There’s a new club at the top of the ‘07 rankings in Russia, and it’s the first time they’ve been there since Dec. 21st. Following a solid stretch of play that saw them nab victories over No. 3 CSKA Moscow, Atlant Mytishchi and Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, Dynamo Moscow is back as No. 1. Mikhail Melikov, the club’s leading scorer, tallied four points in the 9-1 victory over Atlant. This season, he has produced 27 goals and 47 points.
While Dynamo was a familiar name in the No. 1 spot in Russia, a new team cracked the Top 10 among 2007-born teams in the U.S. With a strong 10-2 victory over Compuware, No. 10 Victory Honda’s offensive outburst gave them enough of a jolt to catapult over the previous spot holder. Braden Wade and Nolan Makinski both notched hat tricks and Luc Plante scored a goal and four assists in a five-point night. The victory also continued a nine-game unbeaten streak for the team, which ended the following day with a 3-2 overtime loss to Fox Motors.
The regular season concluded over the weekend, and with it, brought some movement among Top-10 teams. In these final matchups before playoffs, No. 3 Ilves and No. 5 Jokerit experienced some decent boosts from crucial wins. Ilves got its business done in two matchups versus No. 4 Kärpät, winning by scorers of 13-3 and 4-0. In the 13-goal explosion, seven skaters notched two or more points, led by Jalmari Melanen’s one goal and four assists.
Jokerit put forth a solid team effort in a 4-1 victory over No. 6 Lukko. Aapo Niemelä (2G) and Taavi Aarvala (2A) connected for the final two goals of the game, solidifying both the win and two-point performances.
With strong finishes to group play, both Ilves and Jokerit earned spots in the top four of the overall group standings. As a result, they have earned first round byes in the playoffs, along with No. 2 Tappara and No. 1 Kiekko-Espoo. They will now await the winners from the first round to see who they will open their playoff schedules against.
The opening round of Sweden’s U16 SM-playoffs has come and gone, and No. 3 MoDo Hockey has raised eyebrows with its performance thus far. The power trio of Elton Hermansson (3G, 3A), Vincent Wedin (2G, 4A) and Erik Häggblad (1G, 5A) have lifted their club to new heights. By securing wins over fellow ranked opponents like No. 1 Nacka HK and No. 4 Djurgårdens IF, its position among the country’s elite has been strengthened.
The road doesn’t get any easier, as entering the second round MoDo finds itself in the dreaded ‘group of death’ along with top-ranked Nacka, No. 2 Täby HC and No. 6 Södertälje SK.
Be sure to check out the complete world rankings, including Top 10s by country and World Top 25s for each of the 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 birth years.
With 34 seconds left in regulation, Erik Häggblad slipped a shot past Djurgårdens goaltender Hugo Severgårdh. Not only did that goal eliminate No. 3-ranked DIF from playoff contention, but put an exclamation point on MoDo Hockey’s performance in the opening round of the Sweden U16 national championship.
The first round consisted of four groups of four teams competing in three-game, round-robin matchups. The top two teams from each group would advance to the second round of the tournament on March 24th. Häggblad’s goal against Djurgårdens clinched MoDo’s third victory of the weekend. It also secured their spot atop Group A, as one of three teams to go undefeated thus far in the tournament.
Coming into the Sweden U16 Nationals ranked No. 6 in the country, MoDo made a statement on day one of the tournament. Vincent Wedin posted a goal and two assists in a dominating 5-1 win over Skellefteå AIK. The next day, Elton Hermansson put up a three-point performance of his own as MoDo put together another astounding performance, 7-2 over No. 1 ranked Nacka. In that game, they outshot the top-ranked team in the country 43-27.
Three regulation wins secured all nine available points in the standings to push MoDo through to the second round. They will be joined by Nacka, after it went 2-1-0; the only loss being the previously mentioned defeat at the hands of MoDo.
Group B proved to be the closest of all four pools on the first weekend of Sweden U16 Nationals.
Täby defeated Södertälje. Södertälje defeated Timrå. Timrå defeated Luleå. Luleå defeated Täby. Going into the final day of action, all four teams had a path to advance, with three points apiece and three points up for grabs. Täby’s top performers Theo Stockselius, Marcus Nordmark and Melvin Novotny made sure their national championship hopes would live to see the second weekend. The trio combined to score five goals on Sunday — and 18 total points on the weekend — to push Täby through to the round of eight.
Jason Rosqvist, Jonathan Sandberg, Samuel Kjellström and Lucas Jarestrand scored four unanswered goals in the third period to push Södertälje past Luleå on the final day.
