Each week, World Hockey Hub highlights a few of the most exciting upcoming games in youth hockey. It’s a full slate of games to keep an eye on this week. Djurgardens IF and AIK Hockey kick things off with an ‘08 Top-10 tilt on Wednesday. CSKA Moscow and Vityaz Podolsk tangle in a premier matchup between 2011s in Russia on Thursday. Then, we head North of the border for an ‘09 clash between Don Mills Flyers and Toronto Red Wings. The week concludes with Shattuck-St. Mary’s dropping the puck in an ‘07 meeting with Little Caesars on Saturday.
In the three times that No 2. Little Caesars (61-6-2) has faced off with No. 17 Shattuck-St. Mary’s (29-16-4) this season, they have been victorious. With one final game remaining in their season series, Shattuck looks to finally solve a club that has been a thorn in their side.
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| Saturday, February 26 @ 2 PM EST Belfor Arena |
In those three previous contests, Caesars outscored Shattuck 15-4. Despite the solid seasons of their top point getters, Shattuck’s inability to shut down the explosive attack of Caesars has been a big factor. Their blue line and goalies should prepare for another long night of wave after wave of offense. As a result, players like Aaron Obobaifo (34G, 21A) and Gavin Katz (28G, 23A) will have to do the heavy lifting for Shattuck in this one.
Pete’s Pick: I’d like to give Shattuck more credit here, but I think the depth of Caesars is just too much for them to overcome. With the first three games coming in Shattuck’s own barn, now they are heading on the road. Trying to take down one of the best teams in not only their birth year, but youth hockey this season won’t be easy. Caesars sweeps the season series with a 5-1 win.
Craig’s Pick: Caesars has not been at its best lately. If ever there was a time for Shattuck to catch ‘em, it’s now. However, I think even on an off night, Little Caesars’ good is better than most everyone else’s best. Will Horcoff, Aiden Janz and Little Caesars in a close one, 4-2.
No. 9 AIK Hockey (20-11-3) will lace up the skates against No. 2 Djurgårdens IF (29-14-10) on Wednesday. They also will not be quick to forget how they lost a 2-0 lead in the last meeting between these two squads in an eventual 3-2 loss.
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| Wednesday, February 22 Mälarhöjdens Ishall |
Back on Jan. 11, it seemed as though AIK was well on its way to a victory. However, a shorthanded goal from Nick Travergård would cut the lead in half, things were quickly tied up about three minutes later. Sebastian Von Berens would net the winning goal with minutes left in regulation to give Djurgårdens the comeback victory.
Travergård, the leading scorer on DIF with 12 goals and 24 points, will lead his squad into this matchup. Just behind him in overall group scoring is AIK’s Filip Nyberg with 11 goals and 22 points. In the meeting in January, Nyberg notched a goal and assist. Given how things played out last time these two shared a sheet of ice, special teams will be crucial.
Pete’s Pick: AIK proved they could skate with a team like Djurgårdens last time out, they just ran out of gas. A near-perfect game is needed to beat a team of Djurgårdens caliber. I believe they learned a hard lesson last time out, and will get a victory back in this one, 4-3.
Craig’s Pick: Last time out, I think it just took DIF a little while to get going. Clearly, once they did, AIK couldn’t keep up with the three unanswered goals. I like Djurgårdens to get out to a better start in this one, play with a lead, and hang onto it. DIF over AIK 4-2.
It has been quite some time since No. 7 CSKA Moscow (25-12-2) and No. 8 Vityaz Podolsk (27-6-1) have seen one another in competitive play. They will reignite their season series on Thursday before ending their 2022-23 schedules against one another in April.
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| Thursday, February 23 |
Alexei Katsuro (17G, 19A) and Darius Malyshev (24G, 25A), leaders in scoring for CSKA, only accounted for one point in the previous 4-1 loss to Vityaz. Mikhail Maltsev (47G, 44A), Petr Bedretdinov (35G, 35A) and Kirill Rodionov (36G, 33A) form the formidable trio for Vityaz. Rodionov collected four points, along with a natural hat trick against CSKA back in that April contest. Maltsev added two helpers as well.
It’s an intriguing game, as Vityaz has been the hotter team as of late but CSKA has the skill to skate with any fellow Top-10 team in Russia. Ultimately, whichever team has their top players going in this one will be coming out on top.
Pete’s Pick: I like Vityaz’s stretch of play over the past few weeks. They have been beating the teams they need to beat with little issue. CSKA has collected the wins, but some games make me wonder if they at times play up or down to their opponent. I think Vityaz skates away with the win here, 3-2.
Craig’s Pick: Much of Vityaz’ success in the last meeting stemmed from keeping CSKA’s top scorers at bay. That’s a tough task to achieve twice, and I don’t think Katsuro and Malyshev can be contained to just one point a second time. They open up the offense, and CSKA gets the 5-2 win.
