While it may be Canada’s game, they are typically late to the party when it comes to the unofficial start of the youth hockey season. The AAA Wendy Dufton Memorial Tournament kicks off Thursday in London, Ontario. On Friday, two others follow suit; the Tournoi Laval in Quebec and Bauer U15 Elite Invite in Abbotsford, B.C. Three major tournaments in three different provinces across the country unofficially signify the start to the youth hockey season.
Most top-level Swedish clubs have played double-digit games already. Youth hockey in Finland has seen several tournaments, with league play still in the early stages. Some Russian programs started regular-season play as early as the first week of August. All of this is dwarfed by dozens of top American teams who are nearing 15-plus game results on October 6.
Some Canadian teams have logged a game or two’s worth of action — three and four in rare instances — but the extended weekend of celebration for the Canadian Thanksgiving also symbolizes the start of the hockey season. With three major tournaments set to take place across the country, ‘the birthplace of hockey’ is about to get its youth hockey season into full swing.
The Wendy Dufton tournament features U14, U15 and U16 divisions, and with the London Jr. Knights hosting, talented teams from across Ontario will be flocking in for an early-season test.
Twelve teams are competing at the 2009 birth year, including the World Hockey Hub’s No. 7-ranked York Simcoe Express. Traditional powers like the Vaughan Kings, Markham Waxers, Whitby Wildcats and the Jr. Knights make for a tough field for all of the participants.
At the U15 age group, 20 top-level ’08 teams are competing. The highest ranked participating club is actually the lone American organization sending teams across the border, with the Bishop Kearney Selects. Ranked No. 1 in the U.S. by WHH, BK will challenge top Canadian teams like No. 6 Elgin-Middlesex Canucks and No. 8 ranked York Simcoe Express.
The U16 division gets its tournament season underway, as well, as the 2007 birth year begins its junior draft-eligible season. There are three ranked programs ready to make an early impression in the No. 3 Toronto Jr. Canadiens, No. 6 Southern Tier Admirals and No. 7 Peterborough Petes. The Bishop Kearney Selects will be flying the American flag in this division, as well, which gives scouts their first taste of cross-country competition.
The Wendy Dufton plays through Sunday evening, with the U16s wrapping it up with an 8 p.m. championship-game puck drop. All teams are guaranteed at least four games.
Meanwhile, out in British Columbia, the 2008 birth year will be competing in the Bauer U15 Elite Invite. Four divisions of four — named after the Bauer product lines of Vapor, Supreme, Nexus and Prodigy — will battle it out for an early tournament title.
Stretching into Monday over the holiday weekend, the 16 participating clubs will get any early test against impressive competition. The Bauer Invite brings together teams from the Alberta Elite Hockey League (AEHL) and Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL), which means spectators get an early preview for teams to watch out for out west.
Edge School Prep is off to a fast start in CSSHL league play; they hold a 5-0-0 record already. Cruz Pavao has 14 points in those five games, while Marcus Vo has 11, and Owen Cooper and Landon DuPont both have 10. Cole Prelusky has played all five games in goal, registering a 1.60 goals-against average, a .942 save percentage and one shutout so far. None of the Alberta Elite teams have played in more than two league games.
Just like with the Wendy Dufton, the Bauer Invite will also offer a bit of cross-border comparisons, as well, with the San Jose Jr. Sharks making the trek to B.C. to battle top Canadian squads.
Top 2010s at the Laval AAA
In Quebec, the Laval AAA Development Committee and Hockey Région Laval host the first tournament of the Ligue de Hockey d’Escellence du Quebec (LHEQ). As the top youth league in the province, the LHEQ is a breeding ground for French Canadian youth hockey prospects.
Taking place in Guimond and Place Bell, 26 teams from the 2010 birth year will compete in a double-elimination style tournament from Oct. 7 – 10, which will be quite a way to establish the teams to watch in the U13 division.
The LHEQ starts at the U13 level, so this will be the first major AAA tournament for the age group in their new league.
The LHEQ is underway, however, and some teams have played as many as five games. College Francais Rive-Sud has quickly assembled a 5-0 record, thanks to strong goaltending from Benjamin Carreau and Mandy Ryan. Dannick Aubin-Humphrey leads the team with seven points in the five games, while Jaydan Belleus has five and Raphael Perreault has four.
The Patriotes de Laval are off to a 4-0 start, as well, with Lucas Elias and Xavier Lavoie splitting time between the pipes. Keironn Davis-Diakite has seven points in those four wins, while Rosario Picciola and Shawn-Anthony Senat have five points apiece.
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Each week, World Hockey Hub highlights a few of the most exciting upcoming games in youth hockey. From the hottest rivalries to the biggest tournaments, we focus on matchups that will impact the landscape among top teams in the sport.
This week, we highlight two cross-border tilts between Canadian and U.S. squads, as well as a Sweden team kicking off its first action of the season vs. a top-10 opponent.
Following time off for both teams, the ‘07 Dallas Stars Elite and RINK Hockey Academy Kelowna will face off in a cross-border matchup on October 9 in Fargo, ND.
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| Sunday, October 9 @ 8 am CDT Southwest Youth Ice Arena |
Currently sitting just outside the U.S. rankings, the Stars have had a very successful start to their season. With a 9-2-2 record, they have been able to remain competitive against fellow teams in the 2007 birth year. The schedule includes more dates against top-ranked opponents as the season carries on, so it will be a good measuring-stick game for Dallas to build upon early.
Kelowna comes into this matchup finding themselves propelled to the eighth spot in the Canadian rankings thanks to a season-opening victory against Delta Hockey Academy back on September 24.
What the boys from RINK bring into this game that cannot be taught is size, highlighted in the form of hometown defenseman Marcus Sadovia. He looms over the blueline at 6-foot-three, 165 lbs. and is one-of-six skaters on the roster north of six-feet tall. Having a significant size advantage could make it difficult for Stars players to knock anyone off the puck.