With six goals and nine points, Albin Laksonen led all skaters over the weekend in scoring. His Växjö Lakers scored 17 goals in their three games, leaning on a high-powered offense. Six different skaters contributed goals in the first round of Sweden U16 Nationals. The Lakers will likely continue to rely on their top line to carry them through playoffs. Laksonen, and linemates Noa Bräutigam and Olle Ågren were one of the most dominant lines from the first round. Top pair Malte Brolin and Theo Dahl gives Växjö a starting five that should compete with just about any team remaining in the tournament.
Malmö scored three unanswered goals to come from behind and defeat Färjestad on Saturday. Adrien Bartovic scored two of those and assisted on the third to finish the comeback. That game proved to be the difference maker, as Malmö finished one win ahead of Färjestad in pool play to earn the No. 2 spot.
No team in this group was ranked in the Top 10, so despite advancing, both Malmö and Växjö could be seen as longshots to win the tournament. Regardless, both have dangerous top lines, and both punched their tickets to the next round.
Tied for the fewest goals allowed through the first round of Sweden U16 Nationals, Brynäs surrendered just six goals in three games. William Forsberg stopped 117 of the 122 shots he saw over the weekend, including 29 on the final day in a 5-3 win over HV 71. Goals from Gustav Hillström, Leo Sundqvist and Sigge Holmgren propelled Brynäs to a come-from-behind win.
Despite the loss to Brynäs, HV 71 managed to earn the second spot and will advance to the next weekend of the tournament. Both Brynäs and HV 71 will meet again in the second round, as they are once again in the same group. Shooters like Theo Sonestedt, Noel Skarby and Fabian Merkle-Rohdin will have to find a way to best Forsberg once more.
The eight teams to advance to the second round have been split into two groups of four. Where the top two teams from each group will once again advance to the third and final round of Sweden U16 Nationals. The final round consists of a four-team, single-elimination bracket. The two groups for the second round of action are:
| GROUP E #1 Nacka #2 Täby #5 Södertälje #6 MoDo | GROUP F Brynäs HV 71 Malmö Växjö |
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Each week, World Hockey Hub highlights a few of the most exciting upcoming games in youth hockey. Nacka HK and Djurgårdens IF kick things off with an ‘08 Top-10 tilt on Wednesday. Boo HC and AIK Hockey tangle in a premier matchup between 2008s as well. The week concludes with CSKA Moscow dropping the puck in an ‘09 meeting with Mikhailov Academy on Sunday.
As the games remaining in the regular season dwindle into the single digits, there are still some big matchups on the board. No. 8 Nacka HK (29-5-6) and No. 12 Djurgårdens IF (30-14-10) will throw down in a meeting of the top two teams among Sweden 08’s.
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| Wednesday, March 15 Mälarhöjdens Ishall |
Last time out on Jan. 18th, these clubs played to a 4-4 tie in a spirited back-and-forth affair. Djurgårdens clawed its way back from a 3-1 deficit only to have Nacka take the lead late in the second period. Less than two minutes later, Sebastian Von Berens salvaged the tie with his second goal of the game. Since that tie, Nacka has been on a roll, going 8-1-0 in its last nine. Djurgårdens, meanwhile, has gone 4-2-1.
What gave Djurgårdens a chance to even things up in its last matchup was preventing Nacka’s leading scorer from doing any major damage. Oliver Sundberg not only leads Nacka in points (15G, 15A) but is tied for first in scoring of the entire group. Djurgårdens’ defensive unit held him to just one assist. It will take another strong effort like that to come out on top this time with a win.
It will be interesting to see who Djurgårdens goes with in net. In the 4-4 tie, Gustav Stengård manned the crease, making 16 saves on 20 shots. Statistically, however, the club’s other goaltender, Justin Emretzon Duckmark is among the top three among all teams. He has compiled a 1.55 goals-against average, .933 save percentage and three shutouts over a 7-2-2 record.
Pete’s Pick: I truly believe this one will come down to whoever Djurgårdens goes with between the pipes. They have the confidence they can shut down Nacka’s top performer. So do they roll with the goalie who aided that effort last time they met or with the goalie with the better numbers? Stengård has started the last three games, so my gut says they stick with him. As a result, I think Djurgårdens pulls out a close 3-2 win here.
Craig’s Pick: Djurgårdens recent struggles are a concern for me. Sure, 4-2-1 is a decent run, but those wins are against the 12th, 11th, 10th and sixth place teams. For reference, there’s 12 teams in the group. Nacka’s schedule hasn’t been much more challenging, but its taken care of business in a much more impressive manner. I don’t expect Sundberg to be silenced a second time, I like Nacka in a 4-1 win.
