This weekend, the 2023 Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) Championship will take place in Oakville. No. 6 Peterborough Petes will enter the tournament as the top seed in their group, following a 8-0-0 stretch in prior playoff games.
Joining them in Group 1 will be the No. 9 Canadian-ranked Southern Tier Admirals, Central Ontario Wolves and Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs. Making up the second group of four teams will be No. 7 York Simcoe Express, No. 12 Halton Hurricanes, Ajax Pickering Raiders and Burlington Eagles. Teams will play three round robin games within their respective groups, before two semifinal games and the eventual championship matchup.
On a current 18-game winning streak, the Petes are one of Canada’s hottest teams at the moment. Fresh off a 3-2 overtime victory against York Simcoe, they are flying heading into the championship tournament and look poised to be the last club standing at the end. Wil McFadden is the current leading scorer with 11 goals and 18 points in those eight games. The team has four players behind him with 10 or more points.
The team most likely to have a chance at coming out of the group other than Peterborough is fellow WHH-ranked Admirals. Playing to a 6-2-0 playoff record, Noah Read (7G, 8A) and Joe Sinclair (7G, 5A) are two of their most consistent forwards. Both players will need to continue to find the back of the net in order to go up against Peterborough’s potent offense. They will hope that Halton does not come out of Group 2, as they dropped two 4-1 decisions to them in the playoffs already. Southern Tier has faced off with the Petes once this season, suffering a 3-1 defeat back on Jan. 22nd.
Nabbing the title in last year’s tournament with a thrilling overtime victory against the Niagara North Stars, York Simcoe hopes to have similar luck this year. Despite two losses to Peterborough, York Simcoe finished its playoffs with a respectable 6-2-0 record. Backed by Owen Griffin’s explosive 17 goals and 28 points, if there is one team that can truly battle with the Petes for the OMHA title, it’s them.
In fact, its depth is even more impressive than that of the Petes, as nine players have garnered 10 or more points. In three regular-season contests, YSE managed to go 2-1-1 against Peterborough. The Express last earned the #RedHats in 2016, with a squad that was led by current NHLer Quinton Byfield.
But coming out of Group 2 will be a tough test, as the Eagles and Hurricanes both went 8-0-0 in their playoff runs. The Eagles relied on a dynamic power play that netted them several goals, and on the solid goaltending of Ivan Kastelan. Kastelan started all eight games, recording a 1.33 goals-against average and three shutouts. Tanner Lam (13G, 8A) and Brady Smith (12G, 8A) will be among the Hurricanes who will try to solve Kastelan as well as whoever York Simcoe places in net. Familiar foes, Halton defeated Burlington three times in the regular season, outscoring them 15-3. The two sides also tied once, 2-2.
Games will be live streamed HERE and you can stay tuned to WHH next week to see who’s crowned as 2023 OMHA Champions. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Discord and YouTube for the latest news, updates and more!
Just over a minute into overtime, No. 4 Northern Alberta Xtreme defenseman and leading scorer Daxon Rudolph collected a loose puck following a failed 3-on-1 rush from No. 16 RINK Hockey Academy Kelowna. With a burst of speed, he beat a lone Kelowna defender and fired a wrist shot just over the pad and under the glove of Steele Bass. The goal secured NAX’s first Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL) U15 Prep Western Championship.
Heading into this year’s playoff tournament, NAX were seen as favorites to win it all. Finishing first in league play with a 28-1-1 record, one of their two losses on the season came at the hands of RINK Kelowna. The team had a Top-10 scorer in Tucker Tullikopf, a dynamic two-way defender in Rudolph and a potent pairing of Parker Snell and Taylor Raynard in the crease. With not many weaknesses in their game, it would have come as a surprise not to see NAX run the table yet again in the playoffs.
Northern Alberta got its undefeated run off in stellar fashion, beating Delta Hockey Academy Black 11-0. Tullikopf set the score sheet on fire, tallying seven points, six of which were goals. Rudolph got out to a decent start as well, recording one goal and two assists. Raynard pitched a 14-save shutout. Following that were three consecutive victories over BWC Academy, Delta Hockey Academy Green and Edge School. Across those three matchups, NAX outscored its opponents 21-7. Only one hurdle was left, as the club had Kelowna waiting for them in the championship game.
Finishing third in the regular season behind the NAX and Edge School, Rink Kelowna was considered a dark horse to contend for the prep title. The second of only two teams to beat NAX in the regular season, they were victorious in a 4-3 shootout. Consistent play from forward Joe Iginla and Bass in net were two large factors in Kelowna’s success. If both of these players were on their game, Kelowna would prove to be a tough out for any opponent; a fact that was true this postseason. In six games, Iginla scored 12 points (6G, 6A), second on the team behind Cage Smith (3G, 10A). Getting the majority of the workload as the team’s goalie, Bass recorded a 4-0-1 record, with a 2.30 goals-against average and .919 save percentage.
Brody Gillipsie put RINK on top just 1:50 into the championship game. Iginla would increase Kelowna’s lead by two when he finished a 2-on-1 rush with a slick back-hand shot past Snell. Iginla and company had gotten out to the start they needed in order to upset the tournament favorite.
However, with one minute left in the frame, Rudolph would net one back for NAX. He scooped up a failed clearing attempt that deflected off the skate of Cage Smith, and wired a perfect shot from the slot to get his team on the board. NAX has cut the deficit to 2-1 to end the first period.
Riding that momentum, Maddox Rose evened up the score at 2-2 a mere 44 seconds into the second period. The game would remain tied for the next 13 minutes of action before Smith tallied his third goal — and 13th point — of the playoffs for RINK. He danced around numerous NAX players with a gorgeous toe drag before shooting the puck into a gaping net for the 3-2 lead. RINK had once again taken the lead over top-seeded NAX.
Brek Liske made sure his team didn’t trail for long, though, scoring less than three minutes later. He would deposit a rebound chance off a shot from Rudolph to square things up once more, this time at 3-3. Both sides pushed hard for the winner in the third period, but both goaltenders stood firm. Overall, Bass would end up making 34 saves while Snell stopped 36.
