Some of the top young prospects in youth hockey will converge on Toronto for the HHOF Future Legends Invitational. Established in 2017, this invite-only event was designed to showcase some of the top talent at the boys U12 age level and girls U13 age level.
The tournament is unique to youth hockey for a multitude of reasons. The main one being that upon arrival, individual players are unaware of what team they will be competing for in the tournament. It’s not until the opening ceremonies on Thursday afternoon, when players are ‘drafted’ onto evenly balanced teams. Those teams are named after iconic Hockey Hall of Famers such as Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Bobby Orr, Nicklas Lidstrom, Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy, among others.
Once assigned to a tournament team, players compete in four pool-play games before a single-elimination tournament starts on Saturday. In addition to playing high-level hockey against top competition, players are thrust into a locker room with new teammates. Former winter club teammates also transition to foes, as they compete against one another for the weekend.
The weekend’s festivities include a private viewing of the Hockey Hall of Fame in downtown Toronto. Participants can get an up close, intimate look at the Stanley Cup, and other historical pieces.
The Future Legends Invitational is still in its infancy, compared to the rich histories of The Brick Invitational (33 years) and PeeWee Quebec (62 years). In fact, some of the earliest participants from the Future Legends tournament have yet to reach NHL Entry Draft eligibility. However, that hasn’t stopped participants such as Michael Misa, Matthew Schaefer, Will Horcoff and Christian Humphries from forging a future in hockey.
After receiving exceptional status, Misa was selected first overall in the 2022 OHL Priority Selection as an ‘07 selected amongst players from the ‘06 birth year. One year later, Schaefer went first overall in the 2023 OHL Priority Selection. Both were standouts from the Future Legends Invitational in 2018. Another notable alumni from that year was the first overall pick in the 2022 WHL Bantam Draft, Gavin McKenna. The Yukon Territories native most recently set the record for most points scored in the Canada Winter Games. He’s scored 18 points in 16 WHL games already, and will play his first full season of junior hockey next fall.
In the States, Humphries was one of the top scorers this season for the U.S. National Team Development Program (USNTDP). He was also a part of the inaugural Future Legends Invitational in 2017. One year later, Detroit native Will Horcoff would follow that path to Toronto for the invite-only showcase and compete against Misa, Schaefer, McKenna and others. More recently, one year later, Horcoff is set to follow in Humphries’ wake again to the USNTDP next fall.
Almost 200 of the top 2011-born boys youth hockey players will be in Toronto for the Future Legends Invitational. Roughly 100 girls from the same birth year, and 160 boys from the 2012 birth year will also compete in their respective age groups. Draft ceremonies are slated to begin Thursday, with off-ice combine testing and games to start shortly after.
Girls division games begin at 8 a.m. EST on Friday, while both boys divisions get underway on Thursday afternoon. All games are available to watch on HNLive.ca. Players will participate in on- and off-ice testing, meant to replicate the experience that prospects undergo during the NHL Combine. The Future Legends Invitational is an all-encompassing experience for youth hockey players to feel like the pros. Draft ceremonies, combine testing, elite-level games and exclusive tours of the Hockey Hall of Fame make this a must for top-level youth hockey players.
World Hockey Hub will have exclusive coverage of the HHOF Future Legends Invitational throughout the weekend. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Discord and YouTube!
The U14 Girls World Selects Invitational kicked off on Wednesday in Chamonix, France. Twelve teams from nine countries are competing for the chance to be crowned world champions. All participating teams have two games under their belts after the first day of action. Here’s some of the biggest headlines out of the tournament thus far.
The Sweden Selects made a major statement in their first two contests of the preliminary round. Facing off against Midwest Prospects and Draft Day — two North American-based clubs — Sweden outscored them both by a combined 10-2. A major reason for that offensive explosion was the dependable two-way play of Ebba Hesselvall. Facing a 1-0 deficit after the first period against Midwest, Emma Holmberg tied things up 18 seconds into the second. Hesselvall would score her first two goals following that to secure a 3-1 win. Not done there, Hesselvall kicked off the scoring in the club’s second game of the day; an eventual 7-1 win over DraftDay. She would add three assists as well, ending the day atop the leaderboard with three goals and six points.
If the Sweden Selects were all about offense, France was all about defense in its first two matchups of the U14 WSI. Italy Selects and Pro Hockey squads were unable to solve the incredibly tight defense of France, as both were shutout 2-0. Italy was only able to produce three shots on goal, while Pro Hockey managed 14. Of the seven players to record at least one point thus far, three hailed from the dependable blue line corps of France. Leana Galibert, Domitille Ratto and Naïs Vala Viaux all collected assists. Adding to the team’s scoring depth are Maëlie Moussier and Gabrielle Roussel. Both forwards are tied for the team lead in points with two apiece.
The North American Prospects were down 2-1 in the second period to the Finland Selects and needed a big play to even the score. Just over three minutes after Finland’s second goal, Jaiden Krushelniski found the back of the net to tie the game. That pushed the game to overtime, where Krushelniski would again beat goaltender Peppi Kontio for her second goal of the game. That secured the victory for North American Prospects.
In the team’s second game against Swiss Selects, Krushelniski kicked off the scoring with a power-play goal in the first period. She would add her fourth of the tournament with an insurance goal in the second period to complete a 3-0 shutout win. One of the best goal scorers so far, it will be interesting to see how long Krushelniski can continue her torrid scoring rate.
World Hockey Hub will have continued coverage of the Girls U14 World Selects Invitational! Follow WHH on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Discord and YouTube for the latest news, updates and more!
Following a solid showing at the U15 Ontario Hockey Federation championships, the 2008-born Soo Jr. Greyhounds carved out a spot in the Top 10 for the first time this season. Skating to a 6-1-1 record, they handled most teams they faced, including No. 3 Elgin-Middlesex Canucks. But it was two matchups against No. 1 Vaughan Kings that allowed them to stand out. In their first meeting, the Jr. Greyhounds bested the Kings 2-0. In a rematch with the championship on the line, Vaughan regained its form to shut out Soo 4-0. Still, a solid showing with two wins against ranked opponents gave the Soo enough of a jolt to crack the top-tier Canadian of their birth year.