Viggo Fors notched a goal and assist in the last meeting between No. 4 Boo HC (29-7-6) and No. 9 AIK Hockey (21-11-4) on Jan. 18. His team hopes he can produce those numbers again as they battle in a mid-week rematch this Wednesday.
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| Wednesday, March 15 Ulriksdals IP Hall 3 |
The main point-getter for Boo though is Lukas Svensson, who has tallied 13 goals and 21 points in 17 games. Just behind him is Alexander Engman (10G, 6A). Held off the scoresheet in their last encounter, Filip Nyberg will try to add to his impressive season stat line of 13 goals and 26 points. The other two thirds of AIK’s power trio consists of Viggo Låhdö (7G, 15A) and Max Balk (10G, 9A).
While those will be the players trying to fill the net, the two trying to keep pucks out are some of the best on any ‘08 Sweden team. Leon De La Gardie and Leon Andersson went save-for-save in the last game between the two sides. Andersson has backstopped Boo to 10 wins, with a 1.30 goals-against average, .926 save percentage and four shutouts. De La Gardie has recorded 1.54 goals-against average, .906 save percentage and three shutouts. When both of these goaltenders are on, offense is hard to come by.
Pete’s Pick: Like I said, this will be another low-scoring game. Despite players on both ends being able to put up points, there’s something when these two goalies play the other that makes them that much better. With Boo getting the slight edge, offensively, I favor them over AIK in a close 3-2 game.
Craig’s Pick: It’s hard to imagine an even lower scoring game than their 2-1 meeting last time out. However, I’m anticipating just that. Boo is buzzing at the rink time, and I think it gets its fifth team shutout of group play. Viggo Fors factors in offensively, again, and Boo wins a low-scoring game, again, this time it’s 2-0.
No. 3 Spartak Moscow (30-7-3) has had No. 10 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl’s (22-10-1) number this season. Victorious in three previous games, they have outscored their opponent 11-4. On Sunday, Yaroslavl will attempt to finally best its fellow ‘09 Russian club.
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| Sunday, March 19 |
In order to do so, they will have to handle the explosive production from Daniil Savin (21G, 27A) and Vsevolod Kokorin (27G, 13A), two of Spartak’s most consistent forwards. To counter, Yaroslavl will rely on Ivan Rubstov (9G, 22A) and Mikhail Bulgakov (11G, 14A).
Pete’s Pick: Lokomotiv had been on a bit of a roll lately winning their last three before a loss to No. 3 CSKA last weekend. However, Spartak’s talent is too much for them to overcome, much less many other ‘08 teams. They have kept things relatively close in the last three meetings, so I don’t expect Spartak to break open the score. Spartak will take a 4-1 final.
Craig’s Pick: In the two previous matchups, Spartak has never trailed. Despite their best efforts, Lokomotiv’s Bulgakov and Rubstov just haven’t been able to get the offense going in this matchup. That’s a tough ask for anyone at any level to produce offense on cue. Because of Lokomotiv’s struggles, I have to go with Spartak, 4-1, as they’ve seemed to crack the code on how to shut down this top-10 offense.
No. 24 Mikhailov Academy (22-10-3) will have the chance to even its regular season series versus No. 9 CSKA Moscow (26-8-2) when the two ‘08 Russian teams collide on Sunday.
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| Sunday, March 19 |
CSKA was victorious in the first game between the two back on Sept. 25th. Mikhailov took the next one before dropping the third. Since that loss, they have been winners in their last six. Matvey Cheranev (21G, 24A) and Boris Borin (13G, 30A) have propelled Mikhailov during their recent hot stretch. Goal-scoring dynamo Nikita Gromakov (28G, 6A) will be eager to add to his total. He has scored three goals against Mikhailov in their matchups thus far. Ilya Morozov’s (10G, 24A) play-making ability will look to assist Gromakov in offensive production.
Pete’s Pick: While Mikhailov impressively shut out CSKA in the second game, the true power of CSKA was on display in the other two meetings with wins of 5-3 and 7-3. Mikhailov also played last weekend, giving CSKA more time to rest its top players. A third win for them is in the cards and they will take the season series, three games to one.
Craig’s Pick: Ugh, I’d like to give Mikhailov Academy a shot in this one, especially given Ivan Buydov’s 3-0 shutout on November 13th. However, he was quickly pulled in Game 3, after giving up three goals in the first period. I just don’t think they have an answer for CSKA’s offense, so I’m going CSKA 5-2 convincingly.
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With the U16 SM Series coming to a close this weekend, 2007-born Finnish youth hockey teams are taking part in their last contests of group play. All clubs in action have spots in the WHH rankings, and with this many head-to-head matchups, there could be some major movement in the standings as playoff positions become finalized.