A scoreless third period pushed the championship game to overtime. Once the extra period began, Rudolph made quick work of deciding the game by burying a breakaway opportunity to send the NAX bench and fans into a frenzy. The golden goal would be Rudolph’s fifth of the playoffs, giving him 12 total points. None bigger than his game-tying and game-winning goals against Kelowna.
Hear from Daxon Rudolph, the overtime hero for @NAXHockey https://t.co/kbgVqdpRjo pic.twitter.com/gFHQn91dbm
— CSSHL (@CSSHL) March 12, 2023
After the game, head coach Brayden Toma shared his thoughts on the victory.
Head Coach Brayden Toma speaks on his second CSSHL Championship, and first U15 Prep title @NAXHockey pic.twitter.com/X5VOhUMCVI
— CSSHL (@CSSHL) March 12, 2023
And if things couldn’t get more memorable, NAX’s U15 team won its championship the previous day, marking the first time in CSSHL history a team has won both the U15 and U15 Prep division in the same season.
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On Wednesday, USA Hockey unveiled the groupings, schedule and information regarding the 2023 national championships. In doing so, the four at-large teams for each of the 14U, 15O and 16U tournaments were announced, finalizing the field of 16 teams at each age level. Additionally, the groupings for each of the 16 teams were released, accompanied by complete pool-play schedules.
All three age groups will get underway on March 29th, with championship games taking place on April 3rd. The 14U age group will compete in Plymouth, Michigan, while the 15O age group will compete in Wayne, New Jersey. Both the 16U and 18U age groups will bein San Jose, California.
Nine of the Top 10 teams in the U.S. will be in Michigan for the 14U USA Hockey Nationals. Preliminary-round groupings include No. 1 Shattuck-St. Mary’s sharing the USA Pool with No. 4 Dallas Stars Elite. The two teams have yet to meet this season, and will clash for the first time on the second day of the tournament at 10:30 a.m. They’re joined by Little Caesars — who once ranked as high as sixth in the country — and split-season squad Team North Dakota.
The Olympic Pool is loaded with three Top-10 teams, including No. 2 Chicago Mission, No. 5 Bishop Kearney Selects and No. 10 Pittsburgh Vengeance. The fourth and final team is unranked Carolina Jr. Hurricanes, who earned an automatic bid with a Southeastern District championship. Mission won the 14U tournament in 2022. While the ‘07s who brought home gold have graduated to the 15O tournament this year, the 2008s will look to repeat as champions for the program in 2023.
No. 3 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite come in as the highest ranked at-large bid in the tournament. They will be joined by No. 8 Boston Jr. Eagles, and again, two top-ranked teams that have yet to meet this season. Unranked Valley Forge Minutemen and split-season Minnesota Lakers will round out the four teams in the NHL Pool.
The Liberty Pool is highlighted by No. 6 Los Angeles Jr. Kings and No. 7 Mount St. Charles. Those two teams won’t meet until the final day of pool play, and in all likelihood, should determine the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds to come out of this group. Unranked Oakland Jr. Grizzlies and Team Wisconsin will have their hands full in this four-team group.
| USA #1 Shattuck-St. Mary’s #4 Dallas Stars Elite Little Caesars Team North Dakota | OLYMPIC #2 Chicago Mission #5 Bishop Kearney Selects #10 Pittsburgh Vengeance Carolina Jr. Hurricanes | NHL #3 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite #8 Boston Jr. Eagles Minnesota Lakers Valley Forge Minutemen | LIBERTY #6 Los Angeles Jr. Kings #7 Mount St. Charles Oakland Jr. Grizzlies Team Wisconsin |
They’ve been the No. 1 ranked team in the country for 18 consecutive weeks. Little Caesars’ reward for their dominance in ‘22-23? Arguably the toughest draw in the tournament. Both No. 8 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite and No. 9 Mid-Fairfield Jr. Rangers will be looking to take down the giant that’s been Caesars this season. Split-season squad Team North Dakota will have its hands full as the only unranked team in the USA Pool.
No. 3 Chicago Mission comes in as defending national champions of the 2007 birth year. They’re joined by No. 5 Long Island Gulls, Carolina Jr. Hurricanes and Compuware in the Olympic Pool. Mission and Long Island have yet to meet this season, but are set to do so for the first time on the last day of pool play. That game could potentially determine the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds to advance to the quarterfinals.
Shattuck-St. Mary’s came up just short in the national championship last season. This ‘07 group has played with something to prove all season long, entering the tournament ranked No. 4 in the country. They’re joined in the NHL Pool by two teams they have already beaten this season in No. 6 Mount St. Charles and unranked Team Wisconsin. The fourth team in the mix is Dallas Stars Elite, who’s just 5-5-0 in their last 10 games.
The Liberty Pool is headlined by No. 2 Bishop Kearney Selects and No. 7 Los Angeles Jr. Kings. They’ve met twice this season, with each team picking up a win over the other. The swing game in the series comes on the final day of pool play, where they’ll likely determine the top two teams advancing to the next round. Unranked Neponset Valley River Rats and New Jersey Rockets will look to disrupt that narrative.
| USA #1 Little Caesars #8 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite #9 Mid-Fairfield Jr. Rangers Team North Dakota | OLYMPIC #3 Little Caesars #5 Long Island Gulls Carolina Jr. Hurricanes Compuware | NHL #4 Shattuck-St. Mary’s #6 Mount St. Charles Dallas Stars Elite Team Wisconsin | LIBERTY #2 Bishop Kearney Selects #7 Los Angeles Jr. Kings Neponset Valley River Rats New Jersey Rockets |
The 2005-born Bishop Kearney Selects won last season’s national championship, and the ‘06s will look to repeat as champions for the program. They come into the Liberty Pool ranked No. 5 in the country, but may not even be the favorite in their own group. No. 3 New Jersey Rockets are ahead of them in the standings. Plus, a pair of West Coast teams look to play spoiler in the Anaheim Jr. Ducks and Phoenix Jr. Coyotes.
Top-ranked Shattuck-St. Mary’s headlines the USA Pool, with No. 8 Chicago Mission and split-season squads Boston Little Bruins and Team North Dakota. Shattuck has been the No. 1 ranked team in the country for 26 consecutive weeks, and will look to go wire-to-wire as the undisputed top team in America. A Friday matchup with Mission may be the only resistance Shattuck sees in pool play. Even then, the Sabres have a 4-0-1 head-to-head record against Chicago and could very easily run the table.
