The International Stars — coached by Brian Jardine — are loaded with top American talent from the 2007 birth year. The majority of the roster consists of players from two top-10 teams in the world with Chicago Mission and Little Caesars. That Mission team won the 2022 USA Hockey national tournament earlier this month, and championship names like Asher Barnett, Cole McKinney, Holden Carter and Cameron Aucoin will be in the mix for the Stars at the 15U World Selects Trophy in Nashville.
McKinney is widely considered one of the top forwards in the country, and his tournament teammates Will Horcoff and John Mooney are certainly included in that conversation as well. The son of 15-season NHL veteran, Shawn Horcoff, Will has been a standout at events like the 2017 Brick International Tournament, 2020 PeeWee Quebec and 2021 CCM 68 Combine, in addition to being a top forward for 14U Little Caesars this winter. Additionally, Mooney has been one of the most highly-touted prospects out of the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite program, with a unique skill set and impressive motor. Egan Beveridge, Aiden Janz, Evan Jardine, Cullen Potter and Lukas Sawchyn add even more offensive firepower to the mix.
Asher Barnett is a top American-born defenseman among 2007s, and he anchors a group that includes other standouts like Cam Aucoin — son of 17-season NHL vet Adrian Aucoin — Holden Carter, and Charlie Trethewey.
If that wasn’t enough star-studded power, a pair of goaltenders in Crosby daCosta and Joey Slavick may be the best one-two punch a team could find in the U.S.
The International Stars program started with the ‘95 and ‘96 birth years, with teams that featured future NHL players like Dylan Larkin, Zach Werenski, Mike McCarron and Matt Roy. Back in action in the 2022 WSI with top ‘07 talent, the Stars may just have a few more NHL-superstars-to-be on its 15U roster once again.
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Pro Hockey has been a regular at the World Selects tournament series across all age groups, both boys and girls. They’ve competed in North American and European events, with headquarters in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and Sweden. Pro Hockey has won a World Selects Invitational three times — all at the 12U elite level by their North American branch — but will set its sights on the 15U tournament this May in Nashville.
Players like Ryan Roobroeck, Gavin McKenna and William Sharpe were a part of Pro Hockey’s last WSI championship, winning the 2019 tournament in Bolzano, Italy. Roobroeck is widely considered one of the top 2007-born prospects in Ontario, and actually led the 12U WSI in scoring that year with 15 goals and 22 points. McKenna is a potential candidate for the first overall selection in the upcoming WHL Bantam Draft, and is a dynamic forward who led the U18 Canadian Sports School Hockey League (CSSHL) in scoring with 23 goals and 65 points. Sharpe (8) were significant contributors during that championship run as well. Sharpe has the potential to be a high selection in the draft as well; he was a top producer from the back end this winter for Yale Hockey Academy’s U15 team, leading all CSSHL defensemen with 19 goals in 21 games.
McKenna and Sharpe are far from the only Western Canada prospects in the lineup for Pro Hockey, though. Cole Reschny, Reese Hamilton and Hudson Kibblewhite represent some of the best talent that Saskatchewan and British Columbia have to offer. The lineup is balanced, strong, and a serious contender for the 15U championship next month.
Pro Hockey has competed in the WSI on several occasions, bringing top-level talent to the tournament with names like Mitch Marner, Jakob Chychrun, Evan Bouchard and Shane Wright. This year’s lineup will certainly continue that trend in hopes of leaving the Music City as 15U world champions.
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The Sweden Selects program had been represented at each of the first 11 World Selects Invitational tournaments dating all the way back to 2009 in Riga, Latvia. In 2021, though, that streak ended when European teams faced significant travel challenges surrounding COVID-19.
This May, the Swedes return with a purpose, and one goal in mind: win the 15U World Selects Trophy in Nashville.
They’ll have plenty of weapons to get the job done, starting with Djurgårdens IF goaltender Love Härenstam, who’s fresh off a national championship run. He went 15-2-0 this season — including 5-0-0 in the U16 playoffs — with a .943 save percentage as one of the best goalies in the country.
A winter club teammate of Härenstam’s, Anton Frondell led DIF in scoring with 25 goals and 43 points on a team that had 26 players older than him, including 22 from the 2006 birth year. Frondell was a leading scorer the last time he represented Sweden Selects as well, at the 12U WSI in Bolzano, Italy.