The top four teams in the group standings will be awarded first-round byes. As a reminder, a team received three points for a regulation win, two points for an overtime win and one point for an overtime loss. No. 2 Tappara currently holds the first spot in the SM Series standings with 42 points. They have one game remaining against No. 5 Ilves, who sits with 37 points. Back on Feb. 4th, Ilves defeated Tappara 5-4 off multi-point performances by Rasmus Rinne (1G, 3A), Jiko Laitinen (2G, 1A) and Jalmari Melanen (1G, 2A). If Tappara is victorious, it will clinch the first overall spot. However, should they lose and Ilves also defeats No. 3 Kärpät, they would overtake Tappara. Ilves put up 13 goals on Kärpät in a 13-1 win earlier this season.
Looking to cement their position in the fourth seed will be No. 8 Jokerit. Their lone remaining tilt is a date with Jokipojat, who has yet to win a group-play game. Sitting just outside the bye cutoff is No. 7 TPS with 23 points. They have a final clash with No. 1 Kiekko-Espoo to end their schedule. TPS has already won against K-Espoo in a 3-2 result back on Jan. 13th. If TPS defeats them again, and Jokerit fails to defeat Jokipojat, TPS would leapfrog Jokerit into the final bye spot. If K-Espoo is able to avenge its earlier season loss to TPS, it would solidify the final bye position for Jokerit.
With the top five spots seemingly decided by the teams mentioned above, the 6 through 12 seeds are where the most movement might occur after this weekend. No. 4 Lukko currently sits at sixth with 19 points, tied with No. 9 Ässät. Lukko’s remaining game just so happens to be against Ässät, who they defeated 4-2 in their previous matchup. If Ässät wins that second game and manages to secure a win over No. 6 HIFK, they could very well end up in the fifth spot barring results from Jokerit and TPS’ games.
Should Topi Veteläinen (10G, 10A) and Okko Saari (10G, 7A) continue to lead No. 10 KalPa, they could take a run at moving from the ninth to fifth seed. With upcoming matchups against the Pelicans and Jokipojat, two clubs who they have beaten previously, things are looking good. A lot of things would need to fall their way, but the only thing they can do is win the games presented to them. With their track record against their final opponents, there is a decent chance they enjoy a bump up the standings when the dust settles.
No. 3 Kärpät looks to take advantage of their upcoming slate of games to try and boost their resume and spot in the standings. Kärpät can end up as high as fifth, by securing two wins over the Pelicans and Ilves. To date, they have beaten the Pelicans and lost to Ilves.
Jockeying for the 10th and final playoff spot will be the Pelicans and HIFK, both currently holding 15 points to their name. The Pelicans edged HIFK 2-1 at the end of February, giving them the current standings tiebreaker. The Pelicans end their regular season with two tough matchups against Kärpät and KalPa. With two losses to those clubs already, it seems HIFK is primed to overtake them given the strength of their remaining matches. HIFK will face off with K-Espoo, who they shut out 3-0 and Ässät, who they fell to 5-1. Having such large implications looming for those two teams, expect them to go all out to secure their spot in the postseason.
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The Sweden Ice Hockey Federation’s under-16 youth hockey national tournament gets underway on Friday. It begins the first of a three-week process in a quest to determine who is the number one team in the country at the 2007 birth year.
This week, the first leg of the tournament will take place, in which 16 teams — divided into four groups of four — will compete in a three-game round robin. The top two teams from each group will advance to the second weekend of the tournament.
Here are the groupings and our picks for who should survive the first weekend of action:
No. 1 Nacka HK has been one of the most consistent clubs this season in Swedish youth hockey. They came out of the gates hot, securing silver at the 2022 Sweden Hockey Trophy in September and haven’t looked back. They handled MoDo Hockey in that tournament, and have fared well against big clubs like No. 3 Djurgårdens IF in group play. Ruben Westerling has been the most dynamic scorer for Nacka, tallying an even 16 goals and 16 assists in the final group play stage before playoffs. During the East Region playoffs, he added another six goals and nine points to help Nacka secure one of the final regional placements.
With a record of 14-3-1, Djurgårdens was one of two teams to earn automatic bids to nationals thanks to their excellent stretch of group play. A large factor to that success was the play in net of Ludvig Gromell. Suiting up in 11 contests, he went 9-2-0 with a 1.57 goals-against average, .944 save percentage and two shutouts. If he continues to put up numbers like that, Djurgårdens will have a deep run in the national tournament and will prove to be a difficult out for any team.
It would be the surprise of the tournament if anyone other than top-ranked Nacka and Djurgårdens came out of Group A.
