One of the biggest youth hockey summer tournaments is in full swing this month. Over the course of five weekends, boys and girls from multiple birth years take to the ice in the Montreal Meltdown. The field for the 30th Anniversary event will be made up of more than 200 teams across 10 age groups. Two divisions have already kicked off action earlier this month, with the next installment set to begin this weekend.
This year’s tournament starts with the youngest age groups of the 2014, 2015 and 2016 birth years and goes all the way up to an 18U division for ‘05, ‘06 and ‘07 birth years. Some age groups have as many as three different competition levels, presumably for AAA, AA and A-level teams.
Division 2 and 3-level ‘09, ‘10, ‘11, ‘12 and ‘13 age groups got underway on May 5th. The 18U and ‘08 age groups followed last weekend with 52 teams in action. Friday, 48 more teams from the ‘11 age group as well as ‘12, ‘13 and ‘14 teams will compete. Then, on June 1st, ‘09, ‘10 and ‘15 age groups will take to the ice. There is a AAA-level weekend for ‘12 through ‘16 birth years, however, dates have not been made public.
The pool of teams is made up primarily of Eastern Canada representatives, with a few U.S. clubs also taking part in the festivities from as far south as Tennessee. Matchups have been taking place at either the Sportplexe Pierrefonds or Complexe Sportif St-Raphael. The 2013, 2014 and D1 2011 divisions will each be split into two groups. The 2012 division is one group of nine teams. After this month-long competition, the next big date on the Canadian calendar will be the Brick Invitational. That is slated to begin July 4th and run through July 10th.
Fans can download an exclusive app to keep track of the latest scores, stats and standings HERE. Games will also be streamed live thanks to High Button Sports, which can be found HERE.
For more on the Montreal Meltdown and other upcoming tournaments and showcases be sure to follow WHH on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Discord and YouTube!
For the last 36 weeks, the most elite teams in AAA hockey have bolstered their resumes, won tournaments, league championships and national titles. The results are in, schedules completed and the World Rankings, presented by World Hockey Hub, have been finalized.
As the 2022-23 season comes to a close, we crown the No. 1 teams across six different age groups to finish as the best in the youth hockey landscape:
Ending the ‘22-23 campaign as National Champions among 2006-born U.S. teams, the Long Island Gulls cemented their status as the best program in that birth year. A 17-game unbeaten streak to start the season would only be a sign of further things to come for this squad. They secured a district title at the New York State Amateur Hockey Association (NYSAHA) with a 5-1 win over the Buffalo Jr. Sabres. That victory earned them a spot at USA Hockey Nationals, where the team skated to a 5-1-0 record. Long Island deservedly won the championship by shutting out Little Caesars 2-0 in the title matchup. In 15 of the 17 World Rankings updates this season, the Gulls were the No. 1 team.
Forward Jesse Orlowsky and defenseman Donato Bracco were invited to the USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program’s (USNTDP) annual U17 Evaluation Camp. Bracco was later announced as having earned a spot on the team. Earlier this month, five Gulls were selected in the United States Hockey League’s (USHL) Phase-I Draft. Orlowsky, Ethan Wyttenbach, Malachi McKinnon, Nicholas Sykora and Brendan DeFeo all had their names called.
You would be hard pressed to find another youth hockey team this season that won as much as ‘07 Little Caesars. After alternating wins and losses in the first four games of the year, the team hit its stride with a 46-game unbeaten streak. Along the way, Caesars nabbed titles at the CCM World Invite and USHL Youth Fall Classic. At USA Hockey Nationals, the skilled group was positioned as favorites to win the tournament. That was, until they fell in the semifinal round in overtime to Shattuck-St. Mary’s.
Despite a tough ending to an almost storybook season, players from Caesars were among some of the most popular this offseason. Goaltender Joey Slavick, defenseman Charlie Thretheway and forward Will Horcoff were named to the USNTDP U17 roster. Additionally, seven players — including Horcoff and Tretheway — were also chosen in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Draft. Six others were also selected in the USHL’s Phase-I Draft as well.
The Vaughan Kings have held down the No. 1 spot in the ‘09 World Rankings for 24 consecutive weeks. They made their first big splash of the season by going undefeated at the Little Caesars Invitational. The team continued to roll along into the Vaughan Kings Classic, where they defeated York Simcoe Express in the final. The New Year began with another tournament win, this time by emerging as champions at the International Silver Stick. It was the second year in a row that the Kings were the last team standing at the major event. Next up was the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) Championships. It was here that Vaughan bested the Toronto Jr. Canadiens in a tough five-game series. The Kings wrapped up the campaign with an appearance at the U15 All-Ontario Championships. In the title game, they shut out the Soo Jr. Greyhounds 4-0.
The ‘09 Toronto Jr. Canadiens had a strong finish to their ‘22-23 schedule. This allowed them to hold onto the No. 1 World Rankings spot since May 7th. Since that date, JRC were winners in 10 of its final 13 contests. The pinnacle of their season was a 5-0-0 run at the U14 OHL Cup. Included in that performance were victories over fellow World-ranked teams Don Mills Flyers and Sun County Panthers. The club was undefeated in three different stretches of at least eight games. One of the most offensively gifted rosters in the world, the Jr. Canadiens finished with an incredible goal differential of plus-199.
