lokomotiv 2004 Yaroslavl, ‘08 Seacoast Performance Academy, and ‘09 Little Caesars.
2011-born Little Caesars (29-9-3) used a solid stretch of results against both U.S. and Canadian teams. In doing so, they’ve stated their case to be included in the best of the best. But Caesars’ most impressive feat was splitting two games to the No. 1 team of their birth year, the Toronto Jr. Canadiens. Their other victories also included topping the Don Mills Flyers, Toronto Red Wings, and Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Not to mention a tie with the No. 13 Chicago Reapers.
‘11 SKA Strelna’s (18-8-1) recent results propelled them into the No. 9 spot among Russian teams. It was a valiant effort in a 2-1 shootout loss to No. 2 Dynamo St. Petersburg, as well as a dominant 8-0 victory over the SKA Silver Lions. While the result against St. Petersburg didn’t fall Strelna’s way, taking a top team to a shootout is certainly noteworthy.
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.
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 matchups have a recurring trend: revisiting exciting matchups from earlier in the season. The No. 4 Toronto Titans (26-3-4) will face off against the No. 10 Toronto Marlboros (26-7-3) on Friday for the second time.
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| Friday, December 23 @ 8:40 PM ET Etobicoke Ice Sports 3 |
Back on Nov. 7, the two sides skated to a 2-2 draw. Using that result as a springboard, the Titans would go on to win their next seven games before falling 4-1 to No. 10 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite. Following that loss, they are back on a current five-game unbeaten streak.
The Marlboros are riding high on a 12-game winning streak, with six of them coming during a championship run of the U14 division at the 2022 Vaughan Kings Classic.
With each program feeling good about its game, this is one of the more intriguing games to keep an eye on. Both love to pile the pucks in the net, while not giving much in their own defensive ends. Substantial goal differentials will be brought to the table as well; plus-83 for the Titans and plus-74 or the Marlboros.
Pete’s Pick: You can’t get much closer than these two teams, and this was the hardest one to try and figure who comes out on top. Despite probably still feeling good about that gold medal from the Vaughan Classic, the Titans have had a tougher schedule the past few weeks and have come out relatively unscathed. It will be a nailbiter, but they edge out a 3-2 win.
Craig’s Pick: Such a tough matchup. These are two teams that religiously show up every single time. You don’t see the Marlboros getting run out of the rink this season and the Titans’ worst outing is a 4-1 loss to Pittsburgh Penguins Elite. They both just battle and compete hard, and I expect this matchup to be as close as the first. Give me the Titans by the thinnest of margins.
World-ranked No. 17 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (11-6-0) will look to get revenge on No. 7 Krylia Sovetov (13-5-1) for a 6-3 loss they suffered back on Oct. 23. The teams will meet for the second game of their season series on Christmas Day.
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| Sunday, December 25 |
The mood, however, will be anything but merry.
And Lokomotiv will be feeling good about themselves, coming in fresh off a 4-2 win against No. 4 Spartak Moscow.
Vitaly Korolyuk (7G, 12A) and Ivan Kirilin (14G, 4A) lead Krylia Sovetov’s production. Both showed how hard their strong offensive game is able to contain as they each garnered a goal and assist in the 6-3 victory.
In an attempt to counter, Lokomotiv will continue to rely on Vadim Dudorov (5G, 18A) and Andrey Elezov (10G, 8A). The team’s third-leading scorer, Alexey Elblaus (7G, 9A), was held to just one assist by Krylia’s stifling defense.
Pete’s Pick: I think that Krylia has a bit more firepower throughout their lineup as demonstrated in their last win vs. Lokomotiv. I expect them to nab a second win in the season series, in a much closer 5-4 game.
Craig’s Pick: Both goaltenders for Krylia are solid. Ivan Shantsev was in net for the 6-3 win, so he’s already proven he can lead Krylia to victory over Lokomotiv. However, I wouldn’t mind seeing Vladimir Pechenin get the nod either, as he’s coming off a strong performance against No. 1-ranked CSKA Moscow in a 3-2 overtime loss. Either way, I think goaltending is good enough to get Krylia the dub.