The NHL Pool features No. 6 North Jersey Avalanche and No. 7 Little Caesars. Unranked Cleveland Barons and Seacoast Performance Academy enter the tournament on the heels of automatic bids earned through their respective district playoffs. Caesars enters pool play as the only team with wins over all three of its future opponents, defeating the Avs twice, the Barons twice and splitting with Seacoast.
No. 2 Long Island Gulls, No. 4 Compuware, No. 10 Mount St. Charles and unranked Nashville Jr. Predators make up one of the toughest foursomes in the country in the Olympic Pool. The top three have been among the Top 10 in the country virtually all season. Only Long Island and Mount have played each other this season, clashing four times in close games separated by an average differential of 1.75 goals.
| USA #1 Shattuck-St. Mary’s #8 Chicago Mission Boston Little Bruins Team North Dakota | OLYMPIC #2 Long Island Gulls #4 Compuware #10 Mount St. Charles Nashville Jr. Predators | NHL #6 North Jersey Avalanche #7 Little Caesars Cleveland Barons Seacoast Performance Academy | LIBERTY #3 New Jersey Rockets #5 Bishop Kearney Selects Anaheim Jr. Ducks Phoenix Jr. Coyotes |
World Hockey Hub will have exclusive, on-site coverage of the 2023 USA Hockey Nationals. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Discord and YouTube for the latest news, updates and more!
The postseason has arrived in Finland for 2007-born teams. Tournament play will kick off this week with four best-of-3 series to determine who will move on. Winners of these matchups will be tasked with going up against the top-tier clubs that earned first-round byes following regular-season play. Those teams were No. 1 Kiekko-Espoo, No. 2 Tappara, No. 3 Ilves and No. 5 Jokerit.
At no point during the regular season did No. 8 TPS or Kiekko-Espoo Ch play each other. That will change, as they will begin their three-game series this Wednesday.
TPS has been a mainstay in the Top 10 of Finland for most of this season. They have consistently gone up against the premier clubs in the country, making the cut to carry on their schedule into the SM Series. Going 17-7-0 in the qualifying series, they followed that up by going 8-8-0 in the SM Series, totaling a 25-15-0 record in group play.
The dynamic trio of Olli Wahlroos (33G, 35A), Wilmer Kallio (21G, 40A) and Jesse Pärssinen (22G, 28A) have done the heavy lifting on offense.
Following the opening qualifying series with a record of 10-14-0 , K-Espoo CH did not make the cut for the SM Series. As a result, they were placed in the lower continuation series with teams such as JYP, TuTo, and Sport. It was in this group where the club went 10-6-0. Aku-Wilhelmi Lindroos collected 15 goals and 25 points to become the second-best point getter in the group. In total, he amassed 24 goals and 41 points this season over 42 games. Goaltender Eetu Virrane also compiled a respectable .925 save percentage and 2.08 goals-against average.
Series Prediction: This has the makings of a mismatch, with TPS possessing stronger scoring depth throughout its lineup. While impressive, I doubt Lindroos alone can will his team to a series win here. TPS sweep 2-0.
Much like TPS and K-Espoo Ch, No. 10 KalPa and JYP have not dropped the puck against the other this season. The two teams will get a chance to make up for lost time when the playoffs begin this week.
KalPa has played the top competition of its birth year quite close, often losing to many of the higher-ranked teams by a goal or two. They have also had No. 4 Kärpät’s number, beating them in two games. Topi Veteläinen has been a consistent source of offense, with 30 goals and 56 points in 37 games. JYP will counter with Eelis Sinivuori and his 14 goals and 39 points.
Series Prediction: Both teams have had to battle to get where they are. KalPa going up against the best of its birth year and JYP scratching and clawing its way to one of the top two coveted spots in the lower continuation group. It’s two desperate teams that have been playing playoff-style hockey for several weeks already. I could see this one going the distance, with KalPa edging out the series win.
No. 6 Lukko and No. 7 HIFK have familiarity with one another. These teams have played twice during the SM-eries schedule, with Lukko taking both games by scores of 3-0 and 10-7. But HIFK is no stranger to adversity, needing to come up with big wins in its final two games of the season to secure a playoff spot.
Comparing their records in group play, they could not be closer. Lukko has skated to 26-14-0, with HIFK comes in at 26-15-0. In the shutout victory, three different skaters tallied goals for Lukko, with Sakari Vatka recording a goal and an assist. Jooa Sammalniemi turned aside 28 shots for the shutout. In the goal-scoring explosion in their next meeting, seven skaters recorded at least two points for Lukko.
With HIFK’s attack joining the conversation, six skaters on its end also put up multi-point performances. Matias Vanhanen stood out, collecting two goals and two assists. Vanhanen was among one of the best scorers in the SM-Series with nine goals and 25 points. Altogether, he totaled 26 goals and 74 points in 40 games for HIFK. Jarel Tukiainen, leading scorer for Lukko in the SM-Series, has garnered seven goals and 23 points. To date collectively this season, he has 27 goals and 68 points to his name.
Series Prediction: While HIFK has demonstrated it can find the net against Lukko, Sammalniemi was not in net for that 10-7 game. If he is in the crease for Lukko, HIFK will have a long series trying to get pucks past him. Statistically, Sammalniemi was the best goaltender during SM-Series play, with a .919 save percentage and 2.89 goals-against average. I see HIFK sneaking a win here, but goaltending pushes Lukko to the series victory.
No. 4 Kärpät and No. 9 Ässät met once during the regular season, but it was a game that went the distance. Following regulation, which saw both teams trade goals back and forth for its entirety, no winner was determined in overtime either. Aleksi Tynkilä would grab the winning goal in a shootout to determine a winner. He was the eighth shooter off the bench and secured the 4-3 win for Kärpät.
Team depth is important at this juncture of the season, and these two sides possess a wealth of it. Kärpät’s roster is made up of six players with 10 or more points, whereas Ässät has five. Special teams have been a struggle for both as well, with only four power-play goals from each. Kärpät has also allowed the second-most power-play goals in the SM-Series with 19.