No. 1 Don Mills Flyers (47-5-4) and No. 23 Toronto Red Wings (37-11-5) will meet on Friday in the third game of their season series. Don Mills won the first contest, 3-1 with the second game ending in a 3-3 tie on Jan. 6.
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| Friday, February 24 @ 8:50 PM EST Chesswood 2 |
Each club enters this contest winners of six straight, so you would be hard pressed to find another game where both teams are coming in with this much confidence. Toronto knowingly is heading into this matchup with the feeling that they have a large task ahead of them. But, given how close the previous matchups have been, it should give them some added confidence that they can pull out a win.
Pete’s Pick: Toronto can surprise in this matchup, but I think Don Mills has a bit more depth. Sometimes it can take a bounce here or there, yet just feels like Toronto would need a good amount of those. It’s another close one, with Don Mills taking a 3-2 final.
Craig’s Pick: I like DMF too. This will be a very competitive, exciting game with plenty of back and forth, I don’t doubt that. I just think when the dust settles, it’s Don Mills standing victorious, 3-2.
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The 63rd annual PeeWee Quebec is down to eight teams still in the hunt for a championship at one of youth hockey’s most iconic tournaments. An event that began last Friday with 28 teams in the AAA division is now down to the quarterfinals. Who will survive and advance their way to Sunday’s championship, and ultimately be crowned as the best U13 team in North America? Our pair of experts weigh in with complete bracketology of the remaining three rounds from the Videotron Center.
There’s still three different countries in the hunt for a championship at PeeWee Quebec. I think all three will still be in the race come Saturday evening as well.
The Czech Knights have always shown well at this tournament, finishing second in last year’s tournament and winning the championship in the one before that. Tomas Albrecht is one of five players in the tournament to record a hat trick. He did it in Tuesday’s 7-4 win over Laval Patriotes. Matyas Vik and Nicolas Novak have been a steady source of offense as well for the Czechs. I like them to get past the Buffalo Jr. Sabres in the quarters, and then be in a tight one in the semifinals. More on those matchups in a minute.
The other half of the bracket features several potential rematches from contests earlier in the season. Brantford 99ers have already beaten world-ranked No. 22 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite not once, but twice this season. I like leading scorers Gavin Martin and Emry Lowe to make it a trifecta with a third win over PPE to advance to the semifinals. Martin tops all skaters with four goals and seven points through three games in Quebec.
Should the 99ers advance, it will set up yet another rematch with No. 17 Little Caesars, who competes in the tournament as the Detroit Red Wings. Those two teams met back in September, where Caesars coasted to a 6-2 win. Ryder Adams, Ben Slavick and Jack Trupiano have been the best trio in the tournament, accounting for 11 of the Red Wings’ 15 goals. I like them to roll past Brantford Saturday to get to the championship game.
That would leave Sun County Panthers as the lone Canadian representative in the field Saturday night. It’s been a fortuitous draw for the No. 8 ranked team in the world. They’ve taken care of business against three straight American-based teams with a 14-2 goal differential. Czech Knights, on the other hand, have played three games against teams that have all been ranked in their respective countries. That includes a 4-3 win against Lions Lac St-Louis and pulling away from No. 24 Patriotes Laval with three late goals in a 7-4 win. Additionally, they had to knock off the No. 1 ranked team in the U.S., Philadelphia Flyers with a 3-0 win Friday.
The Czechs have been in playoff mode since the tournament started. They’ve been battle tested all week long against top competition in close games. They are also led by a coaching staff that’s gotten multiple teams to the championship game in recent years. Not only do they eliminate Sun County — and the last remaining Canadian team — from the tournament, but they go on to win the championship on Sunday in convincing fashion as well.
You can’t ignore the past history between No. 22 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite and Brantford 99ers. In two previous matchups this season, Brantford was victorious over Pens Elite by convincing scores of 3-1 and 6-2. The thing that will put the 99ers over the top is that two of the top five scorers at the PeeWee Quebec wear a Brantford jersey. As mentioned earlier, Martin (4G, 3A) and Lowe (2G, 4A) have done most of the heavy lifting for the squad, and show no signs of slowing down. Look for them to find the scoresheet once again and lead their team to the semifinals.
Meeting them in that game will be the Detroit Red Wings. Quite some time has passed since Brantford and Detroit met back on Sept. 30th. While Detroit won a lopsided game, many things have changed since then. One constant for the Wings has been the ability of Adams, Slavick and Trupiano to find the back of the net all season. Equipped with the formidable trio, the Red Wings have been able to score at will.
In order to reach the semifinals, they will have to take care of business against No. 23 Burnaby Winter Club. Burnaby has been going up against the best Canadian competition all season long and won’t be rattled by a talented Detroit contingent. Both squads have a talented top line, but the tipping point in the matchup will come down to depth; a facet that benefits the Red Wings more. Detroit will add another result to their win column and will move on to the championship game on Sunday.