Forward Jakob Ihs-Wozniak and defenseman Oliwer Sjöström round out the team’s leadership group. Ihs-Wozniak led Luleå IF in scoring, and spent time playing for both the program’s U16 and U18 teams this winter. Sjöström was a top defender in Sweden all season long for IF Björklöven.
Sweden Selects has won three WSI tournaments all-time. Two of those have been at the 15U age level, with the most recent coming in Philadelphia in 2015. That squad featured future NHL Draft picks Ryan Merkley, Rasmus Sandin, Lucas Wernblom and Oliver Wahlstrom.
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The last time the Czech Knights came across the Atlantic for an international tournament, they brought gold back with them.
Two years ago, standout ‘07s Adam Benak and Vaclav Raichl dominated the U13 PeeWee Quebec International Tournament, as the Knights went 5-1-0 against teams from Quebec, Ontario and Wisconsin. They made it all the way to championship Sunday, where the Knights defeated the Mid-Fairfield Jr. Rangers 3-0 as the best team at one of the most iconic tournaments in youth hockey.
Today, that group returns stateside — with Benak and Raichl, as well as many other top players from Czech — with their sights set on winning another historic tournament in the sport; the 15U World Selects Trophy in Nashville.
The Knights will be among a half-dozen European-based programs traveling abroad to compete in the international event. They could certainly be considered one of the early favorites to win the entire tournament as well.
Benak is already a member of the Czech U16 national team. He is a fantastic skater with a high hockey IQ and can single-handedly change the flow of the game. The 5-foot-6 forward did so at the 2020 PeeWee Quebec, as the leading scorer of the tournament and continues to impress this season. Playing against opponents one and two years older than him, Benak led his U17 HC Plzen squad in scoring with 31 goals and 64 points in 34 games.
Raichl is strong at both ends of the ice and has a knack for creating offensive plays with each shift; a proven playmaker for U17 HC Litvinov. Jan Chovan is a Slovakian-born forward who currently plays U16 in Finland. He scored 16 goals and 45 points for Tappara.
The Czech Knights are a selects program that has previously competed in the World Selects tournament series under the Czech Selects name. Peter Jonak is the program director and his teams have won a WSI elite tournament on three separate occasions in 2011, 2015, and 2018. None of those championships came at the 15U age group, though, so Benak, Raichl and Chovan will look to add another accomplishment to the Czech trophy case.
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It is one of the most iconic events in youth hockey.
The 2022 World Selects Trophy 15U tournament returns to Music City, USA, for the second consecutive year. A field of 32 teams from the United States, Canada, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Central and Western Europe will feature some of the absolute best 2007-born youth hockey players in the game today. More than a dozen different countries will be represented at the 13th annual 15U WSI — a tournament that has seen more than 400 future NHL Draft picks and 1,000 NCAA athletes during its run.
The 2022 event is sure to be loaded with top talent yet again, with programs like DraftDay, Pro Hockey and ELD Hockey Academy representing the best players from across Canada. Stateside, various programs come from coast to coast. From the California Patriots to New England’s Exposure Hockey, and everywhere in between. Hockey hotbeds like Minnesota, Michigan and Massachusetts represented by MN Fire, International Stars and Power Play Operations. Other notable programs like 1NE Academy, DHI Octane, HD Engine, Live Polar Hockey, Northstar Elite, Pittsburgh Oilers, Topline Selects and Total Package Hockey filling in any gaps throughout the lower 48.
European programs like Sweden Selects, Finland Selects, Norway Selects and Czech Knights will compete on behalf of their native countries. Alps Selects are made up of as many as eight central European countries on its own, and Barys will bring some of the best from western Europe.
Teams will take to the ice on Wednesday, May 11, where they will compete in five pool games. The top 20 teams will advance to the elimination rounds that will begin on Saturday morning, and will be whittled down to a champion by Sunday afternoon. Complete tournament schedule, standings and stats will be available HERE.
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Saginaw, meet Michael Misa.
With its new lottery process to determine which team gets the first overall pick in the OHL Priority Selection, the Saginaw Spirit was the lucky franchise to have first dibs at the 2006 birth-year class.