No. 4 Dynamo Moscow (12-4-0) hopes that a meeting with No. 5 CSKA Moscow (10-4-2) will solidify their spot in not only the Russian Top 10 but also in the Top 25 World Rankings.
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| Thursday, December 22 |
It has been a split season series thus far, with each team having a 5-2 win in their pocket. After squaring off in their first two tilts in August and September, they have not faced each other since. Thursday’s matchup will be an opportunity to rekindle old feelings in what will surely be an emotional game.
For Dynamo, Mikhail Melikov (2G, 1A) and David Dubinin (1G, 2A) have led the way in the previous contests. In total on the season, Melikov has collected 17 goals and 30 points. Dubinin has tallied seven goals and 15 points. Danil Shishkin, the team’s third leading scorer with four goals and 14 points, has been held relatively quiet.
CSKA’s big three on offense have been showing up on the scoresheet. Roman Risvanov (22G, 6A) and Nikita Esipov (6G, 22A) each have 28 points. Nikita Mikhailov, who has found the back of the net three times in the previous two games vs. Dynamo has tallied seven goals and 12 points this season.
Pete’s Pick: With both sides pretty much even on offense, I think this one comes down to goaltending. German Dobrovolsky backstopped Dynamo in the first game and they went with Kirill Golubev in game 2. CSKA will most likely continue to roll with Petr Andreyanov between the pipes, as he has started both games prior. Going back to Dobrovolsky will give Dynamo a little extra boost in confidence to take a 4-2 win.
Craig’s Pick: The ‘Big 3’ get it done for CSKA. Risvanov and Esipov in particular have been playing great hockey. Both are coming off strong showings at the Federal District Championships last month that featured top players in the country. I like CSKA convincingly, 5-2.
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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 world-ranked No. 21 Dallas Stars Elite (19-6-1) will aim for a big victory when they face off against No. 20 Buffalo Jr. Sabres (21-13-1) on Friday.
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| Friday, December 16 @ 11:15 AM MST Ice Den Scottsdale |
After dropping two games to the No. 22 Bishop Kearney Selects their last time out, the Jr. Sabres know that this matchup will be a crucial one to gain confidence back in themselves. Not only that, with the Stars breathing down their necks among the top teams in the U.S., their current spot in the rankings may not be safe.
The toughest task will be trying to contain Cullen Potter, who has been a revelation for Dallas. The 5-foot-8 native of Melville, New York, more than makes up for a lack of size in his sheer ability to put up the points. Notching 19 goals and 21 assists on the season, Potter’s two-way ability to play both forward and defense has been one of the main reasons for his team’s success.
And we mention Potter’s size because, on paper, both of these clubs are not that different in that regard. The Jr. Sabres averages measure up to 5-foot-10, 162 lbs. Compare that to the 5-foot-10, 150 lbs. averages of the Stars. It leads one to believe that speed more than physicality will be a showcase in this tilt.
Pete’s Pick: These two have yet to play each other this season, and while Buffalo has a slightly better record, I think they are quite even. What it is going to come down to is how well the Jr. Sabres can slow down Potter and the rest of a potent Stars attack. It’s going to be close, but Dallas edges out a 4-3 win.
Craig’s Pick: I actually think the Jr. Sabres are the better team, but I’m going with my heart and not my head with this pick. I’ve seen Potter in action off and on since he was playing 12U spring hockey. He’s the real deal and one of the top forwards in the country amongst ‘06s. A win here for Potter, Jackson Crowder, Landon Hafele and company could have significant implications in the world rankings ahead. Stars Elite win a close one, 3-2.
Back on Nov 26, the No. 25 Mississauga Rebels (16-5-6) fell to the No. 1 Toronto Marlboros (28-9-0), 4-2. A sign that Mississauga has the talent to hang with the top dogs of their 2007-birth year. In the first meeting of the two programs this season on Oct. 24, the Rebels played their opponent close despite in an eventual 2-1 victory.
The two teams will drop the puck again on Saturday.
