Five hundred and four teams. Ten thousand players.
There’s nothing quite like the CCM World Invite Chicago.
The annual tournament continues to bring some of the top talent from the U.S. and beyond into the Windy City area for some epic November battles, and this year should be no different. While it won’t be like years past with travel restrictions and the like, it’s going to be a jam-packed hockey weekend.
We’re especially excited for the 2010 age group, which has so many top-tier teams competing that they had to split up the Super Tacks division into Crosby and Ovechkin divisions. Seven of the top 10 teams in the most-recent World Hockey Hub U.S. rankings for the age group will be competing in the Crosby.
Who wins? Well, here’s a look at the Super Tacks division for ’05 through ’10 age groups:
The No. 5 Long Island Gulls and the No. 10 Chicago Mission squads highlight the 16-team field for the 16U age group. Other teams to watch out for include local organizations in Team Illinois and the Chicago Reapers, but plenty of visitors like the Florida Alliance, Culver Academy and the Minnesota Lakers. The Gulls will certainly have their say in who comes home with some hardware, but we like the home team here.
Prediction: Chicago Mission
The No. 5-ranked Chicago Mission boys are the lone team from the World Hockey Hub’s Top 10 list at the 15U age group, and, just like discussed above, it’s hard to go against the teams enjoying home cooking and their own rinks during a tournament like this. Watch out for Team Wisconsin and Belle Tire, but we think Mission takes this age group too.
Prediction: Chicago Mission
It looks like a wide-open field for the ’07 squads, with the Northeast Wisconsin Jr. Gamblers representing the WHH Top 10 rankings at No. 7 as the lone ranked team. They’re 17-2-0 on the season, and they may be able to get some revenge on one of the two teams that have handed them a loss if they meet up with the Chicago Reapers in the elimination rounds. Still, with a goal differential of 100-39 on the season, we’re not gambling with this guess.
Prediction: NEW Jr. Gamblers
From the bright lights of Hollywood, the Los Angeles Jr. Kings are the highest-ranked team entering the field for the 2008 birth year. The Kings check in at No. 8 on the Hub list. We like their chances getting out of their own division, but we will advise them to watch out for the Chicago Fury and the Chicago Reapers when they reach the quarterfinals. Seacoast Performance Academy, at 18-7-3 on the season, could make for a fun battle with the Kings down the road, too, as east coast would meet west coast in a Windy City throw-down.
Prediction: L.A. Jr. Kings
The 2009 age group is where things start to get more interesting. The State of Illinois is certainly represented well, with the No. 3-ranked Chicago Reapers and the No. 7-ranked Windy City Storm joined by the Chicago Fury, Team Illinois and Chicago Mission. The No. 10 St. Louis AAA Blues will be making the drive in, and they’re going to pose a threat to the hometown teams. With teams from Michigan, Massachusetts, California and Colorado all showing up, the 20-team Super Tacks group will be a difficult one to emerge victorious from. The Reapers, however, are a team on a mission this season, and we don’t see them slowing down this weekend.
Prediction: Chicago Reapers
As discussed at the top, this ’10 group is something. Seven of the 12 teams in the Crosby division appear in our most-recent U.S. rankings – No. 1 Chicago Mission, No. 2 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite, No. 5 L.A. Jr. Kings, No. 6 Chicago Reapers, No. 7 Chicago Fury, No. 9 South Shore Kings and No. 10 Little Caesars. In the 10-team Ovechkin division, there’s a whole bunch of teams ready to make their case to move on up in the rankings too, like the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes and Ohio AAA Blue Jackets. In the Crosby, both of the top teams in Mission and Pittsburgh got good (well, as good as it can be in these two stacked divisions) draws in the preliminary rounds, and we think it’s going to come down to an eventual showdown between the two for the tournament title. Our pick? We’re going to call for the “upset” even though between those two rosters, it’s anything but.
Prediction: Pittsburgh Penguins Elite
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Exposure Hockey hosted a pair of youth hockey events over the holiday weekend, with the Ameri-Can Cup and the Exposure Cup. Both events brought together top U.S. teams, and in doing so, presented some opportunities for big upsets.