And let’s not forget, Louis Gu and Liam Russell, who tower between the pipes for Kelowna at 6-foot-one and 6-foot-four, respectively.
The 2011-born Pittsburgh Penguins Elite will travel north of the border for a contest against the Vaughan Kings on October 8.
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| Saturday, October 8 @ 5:05 pm EDT Canlan Sports |
Pittsburgh has stormed out of the gates, making quick work of the opposition en route to a 9-0-1 record. The Penguins would be a major measuring stick for any club. Yet for Vaughan, the task becomes a bit taller as they have yet to suit up for any games so far this season.
What may make a victory even more daunting for the Kings is the explosive nature of Pittsburgh’s offense, leaving little time for Vaughan’s defensive corps and goaltenders to settle in for competitive game action.
As regional play began last weekend among youth teams in Sweden, Täby HC and Viggbyholms IK look to both solidify their spots in the Top 10 for 2007-born clubs when they face off against each other on Saturday.
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| Saturday, October 8 @ 5:40 pm CET Tibble Ice Hall |
Each club has a comfortable feel for their squads at this point in the season, as both have taken part in a fair number of games.
Täby (9-2-1) and Viggbyholms (6-3-0) were both placed in the Elite Division at the 2022 Sweden Hockey Trophy, and have since been active in district play in Stockholm. Currently, each team sits atop their individual groups within the district, with Täby having a 4-0-1 record, and a 3-0-0 record for Viggbyholms.
Statistically speaking, depth is a strong component of the style of play that has helped bring these programs early-season success. Across district play, many of the top scorers can be found hailing from these teams.
Täby’s Marcus Nordmark led his team with 13 points in 5 games. A versatile playmaker, Nordmark uses his slim frame to dart around defenders, with a knack for finding open lanes to fire off perfect passes to teammates. His nine points are tied for second among all skaters in the group. Behind him, four other players from Täby are tied with seven points.
While Täby’s balanced attack certainly stands out on paper, Viggbyholms’ lineup should impress even more. When browsing the top-10 scorers within their group, all are names of players from Viggbyholms, topped off by Ludwig Hellgren, who has peppered the opposition from all angles on the ice, tallying seven points (4G, 4A) in just three games.
And if that isn’t impressive enough, he also notched two goals in five games for Stockholm North at the 2022 TV-Pucken tournament, helping them to a 5-0-0 record in group play.
With both teams loaded up on offensive talent, this head-to-head matchup should be thrilling to watch, and will have fans reaching for the popcorn.
Dynamo St. Petersburg and SKA St. Petersburg have seen a lot of each other lately.
After Dynamo defeated SKA in the final at the St. Petersburg Cup for 2007-born teams, the two programs squared off the very next day, with SKA emerging as the victor from a 5-2 result.
The two teams will meet again for the third time in eight days this Saturday, so the adage of “knowing one’s opponent” should be prevalent here.
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| Saturday, October 8 |
Given how the past two games between these two programs have gone, there’s sure to be similar fireworks when they take to the ice.
Offense is the name of the game for these teams, and after trading goals in their first two matchups of the season, don’t expect this to be a low-scoring affair.
Dynamo boasts a versatile forward group that is comfortable when the shot count is high, and they spend most of their time in the offensive zone. Alexander Kotov and Erik Pastukhov lead the charge, amassing a resounding 18 points in all contests.
Kotov did most of his damage at the St. Petersburg Cup, where he tallied six goals and seven assists. Supporting the 5’8” forward’s dynamic scoring ability have been Daniil Prokhorov (14G, 1A) and Gleb Semenov (4G, 11A).
SKA will roll out their own strong offensive unit, led by Andrei Korablev’s 13 points (9G, 4A). But what SKA has that Dynamo does not is a defenseman who can strike from the blue line with incredible accuracy like Makar Timashkov.
Timashkov’s ability to get shots through to the net with ease lends another option to SKA’s attack, and one they will hope to exploit if their forwards are shut down at any point in the game. The sturdy D-man has garnered nine points thus far, and if his teammates keep feeding him the puck, those numbers will only rise.
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Last spring featured the culmination of a year-long battle between Chicago Mission and Shattuck-St. Mary’s for national supremacy at the 2007 birth-year — a controversial one, to say the least.
Still, the banner and the championship hats went to Mission, and that’s all that really counts in the end.
If you missed it last April, Mission prevailed over SSM in the 2022 USA Hockey 14U National Championship, with Cameron McKinney being credited with the game-winning goal early in the third period to break a 2-2 tie.
The problem is that there’s no video evidence confirming the referee’s call on the ice that the puck actually went into the SSM net. The announcer on the official broadcast of the game thought it was a routine save until he saw the ref pointing to the net, but it will forever remain a mystery on whether it was the right call or not.
The dramatic conclusion to the 2021-22 season only makes the growing rivalry between these two talented squads even more interesting to watch in the ’22-23 campaign.
Chicago Mission returns its entire roster from its national championship run, aside from Eddie Gatch joining incumbent Bjorn Bronas between the pipes. Shattuck, meanwhile, has had a few changes to the lineup, but the core from last season is still there. SSM’s biggest changes have come from Lukas Sawchyn, Masun Fleece, William Belle and goaltender Harry Boettiger getting the call-up to the Shattuck 16U roster this season, and bypassing the 15O level.
The two squads got an early start in resuming battle on the ice, as Mission and SSM both took part in the 2022 Minnesota Blades Fall Showcase at Brooklyn Park Ice Arena in Minneapolis.
There, Mission maintained its bragging rights, as the neon green jerseys skated to a 2-1 win. A broken play on a face-off proved to be the difference.
Some of the biggest names on both rosters found their way to the scoresheet, with Asher Barnett the first to find the goal column. The Mission blue liner — a highly-touted prospect in his birth-year — gave his Chicago club an early lead when he sent a point shot through traffic and into the back of the SSM net with 7:07 remaining in the first period.
