The concept is nothing new to the youth hockey audience, but it’s the participating teams list that makes the MAHA Tier-1 Showcase one of the more unique events in the sport.
First organized and executed in 2019, the Michigan Amateur Hockey Association (MAHA) has created an annual Tier-1 Showcase, which brings all of the state’s AAA programs at the 14U, 15O, 16U and 18U age groups together for a series of games over a three-day weekend.
That’s eight Tier-1 organizations, and four age groups, all bringing the best Michigan has to offer for the 2022-23 campaign to the Troy Sports Center in Metro Detroit to start the season with a bang.
“The MAHA Tier I Showcase is a highly competitive weekend of hockey,” said Jason Reynolds, MAHA Director of Operations and Marketing, in a press release. “There’s a great deal of pride taken in being able to highlight some of our top hockey talent in Michigan. We know there will be eyes on these games, whether in-rink or streaming online, and the early-season exposure may lead some of these elite players to opportunities in the future.”
In regards to the streaming, YouthSportsPLUS will be bringing all the games to interested parties who cannot attend the weekend showcase.
“The Showcase is a great kickoff event for all of the Tier-one organizations in Michigan,” said Mike Slobodnik, Hockey Director at Fox Motors Hockey Club, in the press release. “For the players, the opportunity to compete against peers from across the state is always exciting. It’s also a chance for college, junior and professional scouts to get an early look at our teams and players. For coaches and administrators, we’re proud to bring this one-of-a-kind experience to all of our participants.”
The Troy Sports Center is a four-sheet facility, which means each of the age groups get their own rink for the weekend. On Rink 1, the 18U teams will welcome the lone non-Michigan organization in, as Chicago Mission makes the trek to Detroit for games with Biggby Coffee, Belle Tire and the Soo Indians. That last team, the Soo Indians, is the reason Mission gets an invite — the Sault Ste. Marie-based program was grandfathered in when MAHA reclassified its Tier-1 operations, and the Indians continue to operate a 18U AAA team out of Northern Michigan. That brings the total of 18U Tier-1 teams in Michigan to nine, so an at-large team fills in to make it an even number.
Last year, Belle Tire won the 18U Tier-1 state title. Along with Mission, they will also take on Fox Motors and the Oakland Jr. Grizzlies in the weekend showcase; both could serve as early tests for the club looking to defend its title.
At the 16U age group, teams will be trying to dethrone the ’06 Little Caesars club, which won the 15O state title last spring. It will be a new-look Caesars team, however, after Austin Baker and Lucas Van Vliet made the USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program (USNTDP) Under-17 Team, and Liam Storch has already signed with the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit as well.
Caesars starts things off with a showdown against Victory Honda on Rink 2, before running into Biggby Coffee and Fox Motors in the final two days.
The ‘07s start their important 15-Only season on Rink 3, and just like the aforementioned age group, Little Caesars is looking for a state championship repeat. Can the storied AAA franchise connected to the Detroit Red Wings repeat in the 15O age group as the 2007 team moves up into their junior draft season?
The LC ’07s feature plenty of firepower with the likes of Aiden Janz, Easton Pace, Evan Jardine and William Horcoff, son of former NHLer and Red Wings assistant general manager Shawn Horcoff. They start things off with a rivalry battle against HoneyBaked as the first game of the weekend on Rink 3 Friday afternoon, and then LC gets Fox and Belle Tire to round out the weekend.
The 2008 birth year begins its first season with a spot at USA Hockey Nationals on the line. Last year, HoneyBaked claimed the crown at the end of the state tournament for the age group. Will they be repeating this season?
The HB squad starts things off with a battle against Biggby to wrap up the Rink 4 activities on Friday. Saturday, they close the rink after a skate with Victory Honda. On Sunday, they wrap things up with the Oakland Jr. Grizzlies, who are the de facto host team as the primary resident of the Troy Sports Center.
There can be some big turnover on rosters from year-to-year in the state of Michigan, which makes forecasting an early-season showcase hard to do. That said, the one thing we can be sure of is that there will be a whole bunch of junior and college scouts watching from the corners of the rinks, looking to see what the Mitten State has to offer this year.
Want more coverage of youth hockey in your area? Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube for the latest news from around the world!
The AAA Kickoff Classic was the first big tournament of the fall in the United States, and in the process it provided an early look at some teams to watch for this season.