We’ve highlighted some notable games from a weekend chocked full of surprises, broken down by birth-year. All of the rankings included are from the most-recent World Hockey Hub U.S. rankings for their respective age groups.
2006
No. 2-ranked American team, Bishop Kearney ended up winning their age group, but they had to climb out of a hole early on. The No. 8 St. Louis AAA Blues posted a huge 2-1 victory Friday morning to kick things off with a bang – Jack Kohlmann and Will Peterson provided the pair of goals in the upset.
In another top-10 showdown, No. 7 Windy City Storm took down No. 3 Little Caesars in the semifinals. It was a rough weekend for the Detroit-based squad, as Caesars tied the New York Saints to open tournament play and also dropped a game to the Mid-Fairfield Jr. Rangers.
Windy City had ran into a brick wall earlier in the tournament; on Friday, they were shut out by the Buffalo Jr. Sabres in a 5-0 contest. Aiden McKenna was listed as the goaltender of record for the Sabres. The Storm were able to regroup and make a run to the championship game before falling a second time at the hands of Bishop Kearney.
Another Detroit-based team, No. 10 Victory Honda had a tough outing as well with a 2-3-0 record. However, three of their players still led the tournament in scoring – John Delverne (nine points), Tyler Fortson (seven points) and Michael Barron (seven points).
2007
Victory Honda tied No. 5 Mount St. Charles 2-2 in the quarterfinals – a third-period goal from Egan Beveridge evened things up for the Mounties.
A consolation contest between Mount and the Bishop Kearney Selects surely caught some attention on Sunday, with Mount prevailing over the No. 9-ranked Selects 7-3. Rough stretch for Bishop Kearney, as the Selects finished 1-4-0 on the tournament.
CarShield Hockey Club gave No. 6 Mid-Fairfield Jr. Rangers its only loss on the weekend, with goals from Devon Hobson and Alex DeGroat leading to a 2-1 victory in the quarterfinals.
2008
The 2008 birth-year title game was a big one, as No. 7 Top Gun Elite took down No. 5 Mid-Fairfield Jr. Rangers 5-4 in the finale. Spencer Thornborough turned in a hat trick in the championship affair for Top Gun.
The North Jersey Avalanche bounced the top-ranked Windy City Storm in the quarterfinals 4-3, thanks in large part to a hat trick from Emilio Bedoya. Windy City took out their frustration on the Long Island Gulls in a consolation contest the next day, racking up a 7-1 win with four goals from Nathan Hauad.
The big weekend for Top Gun also included them playing No. 3 Chicago Mission to a 3-3 tie on Friday.
2009
The No. 6 Boston Jr. Eagles took out the No. 3 Chicago Reapers on Oct. 29 to start off the tournament with an ‘upset’ of sorts. It was the only game the Reapers would lose, while the Jr. Eagles lost 3-1 in an elimination round later in the tournament.
One of the Reapers’ wins came over the No. 5 Boston Jr. Terriers later in the tournament.
The Philadelphia Jr. Flyers beat No. 4 Mid-Fairfield in the tournament opener for those two clubs. After the Rangers won Saturday morning, the Dallas Stars Elite beat Mid-Fairfield 6-5 in a rematch eight hours later.
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Hockey season is heating up across Canada, and we’ve circled a couple key dates for the 2021-22 season.
Here is our ‘Canadian Tournaments to Watch’ list for the coming months. Miss anything? Be sure to tell us about it at the bottom of the page. 👇
November
Rocky Mt. Classic Calgary – Nov. 10-14 – Calgary, Alberta
The ninth annual Rocky Mountain Classic U15 AAA Invitational serves as a huge kick-off event for western Canada. Notable past participants include NHL first-round picks Peyton Krebs (No. 17 overall in 2019 by Vegas), Sam Steel (No. 30 overall in 2016 by Anaheim) and Bowen Byram (No. 4 overall in 2019 by Colorado), as well as top 2022 prospect Matthew Savoie.