The two teams played to a scoreless middle frame, but it was Egan Beveridge capitalizing on a strange play that turned out to be the game-winning goal for Mission. A scramble off a face-off led to the puck springing out of a pile right at the SSM net, and while the initial shot was stopped, Beveridge was Johnny-on-the-spot for the rebound put-home goal with 11:33 left on the clock.
Shattuck took advantage of a power-play opportunity a few minutes later, as right off the first face-off to start the PP, Aaron Obobaifo was set up for a one-timer blast from center, just inside the blue line.
Sending the puck through a crowd, Obobaifo was the only SSM skater to beat Mission netminder Bjorn Bronas on the day. The goal made the score 2-1, but that’s how it stayed, despite SSM getting more power-play time before the final buzzer.
As it stands now, Mission, with a 12-4-1 record, is ranked No. 1 in the world. Their losses have come to the Minnesota Blades twice (a split-season team from the State of Hockey), No. 8 Bishop Kearney Selects and No. 6 Mid-Fairfield Jr. Rangers — all highly-touted programs in their own right.
Meanwhile, SSM holds a 3-2-2 record, putting them at No. 2 in the rankings. Shattuck dropped its opener to the Minnesota Walleye 15U program (another split-season squad) 5-4 on Sept. 13, and they played Bishop Kearney and the Minnesota Blades to 3-3 ties in the same Blades Showcase that Mission appeared in.
The two teams have set aside three days for more battles, as Mission will travel to SSM for games on Nov. 11, 12 and 13. They are also scheduled to play each other in Chicago on Feb. 10.
The rivalry between Shattuck and Mission has become must-see action in youth hockey and all four future dates should be circled on the calendar. Maybe we’ll even see them play each other again in Wayne, New Jersey, for the 2023 USA Hockey National Championships, too.
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The USHL Fall Classic is quickly becoming a premiere early-season showcase for top teams across the United States.
This year’s edition certainly lived up to the hype, as 84 teams from the 14U, 15O, 16U and 18U age classifications converged on the greater Pittsburgh area for a massive tournament from Sept. 22-26.
Let’s take a look at which teams made September statements with tournament victories in front of a big contingent of junior and college scouts:
There were 26 teams in the 16U field, and five of them appeared on the World Hockey Hub’s initial U.S. rankings for the 2022-23 season. The No. 7 Windy City Storm ‘06s have their case for a ratings bump after surviving a five-game gauntlet against top competition from Saturday through Monday in Pittsburgh.
The Storm claimed the 16U crown with a 3-2 victory over Detroit HoneyBaked in the finals Monday afternoon, capping a perfect 5-0 run through the tournament. With a three-game round-robin followed by semifinals and finals, the USHL Fall Classic requires a perfect weekend to take home hardware, and Windy City was the only team to pull off the feat the 2006 age group.
Windy City started things off with stiff competition, taking on Selects Academy Saturday afternoon and prevailing with a 3-2 win. Sunday featured two games with ranked opponents, and the Storm won them both, taking down No. 10 Little Caesars 6-2 in the morning before escaping No. 8 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite with a 4-3 win in the afternoon.
In the semifinals, they ran into the Rocky Mountain RoughRiders, and the Storm prevailed 3-2 – the same score as the finals showdown with HoneyBaked later in the day.
It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that the Storm are off to a hot start on the season, as their line-up sheet has plenty of draftees at forward. Ihnat Pazii, a product of Kharkov, Ukraine, is a Tri-City Storm affiliate, who comes to Windy City after playing for the Anaheim Icedogs last season. Vermont’s James Chase joined the Storm after playing for the BK Selects last season; he’s a Tri-City Storm affiliate as well as a draftee of the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads. Tommy Holtby, a returning forward for the Storm hailing from New York, was selected by the Fargo Force last spring, while fellow returnee Tyler Atchison of Nevada is property of the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WHL.
On the blue line, Minnesota native Cade Kozak is a Sioux City Musketeers draftee who spent 2021-22 with the Green Bay Gamblers 15O team; Brandt Dubey is a New York product and property of the Tri-City Storm. Meanwhile, the Storm welcomed Alberta native Ryan Seeley into the fold this season – he spent last season with the Northern Alberta Xtreme U16 team and is a Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL) draftee.
It was a major showcase weekend for the 2007 birth-year as their junior draft-eligible season gets underway. Twenty-two teams showed up in Pittsburgh for the USHL Fall Classic at the 15O division, and it was Little Caesars on top at the end of their three-day battle.
Ranked No. 5 in the country by WHH to start the season, LC lived up to the hype, winning games against other Top-10 teams in four of their five contests en route to the title.
They faced the hometown team to start things off on Thursday, and Caesars prevailed over the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite 4-1. On Friday, they beat the No. 6 Bishop Kearney Selects 5-2, before shutting out the North Jersey Avs 7-0 in the afternoon.
In the semifinals, the Penguins got a rematch and an opportunity for revenge, but LC prevailed 4-3 once again. In the finals, it was more tough competition for the Detroit-based program, but they took care of business, topping No. 4 Mount St. Charles 4-1.
At the 14U age group, the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite successfully defended their home ice, winning the USHL Fall Classic title at the 2008 birth-year.
Making a case to move up in the rankings, the Penguins played two ranked foes in their five wins – taking care of crosstown rival Pittsburgh Vengeance 3-1 Friday night, and beating No. 10 Mount St. Charles in the final on Saturday afternoon.
Of the 20 teams competing in the 18U division, it was South Kent prevailing over them all in the oldest age group of the 2022 Fall Classic.
The Selects Academy squad, fresh off winning the USA Hockey national championship at the 16U level, won tight ones to start, beating Chicago Fury 4-2 and Windy City Storm 2-1.