Since April 15th, the Toronto Marlboros have collected three massive victories to propel them into the ‘11 Canadian Top 10. With a 6-5 win over No. 2 Toronto Jr. Canadiens and a two-game sweep of No. 10 Toronto Nationals, the Marlboros made a statement among fellow Ontario programs. Going back to the beginning of the month, the Marlboros have faced off with the Jr. Canadiens three times before their most recent win. In those matchups, the Marlboros went 1-1-1. In the two battles with the Nationals, the Marlboros outscored them 12-5.
Coming in as winners of their past two contests, the SKA Silver Lions made the jump from No. 5 to No. 4 with victories over SKA Strelna and Dynamo St. Petersburg. Back on April 1st, Strelna edged past the Silver Lions in overtime, setting the stage for a rematch between the two on April 15th. Resulting in a 5–3 win, the Silver Lions leapfrogged Strelna among the Russian ‘06 Top 10.
With No. 5 CSKA Moscow idle, SKA St. Petersburg nabbed two victories to move up to No. 4 among 2008-born teams in Russia. One of those wins — a shootout victory against No. 10 SKA Strelna — continued a current four-game winning streak for the team as well. St. Petersburg has been one of the most consistent teams this season, currently sitting with a 41-0-2 record. Before a 3-2 overtime loss to Dynamo St. Petersburg on April 1st, you would have to go all the way back to January 11th to find SKA’s last loss.
Another team reaping the benefits of a major win against a fellow ranked club was the ‘11 Markham Majors. A matchup with the Sun County Panthers in the U13 All-Ontario Championships had significant tournament and rankings implications on the line. Following a scoreless first period, Markham would strike three times in the second frame to take a 3-1 lead into the third period. Justin Boudreau netted his second goal of the game to secure the 4-1 final. The Majors would go on to finish 7-0-1 with a championship and a new No. 2 spot among the Top 10 in the country. Sun County, who finished 3-4-1, dropped to No. 3.
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.
The 2023 World Selects Invitational spring series of events begins on Wednesday, with the ’08 WSI Elite tournament getting underway in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. More than 500 of the top prospects from the 2008 birth year will compete in the six-day event. Participants will represent 12 different countries, as they compete across 30 select teams assembled specifically for this tournament.
This tournament series dates all the way back to 2009, when names like Alexander Barkov, Filip Forsberg and Radek Faksa debuted on the youth hockey scene. Them, along with 650 other WSI tournament alumni have gone on to be selected in the NHL Draft over the past 10 years. This year, North American prospects like Michael Berchild, Caleb Malhotra and Ethan Garden look to make their mark on international youth hockey. Additionally, top Euros like Oliver Torkki, Arvid Ermeskog and Vladimir Provorov will make the trek across the Atlantic to go toe-to-toe with North America’s best.
Last year, Ryan Roobroeck broke the tournament record for points with 28 in nine games. Twelve months later, he’s projected to be a Top-5 pick in the 2023 OHL Priority Selection. His teammate in the WSI last spring, Gavin McKenna, went on to be the first overall selection in the 2022 WHL Draft. Together, they led Pro Hockey to the 15U championship against an International Stars team that was loaded with top American-born prospects. So much so that seven players from the Stars’ roster were just named to the 2023-24 U.S. National Team Development Program roster.
Bottom line, the WSI regularly serves as a launching point for top prospects in youth hockey.
Still dealing with the fallout of COVID-19 last spring, the 2022 tournament only featured five European teams. Travel restrictions and difficulties kept others from making the trip overseas. This spring, that number is expected to double, as teams from Sweden, Finland, Russia, Czech, Slovakia and Kazakhstan will be in attendance. The Ford Ice Centers in Nashville will be packed with wall-to-wall action all week and WHH will have exclusive coverage of all the action.
The province of Ontario will be well represented in the Music City. In fact, 20 players from five of the Top-10 teams in the country are expected to be on hand for the ’08 WSI. The No. 1 ranked ‘08 team in the world, Vaughan Kings, will have five players competing for two different teams. Two of their top scorers, Caleb Malhotra and Zach Nyman will skate for CCM Selects. Their regular-season teammate and goaltender Joseph D’Angelo will suit up for opposing team Carolina Whalers; he is one of five Canadians playing for the U.S.-based select team.
Some other top performers from Ontario includ Maximus Crete, Bryson Morgan and Nikolas Rossetto. They were among the top scorers at the U15 All-Ontario Championships earlier this month. Goaltenders Cameron Ingram and Colin Elsworth were also impressive in that tournament with 1.00 and 1.50 goals-against averages respectively.
There is a plethora of American talent expected as well. Each of the top nine teams in the country will be represented by multiple players. Some of the more notable being No. 1 Shattuck-St. Mary’s leading scorer Michael Berchild. He finished the ‘22-23 season with 106 points; the fourth-most among ‘08s in the country. J.P. Hurlbert III led all U.S. skaters with 195 points in 75 games. Him and Berchild will be teammates at the ’08 WSI for ID Selects.
Lukas Zajic and Camden Nimmer will also skate for ID Selects. They were among some of the top performers at USA Hockey Nationals earlier this month. They also went head-to-head in the national title game, as Nimmer and his Bishop Kearney Selects took home gold.
The last time a European team won the North American WSI, Oliver Wahlstrom, Rasmus Sandin and Ryan Merkley were playing for Sweden Selects. Wahlstrom is in his third season for the New York Islanders. Sandin just finished his second season in the NHL with the Washington Capitals. Merkley made his NHL debut for the San Jose Sharks last season.
None of those three will be able to help Sweden claim World Selects gold in Nashville this week. However, players like Arvid Ermeskog, Salim Ismailov and Fabian Merkle-Rohdin certainly could.
Ermeskog is a standout forward for the No. 1 ranked team in Sweden, Nacka HK. He led the Sweden Hockey Trophy in scoring last fall with 11 points in seven games. Ismailov finished closely behind with 10 points for Flemingsbergs IK. On top of that, Merkle-Rohdin was a top performer at the U15 DIF Elitcup in September as well. He scored 14 points in that tournament for HV71. He also spent 23 games playing up an age level with the club’s U16 team.