Blueline Tournament – Nov. 12-14 – Kitchener, Ontario
You know it’s good when there’s a 50th anniversary attached to this year’s event. The Kitchener Jr. Rangers will be welcoming some top teams to their neck of the woods for an early season battle at the U12, U13, U14, U15, U16, and U18 AAA levels.
International Silver Stick Final – Nov. 25-28 – Whitby, Ontario
It will be a little different than most years, with Silver Stick championships being decided separately between the United States and Canada due to border-crossing concerns. That said, some of the best teams in Canada will be fighting for those gorgeous trophies at the U10, U12, U14 and U16 levels in Whitby on the last weekend of November.
December
The Canadiens Cup – Dec. 3-5 – Toronto, Ontario
Sponsored by Sports Illustrated, the Canadiens Cup Tyler Cragg Memorial will bring together the 2007 through 2012 birth-years for AAA and Elite levels of play. Prospects By Sports Illustrated HD Live Streams will be available for all the contests, with pre and post-game interviews and a SportsCenter-like tournament wrap-up hyping things up for the participants.
Toronto Marlboros Holiday Classic Tournament – Dec. 27-30 – Toronto, Ontario
The 28th annual Toronto Marlboros Holiday Classic routinely brings top Canadian teams together, while most years also allowing a select group of American squads in on the holiday fun, too. In 2019, the Minor Midget final was an All-Michigan battle between Detroit HoneyBaked and Detroit Compuware; we’ll see if the American teams are able to head north to try to maintain their standing in the prestigious holiday invitational.
January
John Reid Memorial U15 AAA Hockey Tournament – Jan. 13-16 – St. Albert, Alberta
The 42nd edition of the John Reid Memorial U15 AAA Hockey Tournament guarantees impressive hockey to kick off the calendar year out west. The event, which would traditionally bring western U.S. teams into the fold to battle with western Canada clubs, welcomes hundreds of scouts each year. You can understand why when you look at the alumni list, which features names like Jonathan Toews, Jarome Iginla, Matthew Barzal, Tyson Barrie and Colton Parayko.
International Silver Stick Final – Jan. 14-16 – Sarnia
A few months after crowning half of the Silver Stick champions, the U11, U13, U15 and U18 teams get a stab at adding some hardware in the Sarnia edition of the iconic tournament. In case you weren’t aware, the Silver Stick tournaments have been happening for 64 years now, and the winners’ names get displayed in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
February
Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament – Feb. 9-20 – Quebec
When you visit the website, you are presented with a big, bold statement that says, “The most prestigious minor hockey tournament in the world!” I don’t think anybody can argue with it. The tournament is second-to-none, with teams across the globe flocking to Quebec with only a two-game guarantee just for the opportunity to compete against the best in the world. The tournament directors recently announced that the 62nd edition of the February tournament is open for out-of-towners who are vaccinated – depending on how the season plays out (and the rest of the world’s health dynamics as it relates to COVID). This might be the first massive youth hockey event with worldwide competition in more than two years. We can’t wait.
What did we miss? Fill out the form below and let us know what big events you’ve circled on the calendar for the upcoming season!
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The CCM World Invite Motown brought a remarkable amount of talent to Metro Detroit for the annual early-season tournament. Hosted by 200×85, it is one of the largest tournaments in youth hockey, with more than 300 teams competing across seven age groups. For top teams in the U.S., this event is a must for its high level of competition in the hockey hotbed known as Hockeytown.
Let’s take a look at who emerged victorious in their respective divisions, with write-ups from each of the Super Tacks divisions:
The Michigan Development Hockey League (MDHL) representatives — a squad of high school hockey players from across the state — won the oldest age group, topping the Mt. Lebanon Hornets 2-0 in the championship game. The MDHL finished 5-1 in the tournament, and it was their second victory over the Hornets after beating them Friday evening. They dropped a 3-0 contest to the Tri-State Spartans on Saturday, but rebounded with a victory over the Pittsburgh Vengeance 5-3 and then shutouts in their semifinal (4-0 over rival Michigan Hockey Advancement) and final appearances.