After finishing first in the Stockholm group, No. 2 IFK Täby HC earned an automatic placement into the national tournament. Producing a stellar 16-1-1 record, lone blemishes of their schedule were losses to Nacka and Djurgårdens. Able to rack up the score against any opponent, Täby’s roster contains the two top scorers of its group. Isac Nilsson (21G, 20A) and Theo Stockselius (17G, 24A) each recorded 41 points, with both averaging close to 2.5 points per game. Production that helped their club put up a plus-61 goal differential.
The other WHH Ranked team of this contingent is No. 5 Södertälje SK. Unlike Täby, Södertälje had to fight for its spot to nationals right up until the final day. They finished on the bubble of group play and didn’t earn a bid to the tournament until last Sunday. They lost to No. 8 Viggbyholms IK, but secured victories against Nacka and No. 7 SDE Hockey to qualify. Nils Håkansson (7G, 18A) and Daniel Lazienkiewicz (8G, 15A) will aim to continue their dependable offensive output for Södertälje to escape this batch of teams.
Täby is an obvious pick to advance out of Group B, being the highest ranked of the bunch. While Södertälje comes in highly ranked as well, it has some cracks in the armor and may not be as much of a lock. It may come down to Sunday’s game to determine SSK’s fate, but I like them to ‘survive and advance’ to next week.
Växjö Lakers HC faced off with IF Malmö Redhawks twice during the last installment of regular-season group play, sweeping them 8-2 and 5-3. Defenseman Liam Pettersson led all Lakers in scoring, piling up two goals and 12 points from the blue line. Across 24 games in group play since the start of the 2022-23 season, Pettersson has scored eight goals and 28 points. With Växjö’s performance over the Redhawks, and their 6-1-1 record against other group clubs, they have the skill to move on. It won’t hurt having Maximilian Olofsson, with his 10-4-0 record, 2.04 goals-against and .923 save percentage from regional play, in the crease either.
Färjestad BK at 20-4-4 and Västerås IK at 17-5-6 finished second and third in the West Region. The two teams clashed four times, each winning two. With the first three matchups ending in one goal, Färjestad opened up the offense in the final tilt with a 7-2 win. Malte Vass scored 11 goals and 37 points for Färjestad as a defenseman and the team’s leading scorer. Backing him up were Elias Eriksson (20G, 14A) and Filip Holgersson (12G, 22A). Even more impressive were the numbers Färjestad was able to put up despite going up against Västerås’ Måns Goos, the second best goalie of the region.
Växjö has already proved it can beat everyone in Group C, and there isn’t much evidence to believe this weekend will produce significantly different results. Their odds of being a top-2 team in this group of four are very high. The second spot may be decided by 9 p.m. CET, as Färjestad and Västerås open up the weekend against one another. I expect Färjestad’s top players to keep the offense rolling and claim the second spot.
Brynäs IF bested Örebro HK in their four-game regional season series, three games to one. In those matchups, Brynäs outscored Örebro 20-11. The name most often on scoresheets was Leo Sundqvist (30G, 21A), leading group scorer and top player for Brynäs. When you have the leading point scorer, it certainly doesn’t hurt when the top goaltender in the region wears Brynäs colors as well. William Forsberg backstopped his club to nine wins, compiling a 1.93 goals against, .913 save percentage and three shutouts.
In order to secure one of the final spots in the South Region, HV 71 went head-to-head against Karlskrona HK, sweeping them in two games. HV 71’s firepower was on full display, finding the back of the net 16 times while only allowing four. Frederik Balko collected two goals and seven points. Oscar Pöyliö tallied four goals and one assist for HV 71 as well. Going up against slightly stronger competition at the national tournament will be a tough test for HV 71, but if those two forwards continue their dynamic play, some upsets may be on the horizon.
None of the four teams in Group D are currently ranked, so competition for the two spots in the quarterfinal rounds are wide open. Between Brynäs top performers and the balanced attack of HV 71, I like these two teams to survive a very closely contested group.
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The final six spots in Sweden’s U16 national championship tournament were finalized on Sunday. Nacka HK, Södertälje SK, Malmö Redhawks, Frölunda HC, HV 71 and Örebro HK were the last teams to enter the fray. They join MoDo Hockey, Timrå IK, Luleå HF, Skellefteå AIK, Täby HC, Djurgårdens IF, Växjö Lakers, Brynäs IF, Färjestad BK and Västerås IK. The national tournament — which consists of four teams from each of the North, South, East and West Regions of Sweden — will begin on Friday, March 10th.
The four teams from the North Region will be No. 6 MoDo Hockey, Timrå IK, Luleå HF and Skellefteå AIK. In the first semifinal, Timrå and Luleå went head-to-head, with Filip Sjölund tallying twice to lead Timrå to a 3-2 win. In the second semifinal matchup, MoDo put five goals up on Skellefteå, with three players collecting at least two points. Elton Hermansson put two goals and an assist on the board.