What else can be said about 2011-born CSKA Moscow that hasn’t been written already? The team opened their schedule with one of the best winning streaks in recent memory. Winding up in the win column in the first 36 games of a season is nothing short of spectacular. And when adversity finally did hit, they rebounded in full. After they suffered their only loss of the season — in overtime to Spartak — . The major players who helped CSKA’s incredible performance were the dynamic duo of Nikita Siniken and Roman Andreev. Siniken used stellar hockey sense and puck-handling skills en route to putting up 76 goals and 169 points. Andreev managed to record 98 goals and 165 points. Odds were one of these two were tasked with getting the job done if a big play was needed.
One of two teams from the Jr. Canadiens program to finish atop the World Rankings, the ‘11 squad for Toronto hit the ground running this season. Thrown into heavy competition early at the Toronto Marlboros Friendship, JRC collected its first trophy of the season with a tournament win. Shortly after, a perfect 6-0-0 weekend saw Toronto take gold at the CCM Motown. The team once more made it to another tournament final, this time at the International Silver Stick tournament. However, a solid run of championship success ended when they became runners up after a 4-2 loss to the Mid-Fairfield Jr. Rangers. The club added to their trophy case when they nabbed a title at the Vaughan Kings Classic by defeating Little Caesars 6-2.
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.
On Thursday, SKA Strelna’s improbable run to the U17 Russian National Championship ended in victory with a 6-2 win over Lokomotiv 2004 Yaroslavl. The win snapped an undefeated tournament run for Lokomotiv, who entered the finale as winners of its last six. Ten teams originally set out for the title and were divided into two groups of five. our of those teams were mainstays in the World Rankings.
Heading into the national championship game, no other team had looked as good as Lokomotiv. They had outscored opponents 28-7, with two shutouts and had four of the top 10 scorers in the tournament. The offense was producing, the defense was holding teams to little zone time, and the goaltenders were making timely saves. That is, however, until Strelna met them in the championship game.
Strelna got out to a fast start when Kirill Potapov scored 44 seconds after puck drop. He collected a turnover from Egor Surin and sent a perfectly placed shot over the right shoulder of Semyon Konopsky. That lead would be doubled around the 10-minute mark when Georgy Tatulov sent a shot from the right circle over Konopsky’s glove following a face-off win.
After a late push back from Lokomotiv, Strelna was able to put the game away with a pair of late goals, securing the 6-2 win and ‘06 national championship.
Strelna had a tough task right out of the gate, clashing with CSKA Moscow in its first game. Forty seconds after falling into a 3-1 deficit early in the third period, Strelna cashed in to make it a one-goal game. With just over five minutes remaining in regulation, Artem Valuev collected his second point of the game to tie things up at 3-3. No winner was decided in overtime, thus leading to a shootout. Makar Opolinsky played hero for Strelna by scoring the only goal in the skills competition to secure the win. It was his first game-winner of the tournament, but would not be his last as the tournament wore on.
In the second game, Strelna found itself sitting on 2-0 lead over Siberia in the third period. However, goals from Egor Golovnev minutes apart evened the score and forced overtime yet again. Three minutes into the extra period Egor Kosachev tallied the winning goal for Siberia.
After splitting their next two games of pool play, SKA Strelna entered the playoffs 2-2-0 as the No. 3 team out of Group B.
Stepan Tarasenko notched his first goal of the tournament when he opened the scoring against Ak Bars seven minutes into the first period. Oleg Kuznetsov scored the only other goal in regulation during the second period to tie it at 2-2. Strelna once again found itself preparing for a third overtime game. Despite numerous chances for both sides, no player could find the back of the net. With action headed to a shootout, Opolinsky showed off his skill yet again by scoring the only goal; his second of the tournament.
The victory set up a rematch with CSKA, and Strelna wasted no time in breaking the ice. Evgeny Novikov, Ivan Kornilov and Artem Valuev propelled Strelna out to a commanding 3-0 lead. Strong defense and goaltending from Mikhail Korotkov held Moscow off the board until late in the game. Nikita Frolov, one of the most dynamic scorers of the birth year, netted two goals 43 seconds apart. With renewed hope and momentum, CSKA threw everything they had at Strelna, but their opponent held firm. By way of a 3-2 win, Strelna’s spot in the championship game was set.
Four of the top 10 scorers in the tournament hailed from Lokomotiv, with Egor Surin leading them all. In six games, he had seven goals and 14 points. Not only had Lokomotiv been the only undefeated team in the tournament, they hadn’t lost a game since March 26th. Their 13-game win streak would come to an end at the hands of Strelna in the championship though.
Strelna’s early 2-0 lead was cut into by Surin seven minutes into the second period. Team captain Artem Valuev was quick to restore the two-goal lead, cashing in on a power-play opportunity just a few minutes later. Evgeny Novikov increased the lead to 4-1 and Strelna firmly in control, cruised to a national championship victory.
Ranked as high as fourth in the world among 2006-born teams this season, Strelna’s championship caps off a 36-10-0 record. They entered the national championship after taking first place in the St. Petersburg District. Opolinsky, Novikov and Tarasenko all eclipsed the 40-point mark this season, with five more players averaging a point per game as well. It is also back-to-back national championships for Strelna, as the ‘06 squad won the U16 tournament last year.
Want more coverage of Russia and its top youth hockey players and teams? Follow WHH on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Discord and YouTube for the latest news, updates and more!
The Championship of Russia among 2006-born teams will kick off on Tuesday. Ten teams will be divided into two groups of five, with four mainstays from the WHH Rankings among them. Group A will consist of No. 7 Salavat Yulaev Ufa, Ak Bars Kazan, Crystal, Lokomotiv 2004 Yaroslavl and Dynamo Minsk. Group B will include No. 1 CSKA Moscow, No. 4 SKA Silver Lions, No. 5 SKA Strelna, Siberia and Severstal Cherepovets. Here’s how we predict each team will finish in the divisions, and who has the best chance to secure the championship.