The Sabres and Knights’ game will come down to goaltending. Olivia De Lisle, who has started both games for Buffalo had been a rock in the crease, and is a trustworthy last line of defense. It will take a concerted team effort from her and her defense in shutting down the Czech attack. Despite the Jr. Sabres’ best efforts, the championship pedigree of the Czechs will give them a slight edge here to take the win.
After that, Sun County and the Knights will duke it out for the chance to reach the championship game. Given the immense talent and how evenly these two teams match up, this one is going past regulation. Look to leading scorers Carter Trudell or Gianluca Mclure to nab the winning goal in overtime for the Panthers.
Sunday will be an all-out, offensive showcase between the Red Wings and Panthers. In the end, the scoring depth of Detroit will be too much for Sun County to overcome. Even if the main trio of players has a rare off day, there are plenty of other skill players in that lineup to take down even the most talented opponent. The PeeWee Quebec trophy will be taken home by a U.S. club for the first time since 2019.
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Last weekend, the Northeast Pack Hockey League held its playoffs for teams in the 2006, 2007 and 2008 birth years. There were a fair share of surprises and upsets over the course of three exciting days at the Northford Ice Pavilion. No team that ended the regular season in first place went on to finish as champions.
Let’s take a look at how things shook out when all the dust settled…
When the NE Pack regular season wrapped up on Jan. 22, No. 18 New Jersey Rockets were sitting in second among 2006-born teams. An opportunity to make some noise once the playoffs rolled around, but they would have to continue clawing their way through a packed field. This division housed juggernauts such as No. 3 Long Island Gulls, No. 11 Bishop Kearney Selects, No. 21 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite and No. 20 Mount St. Charles.
New Jersey handled business in their first two round-robin matchups, dispatching Mount St. Charles and Pens Elite, 5-3 and 6-4, respectively. After the play-in game, they were tasked once again to take on Pens Elite in the semifinals. Emerging as the victor once more, their lone challenge left was in the form of BK Selects for the championship. A team they had moderate success against in the regular season with a 4-2-0 record.
It would prove to be their toughest game of the postseason. Goals and chances were traded for the duration of regulation before things would end 4-4. With no winner coming in overtime, the game was settled in a shootout, where the Rockets prevailed 5-4 and secured the division.
@RocketsHC are your 2023 NE Pack 16U Champions pic.twitter.com/gcpRRPI6cv
— NE Pack Hockey (@nepackhockey) February 12, 2023
The 2007-born division also had its fair share of Top-10 U.S. teams from the World Rankings. No. 5 Long Island Gulls kicked off their run with a 4-3 win over the New Jersey Rockets. After securing a spot in the semifinals with a 4-2 victory against the No. 6 Mount St. Charles, the two sides were slated for a rematch in the semifinals. Despite Mount’s best efforts, it was a familiar script with the Gulls skating to a 5-3 victory.
The road for No. 8 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite to get to the championship game was not an easy one. After suffering an opening loss to Mount, they would need to rebound in their next game, or run the risk of having their playoff hopes dashed quite early.
And rebound they did, taking No. 9 Mid-Fairfield Jr. Rangers to task in a 6-2 win. With confidence restored, they took their next game against No. 2 Bishop Kearney Selects, setting the stage for a meeting against Long Island. It was also a chance at redemption for PPE, who went just 1-2-1 against the Gulls in the season series.
Despite the fireworks both clubs endured in their previous games, it was a rather subdued final. The Gulls clamped things down on defense in a tight 2-1 final.
@LIGullsHockey are your 2023 NE Pack 15O Champions pic.twitter.com/3ehU8zF1Sg
— NE Pack Hockey (@nepackhockey) February 12, 2023
When the regular season ended, the two teams that stood atop the division table were the Bishop Kearney Selects and Mount St. Charles. It was no surprise then to see both squads in the championship game for 2008-born NE Pack teams.
Ranked No. 4 and No. 9 in the U.S. rankings, both BK and Mount had undefeated runs en route to their title tilt. For Bishop Kearney, the likes of No. 3 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite, Mid-Fairfield Jr. Rangers and Long Island Gulls were no match for them. Mount St. Charles had to take care of the New Jersey Rockets and, coincidentally, the Gulls and Penguins as well.
With a 3-1-1 record against BK in the regular season, Mount knew it had the skill to emerge as champions with a concentrated team effort. Their depth was on full display as they cruised to a 7-2 victory for the title.
@RISaintMsHockey are your 2023 NE Pack 14U Champions pic.twitter.com/F4BtCXmgT3
— NE Pack Hockey (@nepackhockey) February 12, 2023
Check out the video below for some of the best goals from this division.
This weeks LiveBarn Top 5 features goals from the 14U @nepackhockey Tournament! Check them out! pic.twitter.com/wgPtwV4Egv
— LiveBarn (@LiveBarn) February 15, 2023
There was also a playoff round held for 18U teams of the Long Island Gulls, Mount St. Charles, Penguins Elite, BK Selects and New Jersey Rockets. The lone club standing at the end of it all was the PPE, who defeated the Rockets 6-1 in the final.
