Originating in 2019, the “Sixty Camp” has put a main focus on creating an environment for players to test their skills among the best of their peers. The main focus of that first camp was the 2006 birth year. Since then, the event has grown exponentially to include multiple birth years. Players from the 2007-2011 age range will participate in this weekend’s showcase. Participants can expect a four-day event filled with on-ice drills, skills and competition. Between sessions, players are exposed to off-ice training and treated to informational presentations regarding college hockey, academics and nutrition, among other topics.
The camp’s professional coaching staff has included names in the past such as:
Jerry Keefe – Northeastern University
Paul Pearl – Cushing Academy
Mike Souza – University of New Hampshire
Adam Nicholas – Director of Hockey Development, Montreal Canadiens
Rod Braceful – Amateur Scout, Chicago Blackhawks
These esteemed coaches will be behind the benches, running practices, and conducting seminars for players and families. There will be no shortage of talent at this year’s camp. Some of the best youth players from this season include:
Van Martin – Lovell Academy
Hugo Daniel – North Yarmouth Academy
Tyler Clouthier – Ice Mavericks Hockey
Jason Millet – South Kent Selects
Garret Glaser – Shattuck-St. Mary’s
Glaser was a consistent source of strong goaltending in net for Shattuck this past season. He went 20-10-2 while compiling a 2.52 goals-against average and .913 save percentage with three shutouts. His knack to come up in big games backstopped his club to a championship appearance at USA Hockey Nationals in April. Millet built up on a strong first season with the Selects by upping his point total from 28 to 43. The solid 5-foot-10 defenseman knows how to add offense from the blue line. With an imposing 170 lbs. frame as well, opponents have a tough task of finding any space on the ice against him.
Danick St. Pierre – Seacoast Performance Academy
Blake Cash – Seacoast Performance Academy
Nick Sumner – Brooks School
Ryan Poirier – New Hampshire Avalanche
Sully Wilmont – Idaho Junior Steelheads
Parker Sockseth – Seacoast Performance Academy
St. Pierre finished the season second overall on SPA in total points with 86 (29G, 57A). Cash compiled seven goals and 21 points as well for the team.
Richie Janniello – Long Island Gulls
Brice Glanz – Windy City Storm
Connor Wright – Middlesex School
Dante Kader – Islanders Hockey Club
James Cappozi – New Jersey Rockets
Enzo Levy – Seigneurs des Mille-Îles
Blake Ward – Boston Jr. Eagles
Mason Proulx – Seacoast Performance Academy
Roan Wilson – Top Gun
Levy and Proulx both put up solid showings at the U13 World Selects Invitational in Chamonix, France. Levy recorded three goals and seven points for the Eastern U.S. Selects squad. He also averaged close to two points per game for Seigneurs des Mille-Îles, where he finished with 27 goals and 58 points in 30 games. Proulx joined Levy as a member of the Selects squad at the WSI, where he nabbed three goals and six points.
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Last weekend, the third annual New England States Rivalry Challenge hosted 120 athletes from four different states. Teams at the 2010 and 2011 birth years battled it out for state supremacy in this uniquely designed summer tournament. Schedule format was a three-game round robin, with the top two teams battling in a championship final. With that, we’ve got winners and standouts from both age groups, and who reigned supreme at last weekend’s NESRC.
Like at last year’s tournament, when the dust settled New Hampshire was once again standing atop the 2010 division. After kicking off its schedule with a win against Maine, New Hampshire dropped a 4-3 overtime decision to Vermont. In order for any chance to contend for the title, they needed a win against Massachusetts. Cam Casey and Michael Shook propelled the team to a 3-0 shutout win. The loss was Massachusetts’ first at the tournament. Goaltender Archie Wible stopped all 33 shots he faced.
In the rematch with Massachusetts, it was once again the dynamic duo of Casey and Shook doing the heavy lifting. Shook assisted on two opening-period goals from Casey to help New Hampshire take a 3-2 lead into the intermission. In the second, Casey completed his hat trick. Massachusetts’ Michael Buscaino cut the lead to 4-3 on the power play close to four minutes later. Shortly after, Casey and Snook combined with Brayden Guerin for a goal to double the lead once more. Nicholas Cabana notched the sixth and final goal of the game to secure the victory for New Hampshire. Wible was stellar in net once again, as he finished with 27 saves on 30 shots. Casey and Shook ended up as the top two scorers in the 2010 division. Casey scored two goals and seven points. Shook managed to put home four goals and six points.