Salavat Yulaev Ufa kicked off its 2022-23 campaign with a 10-game win streak. A performance that gave them solid enough ground to earn a spot in the Top 10 Russian rankings. For the entirety of this season, they have not relinquished a spot among the premier Russian clubs. Incredible scoring depth and dependable goaltending allowed the team to skate to a 30-5-3 record. Six of the top 10 scorers on the team have scored more than 30 points.
No one did it better than the duo of Georgy Sukharev and Daniel Kurmanaev. Each player ended with 57 and 47 points, respectively. Sukharev found the back of the net 35 times in 36 contests, recording almost a goal per game. Assisting on a majority of those was Kurmanaev, who notched 36 assists. Most of the team’s ranked matchups came against Yugra Yukior, with earlier in-season battles with Avangard Omsk. The bottom line is they have no issue handling teams they should beat.
The case for Lokomotiv 2004 Yaroslavl is an interesting one. A strong finish to the regular season gave them a 13-13-7 record. The results in the win column were not there as often as the team would have hoped, but they still held their own against some of the best in Russia. Close losses to CSKA Moscow, Spartak Moscow and Dynamo Moscow proved that the team has the ability to hang with the big clubs. A different bounce here or there may have led to more positive results. Entering the tournament as one of the hotter teams, they are riding a four-game win streak. A big question for Lokomotiv will be if Matvey Kazakov can continue to lead the attack and build upon his 18 goals and 38 points.
Ak Bars Kazan hovered around the bubble of entering the Top 10 Russian rankings but was unable to crack it. Despite a 38-3-1 record, they have yet to clash with any of the premier programs from the ‘06 birth year. As a result, all eyes will be on them to see how they fare when the talent level rises. Leading scorer Oleg Kuznetsov will be tasked with doing the heavy lifting on offense. He has recorded 34 goals and 75 points.
Crystal ended the regular season 27-9-0, and are in the midst of a three-game win streak. Consistent production from Matvei Vasilyuk was a large part of that record. With 14 points (4G, 9A) in his last 10 games, Vasilyuk brought his season total to 53 points by the club’s final contest. Artem Leichenko’s 19 goals and 49 points are second behind him.
Similar to Crystal, Dynamo Minsk comes into the championship tournament on a win streak of its own. The team was victorious in the last four outings to bring their total to 28-11-5.
Having been defeated just twice all season, CSKA Moscow has been a mainstay atop the ‘06 Russian rankings all year long. The schedule was littered with matchups against the top teams of the birth year, and they answered the call with a resounding 33-2-0 record. CSKA does have previous meetings with two teams in the group. On August 26th, they defeated SKA Strelna 8-1. They also opened their season with a 3-0 shutout of SKA Silver Lions on August 23rd of last year.
On a 12-game winning streak, you have to go all the way back to December 12 for their last loss, 6-5 to Spartak Moscow. 10 players have recorded at least 20 points collectively, led by Ivan Okunev (37G, 41A) and Ilya Pautov (17G, 34A). Both players have also suited up in action for CSKA Moscow’s U18 team as well. Battle tested and deep, CSKA enters this tournament as favorites to win it all.
Despite dropping their most recent decision to SKA Silver Lions, SKA Strelna has gotten the better of them in their regular season series. In eight contests, Strelna was victorious in five of them. Three of the meetings went past regulation, with Strelna winning twice in overtime and once in a shootout. Four of the games were also decided by just one goal, with the largest margin of victory coming for Silver Lions in a 6-0 final on September 25th. Makar Opolinsky’s 27 goals and 62 points are first for Strelna, tied with Evgeny Novikov (26G, 36A).
The Silver Lions ended their regular season schedule strong with a four-game win streak. Included in that run was a 5-3 victory over SKA Strelna on April 15th. Along with CSKA and Strelna, the Silver Lions make Group B a three-team race to see who will come out on top. Egor Grakhov has done most of the scoring for the Silver Lions, collecting 61 points. Three other players behind him have also notched at least 50 points as well. With a high-powered, heavy attack up front, the Silver Lions should be on the radar to contend for a playoff spot.
Severstal has experience against Strelna and the Silver Lions, facing off with each three times during the regular season. They were unable to get a win in those games, and were collectively outscored 40-11. Searching to find some positive ground, Severstal have lost their last five games heading into the tournament.
On an impressive 20-game winning streak dating back to January 14th, Siberia has yet to play consistently among the best competition of the birth year. They have experience against some bubble teams such as Auto Spartakovets and Avangard Omsk. Siberia even had a clash with No. 8 Metallurg Magnitogorsk earlier this season, falling in a 5-0 final.
Want more coverage of Russia and its top youth hockey players and teams? Follow WHH on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Discord and YouTube for the latest news, updates and more!
Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN — Today, PLAY Hockey announced the acquisition of the World Hockey Group’s (WHG) North American and European events. The acquisition expands PLAY Hockey’s global youth hockey events in Europe and North America. With the addition of the WHG, PLAY Hockey is now proud to host guests at over 90 events each year in addition to operating over 400 youth hockey teams.