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| Saturday, December 17 @ 3:25 PM ET Westwood Arenas |
Despite holding onto the top spot in the World Rankings, the Marlboros have had a few bumps in their road recently. They uncharacteristically dropped two straight games to the No. 21 Mississauga Senators and Vaughan Kings on Dec. 1 and 2. Not dwelling on those, they have rebounded with wins over the Toronto Titans and North York Rangers.
The Rebels are feeling good about their game recently, unbeaten in four meetings since the 4-2 loss to Toronto. Despite the Marlboros’ incredible ability for scoring, Mississauga has shown they are not daunted by the task of trying to shut down a formidable offense.
Pete’s Pick: I think the consecutive losses were a blip on the radar for the Marlboros. Mississauga will play them tough and give them all they can handle, but Toronto will slip by with a 4-2 win.
Craig’s Pick: Ugh, this would be so much easier if the Marlboros were playing their best hockey. The slump scares me, and even their last two wins weren’t exactly dominating against unranked opponents. Rebels have beaten them before, and may just capitalize on the struggling Marlies. Mississauga wins 3-1.
With the next stage of group play getting underway for 2008-born Swedish clubs, No. 14 Södertälje SK (11-4-3) and AIK Hockey (12-7-0) both look for better on-ice results.
Tuesday’s contest between the two will be a crucial point in getting things back on track. Södertälje currently sits with a 2-2-0 record compared to that of AIK’s 1-1-0 mark.
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| Tuesday, December 13 @ 7:50 PM CET BST-rinken |
While AIK had the weekend off, Södertälje was busy besting Järna SK, 3-2. The very same Järna squad that defeated AIK 4-3 back on Dec. 7.
Christian Furuvik has been an early bright spot for SSK. He leads the team in points thus far with two goals and one assist. For AIK, their offensive leader has been Filip Nyberg’s one goal and two assists. While it is still very early, it will be worth keeping an eye on these players both in terms of leading their respective squads but also in relation to all players in the group as well.
Pete’s Pick: This will come down to whomever’s secondary scoring shows up best. With both sides led by dynamic offensive players, the supporting casts will come under even more scrutiny. With that being said, Södertälje has had a slightly more difficult schedule and has a win against one of the best teams of their birth year vs. No. 8 Nacka HK. It will be them taking the win here in a tight game.
Craig’s Pick: We got caught sleeping on Södertälje earlier this season. They were unranked and off the radar before shocking the world by winning a championship at the Folke Filbyter. I won’t bet against them again. SSK wins handedly, 4-1.
No. 2-ranked CSKA Moscow (25-7-2) will meet No. 7 Atlant Mytishchi (15-6-0) for the third time this season. The two teams have split the previous two meetings. CSKA was victorious, 2-0, in the first meeting back in September. Atlant won the most recent meeting on Nov. 15, shocking its fellow 2009-born youth hockey teams with a sound 6-2 win
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| Sunday, December 18 |
The loss to Atlant was in the middle of an unusual stretch of four consecutive losses for CSKA. Given their track record of success this season, any loss stands out. But string a few together, and eyebrows begin to raise.
It seems CSKA had squashed any doubt of their reputation as one of the country’s best, with a shutout victory over No. 4 Spartak Moscow. However, they lost the following matchup vs. Dynamo Moscow, 6-5. Atlant knows their opponent is still dangerous,despite possibly having put a seed of doubt in CSKA’s minds. But sometimes that’s all it takes.
Reliance on players like Nazar Privalov and his 17 goals and 34 points will be paramount for CSKA’s success. Closely behind him will be the dynamic duo of Artem Katsuro (14G, 18A) and Artem Mishin (13G, 19A). Atlant will be focused on more heroics from leading scorer Artemy Laskavy, who has tallied 25 goals and 52 points on the year, including two goals in their 6-2 win.
Pete’s Pick: I firmly believe that CSKA’s rough patch is past them, and they are back on track in being able to handle the teams they should beat. CSKA will use what they learned about themselves during that losing streak to fix what was going wrong for them. They win 5-4.