Speaking of under-agers, Oliver Torkki and Jiko Laitinen were among some of the top scorers in Finland’s U16 SM-Series this season. Playing amongst competition where 85 percent of the players were older than these two ‘08s, Torkki and Laitinen finished third and fourth in points. Torkki scored 33 goals and 77 points in 39 games for HIFK. Laitinen finished with 76 points in 40 games. They will certainly be a force for Finland Selects at the ’08 WSI.
While he maintains dual citizenship being born in Tampa, Florida, Alex Theodore played the ‘22-23 season for the U15 Pilsen Wolves. He led the team in scoring with 53 points in 34 games. He also scored 16 points in 10 games with the club’s U17 team as well. Teammate Ben Reisnecker is another standout performer from Central Europe. From the blue line, Reisnecker scored 63 points in 47 games between the Wolves’ U15 and U17 teams as well. The pair will likely lead the Czech Knights’ offensive attack this week in Nashville.
In addition to the 2008 Elite event in Nashville, two other tournaments get underway this week as well. The U14 Girls event begins on Wednesday as well, hosted in Chamonix, France. Additionally, the 2011 AAA tournament kicks off from Bolzano, Italy, on Thursday.
Twelve girls teams from nine different countries will compete for the U14 championship. Czech Selects won the tournament last year. That snapped a three-year run of North American teams winning gold.
DraftDay, Minnesota Prospects, Premier Ice Prospects (PIP) Hockey and Pro Hockey will travel across the Atlantic to represent the U.S. and Canada. Select teams from Czech, Finland, France, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland will make the field of teams at the U14 tournament one of the most diverse among WSI events this spring.
The 2011 AAA tournament — open to all AAA-level players — consists of 13 teams from as many as nine different countries. It is the first of three WSI events to take place in the city of Bolzano.
Want more coverage of the World Selects Invitational? WHH is the exclusive media provider of the tournament series and will have continued coverage of the events on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Discord and YouTube!
The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) conducted its annual 2023 Priority Selection, consisting of 2007-born youth hockey prospects. Players eligible to be selected must be from the province of Ontario. Or, American-born players from as far north as Michigan and Wisconsin, as far east as New York, and as far west as Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas and Louisiana. In total, 300 players would be selected from 79 different youth hockey organizations.
Projected to go first overall, Matthew Schaefer did in fact go to the Erie Otters with the top pick. He was the first of 12 Halton Hurricanes to be selected over the weekend. The top teams represented in the OHL Priority Selection coincidentally correlated to the top five teams ranked in the country. What’s that mean? The No. 1 and No. 2 teams in Canada — Toronto Marlboros and Toronto Jr. Canadiens — also produced 15 draft picks per team. The No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 ranked teams followed in order as well. Peterborough Petes had 13 players called, while Halton had a dozen. Then, York-Simcoe Express rounded it out with 11 players selected.
Just weeks after winning the U16 OHL Cup and being named tournament MVP, Jake O’Brien went eighth overall to Brantford. His JRC teammates Luca Romano and Nico Addy went in the first round as well.
A Marlboros player didn’t come off the OHL Priority Selection board until the 15th pick, when Jeremy Martin went to the Flint Firebirds. It’s the first time since 2008 that a player from the Marbloros wasn’t selected in the top ten picks. Despite the delay, however, 14 other players including William Moore, Kieran Witkowski and Luke Dragusica would go in the 11 rounds.
With two first-round picks, Niagara doubled down on centers, taking highly-touted prospect Ryan Roobroeck at No. 2 and Mississauga Rebels’ Ethan Czata with the No. 5 pick. As the second overall pick, Roobroeck becomes the highest London Jr. Knights player to be selected since Ryan Suzuki went first overall in 2017.
Forty-eight players were selected from U.S.-based organizations. None produced more than Little Caesars, with nine selections. They’ve been the No. 1-ranked ’07 team in the world for much of the ‘22-23 season. Three of its players made the U.S. National Team Development Program’s (USNTDP) U-17 team for next fall. That didn’t stop the Saginaw Spirit from selecting a pair of Caesars players in Charlie Tretheway (96th overall) and Will Horcoff (98th overall). In total, seven players selected to the NTDP would also be selected in the OHL Priority Selection over the weekend.
Want more coverage of junior hockey drafts this off-season? Be sure to follow WHH on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Discord and YouTube!
In May of 2022, the day started like any other for Kade O’Rourke, a 2011-born youth hockey player from Round Rock, Texas. Kade and his father, Dave, were training in Dallas preparing to leave for a tournament in Pittsburgh while Kade’s mother, Kristy, was back home. In the days leading up to the tournament, Dave and Kristy had begun to notice changes in Kade’s behavior. He was thirsty often. They found him drinking large amounts of liquid to stay hydrated in between numerous trips to the bathroom.
“Kade was waking up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, which is obviously not normal for a kid his age,” said Kristy. “But Dave was up in Dallas with him at the time, so I wasn’t seeing Kade every day. I would just hear about it when we would FaceTime at dinner.”
Dave and Kristy continually had discussions about whether there might be something more serious going on with Kade. One theory questioned if it could be his sugar levels, or something more serious. Dave and Kade went back home for a weekend before the tournament, but the thought of this being a larger medical issue continued to weigh on Kristy’s mind. While Dave was having a discussion with a family friend — who was a surgeon — he was questioned if Kade was losing a visible amount of weight.
“I wasn’t sure if he was dropping weight or not, so we had him go weigh himself after he changed to go swimming and he had lost nine pounds in two months,” said Kristy.
She immediately called Kade’s primary care physician to schedule an appointment in the hopes of getting to the bottom of what could be happening with her son.
Weight loss, especially the amount that Kade had dropped despite being athletic and physically active, was a big surprise. Bells and whistles of a mother’s intuition began to go off in Kristy’s head. That’s not normal. This isn’t right. Something’s wrong. When she called to get her son an appointment with the doctor, the clinic’s earliest available opening wasn’t for nearly a week. Not good enough. Eventually, the operator on the other end of Kristy’s phone managed to squeeze them in for an appointment the following Monday morning.