“This strategic acquisition allows us to align the two most prestigious youth hockey brands.” said Josh Thiem, President of PLAY Hockey. “This could not have been completed without the excellent work of our corporate development team that is constantly looking for opportunities to enhance our portfolio of hockey events, and by extension, the opportunities and experiences we are able to provide to players and families.”
The addition of the WHG will merge two prominent youth hockey tournaments hosted in Europe, the World Youth Championships and World Selects Invitational (WSI), creating the most elite youth hockey event in the world. PLAY Hockey is also proud to add the North American WSI hockey events to its roster.
“This allows us to expand global opportunities for elite youth hockey players and scale up experiences for players,” said Sergai Zak, World Selects Invitational general manager. “We will now be able to deliver even more valuable opportunities for players and their families across the world.”
About PLAY Hockey
PLAY Hockey Canada and its solely owned subsidiary PLAY Hockey USA which operates as PLAY Hockey owns and operates youth hockey events in countries worldwide including Canada, USA and Europe.
About the World Hockey Group
World Hockey Group specializes in sports tours and travel throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. We offer a wide variety of experiences which includes organizing a tailored sports tour for your specific needs. Players practice, compete against, and participate in fun activities with players from many different countries. Guests also tour their destination cities, taking in area attractions including museums, historic sites, and natural wonders.
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.
What is one of the biggest challenges we face feeding young athletes? Ice rink concession stand food. Most concession stands are full of popcorn, pizza, breadsticks and colorful slushies. Relying on these fast and tempting options will make an athlete sluggish and decrease their potential on the ice.
Eating a nourishing small snack before or after a skate will increase energy and maximize performance. A pre-skate snack will sustain energy and a post-skate snack is important to refuel muscles. A snack should contain both carbohydrate and protein, and be consumed within one hour of exertion. That is when muscles are primed for energy intake. Food choices really do make a difference.
Planning and preparation of portable and nourishing snacks is key. Young athletes require proper energy to support recovery and repair of their growing body. For hockey players to perform well, they need to eat well.
What type of snacks will provide energy and strength? Celly Salt is here to offer some ideas to help plan and prepare snacks to fuel healthy athletes.
With a little prep work and planning ahead, you can provide youth hockey players with viable, healthy and delicious snacks for life on the road. Here’s a few we recommend:
Brand name snacks
Ingredients
Directions
Cook’s Note: Great mixed into trail mix, topper for salad or just a snack.
Ingredients
Directions
Cook’s Note: Mix in 2 tablespoons chia seeds with the oats for added protein, fiber, calcium and magnesium.
Want more recipes and products from Celly Salt? Click HERE.
Peter Rossi, on-site at 15O Nationals
Despite it being a chilly and windy morning in Wayne, New Jersey, the 15O semifinal matchups inside the Ice Vault were heating up. First up, top-seeded Little Caesars was set to take on No. 3-seed Shattuck-St. Mary’s. Next, the afternoon would wrap up with a contest between No. 5-seed Los Angeles Jr. Kings and No. 8-seed Pittsburgh Penguins Elite.
While many had picked Little Caesars to be the team victorious at this year’s 15O tournament, someone forgot to tell that to Shattuck-St. Mary’s. Realizing the opportunity before them, SSM took to the ice against a team who had dominated opponents since Nationals began. It seemed as if that would be the case yet again when Easton Pace opened the scoring when he managed to shoot the puck past a diving Garrett Glaser while falling.
Caesars would then fall into some penalty trouble, which Shattuck made sure to take advantage of. Gavin Kor tied the game when he finished off tic-tac-toe passing between Aaron Obobaifo and Joseph Gugino. Sent back to the power play shortly after that goal, Caden Lindsay was able to bang in a pass from Chase Nehring to put Shattuck up 2-1 just 44 seconds after the game was tied. SSM was able to take advantage of extended zone time, mainly by outworking Caesars in getting to loose pucks and winning board battles.
@HockeyCaesars got the scoring started this morning with a goal from Easton Pace. #USAHNationals pic.twitter.com/O6O52y55AU
— World Hockey Hub (@WorldHkyHub) April 2, 2023
Just when it seemed Shattuck would take a 2-1 lead into the first intermission, Aiden Janz made his presence known. Rocketing through the neutral zone, he split two defenders and beat Glaser’s right pad to even the score with 22 seconds left on the clock.
Caesars got its lead back in the second period when Clark Nehmens coughed the puck up to Janz, who quickly began a 2-on-1 rush in the other direction with Pace. After a short give-and-go between the two, Pace finished off the play for his second goal and to put his team up 3-2.
Been super impressed with @HockeyCaesars forward Easton Pace (#27 White) all week at #USAHNationals, but this interception & give-and-go with fellow standout Aiden Janz is the highlight I’ve been waiting for. pic.twitter.com/ZgNWDt31JO
— Brayden Olafson (@olaf1393) April 2, 2023
But once again back on the power play, Kor tallied his second goal with a blast off a perfect feed from Gavin Katz, tying things up at 3.
Both teams find the back of the net in the second here at 15O @usahockey Nationals. Another goal for Gavin Kor for Shattuck, this time on the power play. 3-3 entering the third period! #USAHNationals pic.twitter.com/JBvddLNjjg
— World Hockey Hub (@WorldHkyHub) April 2, 2023
Despite an evenly played third period, it seemed as if destiny was on Caesars’ side when Nehmens was called for hooking with just 17 seconds remaining in regulation. Unable to score, the contest would require overtime, where Caesars would have 1:43 remaining on the power play to find the winner.