By winning their two semifinal games, MoDo and Timrå entered the final games to decide who would end up first overall in the region. Right from the drop of the puck, MoDo overwhelmed Timrå with their offensive depth throughout their lineup. After the first period, MoDo had already built a 7-0 lead. It was a much closer tilt in the second period, with MoDo adding three goals but Sjölund scoring twice for Timrå. In the end, five different skaters had mulit-point nights, with Hermansson standing out once again with two goals and three assists. Timrå battled till the final whistle, putting up 29 shots on goal with not many answers in trying to solve Edvin Lindqvist in net.
In the consolation game, Luleå defeated Skellefteå 4-2 off the efforts of William Morin (1G, 2A) and Linus Funck (1G, 1A). Casper Juustovaara Karlsson assisted on three of the four Luleå goals. This put Skellefteå as the No. 3 seed and Luleå as the No. 4 seed coming out of the North Region
The Växjö Lakers earned first place out of the South Region after going 6-1-1 in Top-Five play. Six remaining teams were tasked with competing in three best-of-3 series to determine the final three spots. HV 71 faced off with Karlskrona HK, Frölunda HC was pitted against Rögle BK and Hanhals IF played IF Malmö Redhawks.
Frederik Balko, leading scorer of the playoff portion of the group, aided HV 71’s two-game sweep of Karlskrona with two goals and seven points. HV 71 outscored Karlskrona 16-4 across the two games to earn its spot at Sweden Nationals..
Despite its best efforts, Rögle was unable to match the offensive output from Frölunda. They were swept in two games, falling 7-3 and 8-6. Across both contests, Zacharias Käll (4G, 1A) led the charge for Frölunda, while Nils Bartholdsson (3G, 2A) did his best to boost Rögle.
Malmö’s complete team game was on display in its two clashes with Hanhals, shutting them out 8-0 and 4-0. Linus Schrott carried the hot stick, notching four goals. Assisting him with goal-scoring duties was Isac Johansson, who finished with three of his own. With two straight shutouts, Emil Lindh was the top goaltender of the group. He stopped all 50 shots he faced in both games, giving Malmö the confidence to push the pace offensively.
Resulting from these series, Malmö, Frölunda and HV 71 will join Växjö in representing the South Region.
It’s a talented group that will be hailing from the East at this year’s U16 Swedish Nationals. All four clubs from this region have been mainstays in the WHH rankings for the majority of this season. No. 1 Nacka HK, No. 2 IFK Täby HC, No. 3 Djurgårdens IF and No. 5 Södertälje SK have been at or near the top all season long.. After group play, Täby and Djurgårdens had spots finalized due to their records.
As a result, teams that missed the cutoff line would have to take part in a playoff round to determine who would occupy the final spots. These participants were Nacka, Södertälje, No. 7 SDE Hockey, No. 8 Viggbyholms IK, No. 9 Flemingsbergs IK and Altuna IS. These six teams competed in a round-robin format. The top two teams in the standings upon completion would be awarded the final bids to nationals.
Skating to records of 4-0-1 and 3-1-1, respectively, Nacka and Södertälje were able to obtain those coveted regional placements. Nacka’s lone loss was to Södertälje, but it still managed to finish ahead of them in overall points, 12 to 11. Södertälje lost to Viggbyholms and defeated SDE in a shootout. Ludvig Söderberg led SSK with six goals and nine points, tied with Nacka’s Ruben Westerling (6G, 3A).
Heading into last weekend, three teams had already positioned themselves to be representatives of this region. Given their performances during regular season group play, Brynäs IF, Färjestad BK and Västerås IK had all punched their tickets to nationals. Brynäs and Färjestad finished tied in group points with 65, with Brynäs awarded the top spot from winning its season series three games to one.
That left one final spot up for grabs, with four more clubs vying to take it. Örebro HK, No. 4 Strömsbro IF, Hammarö HC and Lindlövens IF. Each team would play one game against each other, with three points for each victory. The club that garnered the most points would get the final regional spot for nationals.
Going 3-0-0, Örebro was that final team to secure regional placement. Outscoring opponents 46-5, seven of the top 10 scorers hailed from their squad. Philip Larsson (6G, 11A) and Noah Pettersson Askling (5G, 11A) were the standouts.
The first round of the U16 Sweden National Championship is slated to begin on Friday. These 16 teams will be split into four groups of four teams, with only eight advancing to the second round. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Discord and YouTube for the latest news, top performers and more from Sweden Nationals!