Craig’s Pick: Neither Privalov, Katsuro or Mishin played for CSKA in its previous 6-2 loss to Atlant. I’m not really sure why, but missing your top three leading scorers could certainly explain the unusual outcome. Assuming CSKA is at full strength with all of its top guys on Sunday, I think they will dominate. Give me the Red Army to win big, 6-2.
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People should get used to seeing Compuware amongst the best the U.S. has to offer in youth hockey. With a solid showing since our last rankings release, the 2006 and 2007-born squads for the Plymouth, Michigan program have both entered the chat for the World Rankings.
Ranked No. 16 in the world among ‘06 teams, Compuware (20-7-2) is on a five-game winning streak dating back to Nov. 20. Most notably included in this stretch were two key victories over No. 10 Chicago Mission and No. 19 Windy City Storm.
John Delverne led the way for Compuware, tallying a goal and two assists in regulation. His second assist would be on the game-tying goal by Cameron Springer halfway through the third period. After a scoreless overtime, the stage was set for Luke Osburn, who netted the only goal in the shootout to cement the win.
On a seven-game win streak of their own, the No.10 U.S.-ranked ‘07 Compuware team (20-12-0) outscored the Cleveland Barons, Belle Tire and Fox Motors 13-2. With a focus on offense for both birth years, the ‘06 unit has a plus-65 goal differential compared to the plus-45 differential for the ‘07 squad.
KalPa Keltainen bested KalPa Musta (16-4-2) 8-0 back on Oct. 27. For the top two teams of their group among 2008-born Finnish clubs, most were expecting a more even matchup.
On Nov. 24, the two sides met for a rematch that would see Musta avenging that October defeat with a 6-3 win. They have also used that previous loss as a stepping stone for their current nine-game winning streak. That streak, coupled with the victory over Keltainen, slotted them back into the Top 10 in Finland.
Even more impressive was the defensive effort by Musta to keep the top three scorers of the group — all from Keltainen — from doing major damage on the scoresheet. Holding the top offensive players from nine teams to just four points (1G, 3A) is a solid day’s work.
It will be a dogfight to finish atop the group as the season rolls along, and we are more than curious to see how things shake out when the dust settles.
With a stellar record of 7-1-0 over their last eight games, the ‘09 Huron-Perth Lakers (25-6-1) have made enough noise to place them back into the Top 10 among Canadian teams at No. 9. Overcoming opponents such as the No. 10 Toronto Marlboros, Ottawa Myers Automotive and Oakville Rangers, their lone blemish was a 2-0 loss to No. 1 Don Mills Flyers.
Heading into that eventual loss, the Lakers were unbeaten in their last eight contests. Rebounding quite nicely, they have gotten back in the win column with defeats of the Kitchener Jr. Rangers and Hamilton Huskies.
Shifting focus to Quebec, No. 14 As de Quèbec (19-3-2) is a fresh face not only in the Canadian rankings, but the world rankings as well. With an incredible 15-game winning streak ended on Nov. 27, they will look to get back on track against Blizzard AAA on Dec. 10.
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.
The Russian Federal District Championships concluded over the weekend. The annual tournament features all-star teams from seven of the country’s districts (Central, Far Eastern, Northwestern, Privolzhsky, Ural, Siberia, Southern), its two major cities (Moscow and St. Petersburg) and an honorary member from Belarus. Separate tournaments are held at the U14, U15 and U16 age groups.
The tournament is similar in structure to that of TV-Pucken in Sweden or the Youth Olympic Games in Canada. It has a Little League World Series feel to it as teams represent the various regions of the country. Top youth hockey players from several winter clubs are selected in an all-star team type of way. For instance, players from Dynamo Moscow and CSKA Moscow clash repeatedly throughout the winter season. However, for a 10-day stretch each November, they set their rivalries aside to represent Moscow on the national stage. Similar situations occur in St. Petersburg and throughout the other districts in the tournament field.
In the previous two ‘07 Federal District Championships, Moscow came up just short both times at the hands of St. Petersburg. In 2020, Moscow’s lone loss in the U14 tournament was a 5-3 decision to eventual champion St. Petersburg. Again in 2021, the two clashed on the final day of the U15 tournament, and again St. Petersburg was victorious 7-4.