From there, however, they didn’t allow a single goal, as South Kent registered a 3-0 win over the Phoenix Jr. Coyotes, then a 5-0 win over the Chicago Reapers in the semifinals, and a 3-0 win over Pittsburgh Penguins Elite in the finals.
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Each week, World Hockey Hub will highlight a few of the most exciting upcoming games. From the hottest rivalries to the biggest tournaments, we focus on matchups that should have your attention this week.
Lokomotiv 2004 Yaroslavl will take on CSKA Moscow in a clash of 2006-born teams on Sunday, October 2.
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| Sunday, October 2 |
Lokomotiv 2004 has found solid footing out of the gate, posting a 2-1-1 record. After starting their season off with a 6-1 blowout of Atlant Mytishchi, they fell to Yantar Moscow in a shootout. They quickly rebounded with a victory against HC Balashikha just a week later. In their most recent match last weekend, they fell to Dynamo Moscow 3-1.
Defenseman Daniil Brusnikin has been carrying the hot stick for Lokomotiv, tallying five goals thus far. Despite having a minus-3 rating, Brusnikin’s ability to easily weave into the attack for his club has contributed largely to their early-season success.
If Brusnikin can tighten up his defensive numbers, it could mean big things for Lokomotiv moving forward in a very competitive 2006 Russian group.
Bolstering the Lokomotiv 2004 attack behind Brusnikin are forwards Matvey Kazakov (2G, 2A) and Kirill Ignatiev (3A).
CSKA has started out of the gates flying into the 2022-23 season, amassing an 8-1-0 record. They were ranked number 1 in the World Hockey Hub preseason rankings among 2006-born Russian clubs, and have proven thus far why they deserve the top spot.
They have made easy work of top-tier opponents such as Krylia Sovetov, Spartak Moscow, SKA Strelna, and Dynamo Moscow, scoring at least three goals in each game. Across all matches into this season, they have been getting it done at both ends of the ice, finding the back of the net 42 times, while only allowing 15 goals.
And who has been leading that potent offense? Look no further than the three-headed power trio of defenseman Alexey Rodionov (2G, 11A) and forwards Ivan Okunev (7G, 5A) and Alexey Dontsov (3G, 6A). All while being backstopped by the incredible goaltending tandem of Mikhail Egorov and Mikhail Astakhov.
However, they were dealt their first setback of the season with a 5-3 loss to Lokomotiv Yaroslavl on Sunday. Eager to get back to their winning ways, they will eye the upcoming game against Lokomotiv 2004 as a chance to prove that loss was nothing more than a minor stumble.
Throughout the course of past seasons, these two clubs have met a total of 21 times, with CSKA leading the all-time meetings 18-2-1.
Both contain depth and offensive-minded defenders; this will be an interesting matchup to see if Lokomotiv can prove they can skate with one of the premier teams in its age group.
On Friday, the Long Island Gulls will travel to Rhode Island for an afternoon tilt against Mount St. Charles. With both teams firing on all cylinders as of late, this one is shaping up to be a meeting of two very talented 2007-born rosters.
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| Friday, September 30 @ 2 pm EST Adelard Arena |
Rolling through a continued stretch of stellar play, the Gulls come into this matchup fresh off a weekend that saw them defeat Team Minnesota 5-2, bringing their overall record to 13-2-0.
In the midst of an 11-game winning streak the Gulls have been propelled by a potent offense. They have bombarded opponents with their high offensive ability, and have relied on tight-checking defense to prevent any opportunities in the defensive zone.
Currently maintaining a plus-37 goal differential, no team has been able to slow down the Gulls thus far.
For the host team, Mount comes into this game on the heels of a two-game weekend that saw them best the Oakland Jr. Grizzlies before falling to Little Caesars; their first loss of the season.
Much like the Gulls, Mount St. Charles has relied on a bombastic attack and stingy defense to keep the opposition at bay in most contests.
If these two clubs live up to their reputations, there might be some fireworks in store for this game… and both goaltenders should be prepared to see good amounts of rubber come their way.
While many 2009-born Canadian teams are beginning to ramp up their action into this season, the Don Mills Flyers and Ottawa Myers Automotive have already gotten wins under their belts.
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| Saturday, October 1 @ 9:20 am EST Westwood Arenas |
After kicking off their season with a 3-0 shutout of the North York Rangers, the Flyers have had a bit of a lull in their schedule. Ottawa kicked off their season on September 18 when they edged out a 5-4 win against the Upper Canada Cyclones.
With both teams still fresh into the young season, this matchup provides an opportunity to continue the success both clubs have found in the early weeks of the new season.
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| Sunday, October 2 |
Mikhailov Academy has started solidly this season, going 6-4-2 in twelve contests.
In the midst of dropping their last two games, they are in desperate need of returning to the win column. With three games having been played between these two programs, Vityaz has won all three, so Mikhailov Academy will have to do something it’s never done before.
This game affords Mikhailov Academy not only a chance for redemption in the all-time series, but to also bolster their standing in the 2008 Russian-born rankings. The club currently sits in seventh.
The dynamic attack of Boris Borin, (8G, 7A), Nikita Fateev (6G, 6A) and Matvei Cheranev (5G, 7A) leads the way for Mikhailov Academy. All three players are paramount to any hopes of emerging victorious against Vityaz.
Vityaz has been an early bright spot among Russian clubs, and after recording a perfect 11-0-0 record to begin the season, their streak was halted with a 4-1 loss to CSKA Moscow. They rebounded last weekend with a winning effort, downing Khimik 6-2.
Refreshed and back in the win column, they know a matchup against Mikhailov Academy is just what is needed to continue their success.
And while Mikhailov Academy boasts some talented forwards, Vityaz can counter with a versatile group of their own.