Luukas Koski will try to add to his season total of 21 goals and 46 points for Ässät. The clear leader by five points for Kärpät is Urho Mattila. In 27 games, he has racked up 13 goals and 34 points.
Series Prediction: This might be the most even series of the opening-round matchups. Special teams will be crucial, and if Ässät can get its man advantage working, it could make quick work of the opponent. Kärpät wins in three games.
WHH will have continued coverage of the U16 Finland National Championship. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Discord and YouTube for the latest news, top performers and more.
There’s a new club at the top of the ‘07 rankings in Russia, and it’s the first time they’ve been there since Dec. 21st. Following a solid stretch of play that saw them nab victories over No. 3 CSKA Moscow, Atlant Mytishchi and Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, Dynamo Moscow is back as No. 1. Mikhail Melikov, the club’s leading scorer, tallied four points in the 9-1 victory over Atlant. This season, he has produced 27 goals and 47 points.
While Dynamo was a familiar name in the No. 1 spot in Russia, a new team cracked the Top 10 among 2007-born teams in the U.S. With a strong 10-2 victory over Compuware, No. 10 Victory Honda’s offensive outburst gave them enough of a jolt to catapult over the previous spot holder. Braden Wade and Nolan Makinski both notched hat tricks and Luc Plante scored a goal and four assists in a five-point night. The victory also continued a nine-game unbeaten streak for the team, which ended the following day with a 3-2 overtime loss to Fox Motors.
The regular season concluded over the weekend, and with it, brought some movement among Top-10 teams. In these final matchups before playoffs, No. 3 Ilves and No. 5 Jokerit experienced some decent boosts from crucial wins. Ilves got its business done in two matchups versus No. 4 Kärpät, winning by scorers of 13-3 and 4-0. In the 13-goal explosion, seven skaters notched two or more points, led by Jalmari Melanen’s one goal and four assists.
Jokerit put forth a solid team effort in a 4-1 victory over No. 6 Lukko. Aapo Niemelä (2G) and Taavi Aarvala (2A) connected for the final two goals of the game, solidifying both the win and two-point performances.
With strong finishes to group play, both Ilves and Jokerit earned spots in the top four of the overall group standings. As a result, they have earned first round byes in the playoffs, along with No. 2 Tappara and No. 1 Kiekko-Espoo. They will now await the winners from the first round to see who they will open their playoff schedules against.
The opening round of Sweden’s U16 SM-playoffs has come and gone, and No. 3 MoDo Hockey has raised eyebrows with its performance thus far. The power trio of Elton Hermansson (3G, 3A), Vincent Wedin (2G, 4A) and Erik Häggblad (1G, 5A) have lifted their club to new heights. By securing wins over fellow ranked opponents like No. 1 Nacka HK and No. 4 Djurgårdens IF, its position among the country’s elite has been strengthened.
The road doesn’t get any easier, as entering the second round MoDo finds itself in the dreaded ‘group of death’ along with top-ranked Nacka, No. 2 Täby HC and No. 6 Södertälje SK.
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.
Last week, eight of USA Hockey’s 12 districts held their respective state tournaments and final qualifier games. This is a crucial step for teams looking to earn automatic bids to compete at the 2023 USA Hockey Nationals.
The final eight automatic bids at each of the four age levels were decided by various tournament structures across the country. Those winners will join a field of 16 teams later this month in pursuit of a national championship.
Central District: No. 14 Chicago Mission and Team Wisconsin met in the championship game after each going 2-0-0 in the preliminary games. Wisconsin held the high-flying offense of Chicago in check to snag a 4-2 victory.
New England District: No. 6 Mount St. Charles defeated Hartford Jr. Wolfpack 4-1.
New York District: No. 23 Bishop Kearney Selects team depth was on display in their 4-0 semifinal win against the Buffalo Jr. Sabres. Four different players found the back of the net and goaltender Gavin Weeks was perfect in recording 21 saves. In the championship game, multi-point performances from Luca Cannata, Camden Nimmer and Rocco Afonso led BK Selects to a 6-2 win against CP Dynamo. Weeks was stellar in net once again, stopping 24 shots.
Rocky Mountain District: No. 19 Dallas Stars Elite got the best of the Rocky Mountain RoughRiders in their rematch, defeating them 7-1. In their earlier meeting at qualifiers, Stars Elite put up eight goals, with Jeffrey Hurlbert (3G) and Booker Toninato (2G) leading the charge.
Southeastern District: It wasn’t an easy road for the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes, but they showed up in the big moments to grab the district championship over Florida Alliance. Both the Jr. Hurricanes and Alliance went 2-1-0 in the preliminary round. The Jr. Canes fell to the Washington Little Capitals, 5-3, before rebounding with a 3-2 victory in the title matchup to earn the trip to Nationals.
Atlantic District: The Valley Forge Minutemen and New Jersey Rockets threw down in a best-of-three series to decide who would represent the Atlantic among ‘08 teams. After the Rockets opened the series with a 3-1 win, the Minutemen would respond with a 1-0 shutout in game 2. That momentum would carry into the deciding game, where they edged the Rockets in a 4-2 final.
Michigan District: With the Oakland Jr. Grizzlies and Little Caesars deadlocked at 2 goals apiece, Joseph Zelenak cued up the heroics. With 11:20 left in the third period, Zelenak tallied the go-ahead goal and eventual game-winner to lift the Jr. Grizzlies to the win. Braden Guolla scored the other two goals for the Jr. Grizzlies, and James Fawaz stopped 18 shots.
Northern Plains District: Team North Dakota prevailed in its championship game, earning a trip to Nationals.
The eight district champions above will join the Boston Jr. Eagles, Pittsburgh Vengeance, Shattuck-St. Mary’s and Los Angeles Jr. Kings as automatic qualifiers for USAH Nationals in Plymouth, Michigan.
Central District: No. 16 Chicago Mission got the better of Team Wisconsin for a 4-2 victory to garner a spot at USA Nationals.
New England District: It was a clash of two U.S. Top-10 clubs for the New England District crown. No. 6 Mount St. Charles and No. 9 Mid-Fairfield Jr. Rangers are no strangers to each other. Squaring off five times in the regular season, Mid-Fairfield got the better of Mount with a 3-2-0 record. Yet, Mount St. Charles got the last laugh and prevailed in the district championship, 4-2.