In the 2007 birth year’s third and final Federal District Championship tournament, Moscow finally broke through. Not only did they knock off St. Petersburg 4-3 in the semifinal, they won big over the Central District to win tournament gold.
After losing on the opening day of the tournament to Siberian District, Moscow went on to win its next six games by an average margin of victory of 4.6 goals. Ivan Ryabkin and Ivan Arkhipov led the way offensively for Moscow. Both have been standout forwards this season for the No. 2-ranked team in the world, Dynamo Moscow. Ryabkin has 22 points in 11 games and Arkhipov has 18 points in 15 games.
At the tournament, they continued that success. Ryabkin recorded at least one point in every game of the tournament. Additionally, Arkhipov posted multi-point games against Belarus, Northwestern and Central.
While it was the first time Moscow won the 2007-born Federal District Championship, the district had won the U16 tournament twice in the past four years. The ‘06s won it last year, and the ‘03s won in 2018.
While heavy hitters like Ryabkin and Arkhipov helped get Moscow to the final four, it was depth players that ultimately exorcized their tournament demons.
Mikhail Melikov put Moscow on the board first with a strong move to the net and a follow-up attempt on his own rebound. After back-to-back goals by St. Petersburg gave them the lead, it was Nikita Esipov who tied it back up at 2-2.
Before the end of the second period, though, St. Petersburg would regain the lead for the second time.
With 11:43 left in regulation, Ryabkin won an offensive-zone face-off cleanly back to Roman Rizvanov. Rizvanov — who had several scoring chances throughout the game — quickly corralled the puck and fired it into the net before goaltender Victor Levchenko could react.The game headed into the late stages tied at 3-3.
Just over a minute later, Esipov carried into the zone, cut into the slot and sent a backhand shot over Levchenko’s shoulder to give Moscow the 4-3 lead. Esipov only had one goal in pool play, yet came up with two huge tallies when Moscow needed it most. They would hold onto that lead down the stretch to ultimately eliminate St. Petersburg and advance to the championship.
A district that includes the country’s capital city of Moscow does not actually pull players from the city limits itself. Moscow — and St. Petersburg, for that matter — fields its own team in the tournament. So, the Central District pulls the majority of its players from surrounding programs like Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (10), Vityaz Podolsk (eight) and Mikhailov Academy (five). All three of those programs are ranked among the top 10 teams in Russia. Players like Victor Fedorov, Matvey Kotkov and Nikita Daryavin showed just why their winter season clubs are ranked so highly.
The Central District went 5-1-0 in group play, with the lone loss coming 3-1 against Moscow in the second game of action. Finishing atop Group B, Central earned a first-round bye and top seed in the elimination rounds, along with the Ural Federal District on the other side of the bracket.
In the quarterfinals, Central put a hurting on the Southern District 10-4, scoring three unanswered goals three different times. The semifinals followed a similar pattern, as Central thumped St. Petersburg 9-2, with seven different players recording a goal.
Chalk eventually won out in the bracket, as the top team in Group A, Ural, moved on to meet the top team in Group B, Central. However, in a matchup of best on best, Central still proved to be dominant with an 8-3 win in the final.
Fedorov finished as the leading scorer for Central with five goals and 12 points. However, SKA-Yunost Yekaterinburg forward Alexey Vlasov led all skaters in the tournament with 14 points while representing the Ural District. Vlasov opened up the tournament with a five-point performance against the Southern District. He quickly added a hat trick in a win over Far-Eastern District the next day. Then, Vlasov closed out the tournament with five points in Ural’s last two games against Belarus and Privolzhsky District.
While he may have trailed Vlasov in points, Fedorov did prove to be the only skater to tally a point in every game. He factored in on 35 percent of the team’s offensive in the tournament.
Ural District’s Nikita Fedotov led all defensemen in points with seven. All of those came in the form of assists, as he distributed the puck well to produce offense. In fact, Fedotov tallied three assists in Ural’s 4-3 win over Privolzhsky District, setting up the game-tying goal and game-winning goal 10 minutes apart.