“We were [at the doctor] for two minutes and they’re like, ‘You have to go to the hospital right now,’” Kristy said. “If we had waited until that Tuesday, Kade might have ended up in the ICU. He might have been in D-K-A, which is diabetic ketoacidosis. His blood was point-one away from being admitted to the I-C-U. If your blood P-H value hits seven or below the doctors said you are admitted to the I-C-U and he was at seven-point-one. Another twenty-four hours? He could have been admitted.”
Diabetic ketoacidosis is a condition that develops when the human body can’t produce enough insulin. Insulin plays a key role in helping sugar enter the cells in the body. Without enough insulin, the body begins to break down fat as fuel. Hence, the reason for Kade’s unexpected weight loss, rampant thirst and frequent bathroom trips.
Some parents might chalk up early warning signs to just working hard, or normal fatigue for a child playing youth hockey at a high level.
“My fault was just being that tough guy,” said Dave. “‘Oh he’s fine, he’s fine, he’s working hard, ready for the tournament. He’s just working hard.’ I mean all credit goes to Kristy for forcing us to go to the doctor when we did.”
From one youth hockey mother to the masses, Kristy believes it’s important to ‘trust your gut’ in these situations. Don’t ignore the warning signs and keep pushing until there’s an answer. But Kade’s doctors did not diagnose the condition right away, leaving Kristy and Dave to continue to wonder what could be wrong with their son.
Left in limbo, whether it’s for a day, a month or longer, the mind of a worrying parent can spiral quickly.
“It is frightening what runs through your mind, you know, as a parent when you kind of are faced with that situation,” said Kristy.
The family immediately transitioned from the primary care doctors to Dell Children’s Medical Center as directed. They swung back by their home on their way, preparing for a lengthy stretch in the waiting room. Kade grabbed his iPad to keep himself occupied, maybe a snack or two to tide over a nagging appetite. The O’Rourke’s were ready to settle in for a few hours in uncomfortable waiting room chairs and HGTV on a nearby television. When the automatic doors opened up at the medical center, however, they got a much different experience.
“We literally got there and there were people waiting for us,” said Dave. “They didn’t know how [Kade] was walking. We sat down on the bed and they told us he was going straight to the I-C-U. And we needed to plan who went with him.”
With no family history of diabetes, or friends who dealt with it, it was going to be a crash course in learning about the autoimmune disease for the family. In the process, a ‘new normal’ would be established for the O’Rourke’s.
“I didn’t know the difference between Type 1 and Type 2,” said Dave. “I thought, ‘Oh we’ll just fix this with diet’ and you know, we’ll get through this and things like that. But we were completely clueless.”
Type 1 diabetes — Kade’s diagnosis — is a chronic condition, meaning he will likely have to manage it for the rest of his life. Management includes frequent glucose tests to check his blood sugars, administering insulin injections, monitoring his diet and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Kade was later admitted to Dell Children’s, where a team of educators had an entire protocol set out for the family. They provided a series of classes that gave the O’Rourke’s a wealth of information, packed into eight hours.
Mom and dad were slowly coming to grips and understanding the magnitude of the situation. When a medical professional walked in and asked Kade how he was doing, his response would jolt Kristy.
“I just asked [the doctor] if I was going to be able to play hockey again,” said Kade. “That’s when it kind of hit me.”
After all, he was the one thrust into a funny blue gown that tied in the back. He was the one laying in an uncomfortable, strange bed in an unfamiliar room. He was the one poked with a needle and administered an IV drip of insulin. Lying there confused while doctors and parents exchanged questions and answers like a volley in a tennis match. A lot for a 10-year-old to process.
“It was just scary because I didn’t know what was happening,” he said. “I was scared and crying, wondering if I would be able to play hockey again. So I was nervous.”
The short answer was yes. Kade would be able to play youth hockey again.
The long answer? It’s going to take a lot of trial and error. Days, weeks, months to figure out how to manage Kade’s blood sugar levels during strenuous exercise such as practices, games and workouts. Even then, the approach to managing his insulin could change by the day, if not the hour. Kade could certainly play hockey again, but not without a total team effort and buy-in from family, friends, teammates and coaches.
Once Kade was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, it was time for Dave and Kristy to begin to understand the scope of what goes into taking care of a child with this illness.
“They pack everything that you need to know to keep your kid alive,” said Kristy. “You have that eight-hour window of education and then they send you home and you have to know how to keep your kid alive.”
On top of that, a glucose monitor was placed on Kade right away to track his blood sugar levels at all times. The pre-teen saw it as an impromptu show-and-tell opportunity with his friends. Him and his buddies huddled around, fascinated by an electronic device monitoring what’s going on in his body in real-time.
“I just don’t know how people did it before technology,” said Kristy. “But it was overwhelming and you have to learn so much in a short amount of time before your child leaves the hospital. It was very nerve-racking but they were fantastic at the hospital.”
It was education that not only had to be done by Kade and his parents, but extended family members as well. Siblings, grandparents, anyone in the immediate circle took part in an orientation course where the whole family learned what Kade, Kristy and Dave were educated on.
None of them would be on the ice with Kade though.
Coaches, teammates, even the parent group of Kade’s new team — the 2011 Toronto Jr. Canadiens — needed to have a baseline understanding of the disease.
“I knew that it would be a challenging time for Kade and his family but I also had no doubt that he had the strength and determination to persevere,” said head coach Bryan Cameron. “It was important for myself and the J-R-C family to be a support system for Kade and the O’Rourkes.”
‘JRC family’ is right. Perhaps the most special thing for Cameron was to see how Kade’s teammates adjusted to help their newfound brother in youth hockey.
“As a team we place the utmost importance on the health and well-being of our players before anything else,” said Cameron. “Everyone responded in a supportive and caring way when they found out about Kade’s diagnosis, and made it a priority to educate themselves so they could be helpful in any way possible. I’ve noticed many acts of kindness from the kids on a day-to-day basis such as helping out with monitoring his sugar levels while he’s on the ice, and participating in fundraisers.”