New York District: Ethan Wyttenbach picked up where he left off after collecting four points in a 8-0 semifinal victory against the PAL Jr. Islanders. Wyttenbach, along with Nathaniel Poole, helped No. 20 Long Island Gulls jump out to a 2-0 lead versus No. 4 Bishop Kearney Selects in the championship tilt. Konner Powell cut into the lead in the second period, but the Gulls’ defense and Ryan Cameron’s 26 saves allowed them to hold onto the 2-1 lead.
Rocky Mountain District: For this district, it was another rematch in the championship game, this time between the Phoenix Jr. Coyotes and Dallas Stars Elite. In the first battle, the Jr. Coyotes earned a 2-1 shootout victory, with Ethan Bryant netting the game-winning goal. He also scored during regulation play, with Blake Patterson putting up the only Dallas goal. The Stars Elite rebounded to win the matchup that mattered most, scoring three consecutive goals after falling behind 1-0 in the opening frame. Brady Turner made things interesting when he cut the lead to 3-2 with a power-play goal early into the third frame. Patterson sealed the deal with an empty-net goal with 1:20 left and sent Dallas through to Nationals.
Southeastern District: Florida Alliance North exploded for six goals in a preliminary round meeting against the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes. With the two facing off in the championship, many expected it to be more of the same. However, the Jr. Hurricanes would flip the script and bounce back with a 7-1 win of their own.
Atlantic District: It was a Garden State showdown between the North Jersey Avalanche and New Jersey Rockets to see who would move on to Nationals. After opening the three-game series with a 6-3 win, the Rockets seemed ready to end with a sweep. The Avalanche had other plans, forcing a third and decisive game after taking Game 2, 5-2. The Rockets would rebound in the winner-take-all clash, edging the Avalanche 4-3 with a late-game stunner.
@RocketsHC scores in the final minute of regulation and defeats North Jersey Avalanche by a final score of 4-3. They advance to @usahockey Nationals! pic.twitter.com/0UHvOpgqqt
— LiveBarn (@LiveBarn) March 13, 2023
Michigan District: William Horcoff led No. 1 Little Caesars to a 4-0 shutout win against Fox Motors with two goals. While not the busiest night between the pipes, Joseph Slavick was perfect with 14 saves.
Northern Plains District: Team North Dakota kicked off its three-game series against the Sioux Falls Power in dramatic fashion. With the score locked at two late in regulation, Isaac Thompson slipped a power-play goal home with seven seconds left on the clock to steal a 3-2 win for North Dakota. Sioux Falls would take Game 2, 4-2 but North Dakota would rally for the Game 3 win.
The eight district champions above will join the Neponset Valley River Rats, Pittsburgh Penguins Elite, Shattuck-St. Mary’s and Los Angeles Jr. Kings as automatic qualifiers for USAH Nationals in Wayne, New Jersey.
Central District: Chicago Mission bested Team Wisconsin in a low-scoring 1-0 affair.
New England District: After Ronnie Hill increased Seacoast Performance Academy’s lead to 4-2 in the championship game with nine minutes to play, things were looking good. However, their opponent No. 20 Mount St. Charles had other plans. Clawing its way back to even the score, Mount St. Charles forced overtime with a spot to Nationals on the line. With the extra frame underway, Deke Davidson blasted a one-timer into the net, securing the win for SPA and sending their bench into a frenzy of flying gloves and sticks.
Deke Davidson send the U16’s to the Nattie’s!#GoSPA pic.twitter.com/I3IZwaZpcI
— Seacoast Performance Academy (@SPAhockeyNH) March 12, 2023
New York District: Thomas Zocco and Grant Young did most of the heavy lifting on offense, each tallying two goals to help lift No. 3 Long Island Gulls past the Buffalo Jr. Sabres, 5-1. The Jr. Sabres threw their fair share of rubber on net, but they were bested by Ryan Denes, who finished with 31 saves.
Rocky Mountain District: The Phoenix Jr. Coyotes won their preliminary-round game versus the Rocky Mountain RoughRiders, 4-0. Benjamin Vatis made 25 saves to earn the shutout and four different players scored. In the rematch, the Jr. Coyotes won the title tilt by a 4-1 margin, collecting all four goals unanswered in the third period. Carson McGinley put the game away with two empty-net goals.
Southeastern District: Following a 3-1 preliminary round defeat, Florida Alliance had hoped to dish out some revenge in the championship game against the Nashville Jr. Predators. But the Jr. Preds would prevent any chance at that, ending up in the win column yet again with a 5-1 final.
Atlantic District: No. 12 North Jersey Avalanche took care of their business in a timely manner, sweeping the New York Saints in their best-of-three series. The Avs outscored the Saints 13-2, securing a shutout in Game 1.
Michigan District: Brecken Smith‘s first-period goal and Owen Lepak’s 19 saves would be all No. 13 Little Caesars would need in a 1-0 win over HoneyBaked.
Northern Plains District: Despite the best efforts of Sioux Falls, Team North Dakota was victorious in the first two games of its three-game series. After Grant Gardner secured the Game 1 win in overtime, it appeared as if Game 2 was headed to extra time as well. Just as it seemed as if Gardner had played hero once more, scoring a power-play goal with 42 seconds left to play, the goal would be called back after a review. Not phased, Gardner would indeed strike in overtime again for North Dakota, sending them to Nationals.
The eight district champions above will join the Boston Little Bruins, Cleveland Barons, Shattuck-St. Mary’s and Anaheim Jr. Ducks as automatic qualifiers for USAH Nationals in San Jose, California.
The 18U slate of games will begin March 29th in San Jose, California. These teams will join the Boston Jr. Eagles, Shattuck-St. Mary’s, Anaheim Jr. Ducks, and Culver Academy as the representatives of their districts.
Central District: Omaha Mastery
New England District: Yale Jr. Bulldogs
New York District: Buffalo Regals
Rocky Mountain District: Colorado Rampage
Southeastern District: Florida Alliance
Atlantic District: Philadelphia Jr. Flyers
Michigan District: Little Caesars
Northern Plains District: Sioux Falls Power
2023 USA Hockey Nationals will begin March 29th. WHH will have continued coverage of each birth year throughout the schedule of games. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Discord and YouTube for the latest news, top performers and more.