Moscow’s Vladimir Selivanov and Central’s Dmitry Borichev had matching 1.54 goals-against averages. Selivanov has played 15 games this season for world-ranked No. 16 Dynamo Moscow; they are 8-7-1 overall. Borichev backed Central in all five of the seven tournament games. He’s allowed a total of 18 goals in 10 games this season between the Federal District Championships and his regular-season action with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl.
The Moscow District, while one of the most dominant hockey regions in the country, had not won a Federal District Championship at the U14 age level since 2018 when the ‘05s won. Undefeated throughout the entire tournament, Moscow District out-scored its opponents 49-6 in group play. Moscow produced seven of the top 10 scorers in the tournament. Nazar Privalov and Dmitry Savin led the way with 13 and 12 points apiece. They were bested only by Sergei Skvortsov of the Privolzhsky District, who produced 14 points.
Moscow’s depth was on full display, with Artem Mishin, Bogdan Vasilevsky and Daniil Ermolov helped propel Moscow to dominant wins over the Southern District, Ural District and Far-Eastern District. Moscow, along with the Central District, finished as the top two seeds for the playoffs after pool play.
Once there, Moscow continued its dominance with a 10-1 win over Siberia in the quarterfinals. In the final four, Moscow faced the Ural District — a team it had beaten 8-1 five days earlier. Victorious in the rematch, it set the stage for a championship game of best on best, as the top team from Group A finally clashed with the top team from Group B. Moscow capped off its impressive performance with its eighth victory of the week over Central District, and most importantly, a Russian national championship.
Daniil Martynov — who plays for world-ranked No. 3 CSKA Moscow during the regular season — earned best goaltender of the tournament. His CSKA teammate Nazar Privalov was named top forward of the tournament after scoring five goals and 13 points. Artem Mate was awarded top defenseman honors and will return to action for No. 4-ranked Spartak Moscow this weekend.
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When looking across the premier youth hockey teams in the United States, two names that pop up frequently are Shattuck-St. Mary’s and Chicago Mission. Two storied clubs who have already met at the ‘07 and ‘08 age groups will finally collide at the ‘06 level this weekend.
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| Saturday, December 10 @ 2:00 PM ET |
For No. 1 SSM (31-1-1), this season has gone just about as well as one could hope thus far. There are just two blemishes among their incredible record, a 6-5 overtime loss to the No. 10 Dallas Stars Elite on Oct. 8 and a 3-3 tie with the Boston Jr. Eagles on Oct. 22. Since the tie, they have rattled off 13 consecutive victories.
However, throughout all their games, they have yet to play the No. 10 Mission. Making up for lost time, the two will stand against each other on the ice with a two-game series beginning Saturday.
Shattuck has numerous players throughout their lineup with impressive stat lines, including six goals and 30 points from Brandt Harpe alone. But the team’s best strength is between the pipes, led by goaltenders Jack Hirshorn and Harry Boettinger.
Between the two of them, the duo has only let in 60 goals across all contests. Statistically, you’d be hard pressed to find a better tandem in youth hockey. Hirshorn has collected a 1.79 goals-against average, .907 save percentage and four shutouts. Additionally, Boettinger has amassed a 1.98 goals against, .918 save percentage and two shutouts.
The biggest challenge for Chicago (18-6-4) will be trying to solve these two goaltenders as they will likely be seeing both in the two-game set. One thing Mission has done well up to this point in the season is score, recording a plus-52 goal differential. If there is one club who can solve SSM’s goalies, it’s them.
Chicago hopes these two games can be a jumping off point for a strong month of December. It was an up-and-down November for them, as they went 2-2-1.
Pete’s Pick: SSM is one of the strongest ‘06 teams in the world, and they have done most of the talking with their on-ice results. I expect Chicago to put up a fight, but the depth and goaltending of Shattuck is just too much to overcome in two games. Shattuck takes two very close games.