Each week, World Hockey Hub highlights a few of the most exciting upcoming games in youth hockey. CSKA Moscow and Vityaz Podolsk kick things off with an ‘09 Top-10 tilt on Saturday. Jokerit Blue and Kiekko-Espoo EPS I tangle in a premier matchup between 2007s. The week concludes with Nacka HK dropping the puck in an ‘08 meeting with IFK Taby HC on Sunday.
Will No. 1 CSKA Moscow (34-0-0) ever lose a game this season? In two games thus far, CSKA has ended up in the win column against No. 9 Vityaz Podolsk (24-10-0) both times. It’s a tough task for Vityaz, let alone any Russian team, as this CSKA squad has been one of the best teams in youth hockey this season.
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| Saturday, March 11 |
Vityaz lost in the first game 4-3 before dropping a 10-2 decision in the second. But they have the talent to hang with a team like CSKA. If there is any club that can finally send CSKA home with a loss, it’s them.
For CSKA, look no further than to Nikita Siniken (51G, 61A) and Roman Andreev (52G, 43A). Much has already been discussed and written about these players already, but you can’t deny their incredible chemistry. Add to the fact they have found the scoresheet in every contest this season. The biggest task for Vityaz will be to shut them down and try to make up their production with the top players of their own.
Getting that task will be Kirill Pavlov (57G, 22A) and Artem Perepelov (21G, 14A).
Pete’s Pick: I’m torn. On one hand, I want to see how far CSKA can take their win streak. On the other hand, for a team to finally beat them would be an exciting narrative. But it’s not about what I want, it’s what happens on the ice. Given CSKA’s ability to beat teams in any fashion, coupled with them having the two best forwards of their birth year, they complete the sweep. Vityaz doesn’t make it easy though in a 5-3 final.
Craig’s Pick: I do think we’ve seen just a little bit of complacency lately from the No. 1 team in Russia. That may not be the best word for it, but either opponents are throwing their absolute best at CSKA or, CSKA is taking its foot off the gas ever so slightly. Either way, I think this game is close, and Vityaz even possesses a lead at one point, thanks to players like Pavlov and Alexander Trofimov. Ultimately, CSKA’s win streak survives and they escape with a 4-3 win.
With group play entering its home stretch in Finland, No. 7 Jokerit Blue (17-10-2) and No. 9 Kiekko-Espoo EPS I (15-11-2) will look for some separation in the ‘09 Top 10 with a Sunday matchup.
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| Sunday, March 12 |
It’s been an up-and-down stretch for both clubs in group play to this point. With neither team able to put together a consistent string of success, this matchup may be the jumping off point they both need to finish strong.
In this stage of group play, Luka Ahola and Wilmer Hämäläinen’s five goals and 11 points lead Jokerit, with Veeti Palomäki scoring five goals and 10 points for K-Espoo. Since the start of the season, both players have notched five-point games this season, with Palomäki accomplishing the feat twice.
Pete’s Pick: I’ve gone back and forth on this one for a bit, but in the end I think Jokerit pulls out a win. They’ve skated with slightly more consistency and have competed well against some of the bigger opponents of the group. If this gets into a goal scoring contest, they have the depth to get them over the finish line.
Craig’s Pick: I always like to look at shared opponents as a good measure for upcoming games. Jokerit and Kiekko-Espoo have played six of the same teams in the last six weeks. Against those teams, Kiekko-Espoo is 3-3-0, while Jokerit is 2-3-1. Slight lean toward KE EPS right? Wrong. Jokerit may have a slightly worse record in those games but showed way more compete with each of those six games being winnable. I’m going with Jokerit here, 6-3.
It’s a heavyweight tilt among the ‘08 Swedes when No. 1 Nacka HK (28-5-6) drops the puck with No. 3 Täby HC (25-11-4) this weekend.
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| Sunday, March 12 |
Nacka enters this primetime bout winners of its last four. Täby is coming off a loss to Eskilstuna Linden Hockey in their last outing. In their last meeting back on Jan. 15, Nacka posted six goals en route to a 6-1 decisive victory. In that matchup, Oliver Sundberg, Mikael Kim and Arvid Ermeskog all collected multi-point performances. Sundberg stands as the team leader in overall points as well, and third scorer in group play with 13 goals and 15 points.
Finding the back of the net for Täby’s lone goal was team leader Mille Forslund, who has compiled nine goals and 18 points. Nacka held Forslund and his teammates to just 15 shots on goal, while they peppered Täby netminder Caspar Lampe with 33. Lampe has been one of the more solid goalies in the group, earning a 2.40 goals-against average and .909 save percentage. A testament to the impressive firepower from Nacka to get six past him.