The penalty kill for Shattuck came up huge in the opening moments of the extra frame. With tired Caesars skaters unable to change, Graham Jones ripped a shot on net that bounced off the pipe and in for the game-winning goal. SSM players poured off the bench and mobbed Glaser in celebration.
Finishing with two goals and an assist, Kor now sits in third in total points at 15O Nationals, with three goals and 12 points.
Shattuck wins it in overtime to advance to the 15O @usahockey Nationals championship game! #USAHNationals pic.twitter.com/GkdfSebkah
— World Hockey Hub (@WorldHkyHub) April 2, 2023
Not even a day removed from scoring the overtime winner to get past Mount. St. Charles in the quarterfinal round, Benjamin Kevan once again was the star for the Los Angeles Jr. Kings. Collecting four points, including three goals, Kevan led his team over a tough Pittsburgh Penguins Elite squad. He now is tied with William Horcoff of Little Caesars for first in overall scoring with 13 points.
The game opened with a flair for the dramatic when the Jr. Kings believed they had gotten the first goal. After initially being called a good goal, after a short conference the officials reversed the call to no goal. Still sending wave after wave of players into Pittsburgh’s zone, Los Angeles was finally rewarded for its efforts with a power play. Luke Norcross fired a pass through the crease that found the stick of Kevan, who slid it in for a 1-0 lead.
Continuing to struggle to find any offensive zone time, Pens Elite did not register a shot on goal until 4:45 left remaining in the period. With 3:14 remaining, Caden Campion doubled the lead when he deposited a pass from Kevan into the net. Overall, the Jr. Kings outshot Pittsburgh 8-2 in the first period.
Trying to cut into the deficit on a power play of their own, PPE got mixed up on a passing play in the neutral zone, resulting in Kevan knocking a puck loose. He skated in on a breakaway and after a few deft dekes, chipped the puck over the pad of Giulio Torriero for a commanding 3-0 lead. 23 seconds after, Kieren Dervin would finally cash in for the Pens to cut the lead to 3-1.
Jacob Cloutier would bring it to a one-goal game when he fired a clean wrist shot from in front into the net. The line of Dervin, Cloutier and Quinn McKenzie once again came in clutch. From that point on, it was all Pittsburgh as they threw everything on net in an attempt to tie the game. With the Jr. Kings on their heels, Hayden Russell forced a turnover at PPE’s blue line, pushed his way to the front of the net and beat Torriero for a crucial insurance goal. Kevan would net his third goal when he found the empty-net, securing the 5-2 win.
A late insurance goal by Hayden Russell secures @JrKingsHockey's spot in the 15O @usahockey Nationals championship game with a 5-2 win over @PghPensElite! #USAHNationals pic.twitter.com/nztmCjHDbt
— World Hockey Hub (@WorldHkyHub) April 2, 2023
Just one year ago, Shattuck found themselves in a similar position. They were in the championship game at 15O USAH Nationals, only to be bested by Chicago Mission. With confidence at an all-time high, the club is eager to finally earn some hardware that has eluded the program at this division.
If there is one thing both teams remaining have in common, it’s that they both are playing their best hockey of the year at exactly the right time. Both have a top player in total points, goaltending has been a strength, and special teams have been firing on all cylinders.
My prediction: This one is almost too close to call. Both teams have put together solid wins the past two days, with Shattuck taking down an absolute behemoth in Caesars. While goaltending has been solid for each squad, this may just come down to who manages to put more pucks in the net. I’m very excited to see Benjamin Kevan and Gavin Kor go head-to-head when a championship is on the line. Given the fact with how evenly they looked with Caesars in the semifinal battle, I think SSM gets the edge for the win here.
Craig Peterson, on-site at 14U Nationals
Semifinal action at the 14U USA Hockey Nationals got underway with No. 7-seed Bishop Kearney and No. 11-seed Boston Jr. Eagles. They were followed by No. 2 Chicago Mission and No. 3 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite facing off on the other half of the bracket.
The tournament has delivered a little bit of everything in terms of chalk — with the top seeds winning out — as well as chaos, where upsets and underdogs stole the show.
On one half of the bracket, top-seeded Pens Elite and Chicago Mission delivered. Their semifinal matchup set the stage for two heavyweights to collide. The other half of the bracket was wild, to say the least. Bishop Kearney stunned top-seeded Shattuck-St. Mary’s in overtime, thanks to a power-play goal from Dain Gordon. It was the first time since December 3rd that Shattuck had suffered defeat, snapping a 24-game win streak.
Additionally, the Jr. Eagles jumped out to a 2-0 lead on No. 4-seed Los Angeles Jr. Kings. While the Jr. Kings had come back from a deficit twice already in this tournament, Boston made sure there wouldn’t be a third. They out-shot, out-worked and out-disciplined the heavily-favored Jr. Kings and advanced to a semifinal matchup between two Cinderellas.
In the first semifinal, both the Jr. Eagles and BK Selects delivered their best performances of the tournament. Much of the game felt like a mental chess match as both ends traded scoring opportunities, power plays and plenty of zone time.
Lance Toland broke the 0-0 tie three minutes into the second period, as he put the Jr. Eagles on top with a power-play goal. BK was quick to respond, though, as its leading scorer, Camden Nimmer snapped off a wrist shot from the blue line to make it 1-1 just a minute and five seconds later.
With both teams on the board, the strategery resumed, as they played 15 more minutes of scoreless hockey. Then, in the third period, Dain Gordon cashed in on Bishop Kearney’s fourth power-play opportunity of the game to give them a 2-1 lead. Austin Brekelmans added a wrist-shot goal a few minutes later and BK had a stranglehold on the scoreboard.