How do we know that the Spirit will be selecting Michael Misa? Well, it’s not official until the team announces it, but Misa is one of only a handful of players who have been granted exceptional status by Hockey Canada and allowed to enter the draft a year early.
Misa, a 2007 birth-year phenom from the Mississauga Senators U16 club, is expected to join the likes of Connor McDavid, John Tavares and Shane Wright as players selected No. 1 overall after being allowed to skip their final year of youth hockey for major junior.
With that said, here is the World Hockey Hub’s mock OHL Priority Selection. One quick note before it starts, however, given the border crossing issues throughout the last two seasons, we’re going to go out on a limb and say this is an All-Canadian first-round draft class, since it’s been rather difficult for most of the OHL scouts to do their usual North-American tours.
At No. 1, as discussed, we have Misa. At this spring’s OHL Cup, he broke McDavid’s tournament record of 19 points, registering 20 as his Senators won the title. That pretty much sums it up, right? You break a McDavid record, you are most likely going No. 1 overall.
At No. 2, we have Malcolm Spence. The Hockey News says that Spence may just be the No. 1 overall pick, regardless of the exceptional status thing mentioned above. With his lethal shooting ability and ability to fly up and down the ice, it’s hard to argue with the assessment.
Michael Hage of the Toronto Jr. Canadiens checks in at No. 3. Regarded as a complete 200-foot player who can score himself and also increase the offensive output of his line mates, he’s a lock for at least the top five when the actual draft takes place.
In our eyes, Henry Mews will be the first defenseman off the board at No. 4. An offensive defenseman, he knows when to push the pace and when not to – a comparison to Jamie Drysdale has been floating around, too.
At No. 5, we think the blueline collection gets picked from again, and the Sarnia Sting take big Sam Dickinson. At 6-foot-2 and 194 pounds, he is a problem for opponents in his defensive zone, and that’s crucial to any team’s success.
Check out our full first-round mock draft below.
No. 1 – Saginaw Spirit – Michael Misa (Forward, Mississauga Senators)
No. 2 – Erie Otters – Malcolm Spence (Forward, Mississauga Senators)
No. 3 – Sudbury Wolves – Michael Hage (Forward, Toronto Jr. Canadiens)
No. 4 – Niagara IceDogs – Henry Mews (Defense, Toronto Jr. Canadiens)
No. 5 – Sarnia Sting – Sam Dickinson (Defense, Toronto Marlboros)
No. 6 – Peterborough Petes – Nathan Villeneuve (Forward, Navan Grads)
No. 7 – Ottawa 67’s – Beckett Sennecke (Forward, Toronto Marlboros)
No. 8 – Oshawa Generals – Kieron Walton (Forward, North York Rangers)
No. 9 – Kitchener Rangers – Gabriel Frasca (Forward, Mississauga Senators)
No. 10 – Barrie Colts – Jack Van Volsen (Forward, Toronto Jr. Canadiens)
No. 11 – Owen Sound Attack – Luca Testa (Forward, Niagara North Stars)
No. 12 – Guelph Storm – Liam Greentree (Forward, Markham Majors)
No. 13 – Mississauga Steelheads – Benjamin Cormier (Forward, Navan Grads)
No. 14 – Oshawa Generals – Justin Huynh (Defense, Mississauga Senators)
No. 15 – London Knights – Lucas Karmiris (Forward, Brantford 99ers)
No. 16 – Soo Greyhounds – Ben Danford (Defense, Quinte Red Devils)
No. 17 – Kingston Frontenacs – Marek Vanacker (Forward, Brantford 99ers)
No. 18 – Flint Firebirds – Frankie Marelli (Defense, Markham Waxers)
No. 19 – Saginaw Spirit – Cole Beaudoin (Forward, Nepean Raiders)
No. 20 – North Bay Battalion – Kevin He (Forward, North York Rangers)
No. 21 – Ottawa 67s – Zayne Parekh (Defense, Markham Majors)
No. 22 – Windsor Spitfires – Brodie McConnell-Barker (Defense, London Jr. Knights)
No. 23 – Hamilton Bulldogs – Jett Luchanko, (Forward, London Jr. Knights)
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The top six youth hockey teams in the Czech Republic competed for the country’s national championship over the weekend. A winner was determined by way of a round-robin tournament, and the team with the most points in the standings was awarded the title.