Maxim Seldemirov’s penchant for finding the back of the net in just about any situation has propelled him to the top of the stat sheet, recording 15 points (8G, 7A). While not carrying the entire offensive output on his shoulders, forwards Gleb Pugachev (5G, 8A) and Timofey Gusarov (6G, 4A) can be relied on for consistent secondary scoring.
But Vityaz’s true secret weapon lies on the blue line in defenseman Vasily Savchuk. Savchuk’s six points (2G, 4A) and solid defensive numbers show that he can get it done at both ends of the ice.
All eyes will be on this one to see if Vityaz can continue their domination of Mikhailov Academy, or if a new script can be written in the next chapter of this series.
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The USHL Fall Classic is here to ceremoniously start both the junior hockey season and the tournament season for a lot of youth hockey programs.
In what has become a premiere event over the last six seasons, the USHL Fall Classic brings all of the USHL member clubs under one roof for the first two games of each team’s schedule. Alongside that Tier-1 junior league showcase is a youth hockey one with even more participating clubs, as teams from across the country flock to the greater Pittsburgh area for a unique opportunity to compete in front of scouts and coaches of the USHL clubs, who are literally right there in the UPMC Lemieux Center Ice Arena with them. The concentrated amount of hockey across so many different age groups makes it a must-see event for scouts of junior, college and professional teams.
While the youth edition of the Fall Classic spans from Thursday to Monday, teams will be playing in jam-packed three-day tournaments, with the 14U and 15O teams playing Thursday-Saturday and the 16U and 18U teams playing Saturday-Monday.
All four age groups will play in a high-stakes preliminary round, having three games to establish themselves as one of the four teams that advance right to the semifinals. While the tournament fields quickly get whittled down, all of the participating teams will still play in consolation games to make the trip to Pittsburgh worthwhile and maximize exposure opportunities for the players.
The tournament schedulers did their homework while putting together the matchups for the preliminary round. If things go as expected — though youth hockey sure is unpredictable — there will be some monster early-season games between teams ranked very, very high on the initial U.S. rankings for the 2022-23 campaign. That’s not to say that there aren’t some big games to keep an eye on in the round-robin; we’re going to take a look at some matchups to watch below.
In the 14U division, the 2008 birth year has 16 teams in the Fall Classic, and five of them are in the American Top 10. The top-ranked Windy City Storm show up in Pittsburgh, as does No. 3 Bishop Kearney, No. 7 Pittsburgh Vengeance, No. 8 Seacoast Performance Academy and No. 10 Mount St. Charles.
On Friday at 4 p.m. the Windy City Storm and SPA wrap up the round-robin for the two highly-ranked squads. Meanwhile, four hours later, it’s the Battle of Pittsburgh, as the Vengeance gets Pittsburgh Penguins Elite 14U in the 14U preliminary-round finale.
Mount St. Charles better bring their ‘A’ game for their first tilt Thursday, as well, as they square off with HP Team Minnesota — you never know what type of talent might be lurking in a Minnesota all-star squad.
At the 2007 birth year, 22 teams from the 15O classification converge on Pittsburgh, including seven of the names appearing in the Top 10: No. 3 Mid-Fairfield, No. 4 Mount St. Charles, No. 5 Little Caesars, No. 6 Bishop Kearney, No. 7 Los Angeles Jr. Kings, No. 8 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite and No. 9 Buffalo Jr. Sabres.
Little Caesars has quite the gauntlet to get through if they want to reach the semifinals, as the Detroit-based program starts things off with the home team Pittsburgh Penguins Elite on Thursday before playing Bishop Kearney Friday morning.
After that game, BK gets to play the Jr. Kings in their Friday night matchup, which means quite a day for the Selects, too.
The largest field of them all is at 16U, where 26 teams will battle for four spots in the playoffs Monday. The No. 4 ranked Boston Jr. Eagles lead the field, alongside the No. 6 Buffalo Jr. Sabres, No. 7 Windy City Storm, No. 8 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite, No. 9 North Jersey Avs and No. 10 Little Caesars.
The biggest game we’ve got circled on the calendar is No. 7 Windy City vs. No. 8 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite, which takes place at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday.
It’s a crazy weekend of hockey, but it does provide an early idea of which teams the hockey world should be watching this season, as teams from across the U.S. come together for the annual USHL Fall Classic.
For more coverage of the USHL Fall Classic and other major youth hockey events around the world, follow WHH on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube.
It is USA Hockey’s premiere destination for American-born youth hockey players.
USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program (USNTDP), located in Plymouth, Mich., brings together top players in each birth year to develop and prepare for international competitions and success at hockey’s highest leagues.
The program’s alumni list reads like a fantasy hockey dream team, with the likes of Auston Matthews, Patrick Kane, Jack Eichel, Zach Werenski, Cole Caufield and Trevor Zegras, as well as the Tkachuk brothers and the Hughes brothers, just scratching the surface of a substantial Wikipedia scroll.
So who gets to play at the NTDP?
Kevin Reiter plays a substantial role in answering that question. As the director of player personnel for the NTDP, Reiter leads the scouting operations, overseeing both the two birth years currently participating in the program, and, more importantly, the birth year that will make up next year’s Under-17 Team.
“My biggest role here with USA Hockey and the National Team Development Program is basically to identify, educate, evaluate, recruit our next group of NTDP players,” Reiter said. “This year, coming into the season, it will be the 2007s. We’ve already picked our 2005 and 2006s. Now in saying that, we’re watching those ‘05s and ‘06s throughout the year, as well, both for guys [outside the NTDP] who may be passing our players up, or we have injuries or we have illnesses or we have academic issues – any things that come along, we’re trying to find replacement players… One of our interns was recently going through some of the paperwork from last year and he said, ‘you guys had more than 75 players come and practice with you’ just from when we’re short bodies or different things.
“In short, my main role is knowing these birth years, one we’re actively educating, scouting and recruiting, and then the two we have here with the NTDP.”