While the 15U, 16U and 18U divisions were showcase-style events with no true playoff structure, the 14U division featured a round-robin preliminary round before semifinal and championship contests, allowing Seacoast Performance Academy to flex some muscle at the 2008 birth year.
The SPA crew finished 5-1-1 over the course of the four-day event, leaving Grand Rapids, Mich., with a tournament title before the calendar flips to September.
In the championship game, the Spartans and Team Wisconsin both scored three goals apiece in the opening frame, but in the final two periods, SPA took control, and eventually won 6-3.
It was a big victory for SPA in terms of winning the AAA Kickoff Classic title, but also because they avenged their only loss in the early-season tournament. The Spartans started things off with a 3-2 nail-biting loss to the same Team Wisconsin club, ending up on the wrong end of a three-goal third period between the two clubs.
That was the only time they would lose in Grand Rapids, however, as Seacoast rebounded with a 7-1 thumping of Team Illinois Friday morning. In their second Friday tilt, SPA played one of the two clubs from Czechia, battling the Pilsen Wolves to a 5-5 tie.
On Saturday, SPA won their two contests by scoring five goals in each – first they beat Chicago Fury 5-2, before taking care of the Nashville Jr. Predators 5-1 later in the day.
In the first of two playoff games on Sunday, SPA took on the other Czech club, and HC Trinec dragged them all the way to a shootout. The Spartans prevailed in the shootout session, leaving with a 2-1 final on the scoreboard and a rematch with Team Wisconsin at 2 p.m.
In the title contest, Timothy Kazda wasn’t about to let SPA fall to Team Wisconsin again. A native of Slovakia, Kazda was dominant in the final, scoring a hat trick in the first period alone, and finishing with five goals in the 6-3 win.
That five-goal outing put Kazda in first place in scoring for both the 14U division and the Kickoff Classic field across all age groups. He finished with 12 goals and 13 total points. Aside from Kazda, SPA had well-balanced scoring throughout the tournament, as Jackson Smail had six points, while Daniel Trucka, Rockland Babcock, Hunter Chadbourne and Garrit Turcotte all had five.
Kamden Jackson and Filip Vavro took care of business between the pipes for SPA, both appearing in four contests apiece.
Team Wisconsin had plenty of firepower throughout the tournament, as well, as the next three spots in the 14U scoring race went to members of the second-place squad. Mack Diggins had 11 total points, while Grant Molski and Owen Porter both had nine.
They didn’t play in as many games as the 14U division, but the 16U Team Wisconsin made their own early-season statement in Grand Rapids.
After making the trek across (or probably around) Lake Michigan, Team Wisconsin played to a perfect 3-0-0 record in the showcase-style event.
None of their games were decided by more than two goals, showing that TW can go up against top competition and hold their own when things get tense.
On Friday, they took down SPA 3-1. Caden Feinstein scored in the first, Dylan Bryne scored in the second, and Will McDonald wrapped things up in the third.
Saturday, they took care of Team Minnesota, a collection of high school players from the ‘State of Hockey.’ Bryne’s third-period goal turned out to be the difference in that one; Riley Boyle and James Flanigan also scored for TW.
To wrap things up, they went toe-to-toe with Little Caesars in a Sunday afternoon affair, taking on a team that was a national title contender last season. All three goals in the contest were scored in the third period; TW scored twice, while LC only scored one. Quinn Smith and Jackson Hoem had the goals in a 2-1 win, as TW picked up a statement win early in the year.
Smith ended up leading TW in scoring with five points in the three games, while three players — Bryne, Vincent Greene and Joseph Coghlin — had two points apiece.
Rowan White started two games, finishing with a .938 save percentage and 1.00 goals-against average. Devin Rustlie played in one game, allowing two goals and registering a .913 save percentage.
Want more coverage of the top teams in youth hockey? Follow WHH on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube for the latest news, rankings, events and more!
It’s the first big tournament of the 2022-23 schedule, which means one thing — hockey season is officially here. The 2022 AAA Kickoff Classic is back for its second year, bringing together talent from across the country — and the globe — to Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Played across the 14U, 15O, 16U and 18U age groups, the early-season event kicks off today at the Southside Ice Arena and Kentwood Ice Arena on the west side of the Great Lakes State.
Let’s take a look at the competition for each of the divisions:
Eight teams are coming to Grand Rapids for the 14U age group, as the 2008 birth year begins play in its first nationals-bound season. The first game of the age group, however, features one of the teams that won’t be competing for a USA Hockey national title — HC Trinec of Czech Republic. HC Trinec, which will play the Nashville Jr. Predators to kick things off at 3 p.m. EST, is joined by the Pilsen Wolves, as two 14U teams from Czechia are making the pilgrimage to Grand Rapids.