Fox Motors only had to travel a few hours, driving in from Grand Rapids, Mich., for their pack of games. They thrived while staying in-state, picking up the 16U Super Tacks title. Fox dropped their opening game against the Pittsburgh Vengeance, but from there, they were nearly perfect, out-scoring the competition 18-5 in victories over the Anaheim Jr. Ice Dogs (5-1), Philadelphia Hockey Club (3-2), Team Alaska (2-0), Belle Tire (3-1) and Anaheim Jr. Ice Dogs again in the final (5-1).
The Phoenix Jr. Coyotes enjoyed their trip to Motown, as they head home with a big 15U tournament title. They fell to the Chicago Bulldogs 4-2 in their first game Friday afternoon, but rebounded with a 4-0 shutout win over the Oakland Jr. Grizzlies seven hours later. From there, it was a 5-1 win over the Pittsburgh Vengeance and a 5-2 win over the Tri-State Spartans on Saturday to head into Sunday with some momentum. In the semifinals, it was an All-Arizona battle, with the Jr. Coyotes prevailing over the Jr. Sun Devils; the Coyotes finished things off with a 2-1 win over Belle Tire in the final.
The ‘07 Little Caesars squad — currently ranked No. 4 among U.S. teams and No. 18 worldwide in the World Hockey Hub rankings — played to a perfect weekend, as they recorded a 6-0 record en route to a division title. In their two Friday contests, Caesars showed off the benefits of home cooking, as they posted back-to-back shutouts; 4-0 over Team Alaska and then 6-0 over the Indy Jr. Fuel. On Saturday, they took care of the CarShield Hockey Club 4-1 and in-state foe Fox Motors 5-2. After a second win over CarShield in the semifinals, Little Caesars squared off against their longtime rival in Compuware, and LC picked up a 5-1 win.
They received a wake-up call from the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Jr. Knights in the opener, but from there, it was all W’s for the ‘08 HoneyBaked boys. The HB squad shook off a 5-2 loss in the opener to win five straight games, starting with a 6-0 win over the Syracuse Nationals, followed by victories over the No. 6-ranked St. Louis Jr. Blues, Chicago Reapers and Oakland Jr. Grizzlies to reach the finals. There, they posted a 3-1 win over No. 2-ranked Little Caesars, giving their LC neighbors their only loss of the tournament.
The Anaheim Jr. Ducks — ranked No. 2 in the U.S. by WHH — enjoyed their visit to Hockeytown, as they returned home with an unblemished 6-0 record at the CCM Motown. The Jr. Ducks kept things tight, never scoring more than three goals, but allowing only more than one goal just one time all weekend. They recorded wins over Team Illinois (3-2), the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Knights (3-1), Little Caesars (2-1), HoneyBaked (2-1), Wilkes-Barre again (3-0) and the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite (2-1).
Other than a 1-1 tie to Fox Motors, it was a perfect weekend for the No. 2-ranked Pittsburgh Penguins Elite group at the 2010 age group. The Pens kicked things off with a 7-1 win over Compuware, before posting an even more dominating 9-3 win over the Phoenix Jr. Coyotes in their second Friday battle. Saturday featured the aforementioned tie before a 5-1 win over Florida Alliance, setting Pittsburgh up for a semifinal 7-3 win over the Chicago Reapers and a 4-3 victory over Little Caesars in the final.
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Now that the youth hockey season is firmly underway, we are taking a look at some of the teams that have been thriving to start their campaigns. Check out some of the hottest teams in the United States below.
The Shattuck-St. Mary’s 16U team, at 13-1-1 on the season, hasn’t lost a game since they dropped the opener of the Minnesota Blades Fall Showcase on Sept. 16 to a fired up host team. After picking up a 4-3 overtime win over the Windy City Storm the next day, and a 3-3 tie over Little Caesars on Sept. 18, it’s been all wins since for SSM, as they have outscored their opponents 96-36 this season. Most notably among those victories? Two thrashings of the Blades, as Shattuck recorded 9-1 and 9-0 wins in impressive revenge fashion on the first two days of October. This impressive run has propelled Shattuck into the No. 1 spot in our World Rankings.