With 34 seconds left in regulation, Erik Häggblad slipped a shot past Djurgårdens goaltender Hugo Severgårdh. Not only did that goal eliminate No. 3-ranked DIF from playoff contention, but put an exclamation point on MoDo Hockey’s performance in the opening round of the Sweden U16 national championship.
The first round consisted of four groups of four teams competing in three-game, round-robin matchups. The top two teams from each group would advance to the second round of the tournament on March 24th. Häggblad’s goal against Djurgårdens clinched MoDo’s third victory of the weekend. It also secured their spot atop Group A, as one of three teams to go undefeated thus far in the tournament.
Coming into the Sweden U16 Nationals ranked No. 6 in the country, MoDo made a statement on day one of the tournament. Vincent Wedin posted a goal and two assists in a dominating 5-1 win over Skellefteå AIK. The next day, Elton Hermansson put up a three-point performance of his own as MoDo put together another astounding performance, 7-2 over No. 1 ranked Nacka. In that game, they outshot the top-ranked team in the country 43-27.
Three regulation wins secured all nine available points in the standings to push MoDo through to the second round. They will be joined by Nacka, after it went 2-1-0; the only loss being the previously mentioned defeat at the hands of MoDo.
Group B proved to be the closest of all four pools on the first weekend of Sweden U16 Nationals.
Täby defeated Södertälje. Södertälje defeated Timrå. Timrå defeated Luleå. Luleå defeated Täby. Going into the final day of action, all four teams had a path to advance, with three points apiece and three points up for grabs. Täby’s top performers Theo Stockselius, Marcus Nordmark and Melvin Novotny made sure their national championship hopes would live to see the second weekend. The trio combined to score five goals on Sunday — and 18 total points on the weekend — to push Täby through to the round of eight.
Jason Rosqvist, Jonathan Sandberg, Samuel Kjellström and Lucas Jarestrand scored four unanswered goals in the third period to push Södertälje past Luleå on the final day.
With six goals and nine points, Albin Laksonen led all skaters over the weekend in scoring. His Växjö Lakers scored 17 goals in their three games, leaning on a high-powered offense. Six different skaters contributed goals in the first round of Sweden U16 Nationals. The Lakers will likely continue to rely on their top line to carry them through playoffs. Laksonen, and linemates Noa Bräutigam and Olle Ågren were one of the most dominant lines from the first round. Top pair Malte Brolin and Theo Dahl gives Växjö a starting five that should compete with just about any team remaining in the tournament.
Malmö scored three unanswered goals to come from behind and defeat Färjestad on Saturday. Adrien Bartovic scored two of those and assisted on the third to finish the comeback. That game proved to be the difference maker, as Malmö finished one win ahead of Färjestad in pool play to earn the No. 2 spot.
No team in this group was ranked in the Top 10, so despite advancing, both Malmö and Växjö could be seen as longshots to win the tournament. Regardless, both have dangerous top lines, and both punched their tickets to the next round.
Tied for the fewest goals allowed through the first round of Sweden U16 Nationals, Brynäs surrendered just six goals in three games. William Forsberg stopped 117 of the 122 shots he saw over the weekend, including 29 on the final day in a 5-3 win over HV 71. Goals from Gustav Hillström, Leo Sundqvist and Sigge Holmgren propelled Brynäs to a come-from-behind win.
Despite the loss to Brynäs, HV 71 managed to earn the second spot and will advance to the next weekend of the tournament. Both Brynäs and HV 71 will meet again in the second round, as they are once again in the same group. Shooters like Theo Sonestedt, Noel Skarby and Fabian Merkle-Rohdin will have to find a way to best Forsberg once more.
The eight teams to advance to the second round have been split into two groups of four. Where the top two teams from each group will once again advance to the third and final round of Sweden U16 Nationals. The final round consists of a four-team, single-elimination bracket. The two groups for the second round of action are:
| GROUP E #1 Nacka #2 Täby #5 Södertälje #6 MoDo | GROUP F Brynäs HV 71 Malmö Växjö |
WHH will have continued coverage of the Sweden U16 National Championship, top performers, highlights and more! Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Discord and YouTube.
With the U16 SM Series coming to a close this weekend, 2007-born Finnish youth hockey teams are taking part in their last contests of group play. All clubs in action have spots in the WHH rankings, and with this many head-to-head matchups, there could be some major movement in the standings as playoff positions become finalized.
The top four teams in the group standings will be awarded first-round byes. As a reminder, a team received three points for a regulation win, two points for an overtime win and one point for an overtime loss. No. 2 Tappara currently holds the first spot in the SM Series standings with 42 points. They have one game remaining against No. 5 Ilves, who sits with 37 points. Back on Feb. 4th, Ilves defeated Tappara 5-4 off multi-point performances by Rasmus Rinne (1G, 3A), Jiko Laitinen (2G, 1A) and Jalmari Melanen (1G, 2A). If Tappara is victorious, it will clinch the first overall spot. However, should they lose and Ilves also defeats No. 3 Kärpät, they would overtake Tappara. Ilves put up 13 goals on Kärpät in a 13-1 win earlier this season.
Looking to cement their position in the fourth seed will be No. 8 Jokerit. Their lone remaining tilt is a date with Jokipojat, who has yet to win a group-play game. Sitting just outside the bye cutoff is No. 7 TPS with 23 points. They have a final clash with No. 1 Kiekko-Espoo to end their schedule. TPS has already won against K-Espoo in a 3-2 result back on Jan. 13th. If TPS defeats them again, and Jokerit fails to defeat Jokipojat, TPS would leapfrog Jokerit into the final bye spot. If K-Espoo is able to avenge its earlier season loss to TPS, it would solidify the final bye position for Jokerit.
With the top five spots seemingly decided by the teams mentioned above, the 6 through 12 seeds are where the most movement might occur after this weekend. No. 4 Lukko currently sits at sixth with 19 points, tied with No. 9 Ässät. Lukko’s remaining game just so happens to be against Ässät, who they defeated 4-2 in their previous matchup. If Ässät wins that second game and manages to secure a win over No. 6 HIFK, they could very well end up in the fifth spot barring results from Jokerit and TPS’ games.