@PghPensElite are your 2023 NE Pack 18U Champions pic.twitter.com/zfSY9FYLA5
— NE Pack Hockey (@nepackhockey) February 12, 2023
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2007-born No. 16 Chicago Mission made a huge statement with a 7-0 takedown of No. 17 Shattuck-St. Mary’s, boosting them up a spot in the U.S. and World Rankings. It was the biggest deficit Shattuck has experienced yet this season, proving that no team in the Top 10 for American programs is safe. After two solid wins against No. 25 Mount St. Charles, No. 20 Long Island Gulls too enjoyed a nice bump in the Top 25 for ‘07 teams.
Two ‘09 programs raised their standing as well in the respective Top 10s of their countries.
No. 12 Boston Jr. Eagles secured victories over No. 13 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite and No. 22 New Jersey Rockets. Overseas, No. 7 Dynamo St. Petersburg was led by top scorer Kiril Khristoforov into two matchups against teams directly ahead of them in the Russian standings. They passed with flying colors, defeating No. 8 SKA St. Petersburg and No. 9 SKA Strelna, 5-2 and 6-3, respectively. By passing them, Dynamo also secured the final spot in the Top 25 of ‘09 teams.
No country or birth year experienced more movement than ‘07 Finnish squads. Overall, seven teams switched positions, with the largest move from Lukko from No. 9 to No. 7. Ässät also re-entered the chat and settled into a Top-10 spot after missing out in the last rankings.
Nacka HK recorded a 3-1-0 stretch since the last rankings update, with no win proving more vital than a 6-1 romp of No. 2 Täby HC. The victory propelled Nacka as the new No. 1 among ‘07 Swedes. It was a dominating performance right from puck drop. Täby netminder Vincent Österlund was peppered with 35 shots the entire contest, and three skaters from Nacka recorded multi-point performances. Standing out were Olle Jöstedt (1G, 2A), Olle Därth (1G, 1A) and Matiss Zilitis (2A). Felix Tolke stood firm in his crease, holding back the usually explosive offense of Täby to just the one goal on 25 shots.
The Top 10 of 2011-born U.S. clubs also experienced a shift at the top with the Mid-Fairfield Jr. Rangers overtaking Pittsburgh Penguins Elite for the No. 1 crown. Both teams faced off against a healthy dose of Canadian competition, often against the same opponents. But when it came time to square off for U.S. bragging rights, Mid-Fairfield edged out a 3-2 win. The victory was the sixth in a row for the Jr. Rangers, while it also snapped the Penguins’ win streak at six.
Hermes Punainen has not been a name frequently heard this season around the ‘08 World Rankings. Playing in Finland, they compete in a stacked group with teams such as No. 4 JYP, No. 7 Kärpät Valkoinen, No. 8 Kärpät Musta and No. 10 KalPa. A bubble team for a majority of this season, a big series or victory could finally allow Hermes to leapfrog into the Top 10. With two crucial wins over KalPa, the time finally came with Hermes making its mark at No. 9. A fellow Finnish team that also played their way into the Top 10 conversation was 2009-born Ilves Florida. They have been off to a pleasant start in the continuation of group play.
Another bubble team hovering around the ‘09 Top 10 for the U.S. has been the Florida Alliance. With two solid showings against No. 4 Penguins Elite and No. 8 Dallas Stars Elite, they squeezed their way into the fray, earning the No. 10 spot.
Two 2011 teams from the U.S. and Russia built up their resumes enough to cross the line from bubble to ranked distinction. No. 10 Chicago Mission defeated the likes of No. 6 Chicago Reapers, former No. 7 Windy City Storm twice and split a two-game set with No. 5 Oakland Jr. Grizzlies. Success that resulted in them taking the No. 10 position. An overtime victory against No. 1 Dynamo St. Petersburg gave No. 10 SKA St. Petersburg enough juice to make it into the top tier of Russia.
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.
Each week, World Hockey Hub highlights a few of the most exciting upcoming games in youth hockey. This weekend will be jam-packed with premier matchups to keep an eye on. Shattuck-St. Mary’s will battle Mount St. Charles in a Top-10 tilt on Friday. Heading North of the border for an ‘09 all-Toronto clash between the Jr. Canadians and Marlboros. The week concludes overseas with a matchup between Boo HC and Södertälje SK. CSKA Moscow and Vityaz Podolsk tangle in a Top-10 matchup between 2007s in Russia.
No. 10 Mount St. Charles (28-14-2) has a huge opportunity in its upcoming three-game series against No. 1 Shattuck-St. Mary’s (44-2-2). An opportunity to see how they fare against one of the best teams of their 2006 birth year. It will be the first time this season the clubs will face off against one another.