One loss on Sept. 11, one loss on Oct. 10, but in between that…all wins for the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite, who are now 10-2-0. The Pens ripped off victories over the likes of the New Jersey Rockets, No. 12 Mount St. Charles and the Oakland Jr. Grizzlies leading up to the USHL Fall Classic on home ice. In that tournament, and then the following showcase they hosted, Pittsburgh has topped the Minnesota Blizzard, No. 23 Florida Alliance, No. 7 Little Caesars and No. 6 Chicago Mission before dropping a tight one 3-2 to the Buffalo Jr. Sabres.
You have to go all the way back to Sept. 12 to find the last time that Mount St. Charles lost a game. Since that time, they are 12-0, and in possession of the No. 1 rankings in both North America and the world on our World Rankings. They have posted wins over fellow top squads in No. 10 Little Caesars, Windy City Storm and the Philadelphia Jr. Flyers during this win streak. Prior to that, they had also recorded an impressive 7-3 win over No. 2 ranked Bishop Kearney Selects. Watch out for this Mount St. Charles team; they’re out-scoring the competition 110-36 this season.
Surely itching for another shot at Mount St. Charles, Bishop Kearney has been on a roll since its September defeat at the hands of the Mounties as well. Since that aforementioned loss, they have won 15 games, and only dropped a pair — a 5-4 battle with the Minnesota Blue Ox and a 4-3 overtime loss to HoneyBaked. They’re on a tear, having only allowed two goals the entire month of October. In that same time frame, the Selects have scored 26, and recorded five wins in the process (with one 1-1 tie to the Cape Cod Whalers, too).
The Shattuck-St. Mary’s 15U boys are currently in the midst of beating up on in-state competition. After kicking off their winning streak with a 14-3 win over Florida Alliance, the Sabres have now played the Minnesota Walleye, the Minnesota Loons, the Minnesota Lakers, the Minnesota Blizzard, the Minnesota Green Giants and the Minnesota Blue Ox, and they’ve won every single one of the contests. The Blizzard played Shattuck to a 3-2 final, but other than that, it’s been dominating performances with at least six goals being put up on the scoreboard by SSM each time.
Well, the Shattuck-St. Mary’s 14U team hasn’t lost a game yet, so it’s been quite a streak. The SSM boys are 17-0 on the 2021-22 season, and they have outscored their opponents 135-22 in the process. Shattuck started the season with a 14-0 victory over the Minnesota Voyageurs, and they have never looked back, having posted double-digital goal totals four more times since. We most recently had them at No. 2 in the rankings, but at the way they’re going, could they claim the top spot soon?
Keeping pace with the SSM boys mentioned above, the Chicago Mission ‘07s – currently ranked No. 1 in our World Rankings – have only dropped one game on the season. They have built a 14-1 record thus far, thanks to impressive wins over the Buffalo Jr. Sabres (8-0), the Windy City Storm (11-2) and HoneyBaked (9-0).
It sure will be fun to see how the 14U age group plays out at the end, because the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite ‘07s are right there with Shattuck and Mission. The Pens hold a 16-1 record on the season; their lone loss came to Mission in the first week of September. The USHL Fall Classic champions haven’t lost a game since, and they have a 84-25 goal differential on their opponents this season.
There is one undefeated team still standing in the ’08 age group, and it’s No. 21 Long Island Gulls. The Long Island squad is 15-0 this year, and they’re doing it with dominating defensive play to go along with some timely scoring. They have only given up three goals twice this season, and other than that, if you’re holding teams to zero, one or two goals in a youth contest every game, you’re going to have a lot of success. They have only allowed 17 goals in their 15 games, while the Gulls have found the back of the net 72 times at the other end of the ice.
While the Gulls may be the only undefeated team in the country, No. 8 Little Caesars is undefeated in regulation play. The LC ‘08s have two ties to their name — a 2-2 battle with No. 14 Chicago Mission on Sept. 3 and another 2-2 finish with the Middlesex Islanders the next day — but other than that, they have eight wins on the season.