Craig’s Pick: Shattuck and Mission have nine shared opponents this season. In those games, Mission has an average goal differential of plus-2.16 whereas Shattuck has a plus-4.9 goals per game. The transitive property isn’t always a perfect predictor tool, but in this case, I think Shattuck is way too much for Mission to handle. Clean sweep for SSM with a pair of decisive wins.
Back on Nov. 21, the No. 18 Mississauga Senators (18-15-2) shut out the No. 20 Don Mills Flyers (18-10-1), 6-0. It was the first matchup of the season between the two, and served as an eye-opener for the Flyers.
Now, just a few weeks later, they will have the opportunity to return the favor when these two clubs square off on Tuesday.
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| Tuesday, December 6 @ 8:25 PM ET Victoria Village Arena |
The Senators are coming off a 4-1 win over the No. 9 U.S.-ranked Pittsburgh Penguins Elite. Don Mills was also victorious in their last time out; a 4-3 win against the Toronto Nationals. With these programs close together in the Top 10 for Canada, this tilt could play a role in rankings implications. As a result, both teams should expect to receive a less than warm reception from the other, which could lead to some great action on the ice.
Pete’s Pick: I’m tempted to go Don Mills here, but Mississauga beat them soundly last time they met. I could see them putting up more of a fight here with one game’s experience under their belt, but Mississauga wins this one, 5-2.
Craig’s Pick: These two teams are much more evenly matched than Game 1’s first result of 6-0 would suggest. Nine of Don Mills’ losses have come at the hands of just six teams. Of those six opponents, DMF has turned around to beat three of them. It’s bold, but I’ll take a shot on the Flyers to make it four with a win over the Sens.
No. 3 Tappara Sininen (15-2-4) and No. 6 Pelicans Turkoosi (11-8-2) will face off for the third time this season on Sunday. And if the first two games are any indication, this one will boil down to whoever gets the favorable bounces.
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| Sunday, December 11 |
Tappara is one of the hottest teams in Finland. Unbeaten in their last 11, they have had solid wins against other Top 10 teams in their group such as No. 4 JYP and No. 7 Tappara Musta. Not to be outdone, the Pelicans too have wins over JYP and Tappara Musta, but also defeated Sininen in their first outing back on Oct. 8.
In the second matchup, both sides played to a 2-2 tie.
Tappara brings in three of the top 10 scorers of their group into the contest. Jonatan Seppälä (20G, 15A), Eemil Mattanen (11G, 14A), and Viljam Kivimäki’s eight goals and 24 points lead the way.
Behailu Pussinen’s seven goals and 15 points is the most for the Pelicans, with Romeo Mikkonen (7G, 7A) and Joakim Koivunen (6G, 7A) close behind.
Pete’s Pick: The season series has been very close, and this game could go in favor of either opponent. That being said, I like Tappara’s offense slightly better in this one and feel that could be the factor that boosts them to a victory, 3-2.
Craig’s Pick: What’s weird about their first two matchups, is that the leading scorers from both teams were only mildly effective. A secondary assist from Romeo Mikkonen on one end; a power-play assist from Eemil Mattanen on the other. If one of the big dogs doesn’t step up and dominate this matchup, then the scales tip in favor of whoever has better depth. That, to me, is Tappara Sininen in another low-scoring contest.
The Top 10 among 2008-born Russia has a cluster of teams jockeying for position. No. 5 CSKA Moscow (17-6-2) and No. 7 Vityaz Podolsk (17-5-0) are right in the thick of things, with a big matchup scheduled for Saturday.
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| Saturday, December 11 |
Back on Sept. 22, CSKA defeated Vityaz, 4-1, helped largely by a goal and assist from Igor Poss. Nikita Gromakov has totaled 16 goals and 20 points on the season, trailed by Poss (8G, 8A) and Nikita Ovcharov (9G, 10A) for the team lead.
Vityaz will aim to counterpunch their attack with the trio of Gleb Pugachev, Maxim Seldemirov, and Makar Dudar. Pugachev’s 15 goals and 33 points sit atop the club. Seldemirov’s 13 goals and 30 points and Dudar’s nine goals and 26 points round out the top three.