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| Friday, February 17 @ 3:30 PM MST Shattuck-St. Mary’s Ice Arena |
Winners of their last four, Shattuck has been one of the most offensively gifted teams this season. Seemingly scoring at will, they are equipped with a plus-226 goal differential. Ryker Lee and Jack Galanak have supplied a good portion of the goals, recording 109 and 91 points, respectively. Aside from those two, 13 players have recorded 30 or more points in their campaign.
Mount is looking to get back in the win column coming off a 3-1 loss to South Kent Selects Academy their last time out.
In the two games No. 1 Toronto Jr. Canadiens (38-10-1) and No. 9 Toronto Marlboros (38-15-5) met this season, both resulted in defeats for the Marlboros. Set for the third game of their GTHL series, the Marlboros will attempt to change their fortunes on Saturday.
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| Friday, February 17 @ 8:35 PM EST Etobicoke Ice Sports 3 |
The Jr. Canadiens recently saw a seven-game win streak halted by the Toronto Titans. Despite the blip on the radar, they still are considered among the elite of 2009-born Canadian programs. They can score at will, defend and their goaltending has been solid. Over the last 10 games alone, they are 8-2-0 while outscoring their opposition 39-10.
It has been a different story on the other end of the rink for the Marlboros. 4-5-1 in their last 10, and they have struggled to gain any footing to help their way up the World Rankings. Given the close nature in which they played the Jr. Canadiens in their two losses, Friday’s meeting is a huge opportunity for them to gain some confidence back and begin the final stretch of games on a good note.
The top two 2007-born Russian teams will be going head to head this weekend. No. 1 CSKA Moscow (18-5-2) will square off with No. 2 Vityaz Podolsk (34-3-1) on Sunday.
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| Sunday, February 19 |
Both teams are coming off losses. The last meting between the two was a 4-2 loss for Vityaz back on Jan. 19.
This will be the fourth and final time in the regular season these sides will battle it out, with CSKA currently leading the season series 2-1.
Roman Rizvanov’s 34 goals and 47 points top CSKA’s leaderboards, with playmaker Nikita Esipov’s 10 goals and 42 points sitting in second.
Alexander Zharovsky (39G, 55A), Daniil Terenin (44G, 53A) and Vladislav Lander (26G, 39A) serve as the main trio for Vityaz. A true model of consistency, Zharovsky has been piling up the points at a point per game pace.
No. 4 Boo HC (25-7-6) looks to avenge a 2-0 loss to No. 5 Södertälje SK (14-7-7) back on Jan. 16 when they take to the ice against their ‘08 Swedish foes on Sunday.
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| Sunday, February 19 Björknäs Ishall |
In that loss, Boo goaltender Leon Andersson stopped 20 of 22 shots. Getting a majority of the starts for his squad, he has recorded a 1.29 goals-against average and .943 save percentage to go along with three shutouts. Numbers that are good for second-best in the group. At even-strength play, only 15 shots have found their way past him in all contests.
While no skater for either side is blazing up the top point-getters list, each comes equipped with their own dependable scorers. Boo will be led by Viggo Fors and his 11 points in 15 games, with Hugo Mikaelsson just behind with 10. Södertälje will counter with Patric Hellström and his 11 points across 13 contests.
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The 15th season of the World Selects tournament series will begin on April 25th. Following that day, 12 different events will take place over the following weeks. They’ll be hosted in five exotic locations across six different age groups for both boys and girls international youth hockey players.
The World Selects Invitational has a long and decorated history as one of, if not, the most iconic tournament series in youth hockey today.
More than 650 participants have gone on to be chosen in the NHL Draft. That includes 2022 first overall selection Juraj Slafkovsky (Slovakia Selects), 2021 sixth overall selection Simon Edvinsson (Sweden Selects), 2020 second overall selection Quinton Byfield (Canada) and 2019 second overall selection Kaapo Kakko (Finland Selects). Every NHL roster features at least one name that’s been etched in the World Selects halls of history.
The next wave of top-tier talent in youth hockey will take the stage this Spring. It begins with the 2008 Boys Elite tournament in Nashville, Tennessee, USA on April 25th. The U14 Girls Elite event will take place at the same time 4,600 miles across the globe in Chamonix, France. Also taking place that week is the 12U Boys AAA tournament in Bolzano, Italy.
That trio of events will signify the beginning of a World Selects season of events that will decorate the calendar over the next three months. Here’s a complete list of dates, ages and locations:
World Selects tournaments fall into two categories. The first is the Elite events, where participating teams apply for entry, and go through a thorough vetting process. Those teams compete in the World Selects Invitational. Participants include franchises such as DraftDay Hockey, Eastern U.S. Selects, NorthStar Elite, Premier Ice Prospects, Pro Hockey, Sweden Selects, Finland Selects and other European Selects programs.
In total, 20 different North American programs and 20 European programs will be represented this season. Additionally, teams from more than 18 different countries will take the ice including the United States, Canada, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Czechia, Slovakia, France, Norway, Latvia and Kazakhstan, among others.