An empty-net goal would make it a 4-1 final, and the Jr. Eagles’ run would come to an end.
Despite the loss, they out-shot BK 23-17 but did not have an answer for Gavin Weeks in net. The backbone of Bishop Kearney’s run thus far has been the stellar play of Weeks between the pipes. He’s played all 249 minutes of game action at USA Hockey Nationals. In that span, Weeks is 4-1-0 with a 1.17 goals-against average and .948 save percentage.
The Chicago Mission and Pittsburgh Penguins Elite clashed in the second semifinal on Sunday. With Shattuck-St. Mary’s eliminated, Mission and PPE were the two highest remaining seeds in the tournament. By the end of the afternoon, only one of them would move on to the championship.
Fortunately for Mission, their top performers continued to shine as the stage of the tournament got bigger.
Lukas Zajic — the team’s leading scorer — struck back-to-back times in the first period, just over three minutes apart. That pair of goals put Chicago up 2-1 and in the driver’s seat for the first time. From there, power forward Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll scored a pair of his own to end the first period and open the second period. That furthered Mission’s lead to 5-2 with just over half the game left to play.
Despite maintaining a 6-3 lead through two periods, Mission was being out-shot and out-possessed for long stretches by Pens Elite. At one point, PPE held a 21-14 advantage in shots. However, Mission’s Jake Windbiel was up to the task.
While PPE managed to produce offense — three goals through the halfway point of the game — much of their success came on second- and third-chance opportunities. Listed at 6-foot-4, Windbiel is the biggest goaltender in the tournament. His combination of size and mobility left talented attackers like Alexander McLean, Brody George and Kase Kamzik stifled. Pittsburgh generated plenty of quality looks but were unable to challenge Windbiel from distance.
The struggles continued into the third period, and time became PPE’s biggest enemy. With 3:23 left in regulation, Carson Lindberg capitalized on a blue-line turnover and snapped a shot past Windbiel to make the deficit 6-4. It was too little, too late though, as Aurelio Garcia would score an empty-net goal just moments later that sealed each team’s fate.
Mission was on to the championship with Bishop Kearney. PPE, on the other hand, was heading home for the final time this season.
The Cinderella story in Bishop Kearney collides with the powerhouse favorite in Chicago Mission for the 14U USA Hockey national championship. The battle for supremacy in the 2008 birth year comes down to Chicago’s Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll, Lukas Zajic and Kalder Varga on one end. BK counters with Camden Nimmer, Rudolfs Berzkalns and Nolan Duskocy. Though, the ultimate difference-makers in this matchup reside between the pipes. Gavin Weeks has been arguably the best goaltender in the tournament. His counterpart in Jake Windbiel will be a big riddle for BK’s offense to solve.
This has the makings of a low-scoring, grind-em-out kind of game. Mission’s high-powered offense may run into a 5-foot-10 wall in Weeks, who has the best save percentage and lowest goals against in Plymouth. Meanwhile, BK’s scrappy style of play shouldn’t produce a wealth of offense against the towering Windbiel either. I think a low-scoring affair favors Bishop Kearney, who just might complete their Cinderella run with a 14U national championship.
My prediction: A huge performance from their goaltender in net paired with a couple timely, greasy goals leads to a 3-2 win for BK.
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The tournament system worked, at least at the 14U USA Hockey Nationals in Plymouth, Michigan. Quarterfinals are set, with what I would deem to be the best eight teams of the 16 in attendance this week. Plus, the way the matchups shook out, I think we’ll get the four best teams in the semifinals. And, you guessed it, I expect to get the two best teams in the championship game as well.
Of course, stranger things have happened in hockey. A team catches a little ‘puck luck’ or someone’s goalie gets hot at the right time. We’ve all seen it. However, after watching these teams all week, it really feels like a chalky playoff bracket.
Heavyweights make Final Four,
I know, I know… There’s no fun in that! But just because I expect the top seeds to win out, doesn’t mean we won’t see some fantastic hockey. Shattuck-St. Mary’s — my pick of 14U national champion — opens up with Bishop Kearney. BK is a gritty bunch that plays a really good brand of hockey. Gavin Weeks will keep this game close enough to give BK a puncher’s chance, but ultimately, Shattuck’s superiority shines down the stretch.
Pittsburgh Penguins Elite and Mount St. Charles is another incredible first-round matchup. PPE has looked near perfect at times. I like Pens Elite to make a run, but Mount won’t make it easy on them. Kase Kamzik, Brody George and Michael Ferentino are going to be forced to work for offense. It won’t come easy in this matchup, so I expect a grind. However, PPE still manages to prevail and put themselves in a great spot to advance.
If we draw chalky matchups in the semifinals, it’ll be an embarrassment of riches as far as talent goes. Shattuck, PPE, Chicago Mission and LA Jr. Kings are the four most skilled teams in the tournament. While it’s no guarantee we see all four in the semis, in the event that we do, it’ll be two heavyweight bouts. Tynan Lawrence, Logan Stuart, Kent Greer, George, Kamzik, Kalder Varga, Parker Trottier, Jake Brown, Noah Davidson, Shaffer Gordon-Carroll… U.S. National Team Development Program (USNTDP) scouts would get a real good look at some of the best players the 2008-birth year has to offer in these potential matchups.