Pete’s Pick: Täby’s defense didn’t have an answer for Nacka last time out, and I don’t think that changes here. While their goaltending numbers don’t jump off the page, that’s not a concern when your club is averaging 3.5 goals a game and have a plus-27 goal differential. Nacka takes another victory here, 5-1.
Craig’s Pick: Significant shot discrepancies always grab my attention. A more than 2-to-1 difference in their last meeting says a lot about how these two teams stack up. Nacka scored late on a power play and a penalty shot, which inflated the score a little bit last time out. I’ll take Täby to keep it closer than the first meeting, but Nacka is just too dominant, 4-2.
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With the 2022-23 regular season beginning to wind down, teams across youth hockey are emptying the tanks before hopeful playoff runs. The ‘07 Toronto Marlboros and Tappara are on our teams of the month list for the second time. The Los Angeles Jr. Kings were one of the busier U.S. ‘08 clubs. Nacka HK and CSKA Moscow solidified their spots at the top of their respective ‘07 and ‘09 birth years as well. 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.
It was a jam-packed month for the 2008-born No. 23 Los Angeles Jr. Kings. Suiting up in 14 contests across regular season, playoff and district play, they took care of business with wins in each matchup.
After opening the month with a 4-0-0 record, their next task was the Tier-1 Elite Hockey League (T1EHL) playoffs. In the 14U division, they rattled off five consecutive victories for the championship. Their run culminated in a hard-fought 5-3 victory over No. 25 Dallas Stars Elite. Tyus Sparks and Noah Davidson were the main point getters for the team, each collecting 12 points.
After a few days to recuperate, the Jr. Kings were back in action at the Pacific District playoffs with the hope of nabbing a spot at the upcoming USA Hockey Nationals. It was here they found the win column in another five straight games, outscoring opponents 31-4.
Next up will be a trip to Nationals, but as an added bonus they will have some company. The 15O Jr. Kings earned a trip as well, after securing their division. The Los Angeles program will be well-represented on the national stage later this month.
For the second time this season, the ‘07 No. 2 Toronto Marlboros have skated to ‘Team of the Month’ honors for Canada. Having last earned the honor in December, the Marlies continued to run the table in their birth year, going 7-0-0. Three of those victories came against ranked teams, twice over the No. 10 Toronto Jr. Canadiens and a 5-3 win vs. against No. 22 Mississauga Rebels.
With the GTHL playoffs around the corner, the Marlboros will look to build upon their current seven-game win streak.
Impressing in February was ‘07 No. 13 Nacka HK with a 5-1-0 record. The team did not have a light schedule, lacing up the skates against four powerhouses in the Top 10 of Sweden. After winning their opening 8-5 showdown with No. 3 Swedish-ranked Djurgårdens IF in thrilling fashion, they followed it up with another win over Trångsunds IF.
Despite a slight setback in a 3-2 loss to No. 8 Viggbyholms IK, they rebounded with solid showings against world-ranked No. 19 Täby HC, Almtuna IS and No. 5 Södertälje SK.
Ruben Westerling may be the club’s overall leading scorer with 16 goals and 32 points, but Neo Hirsch and Olle Därth had a month to remember. Across all six contests, Hirsch compiled four goals and 11 points to go along with Därth’s six goals and 10 points.
Like the Marlboros, ‘07 No. 15 Tappara is another program to be featured on our Teams of the Month list for a second time. Tappara was included in our list from November. Dropping the puck in seven games, Tappara skated to a 6-1-0 record, with a lone ‘blemish’ being a 5-4 loss to No. 5 Ilves.
Other than that, Tappara fared quite well against some top competition from Finland. They kicked off their schedule with the defeat to Ilves, but wasted no time in getting back on track with a 3-2 win against No. 10 KalPa. Following that, five more wins over No. 1 Kiekko-Espoo, Pelicans, No. 7 TPS, a second victory against KalPa and finishing off with Jokipojat.
It certainly didn’t hurt having the top two scorers of the group, either. Joonas Rajala and Eetu Orpana have each collected 30 points in 13 and 12 games, respectively. Orpana alone tallied in the team’s last five games of the month, garnering 3 goals and 10 points alone. Both players also spent time last month with the Finnish National Team at the 3 Nations Tournament in the Czech Republic.
No. 3 CSKA Moscow went a perfect 5-0-0 in February, highlighted by wins against No. 4 Spartak Moscow and No. 14 Atlant Mytishchi. The five victories combined with the four they ended January with give the club an impressive nine-game streak currently.
Nazar Privalov, the teams’ leading scorer, was on fire across all matches. Unable to be slowed by any opponent, he struck for six goals and nine points. Privalov has found the scoresheet in every game dating back to Jan. 22.
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