Teams consist of players that are carefully recruited and selected to compete in the Elite events. These are high-level AAA players capable of competing against the absolute best in the world. These teams typically represent the best youth hockey players their respective countries have to offer. Hundreds of futures NHL players, thousands of NCAA college hockey athletes and countless national team representatives from around the world.
The AAA events provide the same, exotic experience offered in Elite events, but are open to any AAA caliber youth hockey player. Hosted in many of the same locations as the Elite events, the AAA World Selects Trophy tournaments provide players — and teams — with an opportunity to compete, perform and potentially be promoted to compete at Elite events in the future.
World Hockey Hub is the exclusive media provider for all 12 World Selects tournaments and will produce one-of-a-kind content you won’t find anywhere else in youth hockey. Games can be live-streamed on SolidSport, and WHH will have complete breakdowns, commentary, analysis, highlights, photo galleries, interviews and more from some of the top players and teams in the WSI.
Join more than 28,000 people in following WHH on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Discord and YouTube. The WHH community will be the first to receive updates as the WSI unfolds this spring. Additionally, you’ll receive announcements regarding upcoming events, future tournaments and other news about the World Selects tournament series.
One-hundred and twenty youth hockey teams will take part in the 63rd annual Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament, starting this week. For the AAA division, 28 2010-born squads from three countries — Canada, the United States and Czechia — will suit up for action.
And taking a look at the participants at this year’s event, it’s safe to say the games will be jam-packed with action.
Canada’s clubs are ready to defend home ice, as four of the Top 10 teams in the Canadian Rankings are lacing up their skates. No. 2 Sun County Panthers and their explosive offense will be leading the way. No. 8 Burnaby Winter Club and No. 10 North Shore Winter Club will be bringing the skill from Western Canada. The No. 7 Patriotes Laval will be put to the test as well. Not to mention the defending champion Montreal Canadiens will be out to repeat what last year’s 2009 team achieved.
A decent contingent of U.S. teams will also be making appearances. The No. 2 Boston Jr. Eagles, No. 5 Minuteman Flames, No. 7 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite and No. 9 Buffalo Jr. Sabres will all be striving to add their names to the prestigious list of past winners. There are even some teams, such as the New Jersey Devils, Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers who have built their rosters as collections of the top talent from their respective locations.
One lone club from overseas will be in attendance, but make no mistake they are veterans of making some noise at the Pee-Wee Quebec. The Czech Knights, winners of the 2018 and 2020 tournament, will look to make things difficult for their opponents. The team also comes in with a bit of a chip on their shoulder, as they fell to the Canadiens in overtime in the championship game last year.
With AAA teams being included at the Pee-Wee beginning in 2014, the Knights have certainly been a mainstay among the top performers at the competition since then.
Both the Knights and Canadiens face tough tests right out of the gate. The Canadiens will open against the Los Angeles Jr. Kings, a club that won the 2019 AAA division. The Knights begin action with Lions Lac St-Louis.
For fans wanting to stay up to date with the latest scores, standings and more, there is an official mobile app you can download HERE.
Plus, WHH will have exclusive coverage, recaps, predictions and more as the tournament unfolds! Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Discord and YouTube!
A packed field of youth hockey teams headed to the Sunshine State to take part in the Florida Exposure Cup over the weekend. The Panthers IceDen, Palm Beach IceWorks, Palm Beach Skate Zone and Rink on the Beach were the host sites for all the action. Three teams were named winners of divisions within the 2007, 2008 and 2009 birth years.
For the 2007 Elite division, teams were divided into two pools. Each team followed a round-robin format, with the top four teams advancing to the semifinals.
Pool A: Chicago Reapers, No. 1 Little Caesars, St. Louis Blues AAA, Omaha Mastery
Pool B: No. 25 Long Island Gulls, Philadelphia Flyers Elite, No. 9 (U.S.) Mid-Fairfield Jr. Rangers, South Kent Selects
Following round-robin play, the four teams left standing were Little Caesars, the Gulls, Mid-Fairfield and the Reapers. Caesars scored four unanswered goals in a comeback victory against the Reapers to reach the final game. The Gulls’ road to the championship match would prove to be more exciting.
Down 2-1 after the first period, Ethan Wyttenbach scored twice in the second to put his club up 3-2. The Rangers, however, struck again to even things up at 3 and forcing the action to overtime. Following a scoreless extra frame, the Gulls emerged victorious in a shootout, setting up their finale date with Caesars.
Brendan Defeo slid the winning shootout goal five-hole, which was one of the top goals of the week.
Lots of great games and goals from this weekend at the Florida Exposure Cup! Check out LiveBarn‘s Top 5 🏒 pic.twitter.com/nqMRWbVHhP
— LiveBarn (@LiveBarn) February 6, 2023
When you go up against the No. 1 team in the World Rankings, the task is already daunting. Add that it is for a tournament championship into the equation, and the task seems monumental. But the Gulls’ roster seemed unfazed as to who their opponent was, playing them hard throughout regulation, with both goals coming in the first period. Shortly after overtime began, Jared Petruso wired home the game-winning goal to cement the Gulls’ 2007 division championship.