Hockey is one of the more unique communities in all of sports. It’s like an unspoken fraternity. Whether its players, coaches or parents, there’s an instant bond formed when you cross paths with a stranger. Very few outside the sport understand the challenges and struggles, triumphs and memories. The long car rides to the rink. Weekend tournaments. Mini-sticks in the hotel hallways. Smelly gear. Moms wrapped up in blankets sitting on metal bleachers. Dads lined along the glass of the offensive zone. Conversations completely change when, “Oh, I play hockey too!” or “What age level do you coach?” and, “We’re heading to (insert far away city) here for a tournament.”
So when the O’Rourke’s were thrust into a crash course on insulin, glucose levels and dietary restrictions, the hockey community was there to help. His new team provided an invaluable support system during this transitory phase. One that even included inactive goalies on the bench monitoring his glucose while Kade was on the ice for a shift. Additionally, fellow teammate Markus Maier would be a conduit to another valuable resource for the O’Rourke’s.
“My nephew and Kade play on the same hockey team,” said Deborah Maier, founder of GoodieGoodies Organic. “My brother was having Kade and his parents over one weekend and asked me to make some desserts everyone could have.”
Maier is a scientist, educator and entrepreneur in the wellness and sports performance industries.
This introduction would be a game changer for the O’Rourke’s.
Over the next few months, Maier became a close family confidant that they would lean on frequently. Maier believes that with a case like Kade’s, it is not just about changing the foods that go into the body. It’s about understanding that maintaining a good diet is just one aspect of healthy living. In a sense, all aspects of healthy living are like wheels on a car, all working together.
“With Kade, I definitely focused on nutrition fundamentals and continuing education,” said Maier. “All my programs start with biological fundamentals. The body is a closed system, meaning all parts affect other parts. Nutrition has many components itself: eating, digestion, absorption and elimination. We need all these aspects to work together in balance for optimal performance. Any one aspect can prevent the other factors from functioning.”
Kade was a medical marvel. Doctors were befuddled by his body’s natural ability to handle Type 1 diabetes in his current form. When he originally came into the hospital, Kade’s blood sugar levels were in the 400s. Medical professionals say kids his age would usually be lethargic and unable to skate. Meanwhile, Kade unknowingly was on the ice for two-and-a-half hours a day and exercised frequently.
For a youth hockey player like Kade, Dave said the biggest adjustment was when to administer insulin around games.
“When you’re into what they call the ‘honeymoon phase’, that’s when the adrenaline is pumped up, so Kade is still producing some insulin,” he said. “He would go into a game or even a practice and his blood levels would go up. Well, when they go up, you have to give insulin. So he would come off the ice and we would give him an injection.”
Coming off the ice, however, there’s a natural downward trend for Kade. That meant his levels would come down at the same time he was being issued insulin. The first couple weeks back at the rink became a risky game of trial and error.
‘How much insulin do we give him?’
‘What’s the right calculation?’
‘How to approach multiple games in a day versus just a practice?’
That, and much more as the O’Rourke’s tried to navigate their new normal with a new team, no less.
One trick that helped was developing some hand signals that could be seen during the game while on the bench. for example, holding up three fingers meant Kade needed to take three sugar tabs or gummies after a shift. Pointing to the tip of your finger meant he needed to test his blood sugars between periods.
During games, a phone was set next to the non-playing goalie. That player would call out Kade’s levels to him as he came off the ice . That helped him know where he was at and what, if anything, he needed to do. Go-to snacks that worked well? Applesauce pouches, sugar tabs and gummies, Kind Bars and miniature Snickers bars. Tools like Follow App, Sugarmate and Sugar Pixel have also been extremely useful.
In the summer of 2022, Kade made the move from the Dallas Stars Elite program to the Toronto Jr. Canadiens. Moving to Canada was a significant transition both on and off the ice, aside from the adjustment taking place in his life with Type 1 diabetes.
The Jr. Canadiens play in one of, if not, the most competitive youth hockey league in North America; the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL). Seventy-eight alumni were on opening-night rosters when the 2022-23 NHL season began last October. Connor McDavid, Ryan O’Reilly, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, Tyler Seguin… The list of former players reads more like NHL All-Star announcements, and they all got their start in the GTHL. Not only was Kade moving halfway across the continent with a newly discovered chronic illness, the level of play on the ice was fixing to ramp up as well.
“I’ve always had my eye on him as a player and when I was informed about the potential of his family relocating to Toronto for hockey, I knew our program would be pivotal in continuing his development and success in the sport,” said Cameron. “I knew Kade was the missing piece we were looking for and was happy to help with the adjustment.”
As a standout defenseman, Kade helped the Jr. Canadiens to a 67-6-3 record. They finished second in the GTHL during the regular season. Unfortunately, they were eliminated in the semifinals of the playoffs by the Toronto Marlboros. Still, Kade’s JRC squad would rank as high as second in the World Rankings as one of the best 2011-born teams in youth hockey.
With invaluable resources offered up from former teammates, as well as total buy-in from their current squad, Dave, Kristy and Kade look to help others in need. A youth hockey community that has been so good to them in such a short time, they now extend a helping hand to others in similar situations.
Kade O’Rourke from the Toronto Jr Canadiens stopped by practice today & got to join the boys in a lil’ shoot out practice.
— y – Milwaukee Admirals (@mkeadmirals) March 21, 2023
You should probably watch until the end. 👀 pic.twitter.com/PiHwwdgxPH
They launched KadeORourke.com in an effort to educate people on Type 1 diabetes, as well as the Team24 fundraiser. It’s also a direct line to the O’Rourke’s who hope to help others in the youth hockey community dealing with the disease.
“We just hope this helps out other families dealing with something like this,” said Dave. “One family, one single mom, one single dad, one kid. We’re pretty blessed with Kade’s teammates helping and his coaching staff and dietitians. We’re a very blessed family that we have an unbelievable village supporting us. But, you know, there are a lot of people that don’t have that village. So if we can just help anybody out there and say ‘It’s gonna be okay’, then that’s worth it.”
Kade hopes to one day play Division-1 college hockey at the University of Michigan and ultimately, the NHL. He draws inspiration from current NHL players such as Max Domi, Kappo Kakko and Luke Kunin. All three manage diabetes while playing hockey at its highest level. Only further proving that this disease can’t hold Kade back from achieving his dreams.
For more information on how Kade and his family manage Type 1 diabetes while playing youth hockey, visit KadeORourke.com!