While the majority of youth hockey players will not make the NTDP — players from other countries need not even apply — understanding what they look for in a hockey player, both on and off the ice, is valuable information for anyone aspiring to reach hockey’s highest levels.
“I think from our perspective, there’s a big misconception that everyone thinks we just want the best players,” Reiter said. “I can tell you that we’re looking for the right players for our program. Ones that have the inner drive, perseverance, can be successful on a daily basis. We’re looking for players who we truly believe over a course of two years will develop and reach their true potential and someday they will help us win a gold medal internationally. I always tell parents one of the biggest things is that we want good young men who come from good families who will represent our country in a first-class manner, and that’s on and off the ice, on a daily basis, no matter who they are dealing with or where they are at.
“Whether it’s a teacher, it’s at a Holiday Inn somewhere, they’re on a plane to wherever – we don’t only want to be proud of them as hockey players, but as human beings, as well. This place is for players who are driven and want to be hockey players. Our players face a tremendous amount of adversity, and it’s all about how they respond.”
In terms of what he’s looking for on the ice, here’s a breakdown of Reiter’s most important traits:
Skating
“The game’s fast, and it’s getting faster. You have to be a good skater. It’s funny, having been here for a while now, having some of the players come back and talk, some of those first guys I worked with here, the Zach Werenski‘s and the like, they’re talking about how fast the game’s getting, and how much faster it is now. You have to be a good skater because the game’s fast.”
Stick/Puck Skills
“Obviously we talk about stick skill, how important it is, because you need to be able to make plays. There’s a certain threshold of skating and stick skill and all that to be a National Team player. You have to make plays in tight areas and not just play one-on-one hockey — a lot of youth hockey is one-on-one but your ability to use your teammates and make give-and-go plays, that’s going to help us play fast and that’s one of our mottos as a country.”
Hockey Sense/IQ
“We talk hockey sense, hockey IQ all the time. Players that can think the game at a high level, they’re able to get better and better because they can take what our coaches tell them and apply it – and apply it quickly. We’re looking for guys who create time and space for themselves and their teammates, and playing away from the puck is a big one. Ninety, ninety-five percent of the game is playing without the puck, and putting yourself in good places. We need players who are able to find that next play and are able to have patience. Guys I’ve been around here, they have an unbelievable amount of deception and manipulation skills. Scanning the ice is a big one now that [NTDP Under-18 Team Head Coach] Dan Muse is talking about, knowing and being aware of their surroundings – processing that information and being able to find that next play.”
Competitiveness
“Our coaches say it all the time, ‘wins in life, wins in hockey’ – we’re looking for natural competitors. Our best players treat every drill in practice and in skill sessions, they’re out there for a purpose, they want to compete and get better. They show up every day to prove that they’re not only the best player in their birth year or the country but in the world. Some of the top players that have come through here, that’s what separates them from other players – they just have an inner drive. When they wake up, they want it more than the next guy and they have an extraordinary work ethic. There’s no substitute for hard work. The competitiveness, inner drive, perseverance, those things are really important.”
There’s a lot more to it than that, however. Reiter talked about scouting for character, which is crucial to the NTDP, but not unique for player evaluation. Think a team only cares about what you do on the ice? Think again. The NTDP — and a lot of other programs — will be digging deep into your hockey background to learn more about what type of person you are, both to decide on whether you belong on a Team USA roster, and also if you’re going to thrive while doing so.
“We talk about character a ton,” Reiter said. “You have to be a great teammate. You can’t be a great hockey player without being a good person, is what we say. Being a good teammate, having a team-first mentality, being coachable, our coaches say it all the time, we don’t want to coach punks, we don’t want to coach guys with bad body language or who aren’t good teammates or are going to talk back if we’re going to talk to them, yelling things at a teammate, coming back to the bench and slamming their stick, all of those things are things we’re looking for and trying to figure out. For me, character is huge and we dig and dig and dig as much as we can, not only with former coaches but maybe current teammates, current people that are in their circles, how do we get to know these players as much as we can because character is becoming more and more important.”
The NTDP U17 Team plays a full slate of USHL games, along with international competitions. The NTDP U18 Team gets NCAA Division-I opponents thrown in, too. It’s all on purpose, as they put the players through as much adversity as possible. Whether you play there or play elsewhere, you’re going to get pushed to your limit if you want to ‘make it’ in hockey.
“The best ones here, they get back up. They’re still confident, they’re not embarrassed by failing. You know how much adversity we put our guys through here, and they just keep getting back up. It’s pretty neat to watch, and I always just go back to the best guys because now, I’ve got a perspective through experience, not that it’s fool-proof by any means. Projecting players, believe me, is difficult. You have to find out which players can make the most growth here among their teammates in two years. It’s pretty cool to see now which guys made it and why they made it and other guys, this is probably why he didn’t make it.”
So what else can players — and their parents — do to help their chances of hockey career success? Reiter said it’s crucial to surround yourself with the right type of people.
“My goal is to give parents and players all of the information so that they take that information and hopefully make the best decisions possible as they navigate this hockey world. I’ve got a lot friends – it’s weird, I’m getting older – with kids who are coming up in those certain age groups, and surrounding their sons and daughters with coaches and support staffs and team managers who, here at the program, we deeply care about their sons, and that’s what you want. That’s who you want your kids to be around. Those types of situations. In my opinion, there are some youth hockey organizations that could be toxic, but finding a place, I just relate to what we do here, we show up here every day, and meet all of the time about how can we make these players better. Finding a way to make your son better. The coaches spend a ton of time together trying to figure out how to make these players better, not only better hockey players but better people.
One piece of advice, specifically for the parents? Don’t make it harder.
“We need parents to support their sons and daughters and not make it harder for them. We want them to embrace the adversity they’re going to have throughout the year, but block out all the noise, block out the distractions, things that don’t matter. If they can help their kids focus on being a good teammate, embracing the adversity that’s going to happen, and just choosing excellence on a daily basis, they’re going to grow, they’re going to become better hockey players, and they’re going to have a good experience and have an opportunity to make our team.”