Even more impressive was Long Island’s defensive management of many of the top scorers in the division. This included leading point-getter Nicholas Kasiba. He garnered four goals and nine points across six games, but none in the big game. For Long Island, Wyttenbach would end as the team’s points leader with six goals and eight points.
The 2008 Elite Division was split into four pools of participants, with three in each designated group. Teams played in cross-pool round robin games. In the quarterfinals, Pool A played Pool C and Pool B played Pool D. The semifinal round was then re-seeded.
Pool A: Boston Jr. Eagles, Mid-Fairfield Jr. Rangers, Wilkes-Barre Scranton Jr. Knights,
Pool B: No. 10 (U.S.) Seacoast Performance Academy, St. Louis Blues AAA, Yale Junior Bulldogs
Pool C: No. 24 Dallas Stars Elite, Florida Alliance, Okanagan Hockey Group
Pool D: Long Island Gulls, North Jersey Avalanche, Philadelphia Flyers Elite
It was a pristine run for Mid-Fairfield, as they went undefeated en route to being crowned champions of the 2008 Division. After slicing through the competition in pool play, they were tasked with overcoming the Avalanche. A tilt that would prove to be their hardest one of the entire tournament.
After jumping out to a 2-0 lead thanks to Mason St. Louis and Joey Salandra, Mid-Fairfield would eventually end the first period up 4-2. North Jersey responded with three unanswered goals to take a 5-4 lead. With second left in the game, Jason Rothstein tied the game up, forcing overtime. From there, Maddox Boyle would net the game-winning goal on the power play, securing the Ranger’s undefeated run among ‘08 teams.
Rothstein led all skaters in total points with 19 (11G, 8A) across six games, with Salandra 18 just behind. Salandra collected four points (1G, 3A) alone in the title game.
Mason St. Louis, son of NHL Hall of Famer and current head coach of the Montreal Canadiens Martin St. Louis, provided fantastic secondary scoring with tallies like the one above. That goal was one of his five on the weekend, and nine total points.
The 2009 Elite Division was also split into four pools of participants, with four in each designated group. Teams played in three round-robin games within their pool. In the quarterfinals, Pool A played Pool B and Pool C played Pool D.
Pool A: Boston Jr. Terriers, Florida Alliance, Milwaukee Admirals, No. 12 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite
Pool B: No. 24 Boston Jr. Eagles, No. 9 (U.S.) Little Caesars, New Jersey Rockets (Elite), PAL Jr. Islanders
Pool C: No. 9 (U.S.) Dallas Stars Elite, No. 22 Mid-Fairfield Jr. Rangers, Mississauga Reps, Wilkes-Barre Scranton Jr. Knights
Pool D: Buffalo Jr. Sabres, No. 18 New Jersey Rockets (Academy), No. 7 St. Louis Blues AAA, Top Gun Hockey
The Eagles got their Exposure Cup schedule off to a shaky start with a 6-2 loss to Caesars. However, they responded with three consecutive wins to finish pool play, their first playoff date was set against the Alliance. Four different goal scorers and a multi-assist game from Jacoby Palmer would ensure the Jr. Eagles’ appearance in the championship game.
A possible rematch between Caesars and the Eagles was possible, but all thoughts of that were halted when Pens Elite brushed off Caesars 7-1. That set up a title game between two world-ranked foes.
Good fortunes continued for Pittsburgh when it took a 1-0 lead into intermission. The Jr. Eagles came out for the second a different team, blazing four unanswered goals in the second to take the ‘09 Elite Division crown. JR Gualberto had a hand in three of the four goals in the period, collecting one assist and scoring twice.
Trevor Daley, Jr. of the Alliance led all skaters in the division with 12 points (6G, 6A). Carter Meyer led the Jr. Eagles with 11 (6G, 5A).
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2023 started off with impressive runs by a handful of teams from around the world. It was a big stretch for 2007-born teams like Djurgårdens IF in Sweden and Finland’s Tappara. The ‘11 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite and ‘10 Toronto Jr. Canadiens continued their dominance. ‘08 CSKA Moscow stood apart among Russian programs 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.
With a schedule that was packed with multiple matchups against fellow Top-10 opponents, No. 1 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite proved they are still the squad to beat among 2011-born U.S. teams.
They kicked off January with three straight wins over No. 10 Philadelphia Hockey Club, outscoring them 21-6. After a series split with the Ohio Blue Jackets, they were tasked with facing off against No. 2 Mid-Fairfield Jr. Rangers for three tilts.
PPE took the first game 2-1, dropped the second 5-1 before rebounding with a solid 6-1 victory to take the series. In total, they secured a 6-2-0 mark for the month, with five of those coming against Top-10 teams.