Bili Tygri Liberec took the top spot in the U15 age group (2007 birth year) by winning four of five games in regulation to clinch the No. 1 spot in the standings. Marek Štástka scored the game-winning goal in Liberec’s first win of the tournament — a 5-4 decision over Plzen. It was Štástka’s first of three goals on the weekend, but far from the last of Bili Tygri’s late-game heroics.
Matěj Bajer and Adrien Bartovič each scored third-period goals against Slavia Praha to help Liberec win 3-2, its second consecutive one-goal game. Close games would catch up to the eventual champion, though, as Třinec upended Liberec 4-3 on Saturday.
That set the stage for an intense matchup on Sunday between No. 1 and No. 2, which essentially served as the championship game despite both Liberec and Mlada Boleslav both having games left to be played.
David Rozsíval opened the scoring and Bartovič recorded a pair of goals to put Liberec out with a 3-0 lead. Two goals in a 10-minute span by Boleslav would close the gap significantly before Bajer and Štástka scored goals in the final minute of regulation to clinch a 5-3 victory.
That win made Monday’s matchup with Kometa Brno a non-factor, having clinched first place. However, a 6-1 win on the final day put the exclamation point on a monumental weekend and championship season for Liberec.
Bartovič led all scorers in the tournament with eight goals and 12 points. His teammate Rozsíval finished close behind with four goals and 11 points. Goaltender Daniela Nováková stopped 96-of-105 shots on goal for a tournament-high 91.43 save percentage and a 2-1-0 record despite Slavia Praha finishing fifth in the standings. Teammate Matouš Kucharčík had one of the most impressive single-game performances of the tournament with a four-goal, six-point display in Slavia Praha’s 8-3 win over Plzen as well. He finished second in points with 10 total.
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The Vaughan Kings did it first.
With a 8-1 victory over the York-Simcoe Express on Saturday afternoon, the Kings captured the first-ever U14 OHL Cup.
The new tournament — an expansion of the iconic U16 OHL Cup – featured 12 of the top U14 AAA teams in the province of Ontario, and it was played over the course of three days.
The inaugural event was hosted by the Ontario Minor Hockey Association and played at Joshua’s Creek Arena in Oakville, Ontario. Here is a look at the teams that were invited:
“The OHL is proud to partner with the OMHA to present this exciting opportunity, and we look forward to an outstanding weekend of hockey in Oakville,” said OHL Commissioner David Branch prior to the event. “Occurring annually since 2003, the OHL Cup Showcase for U16 AAA players has included familiar names such as Connor McDavid, John Tavares and Steven Stamkos, in addition to countless players that have played in the OHL and gone on to pursue various careers with the use of their OHL Scholarship.
“The Ontario Hockey League is very proud to be a part of presenting a championship tournament of this magnitude to the U14 AAA category.”
The Kings, a team that entered the tournament as a heavy favorite after winning the GTHL, lived up to the hype, going 4-0-1 in tournament play en route to the title.
“It’s a little surreal,” said Kings head coach Daniel Spivak, who worked alongside a pair of OHL alumni in assistants Justin DiBenedetto and Mark Cundari. “The boys came hard, and after two years of interrupted hockey seasons, this is awfully rewarding for our guys who never quit and kept putting in the work.
“All of these guys bought in,” Spivak continued. “As a coach, it’s all you can hope for. They pushed through, they never stopped and it’s remarkable.”
After opening play with a 2-2 tie against the London Jr. Knights, Vaughan rebounded with some dominating wins — 9-3 over the Oakville Rangers, 7-3 over the Middlesex Chiefs in the quarterfinals and 10-2 over the OMHA champion Peterborough Petes in the semifinals.
Caleb Malhotra, son of former NHL star Manny Malhotra, led the tournament in scoring with 13 points – five of which came in the final game. Ben Bowen, Jager Pain and Alessandro Di lorio all had 11 in the five games.
The Toronto Jr. Canadiens just wrapped up an undefeated season with the U15 All-Ontario Championships title.
With an 8-0 run through the Ontario Hockey Federation playoffs, the Canadiens finished the season 50-0-4, dominating the competition en route to the U15AAA All-Ontario championship.
The Jr. Canadiens out-scored the competition 48-8 in those eight games; they logged four shutouts during the timeframe.