Shattuck has been the odds-on favorite to win the tournament from the very beginning. However, if there’s one team that could legitimately challenge SSM for the title, it’s PPE. That would be a dream championship matchup between the two best teams in the tournament for the biggest prize in American youth hockey. Buckle up, because the next three days should bring some close games, plenty of drama, and a 14U national champion.
2007-born Little Caesars is positioned to do something the program has not done since 2019. That is the last time a 15O Caesars team was crowned as winners at the USA Hockey National Championships. Armed with a ton of depth, they were one of four teams to go 3-0-0 during pool play at this year’s tournament.
Caesars will open their playoff schedule with a matchup against the Long Island Gulls. It will be the fourth meeting of the season between the two; Caesars won two decisions by a combined 10-3. The Gulls were victorious in their most recent meeting back on February 5th, a 2-1 final in overtime. I expect Caesars to handle business here to move on to Bishop Kearney Selects.
Then, BK to be victorious in their first game over Shattuck-St. Mary’s. I haven’t been that impressed with SSM to this point in the tournament, and they dropped a tough decision on Friday to an opportunistic Mount St. Charles squad. Shattuck has been unable to beat Bishop Kearney in four tries this season, and I don’t see that changing this weekend.
Caesars and Bishop Kearney’s meeting should be one of the most exciting matchups we will get to enjoy this week. The boys from the Motor City won a lone regular-season game all the way back in September, but BK has really hit its stride in recent days. As good as they have been, depth will win out here, and Caesars certainly has that in spades. Four of the top 10 point getters at 15O Nationals hail from their squad. Caesars advances to the championship game.
A quarterfinal matchup between Chicago Mission and Pittsburgh Pens Elite is probably the most intriguing. Mission has shown how dominant they can be, but Pens Elite hung around during pool play in a tough USA Division. I was impressed with how hard they played Caesars, so Mission better be ready out of the gate in this one. I expect Mission to move on to play Mount St. Charles, but don’t be surprised if this game is so close that we get overtime in this matchup.
Mount St. Charles put together a solid run in its divisional contests. They ended pool play with an impressive victory against Shattuck, where goaltender Samuel Doyon-Cataquiz was spectacular. If he continues to stop the puck as well as he did in that game, Mount can find themselves heading into the final against Caesars. That being said, Mission goaltender Bjorn Bronas has been equally excellent. We might be in for a goalie duel in this one, and I trust Chicago’s defensive corps led by Asher Barnett, Holden Carter and Cameron Aucoin a bit more here.
This all sets up a showdown between Caesars and Mission for the championship. Caesars has defeated Chicago in four of seven games during the regular season. Two of the games have required overtime, where each team collected a win. Honestly, I don’t think you could pick a better final. With Mission’s defense having the ability to act as a fourth forward on the back end, to Caesars’ roster consisting of some of the best players of this birth year. It will be a thrilling finale to the USA Hockey season. In the end, give me players like Will Horcoff, Aiden Janz, Zachary Morin and Evan Jardine to continue to pile up the points in a win.
The 16U USA Hockey National tournament has shaken out in quite the unusual way. Top-seed Shattuck-St. Mary’s drew the No. 2-seed Long Island Gulls in the quarterfinals. Plus, a 3-v-4 matchup in familiar foes New Jersey Rockets and North Jersey Avalanche. Add on top of all that, a 7-v-8 matchup between Compuware and Chicago Mission, and we have some very intriguing first-round games. There’s no way to know this was going to be the draw pre-tournament, it’s just how pool play shook out with some unexpected outcomes. Nonetheless, it makes for a tournament that could potentially be decided on the first day of the tournament. I’ll explain…
Shattuck and Long Island came into the tournament as the top two teams in the field. Now, with them going head-to-head on Saturday, the winner opens up a nice path to a championship. Same could be said about the Compuware-Mission matchup, as the winner of that matchup should get to the finale as well. You get to the gold medal game and anything can happen. Ultimately, I think Shattuck prevails.
Craig Peterson, on-site at 14U Nationals
There’s just eight teams remaining in the hunt for the 2023 USA Hockey national championship at the 14U age group. The field is set and matchups finalized for quarterfinals. I’ve ranked all remaining teams in order of most to least likely to be crowned champion by Monday.
They’ve actually had an impressive run at the tournament. Dallas Stars Elite finished 2-1-0 in pool play. They won on Friday against Little Caesars, 5-4 in a de facto elimination game. So in a way, DSE is already in playoff mode. J.P. Hurlbert III and Landon Amrhein are among the leading scorers in the tournament. However, it’s a really tough draw as DSE would have to beat the No. 3, No. 2 and No. 1 teams in the power rankings in order to be champ. Tough road.
They took care of business against the Minnesota Lakers and Valley Forge Minutemen to put themselves in playoff position. However, the Boston Jr. Eagles may struggle mightily as competition ramps up in the playoffs. Pens Elite outshot them 24-9 in a dominant 5-0 performance. My fear is that their first-round matchup with the LA Jr. Kings — and any potential future matchup — resembles opponents closer to PPE than they do Valley Forge.
I actually like Mount St. Charles a lot. They’re well coached, play a responsible game and create offense as a team. Not to mention, they’ve got work-hards up front like Jameson Glance, Cole Sabourin and Dylan Dean that stand out to me. It’s just the first-round draw with Pens Elite is brutal. Plus, they’ve scored just 3.00 goals per game, which is the lowest among playoff teams. I worry there’s not enough offense to hang with some of the other contenders.