One of the busier Canadian teams to start the New Year were the ‘10 Toronto Jr. Canadiens. An impressive run saw them best the likes of the No. 4 Vaughan Kings and No. 5 Don Mills Flyers. However, it was their performance in multiple cross-border matchups that impressed the most.
The Jr. Canadiens faced a daunting task of dropping the puck against a stacked lineup of U.S. Top 10s. First up was No. 7 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite, who they handled 5-3. Next, two victories against the No. 8 Chicago Reapers and No. 6 HoneyBaked. They rounded out this slate with one of their two losses in the month, dropping a 4-3 result to the No. 3 Chicago Mission.
Altogether, the Jr. Canadiens were able to string together an 11-2-1 record and remain one of the premier teams of the 2010 birth year.
No. 2 Djurgårdens IF skated to an unblemished 5-0-0 record in January, securing three key victories against fellow top-ranked Sweden adversaries.
Currently underway in the continuation of group play, DIF went toe-to-toe with No. 5 Södertälje SK, No. 7 Viggbyholms IK and No. 9 Flemingsbergs IK. Earning wins in all three games, they also had no issue in obtaining wins against Solna SK and Almtuna.
Leading the way across Djurgårdens’ scorching run of play has been forward Arvid Drott. Across the 5-0-0 month, Drott collected nine goals and 13 points. His best game came in the contest against Viggbyholms, where he found the back of the net five times to go along with two assists.
Collectively, Drott has tallied 15 goals and 25 points in group play as one of the premier scorers among all skaters. Top goaltender Ludvig Gromell has served as a calming presence for DIF, recording a 1.57 goals-against average and .943 save percentage.
Eetu Orpana and Joonas Rajala were the engine that drove 2007-born No. 2 Tappara to a perfect 5-0-0 January. In those five games, Orpana accumulated 16 points (7G, 9A) with Rajala just behind with 14 (5G, 9A).
Their strong play was a catalyst in decisive victories over No. 3 Kärpät, No. 4 Jokerit and No. 9 Lukko. Tappara’s scoring depth was on display when they outscored the Pelicans and Ässät by a combined 19-2.
There was no hotter team than No. 3 CSKA Moscow, whose pristine run to a 5-0-0 record was marked with major wins against top-tier opponents.
CSKA opened the month with a 9-2 rout of No. 6 Dynamo Moscow. They dispatched of Russ Moscow and the Polar Bears before setting their sights on two more ranked squads.
Nikita Ovcharov, Nikita Gromakov and Alexander Petrov all recorded multi-point performances to lead CSKA to a 7-3 final over No. 7 Mikhailov Academy. The final hurdle towards a perfect January record was a date with No. 4 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. CSKA had extra motivation for the matchup, as Lokomotiv defeated them in a close 3-2 game on Dec. 18. It would be another hard-fought event, with CSKA securing a shootout victory, 4-3. Ilya Morozov was the only player to find a goal in the skills competition.
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When looking at the records for many youth hockey teams this season, you would be hard pressed to find one as impressive as the 2008-born No. 5 Dallas Stars Elite. Consistently in the Top 10 among U.S. teams in the World Rankings, the club is in the midst of one of the most successful winning streaks in organization history.
On Oct. 28, the Stars fell to the Hartford Jr. Wolfpack 2-0. The following day, they rebounded with a 4-2 win against Ottawa Myers Automotive in a cross-border matchup.
From that point on, all they have done is win. A lot.
In the midst of a 21-game winning streak, it is the longest streak of its kind by any team in Dallas Stars Elite program history. They surpassed the previous record holder, the 18U Stars Elite, who won 18 consecutive games from Oct. 8-Dec. 17 2021.
Congratulations to our 2008 team for the longest win streak in Org history—20 wins and counting! 🖤💚 Keep rolling, #GreenHelmets!
— Dallas Stars Elite (@DSEHC) January 31, 2023
For reference…the boys are 45-3-3 on the season…#gostarselite #elitedna pic.twitter.com/iJk2Engxp4
Any win streak is an impressive feat. But to best your opponent 20 straight times is certainly uncommon. Yet, the Stars Elite machine keeps chugging along.
One of the main sparks to their streak has been their incredible offense. Currently equipped with a plus-196 goal differential, few teams have been able to match that output on a nightly basis. The Stars have put up at least four goals in 19 of the 21 wins, averaging close to six goals a game. A tight blue line and consistent efforts in the crease from the duo of Mark Djomo and Liam Holmes have also helped keep the opposition at bay.
The club has only needed overtime once to secure a win, coming against the Buffalo Jr. Sabres on Dec. 18 of last year.
All eyes will be on their next matchup, a second game against the Long Island Gulls on Feb. 2. The Gulls were one of the last teams to defeat the Stars, so they will be yearning for an opportunity to end the streak. Following that, the Stars will round out the week with contests against the North Jersey Avalanche and Philadelphia Flyers Elite.
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