Ilves and JYP clashed last Friday in one of the more exciting games of pool-play action at the 2023 Unikie U13 Spring Cup. A 2-1 win for JYP was one of six games decided by one goal on the first day of tournament action. Onni Olkkola’s goal with just under seven minutes left in the contest proved to be the game winner for JYP. The victory wrapped up a perfect 3-0-0 record in Group E. Ilves, despite the loss, finished second in the group.
It wouldn’t be the last time the two teams met in the tournament. Both JYP and Ilves managed to win in the semifinals to set the stage for a rematch on Sunday. Ilves jumped out to an early lead, thanks to a goal from Kalle Havakka six minutes into the game. However, 17 saves from Roni Rautiainen would hold Ilves to just the lone goal on the scoreboard. Veeti Virolainen, Terho Antila and Wäinö Tuomaala would fuel a comeback for JYP in a 3-1 championship victory. The win gave JYP its second of the tournament over Ilves, and fifth overall as they completed a 5-0-0 gold medal run.
Four of the top 10 scorers at the conclusion of the tournament all hailed from JYP. Kalle Viitanen led the tournament in scoring after producing back-to-back three-point games in pool play. He added another multi-point game in the semifinals against Kiekko-Espoo EKS to push his tournament total to five goals and eight points. Veeti Virolainen and Elias Rantanen also finished among the top scorers in the tournament with six points apiece. Rounding out JYP’s impressive lineup were Onni Olkkola, Terho Antila and Eliel Halonen, who all tied with five points.
Having a bevy of offensive options allowed JYP to dominate group play. Initially placed with Kiekko-Laser, Ilves and Kiekko-Espoo Blues, JYP outscored them all by a combined 14-1. Ilves was the lone team able to get a puck past Roni Rautiainen in net.
As a result of its first-place finish, JYP drew K-Espoo EKS in its semifinal game. Rantanen, Halonen and Olkkola all recorded at least three points in an 8-3 win. In the opposite semifinal, Ilves was matched with first-place finisher Tappara, who went 3-0-0 in group play. Juho Nyberg notched both goals and Mio Nieminen made 23 saves in a 2-0 win for Ilves. That set the stage for the championship rematch between JYP and Ilves.
With three of JYP’s top four scorers kept at bay, Ilves managed to get an early 1-0 lead. The trio of Viitanen, Rantanen and Olkkola combined for 11 of JYP’s 24 goals in the tournament. However in the championship, they struggled to find the back of the net in the rematch with Ilves. That’s when Terho Antila and Wäinö Tuomaala were able to break through, to gain a lead for JYP late in the championship.
The pair of goals from its depth players fueled JYP to a come-from-behind win over Ilves. The victory was their fifth of the weekend, and clinched the gold medal.
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On Tuesday, the Sioux Falls Stampede announced Matthew Grimes had signed a tender agreement for the 2023-24 season. The move means Sioux Falls will forgo its first-round pick in the 2023 USHL Phase-I Draft in order to acquire Grimes’ player rights. In turn, Grimes will play at least 55 percent of the team’s games next season.
Grimes was a standout defenseman for Mount this season, scoring 13 goals and 56 points in 63 games. Four points came at 15O USA Hockey Nationals, before being eliminated by champion Los Angeles Jr. Kings in the quarterfinals.
He’s a 5-foot-10 left-hand shot from Locust Valley, New York. Grimes is just the third player in Sioux Falls history to sign a tender agreement. He’s also the fourth player from the 2007 birth year to sign a USHL tender agreement this season. Masun Fleece signed with Fargo Force two weeks ago. The Dubuque Fighting Saints signed Liam Kilfoil and Lev Katzin signed with the Green Bay Gamblers.
Tender agreements are used when USHL teams identify prospects they believe can have an immediate impact in their lineup next fall. They can sign as many as two players to a tender, but in the process, will have to surrender draft picks. The final day for USHL teams to sign prospects to a tender agreement is April 29th. The Phase-I Draft will take place on May 2nd, with the Phase-II Draft following on the next day.
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It was a busy final weekend of youth hockey in the province of Ontario as winners walked away from the U14 OHL Cup and All-Ontario Championships. Both events — three age groups in total — determined provincial champions as the best youth hockey teams in Ontario were crowned on Sunday. The U14 Toronto Jr. Canadiens made it a clean sweep at the OHL Cup after the U16 team won the tournament earlier this month. Then, heavy favorites Markham Majors and Vaughan Kings won in the U13 and U15 tournaments respectively.
The 2009 squad was able to give the program twin OHL Cup titles when they ended a 5-0-0 run with a 3-2 win over the Barrie Jr. Colts in the title game. A fitting end for a team that entered the tournament as the No. 1 ranked team in the world.
The Jr. Canadiens started the showcase with a 5-0 shutout of the OMHA champion Halton Hurricanes on Friday. Later that afternoon, they defeated the North Bay Trappers, 5-1. Having secured a playoff spot, next up was a date with the Sun County Panthers in the quarterfinals. Leading scorer Jax Pereira (6G, 4A) emerged as the hero, tallying the winning goal in a 4-3 double-overtime victory. JRC, who came into the tournament as the third seed out of the GTHL, defeated league champion Don Mills Flyers 5-3 on Sunday morning to advance to the championship game.
Taking on the Barrie Jr. Colts, Noah Laus and Connor Adam each notched a goal in the first period. Kaden Rolling cut into that lead with a power-play to get the Jr. Colts on the board at 13:57 of the second period. A few minutes later, Benjamin Marling knotted the score at 2. Marling finished as the top-scoring defenseman in the showcase with eight points in five games. Lucas Quain put home a feed from Keaton Ardagh on the man advantage to put JRC back on top 3-2 before the period came to a close. That goal would go on to serve as the eventual game-winner, as the score remained the same throughout the final period.
Both Jr. Canadiens netminder Ethan Maniaci and Barrie’s Malcolm Rose received Player of the Game honors for their respective teams. Ardagh would finish tied with Marling for second in overall points with eight (2G, 6A).
“At the beginning of the year we all set goals,” said Jr. Canadiens head coach Matt Viola. “Every kid on the team wrote it down on a piece of paper. I am happy for all these boys to have accomplished something they’ll remember forever.”