The Windy City Storm are climbing up the rankings; they currently sit No. 12 in our World Rankings. Why? Well they’ve already got 20 wins on the season. With a 20-3-2 record, they’re turning heads, especially with wins over the likes of No. 14 Chicago Mission, HoneyBaked and No. 2 LA Jr. Kings (they also tied them once).
The No. 4 New Jersey Hockey Academy has turned in a nearly flawless start to the 2021-22 campaign, as they currently display a 14-1-1 record. Outside of a loss to a talented No. 19 Anaheim Jr. Ducks squad on Sept. 11 and a tie to the Boston Jr. Eagles on Oct. 9, they have been perfect on the season, and have a 71-23 goal differential.
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The CCM World Invite Motown is coming to Metro Detroit this week, and it’s bringing hundreds of hockey teams from across the country to Michigan along with it.
The annual tournament — this year featuring a whopping 306 teams across 10 age groups — has been a staple in the youth hockey calendar for top teams in North America for more than a dozen years.
With COVID-19 still restricting international travel, it will be limited to teams from only the U.S., meaning we will still have to wait to see how some of the squads stack up with their Canadian counterparts.
Each age group is split into two or three divisions, all named after CCM’s equipment lineups. The Super Tacks divisions will feature top AAA teams from across the country, while the Ribcor and Jetspeed divisions will feature talented A/AA teams with a few AAA squads mixed in.
We’ve focused our attention on the Super Tacks pools, breaking down the teams participating and providing our picks for who we think will come out on top by Championship Sunday. Here we go.
18U Super Tacks
There are eight teams participating in the 18U Super Tacks division, which means plenty of opportunities for the players competing to catch the eye of scouts in attendance. From the looks of it, three Pennsylvania teams — the Mt. Lebanon Hornets, the Pittsburgh Vengeance and the Pittsburgh Predators — will be squaring off with a team of Michigan high school all-star teams in Michigan Hockey Advancement and the Michigan Development Hockey League. We like the in-state programs here, as Michigan’s high school hockey scene brings in top players at the oldest age groups, and they’re hungry to make impressions before the winter season kicks off with their respective high schools.
Predicted winner: Michigan Hockey Advancement 18U
16U Super Tacks
The 16U field seems to be a real toss-up, as there aren’t any teams who have made a lot of noise in earlier fall tournaments. Much like the 18U group, the two Michigan high school collections will have a say in who emerges victorious, but fellow Michigan squads from Belle Tire and Fox Motors will be forces as well. Two teams that are traveling the farthest for the tournament will be ones to watch, too; the Anaheim Jr. Ice Dogs and Team Alaska don’t want to make the trek for nothing. We think Fox Motors, fresh off celebrating a college commitment to Lake Superior State for forward Hunter Ramos, will claim bragging rights.
Predicted winner: Fox Motors
15O Super Tacks
HoneyBaked leads the field in the 15O age group. One name to keep an eye on is defenseman Dakoda Rheaume-Mullin, the son of Manon Rheaume. Dakoda and the HB boys will be challenged by in-state foes in the Oakland Jr. Grizzlies and Belle Tire, as well as the Pittsburgh Vengeance. A unique twist for this age group is that the 12 participating squads will be getting an early taste of what their USA Hockey nationals could be like in the spring, as some of the games will be played at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, which is hosting that age group’s Tier 1 championship in April.
Predicted winner: HoneyBaked
14U Super Tacks
Things really heat up when you get to the 14U age bracket for the CCM Motown. At the 2007 birth-year level, Little Caesars leads the field as the No. 4-ranked team in the U.S., with a fistful of other top American teams Compuware, Victory Honda, Fox Motors, Carshield Hockey Club and Florida Alliance. The Caesars club has a 9-2-1 record on the season, and they’ll be looking to add to it.