CSKA got back in the win column last weekend after four consecutive losses with a 5-0 victory over Khimik. Vityaz was shut out by Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, 4-0.
Stemming from this game, there should be some clarity into the middle of the field for Russian ‘08s, which could lead to some movement in the overall rankings.
Pete’s Pick: CSKA seems to have gotten through a rare rough patch and is back to their winning ways. Some adversity is never a bad thing, and they clearly learned to clean up a few things as a result. They win 5-1.
Craig’s Pick: This is a weird one because most of the country took a one-month hiatus for Federal District Championships. So it really comes down to who can get back into a rhythm the quickest after the extended break. I’ll go with Vityaz here, but I don’t like it due to the coin-flip nature of the matchup already and so much uncertainty after the long layover.
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During the month, there have been some clubs that have stood above the rest. We look at a few programs across all countries and birth years to see who has established themselves as the “best of the best.”
A 7-1-0 month further secured No. 11 Tappara’s spot in the world rankings and at the top of the ‘07 Finnish rankings. Overcoming Top 10 Finnish clubs like No. 6 Lukko, No. 7 JYP, No. 8 TPS and No. 9 Ilves proves that they are truly one of the premier teams of their birth year.
The team’s two leading scorers, Vilho Vanhatalo and Eetu Orpana, also lead all group players when it comes to putting up the points. Vanhatalo’s 16 goals and 44 points sit slightly above Orpana’s 18 goals and 37 points. Two other skaters from Tappara also are included in the Top 10 in scoring, Juho Kuisma (15G, 19A) and Joonas Rajala (14G, 15A).
Continued numbers like this from these players will only further serve as a testament to the immense talent this team possesses. It could lead to bigger things for them not only individually, but for the program as well.
The world-ranked No. 4 Little Caesars had one of the hottest stretches of the month, going 13-0-1. In both installments of the World Hockey Hub Rankings this month, they stood firm at the No. 1 spot in the country.
In the midst of a 34-game unbeaten streak dating back to Aug. 28, they have been able to take care of matchups against both fellow U.S. teams and Canadian counterparts. Besting the likes of No. 14 Chicago Mission and No. 23 Los Angeles Jr. Kings, the boys from the Motor City proved that they are going to be a handful for months to come.
Currently ranked as the No. 1 team in the world among 2011-born teams, the Toronto Jr. Canadiens experienced a very successful November. A 15-2-1 record that culminated in a 6-0-0 run for the AAA division championship at the 2022 Playstation Platinum Cup.
The Jr. Canadiens carved through a schedule consisting of two victories over the No. 12 Vaughan Kings and a tie against No. 25 Toronto Red Wings. Their lone blemish was a loss to No. 13 Mid-Fairfield Jr. Rangers. That 4-2 defeat snapped an 11-game unbeaten streak for the Jr. Canadiens.
World-ranked No. 18 Flemingsbergs IK picked up where they left off after securing a win in its final game before the postseason and secured their district championship. Playing to a 4-0-0 record, they cemented their trophy with large wins over Top-10 teams in the country, No. 2 Täby HC and No. 4-ranked in Sweden SDE Hockey.
With an overall undefeated record of 21-0-0, they show no signs of slowing down. With more months like this one, FIK could be enjoying the view from the top of the rankings for quite some time.
A 9-0-1 record for the month propelled HC Balashika to the top of the 2008 Russian and world rankings. However, it was not their amount of wins so much as it was the teams they defeated that have impressed the most.
Their first major wins were against No. 6 Mikhailov Academy, 2-1 and No. 8 Spartak Moscow 4-3 in overtime, both on Nov. 10. Then, they followed that up with a 5-2 victory over No. 9 CSKA Moscow just two days later. Statement games that catapulted them up from their former ninth-ranked position.
Leading the way has been the productive duo of Nikita Kartashov (33G, 31A) and Petr Tortev (25G, 22A). Balashikha has also reaped the benefit of Daniil Rakitin, a transfer from Atlant Mytischi, who has added seven goals and 19 assists.
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