Joining those three squads in the eight-team field are the Chicago Fury, Team Wisconsin, Seacoast Performance Academy, Team Illinois and Fox Motors, Southside Ice Arena’s primary tenant.
The 4:35 time slot at Kentwood will be a good one; the matchup between SPA and Team Wisconsin will certainly be one to keep an eye on. Last year, TW finished as the No. 8-ranked team in the country on our World Hockey Hub rankings, while SPA checked in at No. 19 on MyHockeyRankings. Rosters change every fall, but when those two squads clash, it will be a good matchup of Top-20 teams in the country.
15O AAA
The 15-Only age group features six teams competing from the 2007 birth-year. Team Minnesota and Michigan Hockey Advancement bring high school talent from two hockey powerhouse states together for the tournament. SPA brings its ’07 group, Fox Motors is in, and the Pittsburgh Predators and the Nashville Jr. Preds battle for the title of best Preds squad in the age group. It may just be six teams, but it’s going to be a fun weekend of hockey in the age group.
On Saturday, MHA and Team Minnesota battle it out; that’s definitely one to tune in for.
16U AAA
In the 16U group, we have 10 teams slated to participate. Like the younger age groups, there’s SPA, Fox Motors, the Pittsburgh Preds, Team Wisconsin, Michigan Hockey Advancement, Team Minnesota and the Nashville Jr. Predators. To spice things up a bit, Little Caesars, the Tri-State Spartans and a Team Wisconsin Prep team also enter the ring for the 2006 birth-year bracket.
Last year, the Little Caesars ’06s finished ranked No. 5 in the country and No. 11 in the world by World Hockey Hub. The roster will look a little different this fall, like it will for most teams, as some of the players have moved on to junior hockey. Still, LC will be expected to compete for a national title again this season, and they’re one of the many teams in this group to keep an eye on.
Caesars takes on SPA on Saturday, and Team Wisconsin to round things out on Sunday. Each of those battles could provide a glimpse into our preseason rankings set to come out next month.
In the biggest field of any age group, 12 teams will be competing in the 18U division at the Kickoff Classic. HoneyBaked makes the drive from Metro Detroit to GR for the tournament, as does Compuware. They will be battling SPA, Fox Motors, Team Wisconsin, Chicago Fury, MHA, Tri-State Spartans, Team Minnesota, the Nashville Jr. Preds and the Pittsburgh Preds over the four-day span.
The 18U Nashville Preds and Team Wisconsin squads finished two spots apart in last year’s 18U final rankings on MyHockeyRankings — they clash on Saturday for a big early-season battle.
Fox Motors and SPA wrap up a wild first day of hockey with an 8 p.m. puck drop Thursday night as well.
WHH will have more coverage from the Kickoff Classic, and other major tournaments to start the 2022-23 season. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube for the latest news!
The bad news? It’s back-to-school season.
The good news? It’s hockey season.
While youth hockey players pack up their backpacks to begin another school year, they’re also loading up their hockey bags for the beginning of the fall hockey campaign.
While the Canadian hockey community may be waiting a few more weeks to really get going, the end of August marks the start of some big, early-season tournaments in both the United States and Europe.
Let’s take a look at some of the early-season offerings and tournaments the World Hockey Hub will be keeping an eye on as we put away our sunblock and dust off our preferred rink attire.
The AAA Kickoff Classic brings top talent to Grand Rapids, Michigan, for a season-opening tournament in the 14U through 18U age groups. At the 14U level, eight teams will do battle, including two from Czechia — HC Trinec and the Pilsen Wolves. The six-team 15U division features the likes of Team Minnesota and New Hampshire’s Seacoast Performance Academy, while 10 teams show up for 16U, including Little Caesars, Team Wisconsin, and the Nashville Jr. Predators. The largest field is a 12-team 18U division.
While the west coast of Michigan will have a big-time AAA tournament taking place, the east coast of the United States will be having one, as well. The NJ August Showcase for the Eastern Exposure Series is bringing a select group of teams together in the same 14U through 18U age brackets for an early-season tune-up. At 14U, the St. Lawrence Steel, Mercer Chiefs, New Jersey Devils and New Jersey Jets will square off for a five-game weekend, while the older groups will play three-game showcase-style tournaments. Showing up in the older brackets are the likes of the North Jersey Avalanche, the Philadelphia Hockey Club, the New Jersey Rockets, and the PAL Jr. Islanders. It will be some tough competition for teams that will be spending a lot of time together this year.