In the end, it’s all going to work itself out.
“We often talk about how the player pool changes drastically. Seth Appert talked the other day about Joel Farabee and Logan Cooley. A few months before the NTDP tryout, they weren’t named to the Youth Olympic roster. Parents could have went crazy, and you know what? We didn’t get a call. They just believed in the process, trusted the process. Joel Farabee got called up at the end of his first year and ended up helping the ’99 team win a World Championship. Logan Cooley wasn’t on the Youth Olympic team, and we can argue where he was at when he came in here, but they both ended up being the best player in their birth year at the end of the two years.
“One thing we always say is that the path isn’t going to define the player, that player is going to define their path with their work ethic, their talent, their character, their decisions on a daily basis – that’s going to determine their path.”
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TV-Pucken is a Swedish national ice hockey event where the 24 districts of the country compete in an under-16, all-star style tournament. Each district is represented by the top players in each area, and are divided up into four pools of six teams. The top two teams from each group advance to the single-elimination playoffs, set for November 4 – 6th. This season, some of the best 2007s from across Sweden represented their respective districts, with the first portion of the tournament taking place last weekend.
Stockholm North and Stockholm South topped Group A with records of 5-0-0 and 4-1-0 respectively. South’s only loss was a 4-3 decision to North; the final game of pool play on Sunday, with Eric Nilson scoring the deciding goal in the final 10 minutes of regulation. It was his second goal of the game and seventh of the weekend, as he tied with Södermanland forward Samuel Kjellström for the top spot.
Nilson plays for Järfälla during the winter season; he was the only representative from his club on the Stockholm North squad. The 23-man roster featured players from 11 different clubs, including five from Mälarö Hockey, four from Täby HC and three from Solna SK. Nilson’s teammate Melvin Novotny tied with Stockholm South forward Anton Frondell for the group lead in scoring with 13 points apiece. Novotny averaged a point per game last season for Täby as an underage ‘07 playing amongst 2006-born players. Similarly, Frondell played up in ‘21-22 for Djurgårdens IF, leading the team in goals and points, and is eyeing a spot on the club’s J18 squad this upcoming season.
In Group B, the Ångermanland and Norrbotten Districts claimed the top two spots.
Ångermanland was the one of three Districts over the weekend to claim all 15 possible points in the standings. Their roster consisted of players from eight different winter clubs; MoDo Hockey being the most reputable of the bunch with 10 skaters. The team’s perfect record came in large part due to the efforts of Markus Skröder in net. The 5-foot-11 goaltender played in four of the five contests, posting a 1.50 goals-against average. The only goalie to best Skröder between the pipes was Norrbotten’s Love Härenstam. He played all but 58 seconds of game action for Norrbotten, while posting a 1.41 goals-against average. Luckily for youth hockey fans, both goaltenders will have the opportunity to shine in the playoff rounds as both teams advanced to the quarterfinals.
The leading scorer in the entire tournament thus far is Jakob Ihs-Wozniak. He represents the Norrbotten District out of Luleå HF. Ihs-Wozniak is coming off of a strong performance at the 2022 World Selects Invitational and was the leading scorer on U16 Luleå last season. Be sure to check out WHH’s exclusive interview from Nashville with the Swedish prospect below.
Härenstam made his mark nationally last spring when he backstopped his Djurgårdens squad to a U16 national championship. He is competing for a spot on Luleå HF J18 squad this season.
Småland District swept through Group C play with a 5-0-0 record. The team was primarily made of players from HV 71 and Växjö Lakers, and out-scored opponents 41-10 over the weekend. Noel Skarby (13), Liam Andersson (12), Albin Laksonen (11) and Filip Alvudd (eight) finished one, two, three and four in scoring.
Despite losing 11-2 to top-ranked Småland on the final day, the Göteborg District had clinched a bid to the playoffs prior to its meeting with the No. 1 seed. A 3-1 win over Skåne District Sunday morning guaranteed Småland a spot in the eight-team field for November. Ivar Stenberg scored a pair of goals, with Hugo Lundberg cashing in an insurance goal to secure the win and the second spot in the standings, all prior to its meeting with Småland.
Group D had plenty of parody, with all six teams picking up at least one win, and the lowest average goal differential of all four groups. Five games were decided by two goals or fewer, including a 3-2 decision between Dalarna District and Örebro Iän District.
While Gästrikland went 5-0-0 to secure the top spot, the second bid was very much up for grabs with both Dalarna and Örebro Iän in the hunt. A power-play goal from Robbin Stenström gave Örebro Iän the head-to-head victory over Dalarna on Saturday. However, Dalarna would go on to defeat Västmanland and Östergötland down the stretch to accumulate nine points in the standings and propel themselves past Örebro Iän for the final spot in the playoff field.
Dalarna goaltenders Carl Englund (Borlänge HF) and Emil Andersson (Leksands IF) were two of the top three performers in Group D. Their combined 1.83 goals-against average was only out-done by Gästrikland’s William Forsberg (Brynäs IF) who allowed just six goals in four games.
The Stockholm District has won the tournament 17 times — most in history — and last season, Stockholm North defeated Stockholm South 3-1 in the championship game. It is widely considered a great accomplishment for a Swedish hockey player represent their district in the TV-pucken. The tournament is named “TV-pucken” because when it was first played in 1959, every game was broadcast on television. Now, only playoff games are shown nationally. Playoffs are set to get underway on November 4th, with the following districts representing the best 2007-born players in Sweden:
Ångermanland
Gästrikland
Göteborg
Norrbotten
Småland
Stockholm North
Stockholm South
Västerbotten
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One of the biggest elements of WHH is youth hockey’s first — and only — World Rankings. The rankings are compiled by a team of evaluators from across North America, Europe, Scandinavia and Russia who identify top teams and talent in youth hockey.