After finishing as runners-up in the 2010 division last year, Vermont reached the top of the mountain at this year’s tournament among 2011 teams. Despite opening up a 2-0 lead on Massachusetts in the first game, the defense could not hold the line in the second period. The team was outscored 4-1 en route to an eventual 5-3 loss. Regrouping, Vermont won its next two round-robin games to set up a rematch with Massachusetts in the finale. Defenseman Rhys Del Giacco’s solid two-way play was a crucial part of Vermont’s strategy. He brought one goal and two assists with him into the championship game.
In the final contest, Jackson Abbott opened the scoring for Vermont at 15:34 of the first period. Just over a minute later, Patrick Taylor equalized the score. Special teams took over for the next stretch. Vermont tallied a short-handed goal and later received insurance on a power-play goal from Abbott. Taylor struck for his second goal of the game to bring the score to 3-2 late in the first period. He would end up as the leading scorer across both divisions at tournament’s end with nine goals and 11 points.
Del Giacco all but put the game away with his heroics in the second period. The smooth skating defender managed to score two short-handed goals in just over two minutes for a commanding 5-2 Vermont lead. Devon Priestley would salvage one more score for Massachusetts for a 5-3 final. Del Giacco and Abbott finished as leading scorers for Vermont, with six and five points, respectively.
Still in the young stages of its history, the New England States Rivalry Challenge is a unique summer hockey tournament experience. Players can register individually to represent their respective home states or, gather a team of friends and compete as a group. The 2023 event featured teams from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont, but applicants from all 50 states are welcome. As long as there are enough participants to field a 15-player AAA-level roster, you’re good to go!
Want more info on next year’s NESRC and how you can represent your home state at the event? Click HERE!
The World Youth Championships wrapped up in Prague on Sunday, with three teams securing titles. West Can Prime, East Coast Prime and Pro Selects Slovakia emerged victorious in the 2011, 2010 and 2009 divisions, respectively. All entered the playoff round as the respective No. 1-seeds of their birth year.
What a great last day in Prague at the World Youth Championships! Congrats to our winners 2011 WestCan Prime, 2010 East Coast Prime & 2009 Pro Team Selects! Finished off the day with a river cruise of the Vlatava River 🚢 @PrimeHockeyNA pic.twitter.com/r9X0x8SVAQ
— PLAY Hockey (@playhockeyna) June 4, 2023
Three tournament champions from three different countries hoisted the WYC trophy. American 2010-born Bobby Spang, Canadian ‘11 Brody Antignani and ‘09 Oliver Ozogany from Slovakia were key contributors in their respective divisions. All helped their squads claim gold in Europe over the weekend.
A large reason why West Can was able to find itself with a perfect 5-0-0 record heading out of pool play was the team’s dynamic offense. The biggest contributors of that attack were Brody Antignani (15G, 13A) and Beck Van Kemenade (7G, 21A). Picking up where they left off, West Can shut out Europe Hockey Selects in the quarterfinals, 5-0. Van Kemenade’s incredible play-making ability was on display, helping him record a goal and three assists. In the championship, the duo combined for another seven points in a 6-2 victory over Midwest Prime.
The two forwards ended as the second and third leading scorers across the entire tournament. They were second only to Max Prudovsky, who finished with 18 goals and 29 points for East Coast Prime.
In the preliminary round, East Coast Prime bested West Can Prime by a score of 7-2. In that game, Matthew Lynn had his best game of the tournament for East Coast by scoring three goals and two assists. Helping Lynn propel East Coast into the championship game was Bobby Spang. Spang entered the playoffs as co-leader of the team with Lynn 12 points. Over the next two playoff contests, Lynn added three points (1G, 2A) and Spang nabbed six (4G, 2A). A solid showing that allowed Spang to end up as the second overall scorer among the 2010 division behind West Can’s Liam Pue. Pue was the best goal scorer of any 2010-born skater, putting up 19 goals.
In the championship game, East Coast’s defense and goaltending held Pue off the scoresheet. Without production from its leading scorer, West Can struggled to put up offense. However, Spang and Lynn continued their production, combining for four points. With the 5-1 win, East Coast secured the 2010 division.