Should Topi Veteläinen (10G, 10A) and Okko Saari (10G, 7A) continue to lead No. 10 KalPa, they could take a run at moving from the ninth to fifth seed. With upcoming matchups against the Pelicans and Jokipojat, two clubs who they have beaten previously, things are looking good. A lot of things would need to fall their way, but the only thing they can do is win the games presented to them. With their track record against their final opponents, there is a decent chance they enjoy a bump up the standings when the dust settles.
No. 3 Kärpät looks to take advantage of their upcoming slate of games to try and boost their resume and spot in the standings. Kärpät can end up as high as fifth, by securing two wins over the Pelicans and Ilves. To date, they have beaten the Pelicans and lost to Ilves.
Jockeying for the 10th and final playoff spot will be the Pelicans and HIFK, both currently holding 15 points to their name. The Pelicans edged HIFK 2-1 at the end of February, giving them the current standings tiebreaker. The Pelicans end their regular season with two tough matchups against Kärpät and KalPa. With two losses to those clubs already, it seems HIFK is primed to overtake them given the strength of their remaining matches. HIFK will face off with K-Espoo, who they shut out 3-0 and Ässät, who they fell to 5-1. Having such large implications looming for those two teams, expect them to go all out to secure their spot in the postseason.
WHH will have continued coverage of the U16 Finland National Championship. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Discord and YouTube for the latest news, top performers and more.
The Sweden Ice Hockey Federation’s under-16 youth hockey national tournament gets underway on Friday. It begins the first of a three-week process in a quest to determine who is the number one team in the country at the 2007 birth year.
This week, the first leg of the tournament will take place, in which 16 teams — divided into four groups of four — will compete in a three-game round robin. The top two teams from each group will advance to the second weekend of the tournament.
Here are the groupings and our picks for who should survive the first weekend of action:
No. 1 Nacka HK has been one of the most consistent clubs this season in Swedish youth hockey. They came out of the gates hot, securing silver at the 2022 Sweden Hockey Trophy in September and haven’t looked back. They handled MoDo Hockey in that tournament, and have fared well against big clubs like No. 3 Djurgårdens IF in group play. Ruben Westerling has been the most dynamic scorer for Nacka, tallying an even 16 goals and 16 assists in the final group play stage before playoffs. During the East Region playoffs, he added another six goals and nine points to help Nacka secure one of the final regional placements.
With a record of 14-3-1, Djurgårdens was one of two teams to earn automatic bids to nationals thanks to their excellent stretch of group play. A large factor to that success was the play in net of Ludvig Gromell. Suiting up in 11 contests, he went 9-2-0 with a 1.57 goals-against average, .944 save percentage and two shutouts. If he continues to put up numbers like that, Djurgårdens will have a deep run in the national tournament and will prove to be a difficult out for any team.
It would be the surprise of the tournament if anyone other than top-ranked Nacka and Djurgårdens came out of Group A.
After finishing first in the Stockholm group, No. 2 IFK Täby HC earned an automatic placement into the national tournament. Producing a stellar 16-1-1 record, lone blemishes of their schedule were losses to Nacka and Djurgårdens. Able to rack up the score against any opponent, Täby’s roster contains the two top scorers of its group. Isac Nilsson (21G, 20A) and Theo Stockselius (17G, 24A) each recorded 41 points, with both averaging close to 2.5 points per game. Production that helped their club put up a plus-61 goal differential.
The other WHH Ranked team of this contingent is No. 5 Södertälje SK. Unlike Täby, Södertälje had to fight for its spot to nationals right up until the final day. They finished on the bubble of group play and didn’t earn a bid to the tournament until last Sunday. They lost to No. 8 Viggbyholms IK, but secured victories against Nacka and No. 7 SDE Hockey to qualify. Nils Håkansson (7G, 18A) and Daniel Lazienkiewicz (8G, 15A) will aim to continue their dependable offensive output for Södertälje to escape this batch of teams.
Täby is an obvious pick to advance out of Group B, being the highest ranked of the bunch. While Södertälje comes in highly ranked as well, it has some cracks in the armor and may not be as much of a lock. It may come down to Sunday’s game to determine SSK’s fate, but I like them to ‘survive and advance’ to next week.
Växjö Lakers HC faced off with IF Malmö Redhawks twice during the last installment of regular-season group play, sweeping them 8-2 and 5-3. Defenseman Liam Pettersson led all Lakers in scoring, piling up two goals and 12 points from the blue line. Across 24 games in group play since the start of the 2022-23 season, Pettersson has scored eight goals and 28 points. With Växjö’s performance over the Redhawks, and their 6-1-1 record against other group clubs, they have the skill to move on. It won’t hurt having Maximilian Olofsson, with his 10-4-0 record, 2.04 goals-against and .923 save percentage from regional play, in the crease either.
Färjestad BK at 20-4-4 and Västerås IK at 17-5-6 finished second and third in the West Region. The two teams clashed four times, each winning two. With the first three matchups ending in one goal, Färjestad opened up the offense in the final tilt with a 7-2 win. Malte Vass scored 11 goals and 37 points for Färjestad as a defenseman and the team’s leading scorer. Backing him up were Elias Eriksson (20G, 14A) and Filip Holgersson (12G, 22A). Even more impressive were the numbers Färjestad was able to put up despite going up against Västerås’ Måns Goos, the second best goalie of the region.
Växjö has already proved it can beat everyone in Group C, and there isn’t much evidence to believe this weekend will produce significantly different results. Their odds of being a top-2 team in this group of four are very high. The second spot may be decided by 9 p.m. CET, as Färjestad and Västerås open up the weekend against one another. I expect Färjestad’s top players to keep the offense rolling and claim the second spot.
Brynäs IF bested Örebro HK in their four-game regional season series, three games to one. In those matchups, Brynäs outscored Örebro 20-11. The name most often on scoresheets was Leo Sundqvist (30G, 21A), leading group scorer and top player for Brynäs. When you have the leading point scorer, it certainly doesn’t hurt when the top goaltender in the region wears Brynäs colors as well. William Forsberg backstopped his club to nine wins, compiling a 1.93 goals against, .913 save percentage and three shutouts.