Chase Yanni and Nico Addy led the team in scoring with 15 points apiece, while Jake O’Brien had 13 and Simon Wang had 11.
Twins Nico and Alex Armellin split the time between the pipes for the Jr. Canadiens, both winning four games apiece. Nico Finished with a .944 save percentage, and Alex had a .934 mark; both recorded 1.00 goals-against averages and two shutouts.
Yanni was presented with the top scorer award at the conclusion of the tournament; Halton Hurricanes blueliner Casey Bridgewater was named top defenseman and the Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs’ Matthew Koprowski was named most-sportsmanlike.
At the U13 level, it was the Huron-Perth Lakers emerging victorious.
The Lakers topped the Don Mills Flyers 3-2 in the title game to secure the U15AAA All-Ontario championship.
It was some sweet revenge for Huron-Perth, after Don Mills had prevailed 6-3 in the preliminary round. That was one of two losses in the playoffs for Huron-Perth, as they also had to overcome a 6-5 loss to Ottawa Valley to earn their spot in the elimination round.
Lyndon Cabral led the Lakers in scoring with 15 points in the eight games; Kane Barch was just behind with 13. Maddyx Chaput posted nine, while Clark deBoer and Hudsyn Chaput both finished with eight.
Vaughn Barr played in seven of the eight games between the pipes, logging a 3.50 goals-against average and .840 save percentage. Andrew Menlove played in two contests, as well.
The All-Ontario championships effectively mark the conclusion to the 2021-22 winter season. Attention now shifts to the “off-season” — a phrase used lightly in AAA circles, as showcase season, selects teams, tours and tryouts are right around the corner for many high-end players.
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The second annual New England States Rivalry Challenge hosted roughly 185 athletes from four different states. Teams at the 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 birth years battled it out for state supremacy in this uniquely designed spring tournament that continues to grow in popularity. The tournament structure was a standard round robin, with the champions being whoever finished with the most points in the standings. With that, we’ve got winners and standouts from all four age groups, and who reigned supreme at this weekend’s NESRC.
Team Massachusetts dominated, as the age group graduated to the 16U division for the first time in the 2022-23 USA Hockey calendar. Michael Munroe led the team in scoring with 10 points in four games, while him and teammate Jake Tavares tied each other with seven goals apiece. Colvin Callahan also put up six goals of his own for Massachusetts, a team that scored 30 goals this weekend.
While Team Massachusetts took the top spot with six points in the standings, Team New Hampshire did manage to hand Mass its only loss of the weekend with an 11-4 drubbing on Saturday night. Max Condon scored four of his six goals – and five of his seven points – for NH in their win over Massachusetts. His teammate, Carter Amico scored twice as many points as any other defensemen in the age group with six points.
The Bay State sat at the top of the ’08 Division as well, but this team Massachusetts posted a perfect 3-0 record. This was the only age group with four teams in the field, and the Massachusetts offense was only outdone by its own defense. Ten different scorers accounted for 33 goals, while Stryker Connors and Devan Maloney allowed just five goals against.
Cam MacPherson led all scorers with nine goals and 12 points, with teammate Aidan Fitzpatrick close behind with 10 points. Garrit Turcotte recorded a point in every game for Team New Hampshire, including a three-point game against New York and a four-point game against Vermont.
Team Vermont and Team Massachusetts clashed in a best-of-three series in the ’09 Division. Peyton Albertson, Escher Briere and Cooper Browe scored four unanswered goals in the third period Friday afternoon to take Game 1 for Vermont, 5-1. The next two games provided plenty of back and forth, with each state picking up a win by just one goal. Game 2 featured four lead changes. Devin Conikos, Lucas Kumin and William Gutkoski scored, each time putting Team Massachusetts in front by a goal. However, every time Mass moved themselves out in front, Vermont quickly tied it up, before Albertson, Briere and Browe yet again mounted a third-period offensive to win 5-4.
The third and final game featured an astonishing 17 goals, as Massachusetts got in the win column with a 9-8 victory. Defenseman Max Ludwar‘s hat trick for Vermont was one-upped by Gutkoski, who had a hat trick of his own. Duncan Vittrands and Devin Cokinos both had a pair of goals for Massachusetts as well to fuel the team to victory.