The committee compiles lists of Top-10 rankings by country, as well as a Top 25 for each of the major birth years in AAA hockey.
The ‘22-23 season will see rankings for the following countries and birth years:
United States, Canada, Sweden, Finland, Russia
2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
There are, however, a few exceptions for specific countries and birth years.
For instance, Hockey Canada does not have age classifications solely for the 2006 birth year. Top 16-year-olds are ultimately competing in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). Any outliers from the age group still competing in youth hockey play in a combined age group at the Under-18 (U-18) age level, consisting of 2005 and 2006 birth years for the 2022-23 season. The Sweden Ice Hockey Federation and Finnish Ice Hockey Federation follow similar models, with elite 2006-born players competing in the Juniors 18 (J18) in Sweden and the SM-Sarja U-18 in Finland. For this reason, Canadian, Swedish and Finnish teams are omitted from the 2006 World Rankings.
Parts of Canada assemble rosters consisting of split birth years. For instance, a U14 team from Alberta may have players from the 2009 and 2010 birth years. In this case, the team would be ranked amongst 2009-born teams.
Lastly, U12 hockey and younger in Sweden is typically structured in a 3-on-3, half-ice format. Because of that, teams from Sweden are also omitted from the 2011 rankings this season.
We value any and all feedback from the youth hockey community. We invite all members to share their own World Rankings with our team of evaluators HERE, as well as any other valuable information such as stats, team records, tournament results, photos, videos, etc.
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Elite American teams within the 2007 birth year aren’t wasting any time battling each other as the 15-Only age group begins its junior draft season. In fact, a few of them even gathered at the home of USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program (USNTDP) this past weekend to skate in front of the organization’s scouts and coaches.
The Mid-Fairfield Jr. Rangers, Chicago Mission, Pittsburgh Penguins Elite, Bishop Kearney Selects, L.A. Jr. Kings and Minnesota Blades all took part in a collection of games dubbed the NTDP Showcase at USA Hockey Arena. If the final standings are any indication, we’re going to be in for a hell of a youth hockey season at the ever important 15-only age group.
This puck movement and player positioning by the Mid Fairfield Rangers on some 4-on-4 play is something to marvel at. pic.twitter.com/xT1Q5gxujt
— Chase Allen (@ChaseAllen03) September 9, 2022
Mid-Fairfield finished with a 3-1-1 record over five games, while nobody else finished with a winning record. Penguins Elite, BK Selects and Chicago Mission all finished with 2-2-1 marks, while the Kings and the Blades both finished 2-3.
MFJR may have finished with the best record, but they were in tight games all weekend. The Jr. Rangers recorded wins over the Blades (3-2) and Penguins (3-2) on Day 1 of the showcase, and then beat Mission 4-3 on Saturday. Their tie came against the BK Selects on Sunday, while Mid-Fairfield’s lone loss came to the Kings Saturday.
Mission and the Penguins tied 3-3 when they squared off on Sunday. Chicago’s victories came against the Kings and the Minnesota Blades, the latter of which was an 8-1 thumping. The Penguins, meanwhile, beat the Kings 2-0 and beat the Blades 3-2.
Continuing the convoluted matrix of who beat who, the BK Selects beat Mission and Pittsburgh, both with 3-0 finals.
Statistics from the weekend are not readily available just yet, but gaudy numbers will come from the star power on all of these rosters. What the weekend did tell us is the battles that will be fought across the country this season will be fun to watch, and the USA Hockey National Championship will be must-see youth hockey.
While the six programs above came to Metro Detroit for a big weekend’s worth of games, Michigan’s 15-only teams were skating at the Troy Sports Center — roughly a 45-minute drive away from USA Hockey Arena — in the first of two MAHA Tier-1 Showcase events.
All of the 14U, 15O, 16U and 18U teams in Michigan gathered for a showcase at the four-sheet facility, and Little Caesars, Victory Honda and Compuware established themselves as teams to beat in the 15O age group in the Great Lakes State.
While they didn’t play everybody, Little Caesars won all three of its games by a combined 23-3 at the Showcase for an early-season statement against in-state rivals.
They opened the birth year’s showcase weekend with a 5-0 blanking of rival HoneyBaked on Friday afternoon, before prevailing over Fox Motors 5-2 on Saturday.
On Sunday, they really took care of business, beating Belle Tire 13-1.
They weren’t the only team to play to a 3-0 record, however. Victory Honda and Compuware did the same, both finishing with a 12-goal differential in the process.
VH started things off with a 4-1 win over the Oakland Jr. Grizzlies, before registering a 6-1 win over Belle Tire and a 5-1 win over Biggby Coffee.
Compuware, meanwhile, started with a 7-1 win over Biggby before beating HoneyBaked 4-1 and Fox Motors 5-2.
Those three undefeated teams from the MAHA Showcase weekend will all meet throughout the season, and we’re especially interested to see what happens when they meet in the December edition of the All-Michigan showcase.
While the ’07 birth year was busy in Michigan, even more were in action in Illinois this weekend as well. as Teams came to another Original Six city to compete in the Chicago Steel Ice Breaker tournament, hosted by SuperSeries AAA.
Omaha Mastery prevailed in the 15O division of the early-season tournament, playing to a perfect 5-0 record on the weekend.
They started with a 4-3 win over Team Illinois on Friday, followed by a 7-2 win over the Milwaukee Jr. Admirals later that day. On Saturday, they put up seven again, this time against Team Wisconsin.
In the playoffs, they continued their dominance, as Omaha posted a 6-1 win over the Minnesota Lakers in the semifinals, and a 4-2 win over the Chicago Fury in the finals.
Want more coverage of the 2007 birth year as well as other age groups throughout youth hockey? Follow WHH on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube for the latest news from around the world!