In order to secure one of the final spots in the South Region, HV 71 went head-to-head against Karlskrona HK, sweeping them in two games. HV 71’s firepower was on full display, finding the back of the net 16 times while only allowing four. Frederik Balko collected two goals and seven points. Oscar Pöyliö tallied four goals and one assist for HV 71 as well. Going up against slightly stronger competition at the national tournament will be a tough test for HV 71, but if those two forwards continue their dynamic play, some upsets may be on the horizon.
None of the four teams in Group D are currently ranked, so competition for the two spots in the quarterfinal rounds are wide open. Between Brynäs top performers and the balanced attack of HV 71, I like these two teams to survive a very closely contested group.
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The final six spots in Sweden’s U16 national championship tournament were finalized on Sunday. Nacka HK, Södertälje SK, Malmö Redhawks, Frölunda HC, HV 71 and Örebro HK were the last teams to enter the fray. They join MoDo Hockey, Timrå IK, Luleå HF, Skellefteå AIK, Täby HC, Djurgårdens IF, Växjö Lakers, Brynäs IF, Färjestad BK and Västerås IK. The national tournament — which consists of four teams from each of the North, South, East and West Regions of Sweden — will begin on Friday, March 10th.
The four teams from the North Region will be No. 6 MoDo Hockey, Timrå IK, Luleå HF and Skellefteå AIK. In the first semifinal, Timrå and Luleå went head-to-head, with Filip Sjölund tallying twice to lead Timrå to a 3-2 win. In the second semifinal matchup, MoDo put five goals up on Skellefteå, with three players collecting at least two points. Elton Hermansson put two goals and an assist on the board.
By winning their two semifinal games, MoDo and Timrå entered the final games to decide who would end up first overall in the region. Right from the drop of the puck, MoDo overwhelmed Timrå with their offensive depth throughout their lineup. After the first period, MoDo had already built a 7-0 lead. It was a much closer tilt in the second period, with MoDo adding three goals but Sjölund scoring twice for Timrå. In the end, five different skaters had mulit-point nights, with Hermansson standing out once again with two goals and three assists. Timrå battled till the final whistle, putting up 29 shots on goal with not many answers in trying to solve Edvin Lindqvist in net.
In the consolation game, Luleå defeated Skellefteå 4-2 off the efforts of William Morin (1G, 2A) and Linus Funck (1G, 1A). Casper Juustovaara Karlsson assisted on three of the four Luleå goals. This put Skellefteå as the No. 3 seed and Luleå as the No. 4 seed coming out of the North Region
The Växjö Lakers earned first place out of the South Region after going 6-1-1 in Top-Five play. Six remaining teams were tasked with competing in three best-of-3 series to determine the final three spots. HV 71 faced off with Karlskrona HK, Frölunda HC was pitted against Rögle BK and Hanhals IF played IF Malmö Redhawks.
Frederik Balko, leading scorer of the playoff portion of the group, aided HV 71’s two-game sweep of Karlskrona with two goals and seven points. HV 71 outscored Karlskrona 16-4 across the two games to earn its spot at Sweden Nationals..
Despite its best efforts, Rögle was unable to match the offensive output from Frölunda. They were swept in two games, falling 7-3 and 8-6. Across both contests, Zacharias Käll (4G, 1A) led the charge for Frölunda, while Nils Bartholdsson (3G, 2A) did his best to boost Rögle.
Malmö’s complete team game was on display in its two clashes with Hanhals, shutting them out 8-0 and 4-0. Linus Schrott carried the hot stick, notching four goals. Assisting him with goal-scoring duties was Isac Johansson, who finished with three of his own. With two straight shutouts, Emil Lindh was the top goaltender of the group. He stopped all 50 shots he faced in both games, giving Malmö the confidence to push the pace offensively.
Resulting from these series, Malmö, Frölunda and HV 71 will join Växjö in representing the South Region.
It’s a talented group that will be hailing from the East at this year’s U16 Swedish Nationals. All four clubs from this region have been mainstays in the WHH rankings for the majority of this season. No. 1 Nacka HK, No. 2 IFK Täby HC, No. 3 Djurgårdens IF and No. 5 Södertälje SK have been at or near the top all season long.. After group play, Täby and Djurgårdens had spots finalized due to their records.
As a result, teams that missed the cutoff line would have to take part in a playoff round to determine who would occupy the final spots. These participants were Nacka, Södertälje, No. 7 SDE Hockey, No. 8 Viggbyholms IK, No. 9 Flemingsbergs IK and Altuna IS. These six teams competed in a round-robin format. The top two teams in the standings upon completion would be awarded the final bids to nationals.
Skating to records of 4-0-1 and 3-1-1, respectively, Nacka and Södertälje were able to obtain those coveted regional placements. Nacka’s lone loss was to Södertälje, but it still managed to finish ahead of them in overall points, 12 to 11. Södertälje lost to Viggbyholms and defeated SDE in a shootout. Ludvig Söderberg led SSK with six goals and nine points, tied with Nacka’s Ruben Westerling (6G, 3A).
Heading into last weekend, three teams had already positioned themselves to be representatives of this region. Given their performances during regular season group play, Brynäs IF, Färjestad BK and Västerås IK had all punched their tickets to nationals. Brynäs and Färjestad finished tied in group points with 65, with Brynäs awarded the top spot from winning its season series three games to one.
That left one final spot up for grabs, with four more clubs vying to take it. Örebro HK, No. 4 Strömsbro IF, Hammarö HC and Lindlövens IF. Each team would play one game against each other, with three points for each victory. The club that garnered the most points would get the final regional spot for nationals.
Going 3-0-0, Örebro was that final team to secure regional placement. Outscoring opponents 46-5, seven of the top 10 scorers hailed from their squad. Philip Larsson (6G, 11A) and Noah Pettersson Askling (5G, 11A) were the standouts.
The first round of the U16 Sweden National Championship is slated to begin on Friday. These 16 teams will be split into four groups of four teams, with only eight advancing to the second round. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Discord and YouTube for the latest news, top performers and more from Sweden Nationals!