‘08, ‘09 Penguins Elite teams jump up world rankings

For a majority of the season, the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite youth hockey program has had several teams among the Top 10 of their respective birth years. 

The No. 16 ‘08 squad found a spot in the World Rankings for the first time this season. A sound 7-2 victory over No. 20 Bishop Kearney Selects played a role in that. Xavier Lieb tallied five points (2G, 3A) and Michael Ferentino notched two goals of his own. Even more impressive was Chris Nichols turning aside 27 of 29 shots he faced, holding the normally dynamic Selects offense in check. 

For the No. 12 ‘09 Pens Elite, they too found themselves newcomers to the World Rankings. They put their scoring to the test against No. 9 U.S.-ranked Little Caesars and No. 13 Chicago Mission. Both contests were passed with ease by scores of 5-1 and 7-1, respectively. Both wins were also rebounds back into the win column for PPE, as each came after a defeat. 

SKA Silver Lions boost profile among ‘06 Russians

No. 4 SKA Silver Lions gutted out an impressive 6-4 final against No. 5 SKA Strelna, raising them in the Russian and World Rankings. It was also the final contest in the five-game regular season series between the two clubs. Strelna had won the previous two meetings in overtime, so the Silver Lions were able to grab a much-needed win in the finale. 

Splitting a two game set with No. 8 Salavat Yulaev was enough for Metallurg Magnitogorsk to claim the No. 10 spot. It is their first time among the Top 10 in Russia for this campaign. Salavat took the first game, with Metallurg securing a 2-1 win in game 2. 

‘10 Markham, North Shore lead number of clubs to crack Top 10s

The Top 10 for 2010-born Canadian teams saw two new clubs join the fray. No. 9 Markham Majors and No. 10 North Shore Winter Club have found success in recent weeks. 

In the midst of a six-game winning streak, the Majors managed back-to-back wins against the North York Rangers and No. 5 Don Mills Flyers last week. Shutting out one of the best attacks of any Canadian program is no easy feat, but credit to the Majors for finding a way. 

North Shore replaced a fellow Western Canadian club, the Semiahmoo Ravens, in this week’s rankings. The two teams met for the fifth time this season, with the Ravens falling 8-4. It was the first victory in the series for North Shore, with Semiahmoo winning three others. The two sides tied 3-3 on Nov. 27.

The Rochester Coalition experienced a boost into the No. 9 spot among 2011 U.S. teams with a sweep of the No. 2 Mid-Fairfield Jr. Rangers. The Coalition have had the Rangers’ number all season, winning all three games they have faced off in by a combined score of 11-6. Rochester is in the midst of a three-game win streak that the two victories against Mid-Fairfield kicked off.

Heading overseas, Kärpät Valkoinen has entered the chat for 2008-born Finnish squads. Off to an undefeated 5-0-0 record in the continuation of group play, their latest sets of wins came across some stiff competition. First was a 4-3 win against No. 10 Kärpät Musta before shutting out No. 9 KalPa. 

Atte Toivonen led the way with four points (2G, 2A) across the two games. Lukas Kärenlampi nabbed a 38-save shutout against KalPa and stopped 37 of 40 against Musta.

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.

Stewart, Raynard backstop club to repeat championship

It was déjà vu for 2008-born No. 4 Northern Alberta Xtreme as they successfully defended their championship title at the 2023 Western Canadian Crown Invitational. The tournament, held from Jan. 18-22, saw the largest field of participants in its history, with 24 clubs lacing up their skates. 

Teams were divided into six divisions of four teams, and NAX was placed into the Guenther Division. They were joined by the Lethbridge Golden Hawks, Delta Hockey Academy Black and Valley West Giants. The round-robin phase of the schedule proved to be just a warm up for Northern Alberta, as they went 3-0-0 while only allowing two goals. 

Granted a quarterfinal-round bye resulting from their first-place finish in the division, the Xtreme’s next test would come from RINK Hockey Academy Winnipeg. Jordan Duguay (2G, 2A) and Nolan Stewart (2G, 1A) would lead the way in a 9-2 victory for NAX. 

The stage was set for the Division A championship between the Xtreme and the Calgary Bisons. The Xtreme opened up a formidable 5-1 lead in the first period that they would not relinquish. A large part of securing the win was holding Calgary’s leading scorer, Rhys Jamieson, to just one assist. In total across six games, Jamieson collected seven goals and 18 points. 

Stewart would top the scoring leaderboard for Northern Alberta, notching six goals and 15 points. He was followed closely by Duguay’s four goals and 14 points. 

While numerous players put up the points for NAX, the goaltending was preventing opponents from doing the same. The dynamic duo of Parker Snell and Taylor Raynard could not have been better. Snell posted a 3-0-0 record, with a 2.00 goals-against average and .885 save percentage with one shutout. Raynard was unbeatable in the two games he saw action, garnering a 1.00 goals-against average and .952 save percentage. 

While not finding the scoresheet in the final game, Daxon Randolph was the Xtreme’s secret weapon all tournament. The 5-foot-11, 161-pound blueliner from Lacombe, Alberta, tallied 10 points (3G, 7A) in five games. He was also named one of the top playoff performers.

Shattuck Prevails at John Reid Tournament

No. 19 Shattuck-St. Mary’s made sure that they made the most of their appearance at the 2023 John Reid Memorial U15 Tournament. First up were three round-robin contests against the St. Albert Sabres, OHA Edmonton, and St. George’s School. 

Michael Berchild (3G, 5A) and Tynan Lawrence combined their skills to lead SSM through their first three games 3-0-0, outscoring opponents 21-3. The club’s semifinal date was next up against Yale Hockey Academy, which they too passed with flying colors en route to a 7-3 win.

OHA Penticton was the lone contender standing in the Sabres’ way to finishing with an unblemished record. It was evident from puck drop that Shattuck’s skill was too much for Penticton to overcome. SSM peppered Micah Davidson with 50 shots, and six found the back of the net through the first two periods. Despite outscoring Shattuck in the third period 2-1, Penticton would fall 7-4.

Zane Torre would pot the most points in the final contest, accumulating two goals and one assist. Throughout Shatuck’s run to the gold medal, Berchild led with 14 points, with Lawrence’s 11 behind him. 

Two Shattuck players would nab Second-Team All-Star honors, with Parkier Trottier and Tyler McCracken both being awarded.

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