The Sweden Hockey Trophy tournament series kicks off Sept. 1 – 4 for the 2008 age group. 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 birth years will follow suit over the following weeks, making Stockholm the place to be in Sweden. This preseason event regularly sets the tone for top teams in the country, separating contenders from pretenders. It isn’t just local, either. Teams from Finland, Norway, Czech Republic, Slovakia and other Central European countries have competed in this Swedish tournament in recent years.
Another top-level, early-season Scandinavian event is the U15 DIF Elitcup, set to showcase 2008s next month. Hosted by one of the top clubs in the country, Djurgårdens IF welcomes other reputable programs like Frölunda HC, Färjestad BK and a select few others to compete in an elite eight-team tournament. Nearly 30 games in three days of some of the best teams in Sweden.
Tuki-Areena in Rauma, Finland, will host a bevy of teams from the 2010 age group across three different divisions. The AAA+ Division features arguably the top eight clubs in the country with Jokerit, Kärpät, and Tappara leading the way.
Just concluded over the weekend, but worth noting another event out of Finland. The Symppisturnaus featured 16 teams at the U15 age group across two divisons: AAA+ and AAA. Only one team was shut out on the weekend; each of the other 15 teams all picked up at least one point in the three-game round robin. Tappara Black defeated KalPa Black 3-2 in the AAA+ championship game; the last of 23 tournament games to be decided by two goals or fewer over the weekend.
When is the unofficially official start date to your season? Tell us about it on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube
After more than 400 teams rolled through Massachusetts for three consecutive weekends of hockey action, World Hockey Hub breaks down each division, including champs, MVPs and all-tournament teams below. Complete tournament infohere’s a look at how the three editions of the Chowder Cup played out.
Most Valuable Player – Ben Kotylak (Nailers HC)
Jr. A Elite All-Tournament Team:
Yusof Genderguneov
Ben Jenkinson
Matteo Turrin
Cole Crusberg-Roseen
Will Felicio
Dan Heroux
The Nailers HC squad picked up a 4-2 win over the Little Rhody HC/DMV Elite team in the championship game of the Jr. A Elite division on July 24. After Jake Hewitt scored first for the Nailers, two goals from Little Rhody HC’s Philippe Lamarre put the eventually victorious Nailers back on their heels for a bit. Will Felicio straightened things out with the game-tying goal before Owen Fowler scored the go-ahead goal and Ben Kotylak wrapped things up with No. 4.
The MVP of the Elite division was Kotylak; the Nailers HC forward is set to play for the Humboldt Broncos of the SJHL next season. Last year, Kotylak split time between the AJHL’s Calgary Canucks and the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers, compiling a total of 20 points in 59 games. He is a product of West Van Academy of the CSSHL.
Most Valuable Player – Connor Haynes
Jr. A All-Tournament Team:
Hunter Dunn
Shane Kozlina
Kyle Burton
Nick Foster
Zach Ladd
Ethan Labbe
The Ontario Wolfpack beat the CWE Express White squad 2-1 in the championship game on Sunday, July 24. Jack Mcara had the game-winning goal for the Wolfpack, while Ethan Labbe picked up the win between the pipes.
The MVP of the Jr. A Division went to Connor Haynes, a Sault Ste. Marie native who will be suiting up for a second season with the Hamilton Kilty B’s of the GOJHL in the fall. He is a former captain of the Markham Majors during his GTHL days.
Most Valuable Player – Marcus Gomes
College Open All-Tournament Team:
Amine Hajibi
Charles Thomassin
Aiden Aqpik Savard
Thierry Lizotte
Janvier Ludovic
Adam Lecours
The Quebec Prospects wrapped up their dominating weekend with a 2-0 shutout win over Rapid Hockey Development in the final. Mason Czaban and Charles Thomassin took care of the scoring in the title bout, while Marcus Gomes, a native of Beaconsfield, Quebec, recorded the shutout between the pipes en route to an MVP nod from tournament organizers. Gomes played for Bishop’s College School Prep U16 this past season, recording a 29-5-2 record.