Here is where it gets really tough. Bishop Kearney is going to be a tough out in the playoffs. Latvia import Rudolfs Berzkalns is a talented goal scorer, and I really like the way Camden Nimmer and Dub Eunice III play as well. Not to mention, Gavin Weeks should give them a chance to win against anyone they face. However, there’s some high-powered offenses at No. 4, No. 3, No. 2 and No. 1 that I think might separate themselves a bit from BK at this stage of the tournament.
As talented as any team in the tournament. Logan Stuart led the LA Jr. Kings in scoring with three goals and seven points. Noah Davidson, Jake Brown and Tyus Sparks are noticeable standouts as well. They can get in a track meet with just about anyone. However, the Jr. Kings trailed in two of their three games in pool play and certainly flirted with fire a bit. If they have to chase offense against a team like Shattuck or PPE, it could be a real tough deficit to come back from.
Similar to the Jr. Kings, Chicago Mission’s lineup oozes talent. Kalder Varga may be one of the best forwards in the tournament; he is a do-it-all for Chicago who’s game carries a ton of value. Aurelio Garcia and Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll really stood out on Day 3 as major contributors as well. And that’s just scratching the surface when it comes to skaters with skill on this team. Jake Windbiel looked much better in their 2-1 win over BK as well. He’s one of the bigger goaltenders in the tournament, and when he’s on, he makes Mission tough to beat.
Pittsburgh Penguins Elite play extremely well together as a unit. The offensive chances they create either on the rush or in-zone look effortless. Low-to-high plays, backdoor passes… all of their goals are generated from really pretty sequences. Kase Kamzik and Brody George are easy to like, as they make a lot of good things happen in all three zones. Kent Greer leads all defensemen in scoring with six points, and fellow blue-liner Brandon Vislay is a challenge for attackers to get by as well. Pens Elite are solid in all three zones, and one of the most well-rounded teams in the tournament.
They came into the tournament as the No. 1 seed, and have done nothing but take care of business in pool play. Shattuck-St. Mary’s has the most productive offense with 21 goals, and the second-best defense, allowing just five against. Tynan Lawrence, Parker Trottier, Emilio Bedoya, Zane Torre, Michael Berchild… I could go on and on. Thirteen of the 18 skaters have scored goals. They’re extremely talented, very deep, and very well coached. Not only is the skill on display, but so is the structure of their game. They came in as the favorite, and there’s no reason to think that’s changed after the first three days of the tournament.
Peter Rossi, on-site at 15O Nationals
In what was a meeting to determine seeding in the Olympic Division at 15O USA Hockey Nationals, Chicago Mission defeated the Long Island Gulls 4-2 off the back of a Cameron McKinney hat trick.
The Gulls opened the scoring in the first period when Dominick Oppedisano slipped home a rebound that bounced off the end boards. Just over two minutes later, McKinney tied the game with his first goal when he banged in a loose puck at the side of the net. Egan Beveridge started a rush up the ice and fed the puck to Nicholas Knutson. Knutson was then bodied off the puck, but McKinney collected it and shoved it past the outstretched pad of Ryan Cameron.
McKinney struck again close to four minutes after tying the game to put Chicago up 2-1. He skated into the Gulls defensive zone, made a great move around a defender and popped a shot into the net. Late in the first period, Luke Brierley fired a perfect wrist shot from distance that went off the post and in to increase the Mission lead to 3-1.
Teams would play an even second period, and the third would continue for much of that way. On the power play, Long Island defenseman Jared Petruso blasted a heavy one-timer from the blue line into the net to cut his team’s deficit to 3-2. With the Gulls’ goalie pulled, McKinney threw the puck down the ice into the empty net for his hat trick and to ice the game for a 4-2 final. As a result, Mission clinched the first seed in the Olympic Division, and will open elimination round play tomorrow against the second seed in the NHL Division.
In another contest that had seeding implications, Mount St. Charles and Shattuck-St. Mary’s battled for positioning in the NHL Division. Conrad Fondrk, who has been raising eyebrows all week at Nationals boosted his team to a lead they would never relinquish en route to a 4-1 win.
The opening frame would have no scoring, due to both teams feeling the other out. Despite two power play opportunities for SSM, Mount goaltender Samuel Doyon-Cataquiz was solid, making 11 saves. With 7:03 left in the second period, Fondrk would score his first goal of the afternoon when he settled a pass from Dylan Krayer and ripped it off the far post for a 1-0 lead. About a minute-and-a-half later and his team on the man advantage, Fondrk took a very similar shot from the right circle that once again beat Shattuck goalie Garrett Glaser to put Mount up 2-0.
With Glaser pulled with over two minutes left in regulation, Mate Tardi sent a shot into the empty net for a 3-0 lead. However, on a late power play, Aaron Obobaifo, who was the hero for Shattuck yesterday, managed to score to bring Mount’s lead to 3-1. Opting to pull the goalie once more, Shattuck was unable to net another goal and Dallas Potter collected an empty-net goal of his own for the 4-1 final. The star of the game was Doyon-Cataquiz, who ended with 31 saves.
Mount St. Charles earned first seed in the NHL Division and will face off against the Los Angeles Jr. Kings. As winners of the Liberty Division, the Bishop Kearney Selects have drawn a matchup against Shattuck. Little Caesars went undefeated in pool play to top the USA Division, and will open its quarterfinal round against the Gulls. With Pittsburgh Pens Elite locking up second seed in the Olympic Division, they have earned a tilt with Mission to open its playoff round.
WHH will have continued coverage of USA Hockey Nationals this week. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Discord and YouTube for the latest news, top performers and more.