No other team in the 2009 division was able to produce quite like Pro Selects Slovakia. Across seven games, the team produced a tournament-best goal differential of plus-34. Heading the charge were Oliver Ozogany and Elias Matousek, who finished their runs with 20 and 16 points, respectively. The two ended as the top point-getters for ‘09 players. The next three following them in the Top 10 also hailed from Slovakia.
In the final meeting, East Coast Prime had the daunting task of trying to halt Slovakia’s potent firepower. But armed with some of the most gifted players at the tournament, Slovakia secured a 10-1 win. Ozogany and Matousek alone combined for eight points. Slovakian forward Michal Lazovsky totaled the most goals among 2009-born skaters with 10.
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With pool play wrapping up today at the World Youth Championships in Prague, a clearer picture is beginning to emerge as to playoff matchups heading into the weekend. The top two teams from the ‘09,’10, and ‘11 divisions have already locked up spots. The remaining four teams in each birth year will face off in play-in games to determine the third and fourth seeds for playoff positioning. One player who led East Coast Prime to secure one of those top seeds was 2011-born forward Max Prudovsky. After pool play, Prudovsky leads all skaters across all birth years with 17 goals and 27 points in just five games. He has also scored at an incredible pace of 5.40 points per game. Here’s a look at who else has stood out thus far and which teams have the best chances to compete for the championship…
A main reason why West Can Prime and East Coast Prime were able to finish as the top two teams in the 2011 division was scoring depth. Matching the incredible output by Prudovsky was West Can’s Brody Antignani (11G, 11A) and Beck Van Kemenade (6G, 15A). Carter Watson has been a dependable secondary source of offense behind Prudovsky, collecting 11 goals and 24 points. In the lone matchup between the two teams in the preliminary round, Antignani notched a hat trick and Van Kemenade added a goal as well. Prudvosky was held to two assists. West Can will attempt to keep their perfect 5-0-0 record alive in the playoffs, and don’t be surprised if it’s these two squads battling it out for the 2011 championship on Saturday.
The Ice Bears Selects will take on Midwest Prime and Top Speed will clash with Europe Hockey Selects in the play-in games later today to determine the fourth and fifth seeds.
There has been no better goal scorer among 2010 players at this year’s tournament than Liam Pue. Averaging close to three goals per game, Pue was only held off the scoresheet once in five pool play contests. He amassed 16 goals in those games. The next closest skater to that total is teammate Reid Nicol, who currently sits with nine. Across all divisions, Pue’s goal total is second only to Prudovsky. With a 4-1-0 record, West Can Prime will enter the playoff round in second behind East Coast Prime.
It comes as no surprise that East Coast has been helped by the dynamic play of forward Matthew Lynn. Lynn, who skated with the No. 1 Philadelphia Jr. Flyers this season, was a constant source of leadership and production for the team. He has carried that momentum into the WYC, tied for first in team points with Bobby Spang. The forward duo has each collected 12 points. Lynn’s best game came against West Can, where he put up three goals and two assists. The lone blemish on East Coast’s run was a 7-6 shootout loss to Midwest Prime. Following that, the team rebounded with a 7-0 shutout of Pro Selects Slovakia. Given the skill on each roster, it’s shaping up to be a rematch between East Coast and West Can for the ‘10 title.
Pro Selects Slovakia is set to take on STASA Hockey, while the North Wind Selects will attempt to defeat Midwest Prime in the play-in games later today.
Pro Selects Slovakia have been able to handle each team they have squared off with thus far. The offense that Oliver Ozogany and Elias Matousek have provided has been a spark to an undefeated run. Each forward has recorded 14 points and a combined credit on three game-winning goals. Armed with one of the more daunting attacks among the ‘09s, Slovakia has scored at least seven goals in four of its five pool play games.
Holding down second place, Midwest Prime, is the favored team to be able to contend with Slovakia for the championship. However, in their preliminary round meeting, Slovakia bested Midwest 7-2. Ozogany and Matousek each impressed in that game with three points each. In order for Midwest to have any chance in a rematch, team depth will need to be stronger. The trio of Dominic Slevin, Grady Anaka and Gianfranco D’Agata have supplied most of the points for Midwest. If anyone has a chance to slow down Slovakia, it’s them.
TSH Selects drops the puck against East Coast Prime to settle positioning in the first play-in game. Following that tilt, Top Speed will drop the puck with Crazy Hockey to see who moves on to the playoffs.
You can catch all the playoff action this weekend with live streams of the games HERE.
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