Most Valuable Player – Teddy MacAusland
2006 Elite All-Tournament Team:
Mason Landry
Thomas Kuipers
Gavin Cornforth
Nicholas Pawlowski
Joseph Mense
Ryder Shea
Sam Caufield
The Mass Edge 67’s protected home ice for the 2006 Elite division of the Junior Chowder Cup. They capped things off with a 3-2 win over CHE Navy in the championship game on July 31. Nakate Benjamin exchanged goals with the CHE squad until Dennis Davidson broke a 2-2 tie for the game-winner. Ryder Shea was between the pipes for the victory.
Teddy MacAusland, fresh off a trip to the USA Hockey Select 16 Camp, was named MVP of the tournament. He was selected in the eighth round of the QMJHL Draft by the Cape Breton Eagles earlier this summer, while he was also drafted by the Boston Jr. Bruins in the NCDC Draft.
Most Valuable Player – Daniel Stefi
2006 All-Tournament Team:
Charlie Hilton
Henry Kastenberg
Riley Clark
Josh Brady
Lucas Preiano
Evan Cherry
Central Hockey Academy cruised through the finals with a 3-0 blanking of DevCo Hockey. Julian Mandarino scored twice, while Daniel Stefi added the exclamation point and Evan Cherry took care of business between the pipes. Stefi was named MVP of the division after the contest.
Most Valuable Player – William Moore
2007 Elite All-Tournament Team:
Jessie Orlowsky
Marko Liscica
Jeremy Martin
Donny Bracco
Cameron Reid
Jack Ivankovic
Maroon Hockey wrapped up an impressive weekend with a 5-1 win over Coaches Choice Elite in the 2007 Elite finals. Kieran Witkowski, a Toronto Marlboros product, recorded a hat trick in the title game, while Mississauga Senators standouts Matthew Manza and William Moore also found the back of the net.
Moore, fresh off playing up with the Sens U16s and helping them win a OHL Cup title, was named MVP of the ’07 group. He’s definitely one to watch as the ’07 group enters its junior draft year.
Most Valuable Player – Cole Emerton
2008 All-Tournament Team:
Al Diorio
Blake Zielinski
Christian Luo
Calum Croskery
James Reilly
Machala Musty
Maroon Hockey wrapped up a 2008 division championship at the Mini Chowder Cup with a 6-1 win over V Hockey. MVP honors went to Cole Emerton, a defenseman who suited up for the Barrie Colts U14 team last fall.
Most Valuable Player – James Scantlebury
2009 All-Tournament Team:
Loik Gariepy
Drew Fox
Ethan Sung
Malik L’Italien
Max Yakub
Thomas Bedard
Coached by former NHLers Marc-Andre Bergeron and Simon Gagne, the Quebec Prospects dominated the 2009 field at the Mini Chowder Cup. They wrapped up a tournament title with a 4-3 win over the East Coast Kings in the final, thanks to goals from Alex Desruisseaux, James Scantlebury, Oliver Boivin and Loik Gariepy. Thomas Bedard was between the pipes for the win.
Scantlebary was named MVP; this past season, he played for the Lac St-Louis Arsenal M15 AAA club to face some intimidating older competition.
While the hockey world may be fired up for the rare summer edition of the Under-20 World Junior Championships coming up in August, there is also a pretty sizable international preseason tournament for bright, young stars that can’t be overlooked.
The 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup takes place July 31 through Aug. 6 in Red Deer, Alberta, as some of the world’s best Under-18 players converge on Canada.
It has had its share of different titles, debuting as the Phoenix Cup in 1991 in Yokohama and Sapporo, Japan. After three years there, it moved to Mexico City for one year, back to Japan in 1995 and then to Nelson and Castlegar, B.C., in 1996. In 1997, the tournament — by then called the Junior World Cup — moved to the Czech Republic and Slovakia, where it first alternated between countries from 1997-2001 and then became a joint affair from 2002-17.
The tournament was renamed in honor of Ivan Hlinka, the Czech hockey legend who passed away after a car accident in 2004. When it moved back to Canada in 2018 (Edmonton and Alberta), it was renamed once again, this time the Hlinka Gretzky Cup to include none other than Wayne Gretzky.
In short, it’s the kick-off event for the players’ NHL Draft season, and it’s always worth a watch when you consider some of the players that have skated in the tournament.
It’s a who’s-who of Canadian hockey royalty on the alumni list – Paul Kariya played in the inaugural event, while Jerome Iginla, Joe Thornton, Sidney Crosby, Carey Price, Steven Stamkos, Nathan MacKinnon, Aaron Ekblad and Alexis Lafreniere have represented their country at the event.