In the Markham Majors’ first four matchups, they outscored opponents 29-5. Much of that was fueled by their depth, as seven skaters average a point per game in the tournament.
In their next contest, the Whitby Wildcats had them up against the ropes, trailing 3-2 with under five minutes left to play. But with 3:37 remaining in the third period, Cam Johnson managed to find space and slip the tying goal in the net, salvaging the Majors’ unbeaten record.
Congratulations to the Markham Majors on winning the U13 AAA All-Ontario Championship! 🏆
— GTHL Hockey (@GTHLHockey) April 17, 2023
The Majors captured the title with a 5-0 victory over the Nickel City Sons on April 16.@OHFHockey | @MarkhamIslande1 pic.twitter.com/Nq3MewugWc
Markham would continue to nab wins in its next three games, including a 5-0 shutout in the championship game against Nickel City Sons. Justin Boudreau finished first on the team and third overall with eight goals and 14 points. Behind him, Carter Cross (3G, 9A), Jack Samek (6G, 6A), and Maddon Walsh (12A) rounded out the Markham skaters in the Top 10 for points. While the team’s offense was nearly unmatched, it helped that Markham had the two best netminders of the tournament as well. Dylan Sack allowed only six goals, leading to a 1.44 goals-against average and .906 save percentage with one shutout. His counterpart, Massimo Tomassi, recorded a 1.58 goals-against average and .915 save percentage and one shutout in four games.
The Vaughan Kings lived up to lofty expectations as No. 1 team in the World Rankings when they secured a title at the U15 All-Ontario Championships. A 4-0 win over the Soo Jr. Greyhounds cemented themselves as the top team in the birth year. Coming into the tournament as the two best teams in the field, they seemed destined to battle it out for provincial bragging rights.
The two teams managed to meet twice in the final two days of the season. On Saturday, Dalton Hoornstra did something no other team had done to Vaughan in 74 games this season. He shut them out in a 2-0 win that put the Jr. Greyhounds into the playoffs as the top seed. The top team in ‘09 team in the world that averaged 4.49 goals per game was kept off the scoreboard completely.
Alexander Hage (2G) and Ben Bowen (3A) helped the Kings get back on track with a 4-2 win over York Simcoe Express in the semifinals. With Soo defeating the Upper Canada Cyclones 5-1 in their following game, the table was set for a rematch between the two with the championship on the line.
Congratulations to the Vaughan Kings on winning the U15 AAA All-Ontario Championship! 🏆
— GTHL Hockey (@GTHLHockey) April 17, 2023
The Kings downed the Soo Jr. Greyhounds 4-0 on April 16 to become OHF Champions.@OHFHockey | @vaughankingsAAA pic.twitter.com/pjgFgIoCMM
It would be a much different affair than the previous meeting. Despite their best efforts, Hoornstra and the Jr. Greyhounds were unable to keep Vaughan’s impressive attack at bay for a second time. Bowen opened the scoring with a power-play goal in the first period, and later increased the lead to 2-0 in the second period. In the third frame, Elijah Chavez and Zach Nyman scored ten seconds apart to put the game out of reach for the eventual 4-0 final. Joseph D’Angelo was huge in net, collecting his second shutout of the tournament. He would finish with a 0.77 goals-against average, allowing only three goals in four appearances. Bowen would finish atop the leaderboard with six goals and 13 points, tied with Soo’s Nikolas Rossetto.
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The Erie Otters are on the clock for the 2023 OHL Priority Selection process set to begin on April 21st. They will have their pick of the litter when choosing amongst the top 2007-born prospects in youth hockey. Their first overall selection will be the first of a 15-round event as OHL member clubs identify players for the future of their respective organizations.
The top draft-eligible prospect in the OHL jurisdiction, William Moore, is already committed to play for the U.S. National Team Development Program (USNTDP). He played the 2022-23 season with the Toronto Marlboros, and with dual citizenship, is set to represent Team USA next fall. That, in all likelihood, takes him out of consideration for the first overall pick. In the process, leaves Erie’s decision wide open to choose between a variety of players with varying skill sets at virtually every position. How will the first round unfold? We offer up a look at the first 22 picks coming up this Friday:
Schaefer was one of, if not, the best player at the 2023 Canada Winter Games. As captain of Team Ontario, he scored the game-winning goal in overtime to clinch the national championship back in February. On top of that, he scored 12 goals and 32 points in 25 games for Halton. Despite the Hurricanes being eliminated in pool play of the U16 OHL Cup, Schaefer still finished second among defensemen in scoring at the tournament. He’s a do-it-all defender that would instantly bolster Erie’s blue line.
The right-handed forward scored 56 points in 23 games for Waterloo this season. He tied for the tournament lead with eight goals in six games at the U16 OHL Cup earlier this month. On top of that, he scored 85 points in 34 ALLIANCE Hockey games this season. He’s a physical presence on the ice with a heavy shot. Teams looking for a little sandpaper in their lineup may find just that with Martin
One of the most talked about prospects in the class because of his size, skating ability and puck skills. Roobroeck is listed at 6-foot-2 but looks even bigger on skates. He finished among the top skaters in points at the Canada Winter Games; a tournament that features some of the best prospects in the 2007-birth year. He was pivotal in Team Ontario’s run to a championship, scoring four of the team’s final nine goals in en route to a gold medal. He’s won everywhere he goes, and Roobroeck will likely make an instant impact when selected.
Much smaller in stature than the ones going ahead of him here, but Owen Griffin is extremely creative with the puck on his stick. He has a knack for finding open guys and the ability to create passing lanes with great on-ice vision. He led the ETAHL in goals (51) and assists (43) to help YSE to a 55-15-7 record this season.
He finished second in the SCTA in scoring behind teammate Tanner Lam (more on him in a bit). Hopkins was one-third of the most dominant line in the league for Halton. Going to Niagara here, the IceDogs get a burner who can get to top speed in just a few strides. Not only is he fast with his feet, but Hopkins can make plays at top speed as well. He can skate, he can score and he could prove to be a force in the OHL because of it.