In its home state, Team New Hampshire swept the best-of-three series with Team Vermont in the ’10 Division. Forwards Colton Bamberg, Brayden Gearin and C.J. Sawyer topped the charts in scoring with a combined 13 goals and 26 points. They propelled an offense that was plus-12 in scoring and wore down their opponent.
The score was probably not the biggest indicator of competition at this particular age group. Despite getting swept, Vermont opened the scoring in all three games, and held the lead on five separate occasions throughout those contests. Kuba Pavlik led his home state in scoring with four goals, and Zachary Mandigo followed close behind with three of his own.
Still in the young stages of its history, the New England States Rivalry Challenge is a unique spring hockey tournament experience. Players can register individually to represent their respective home states or, gather a team of friends and compete as a group. The 2022 event featured teams from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont, but applicants from all 50 states are welcome, so long as there are enough participants to field a 15-player AAA-level roster. Want more info on next year’s NESRC and how you can represent your home state at the event? Fill out the form below!
New England States Rivalry Challenge
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Earlier this week, World Hockey Hub wrapped up the 14U, 15-Only and 16U Tier 1 national championships for USA Hockey. There, we profiled the championship teams and their paths to a title.
Now, we take a closer look at some of the standouts with our All-Tournament Team selections.
Can we make some sort of pun for James Reeder being a man on a mission for Mission? Nobody topped his points total in the 14-16 age groups at nationals, as the Glenview, Ill., native racked up 12 points in only five games. He was crucial to his Mission team, despite them falling short in the semifinals. Two goals in a 4-3 OT win, three points in a 5-3 win, lone goal in a 3-1 loss, four points in the quarterfinals in a 6-4 win, and two assists in the aforementioned semifinals. Reeder was the driving force offensively for his team and the rest of the tournament field took notice. Reeder was a third-round pick of the Dubuque Fighting Saints in last year’s USHL Draft.
Much like Reeder, James Hagens’ squad didn’t achieve 15O supremacy, but it wasn’t from his lack of effort. The Mount St. Charles star forward had nine points in only four games, despite being one of the top players in his age group, and surely being the focal point of defensive schemes from the opposition each night. We’re expecting that this wasn’t the last time he will spend quality time at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, as Hagens should be on the NTDP Under-17 Team next fall after strong showings at both nationals and the NTDP Evaluation Camp just a short time before. Elite Prospects has him posting 72 points in only 34 games this season.
Jack Murtagh matched Reeder’s scoring totals for tops in the age groups at Nationals, as he racked up 12 in five games. It should come as no surprise; the native of East Greenbush, N.Y. is already 5-foot-8 and not afraid to use his size to his advantage. We’re expecting big things from this ’07 birth-year forward as he progresses through the ranks — Murtagh thrived in his first season with the BK Selects, posting 101 points in 68 games.
John Whipple may have been breaking in the ice at his future home during the national tournament. A recent invitee to the USA Hockey’s NTDP Evaluation Camp in Plymouth, Whipple thrived there a few weeks ago, and then again this past week at the national tournament in the same building. Whipple, a native of Morristown, N.J., led the 15O defensemen in scoring with eight points in six games. Whipple finished the season — his second with Shattuck — with 55 points in 54 games, along with 91 penalty minutes.
Holden Carter led the 14U Mission team and the blue liners in his age group in scoring at Nationals, racking up five points in six games en route to his team’s national title on home ice. We went with Carter as the representative for a Mission ’07 group who all deserve all-tournament team recognition – their ability to shut down the opposition throughout the entire tournament was impressive, to say the least. Not sure how to check the record books on this one, but Mission only allowed five shots on goal in their semifinal victory over the Northeast Wisconsin Jr. Gamblers, which has to be some kind of record, given the time and place of that defensive dominance.
He played in five of the six games Chicago Mission needed to capture a national championship, and along the way allowed only six goals. Kempf finished the tournament with a 1.20 goals-against average, a .944 save percentage and one shutout, serving as the rock for a Mission team that marched through the field in Plymouth, Mich., en route to the 15O title. He must have enjoyed skating on familiar ice, after just having participated in the USA Hockey’s NTDP Evaluation Camp a few weeks ago, and getting his fair share of time at USA Hockey Arena in HPHL events with rival Compuware, too.
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