The international list is star-studded, as well, as the likes of Alexander Ovechkin, Gabriel Landeskog, Tomas Plekanec, Teuvo Teravainen, Kirill Kaprizov and Mikko Rantanen are just some off the top.
The Americans, however, handle the tournament a little differently. The Hlinka Gretzky Cup for USA Hockey is the opportunity to get international experience and exposure for the players not playing for the National Team Development Program. Talented players are on every roster – Johnny Gaudreau, Mikey Anderson, Casey Mittelstadt, Kailer Yamamoto, Alex Nedeljkovic and Kyle Connor are some of the more recent – but it’s not exactly the ‘best-on-best’ you will see at the World Juniors.
Ironically, the other countries are being forced to adopt a little bit of the Americans’ strategy this go-round, since players who are going to be competing in the World Juniors later in the month won’t be expected to play in two tournaments. The biggest name to not be skating in the tournament is Connor Bedard, the projected No. 1 overall pick in next summer’s NHL Draft. He was on Team Canada’s roster for the canceled World Junior tournament last winter, and he’s not on the Hlinka Gretzky roster, so we’re expecting to see him in action in the U20 event later in the month. Adam Fantilli is not on Canada’s Hlinka Gretzky roster, either, but he is a late ’04 birth-year.
Slovakia’s Maxim Strabak and Dalibor Dvorsky are 2023 NHL Draft eligible players who were on their country’s World Junior rosters in the first go-round, as well; Dvorsky especially is appearing high on way-to-early mock drafts.
And while COVID-19 may not be impacting the tournament like it has the last few seasons (Canada didn’t play last year out of safety concerns), the continuing war in Ukraine has led to tournament organizers deciding to not invite Russia to the Hlinka Gretzky.
Star-power abounds, nonetheless, as we are excited to see Brayden Yager of Moose Jaw (WHL), Calum Richie of Oshawa (OHL) and Zach Benson of Winnipeg (WHL) lead a high-powered Team Canada offense. Theo Lindstein is one to watch out of Sweden, as is Eduard Sale of Czechia and Kasper Halttunen of Finland.
Want more from the world of youth hockey? Follow WHH on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube for the latest worldwide news, events, prospect talk and more!
Since the organization acquired the building in 2015, USA Hockey has used USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Mich., as a home for major Team USA events.
One of those is the World Junior Summer Showcase (WJSS), in which USAH brings together the country’s top players eligible for the upcoming World Juniors, as well as top talent from Canada, Sweden and Finland.
Missing out on a traditional Summer Showcase in 2022 is one of the last (hopefully) hockey-related casualties of COVID-19 restrictions, but the event is just being altered this summer, not completely canceled.
And for good reason, of course, because the hockey world will be getting a summer edition of the World Juniors this August.
This time around, USA Hockey is hosting the 2022 National Junior Evaluation Camp in Plymouth, where Team USA will take over USA Hockey Arena from July 24 through Aug. 3. It will just be U.S. players, and while fans won’t be able to see Canada, Finland and Sweden, there will be more American talent skating than usual. Sixty-three players will be at the camp, because USA Hockey has to work on two World Juniors rosters, not just one.
They are split into two groups; the schedule shows a 2023 group and a 2022 group. The 2023 group began skating on Sunday (July 24), while the 2022 group takes the ice on Tuesday (July 26).
The 2023 group that’s currently skating features a mix of 2003 and 2004 birth-year players.
The lone outlier is Amherst, Mass., native Ryan Leonard, a 2005 birth-year forward who just wrapped up his first season in Plymouth with the NTDP Under-17 Team. Leonard is a 2023 NHL Draft-eligible player; he is joined by late 2004 birth-year members Jacob Fowler (a goaltender from Aspen, Colo.) and Charlie Stramel (a forward from Rosemont, Minn.) as camp invitees who have not had the opportunity to be drafted yet.
Taking a full look at the 63-man roster, however, will show you a whole bunch of players who have heard their names called by NHL teams. Fifty-three of the 63 players are property of NHL clubs. Ten of those were first-round picks, while 14 of them were second-round picks.
Thirty-one of the players played college hockey last season — we’re including in that count Thomas Bordeleau, who signed with San Jose after his freshman season with the University of Michigan and played in professional games immediately after. Only four played in the OHL.
Eleven of the players invited just concluded their second and final season with the NTDP, while a total of 36 are alums of USA Hockey’s elite training program in Plymouth. That means that 57 percent of the participants are NTDP products, which shows both the strength of the program, but also that players who do not make the NTDP or choose to go elsewhere can still reach junior hockey’s highest plateaus.