The second defenseman off the board, appropriate for a prospect that may have been the best defender at the Canada Winter Games, second only to Schaefer. He played up an age group with the Nepean Raiders, and produced 35 points in 28 games to finish fourth among HEO defensemen. May be a bit of a challenge to crack the lineup right away, as Oshawa could return as many as five of its seven defensemen from the ‘22-23 season.
The Jr. Canadiens’ most effective offensive player. Romano has a knack for attacking the middle of the ice, plus finishing off the play with a scoring touch. Looks a bit smaller on the ice than what he’s listed at 5-foot-11 and 165 lbs. However, he has the potential to provide Brantford with a boost to the middle of its lineup, as he creates so many quality scoring chances in a variety of ways.
He led PPE in scoring with 81 points from the wing. Cloutier has a good feel for the game, especially without the puck. He’s got his head up to make smart plays coming out of the defensive zone and a nice tendency to find soft areas in the offensive zone. His ability to make positive plays at both ends of the rink would be a nice addition to the Bulldogs’ lineup.
Talk about puck skills with Lam. He’s got a tremendous gift for creating offense on his own with the ability to get past defenders 1-on-1 and also find shooting lanes with little space to operate. That can sometimes get him into trouble trying to do a bit too much at times. However, the good significantly outweighs the bad with Lam, as he led the SCTA in scoring with 71 points in 35 games. Plenty of upside to like here taking Lam near the end of the Top 10.
A slippery defender with the ability to skate his way out of danger, be it walking the blue line in the offensive zone or evading forecheckers below his own goal line. Singh is extremely active in the rush, pushing the back end every chance he gets. That makes him a dangerous threat offensively, as evidenced by his 16 goals and 65 points this season.
The first American off the board, may be a reach at this particular spot but Brzustewicz to Kitchener makes sense for a few reasons. First, Henry’s brother Hunter was a standout defenseman for the Rangers this past season. Second, Kitchener’s D corps is on the older side, and adding Henry would be a perfect fit given the need and pre-existing family connection. Third, with the compensatory pick at 10, the 11th pick is a bit of a luxury. They know what they would be getting with the Brothers Brzustewicz on the back end, and adding Henry would be a good get for the Rangers.
Very smart with the puck on his stick. Stark is not one to put pucks into danger areas or take unnecessary risks. That makes him a very reliable forward that would pair well with Oshawa’s top scorers. He may not be super dynamic or have a crazy high end like picks 1, 2 or 3 here. However, Stark is the type of player you could pair with that high-end player in your lineup to round out a top line.
He could find a role similar to Stark, as a fantastic complimentary player to Peterborough’s current top scorers. Problem is, the Petes may lose much of their scoring from the ‘22-23 season. Can Weir be a source of offense? Maybe. However, his value is more geared towards the smart, little plays that build momentum into bigger plays. Good zone exits and entries, no unforced turnovers and risky plays kept to a minimum. He’s going to be a good role player for a team in the back half of the first round.
Another under-ager that played up in the U18 HEO, Hull was the highest-scoring ‘07-born player in the league. He scored 33 goals and 63 points for the first-place Renfrew Wolves as they went 35-4-0 in league play. He has a very quick release which is a tad surprising, given his 5-foot-10 frame. However, that should put Hull in a good spot at the next level, especially considering Guelph could lose three of its top four scorers.
He was second in the States among ‘07-born defensemen, with 69 points in 75 games. Reid had the ability to take over games for BK this season, flashing his footwork and puck skills in one fell swoop. He’s the definition of a quarterback at the position, constantly communicating with his D partner and teammates on the ice. Firebirds would be getting a leader here who could positively impact the team in more ways than just hockey.
Another member of Team Ontario from the Canada Winter Games, Cameron was part of a loaded blue line in that February tournament. His skating ability sets him apart from most on the back end. Great use of his edges, very mobile and can transition from defense to offense with ease. Cameron scored 12 goals and 34 points in 30 ETAHL games; fourth among league defensemen.
His size makes him a problem for defenders in-zone. Moses is 6-foot-3 and 210 lbs, and he knows how to use his frame to his advantage. A true puck protector that doesn’t lose many board battles. On top of that, he’s able to move pucks to teammates in space that usually leads to positive offensive plays. Moses would fit right in with a Sting team that was the third tallest in the league; 10 players listed at 6-foot-2 or taller.
May not be the fastest prospect in the 2007 birth year, but he does get the most out of it. Snelgrove is relentless on a forecheck, just out-working opposing skaters to get to loose pucks. His motor is what propelled the Jr. Knights’ offense and opened up space for players like Roobroeck to have the season he did. Snelgrove will be a great depth forward who can bring energy and kill penalties right out of the gate.
Hit the 100-point mark for the Petes in 44 ETAHL games. He added nine more points in the OHL Cup before they were eliminated in the semifinals. McFadden has a good feel for the play as it develops and regularly knows where he wants to go with the puck before it gets to him. A prospect that can be a key piece to a team’s offense without being the main focal point of it. His value comes in many forms, including a playmaker on a PP unit or stout defender on a depth line.
Not a lot of lightning in his game but plenty of thunder. He won’t wow you with fancy plays, but Young will very casually make routine ones that lead to big things. Zone exits up the wall to space getting out of the zone. Driving wide, leaving a drop pass to space for teammates. He does a lot of the little things that flashier players don’t want to do. Young will pair well with forwards in any other lineup here, but Windsor would get a nice contributor with the 20th pick here.
Part of the Vaughan Kings’ unlikely run to an OHL Cup final, Galiyanov scored 54 points in 64 games this season. He’s smart with the puck, not just in the attacking zone but also defensively. Galiyanov limits turnovers and dangerous plays by keeping his head up and making smart decisions. His sound positioning and effort in the D-zone makes him a low-risk, high-reward player at the end of the first round for North Bay.
An historic performance at the OHL Cup propelled O’Brien up the draft boards. He earned tournament MVP honors after producing 17 points in seven games; eighth-most in a single OHL Cup. He’s most dangerous without the puck, able to slash his way into open space in the offensive zone. When teammates found him open, he found ways to put the puck in the net. That certainly carries weight, and could make him a nice pickup here at the end of the first round.
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