Players have come from all across the country, showcasing USA Hockey’s growing footprint for player development. Twenty-one states are represented on the evaluation camp roster, though Minnesota (11) and Michigan (eight) still lead the way. Pennsylvania has five as the hockey world sees the impact of the Sidney Crosby era in Pittsburgh, well documented by Logan Cooley’s No. 3 overall selection in this year’s NHL Draft. Illinois and Massachusetts both produced four, which is the same number as California. A skim of the roster shows you other locations like Fort Myers, Fla. (Seamus Casey), Bozeman, Mont. (Braden Holt), Dallas, Texas (Brent Johnson), Salt Lake City, Utah (Ian Moore) and Scottsdale, Ariz. (Josh Doan and Cutter Gauthier) as the hockey footprint expands across the States.
The U.S. group is practicing through Tuesday, Aug. 2 – in previous years at the World Junior Summer Showcase and similar events, cuts would take place throughout the duration. We will see about that this time around. Two ‘2023 Team Evaluation Scrimmages’ will take place on Thursday, July 28 and Monday, Aug. 1, while there will be a 2022 Team Intrasquad Scrimmage on Friday, July 29 and then a 2022 Team vs. 2023 Team game on Sunday, July 31.
You know when you have nearly 100 teams flocking to the Boston area in the middle of July for hockey, you have something big going on.
The Chowder Cup series is back for another set of summer hockey weekends, and by the way, that 100 number is just for the first of three scheduled weekends.
The puck drops today on the Mini Chowder Cup, which has teams from the 2008 and 2009 birth-years dragging their gear into the Foxboro Sports Center for a four-day tournament.
Fifty-eight teams are playing in the ’08 classification, and 39 are playing in the ’09.
Next week, it’s the Junior Chowder Cup, with 80 teams coming for the ’06 birth year, and 88 coming for the ’07 class.
The Senior Chowder Cup breaks into two divisions — the Jr. A Division and the College Open Teams division. The Jr. A Division — which has 76 teams participating — allows for 2002 birth-year players through 2005 birth-year players. The College Open Division features 2003, 2004 and 2005 birth-years — and that one has 77 teams slated to partake.
These tournament teams are selects-based, created for this particular event; you won’t recognize any of the usual AAA winter squads or anything of the sort.
What is noticeable are the names on the scouting list and alumni from the Chowder Cup series. In the 2021 NHL Draft, 23 Chowder Cup alums were selected, including first-round picks Matty Beniers (No. 2 overall, Seattle) and Matt Coronato (No. 12 overall, Calgary).
In 2020, even more Chowder Cup alums were selected — 32 in total. Three of those were in the top 10 picks of the draft, in fact, as Quinton Byfield (No. 2 overall, Los Angeles), Jamie Drysdale (No. 6 overall, Anaheim) and Cole Perfetti (No. 10 overall, Winnipeg) had all made the trek to Boston to play in the Mini Chowder Cup as young hockey players. Byfield was the tournament MVP of the 2002 birth year in 2015 as he posted 12 points in six games to lead Rink Eye Selects to a title.
Also of note, all three of those guys are Canadian, which means the Chowder Cup has some border-crossing appeal.
More recently, Cole Eiserman — expected to be one of the stars of USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program (USNTDP) Under-17 Team next fall — was named to the all-tournament team of the Mini Chowder Cup in 2019. Current NTDP stand-out Will Smith was tournament MVP of the ‘05 birth-year in 2018.
With elite talent like that skating in the summer tournaments, it’s easy to see why the scouts show up in Massachusetts during golf season, too. According to the Chowder Cup’s website, scouts from the Edmonton Oilers, Buffalo Sabres, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, Ottawa Senators and NHL Central Scouting will all be in attendance for the older groups, while a substantial collection of NCAA Division-I and Division-III coaches will be there as well.
Likewise, staff members from USHL, NAHL, NCDC, EHL, USPHL and NA3HL teams will be watching the Chowder Cup closely, as will a number of agencies and scouting services.
If you’re looking for exposure with Canadian junior programs, you get your wish at the Chowder Cup, too, as the OHL, QMJHL, OJHL, and AJHL are all represented.
World hockey Hub will have continued coverage of the Chowder Cup throughout the month. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube for updates!
It may be summer, but it’s hard to keep hockey people away from the rink for too long.
There are major hockey events sprinkled across the “off-season” calendar, and the World Hockey Hub will be keeping an eye on them as we fly through the warmer months of 2022.
Here are some of the highlighted hockey events taking place in North America this summer:
What’s better than one Brick? Two Bricks. The organizers for the Brick Invitational Hockey Tournament have expanded the annual summer tournament to two birth years, in an effort to accommodate a birth year that missed out on the tournament last year because of COVID-19. The 2011 birth-year will play from June 29 to July 3, and the 2012 birth-year will play from July 4-10. The tournament — played in the West Edmonton Mall — is one of the most unique events in all of youth sports, and while the 2010 birth year never ended up being able to participate, it’s great to see the 2011 group not miss out on the remarkable experience.
It may be a holiday in America, but it’s a work day for one of Canada’s three Major Junior leagues. The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) will start its annual draft on July 4, with the league setting aside two days to conduct its selection process of the 2006 birth-year class virtually.
The culminating event of youth hockey is the NHL Draft, where every summer the hockey world gets to experience dreams coming true for its best and brightest. The World Hockey Hub will be watching, as well, to see where the newest NHL Draft picks came from and how their youth hockey resumes shaped their journey to hockey’s highest league.
There are six different USA Hockey Player Development Camps, but the Boys Select 15 is the one that may have the most impact on top-level American talent. The first year of national camps for players progressing through the USA Hockey ranks, the Select 15 — held in Amherst, N.Y. — is the first big event of the year-long recruiting and evaluating process for the NTDP and junior league drafts.
The Chowder Cup — featuring a Mini, Junior and Senior divisions — brings top youth hockey talent to the Boston area for some impressive summer on-ice action. The Mini Chowder Cup features the 2008-09 classes on July 15-17, while the Junior Chowder Cup hosts the 2006-07s on July 21-24 and the Senior Chowder Cup for the 2002-05 groups on July 28-31.
It may not get as much publicity as the World Juniors (more on that below), but the Hlinka Gretzky Cup is a huge summer showcase to keep an eye on this year. USA Hockey and Hockey Canada use their summer player development camps as a tryout for the tournament, which will be taking place in Red Deer, Alberta this summer. It’s an Under-18 tournament that brings together elite players from across the globe heading into their NHL Draft year.
The Best of Best series, in its second season, aims to bring the best GTHL, Eastern OMHA, South-Central OMHA and ALLIANCE players together for elite hockey starting at the 2010 and 2011 birth-years. The idea is to bring the players in each summer, and in their fourth year through the program, play in a full OHL/NCAA showcase event.
One of the greatest events in all of sports will be a little warmer than usual, as the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship will be taking place Aug. 9-20 in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta. The original tournament, which usually closes out one calendar year and opens the next, was postponed due to COVID-19 concerns, but the hockey community is making sure it still takes place – this time in the dead of summer.
For the 2008 birth-year class in the United States, few events are as big as the CCM 68’s. Hosted in Chicago, the 68’s annually bring together the best players in the country, both boys and girls, for a weekend of on- and off-ice training and education. Alumni include Jack Hughes, Cole Caufield, Trevor Zegras, Spencer Knight, Jacob Trouba, Tyler Seguin, Matthew Tkachuk, Clayton Keller and more.
Stay up-to-date on everything coming up in the world of youth hockey by following WHH on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube!
World Hockey Hub prides itself on being the pulse of youth hockey, covering all things in the sport worldwide and being your number one resource for news, rankings, updates and more. In an effort to continue connecting with the community — while also providing a platform for the community to connect with each other — WHH has launched a Discord channel for everyone to talk all things youth hockey.
Discord is a free voice, video and text chat app that’s used by tens of millions of people worldwide. Discord has proven to be a valuable tool in the video game, NFT and sports talk communities, as well as academic, where students can connect on similar areas of study. WHH sets its sights on connecting youth hockey players, parents and coaches around the world.
We will continue delivering news and updates as we always have, while you can now provide your own commentary, opinions and feedback on those very topics, among others.
Going to The Brick tournament next month in Edmonton and not sure what to expect? Ask the community for suggestions on things to do in the area so you can get the most out of your experience.
Not sure if the CCM World Invite is the right tournament for your squad next season? Poll other Discord members for their opinion on good winter events that fit your team’s skill level.
And of course, members are encouraged to make suggestions on what would make not only the community better, but our website and coverage of youth hockey. Join our Discord channel today and voice your opinion on all things youth hockey!