Predicted winner: Little Caesars
13U Super Tacks
A 16-team field fills the 2008 division, including No. 8-ranked Little Caesars, No. 20-ranked St. Louis Jr. Blues, Buffalo Jr. Sabres and HoneyBaked. Caesars checks in at 8-0-2 on the season, but we like the 14-5-1 record the Jr. Blues have thus far. They have logged a lot of games, and that early experience is going to pay off in their visit to Hockeytown this weekend.
Predicted winner: St. Louis Jr. Blues
12U Super Tacks
A deep 2009 group will take over three rinks for the 12U Super Tacks division, and there’s a lot of budding starpower. We’ve got No. 19 Anaheim Jr. Ducks, and they’re joined by No. 20 Chicago Reapers, as well as Pittsburgh Penguins Elite and Little Caesars. All in all, the 12U tournament is going to be fun to watch play out.
Predicted winner: Anaheim Jr. Ducks
11U Super Tacks
The 2010 class is headlined by No. 5-ranked Pittsburgh Penguins Elite and No. 11-ranked Chicago Fury, with plenty of pressure coming from the NEW Jr. Gamblers, the Chicago Reapers and Little Caesars. The little Pens hold a 10-2-1 record and could add to those totals substantially this weekend.
Predicted winner: Pittsburgh Penguins Elite
World Hockey Hub will have continued coverage of the CCM Motown, including recaps and analysis of this weekend’s games. Like and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TwitterTikTok and YouTube for the latest news from the world of youth hockey.
Ryan Kosecki spends his days helping players advance to the highest levels of amateur hockey.
If you see him at a rink, he will be wearing one or more of his many hats. Kosecki is a co-general manager and vice president of hockey operations for the United States Hockey League (USHL) Youngstown Phantoms. He is the assistant general manager and scout for the North American Hockey League (NAHL) Maryland Black Bears. He is the head coach of the Fox Motors 15U team in Grand Rapids, Mich. Oh yeah, and when he’s not busy with any of those hockey-related responsibilities, he’s also coaching his son’s 10U team.
It is quite the hockey job list, and it makes Kosecki — previously an assistant coach with the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks — a unique source for sharing knowledge on what it takes for athletes to make it to the next level.
So if he shows up to your game, how do you catch Kosecki’s eye? What does he look for in a player when he’s scouting for the Phantoms or the Black Bears? Kosecki said it’s four things, in this order:
If those don’t pass the eyeball test, he’s moving on to the next player on the bench.
“I want to see how they make plays, how their stick is, whether they have a good stick or not, do they make their teammates better, are they able to beat a guy one-on-one, stuff like that, because you have to be able to make players around you better,” Kosecki said. “Most of the game is played without the puck, so are you able to make that five-foot slip pass? Are you able to puck protect and fend off that defender to be able to get that shot on net? Are you hard on as F1 on the forecheck? How do you play in your own zone? Will you block shots? Will you go to the dirty areas in the offensive zone? Stuff like that.
“One thing I really, really, really look for is are you a good teammate. Once I’ve zoned in on a kid that I like, I look for things like how is he on the penalty kill, how is he on the power play, but then I’ll watch him on the bench, see how he acts, or reacts, I should say, after a loss, after a bad goal, after he misses a shot or doesn’t get a pass from a teammate. I’m watching body language, all that stuff, to see what kind of kid he is and what kind of teammate he is.”
It takes a lot more than just a strong performance on the ice for Kosecki to welcome players into either of his organizations, however. He will do his homework on a player, and that starts with having a conversation with the person who knows the player best — his coach.
“The first thing I’ll do is after the game I’ll talk to the coach, and literally the first question I ask the coach is ‘what kind of kid is he?'” said Kosecki. “Obviously, if you’re not a great kid and a great teammate, I want nothing to do with you and I don’t care how good you are. The next thing, we’ll talk about grades, and the third one is how hard does he work? Does he work hard in the weight room, is he a kid that cares about hockey or is he just a kid who shows up? Is he one of the kids that wants to do video, wants to study analytics, wants to work hard in the weight room and will do whatever it takes to get to the next level?”
And grades are more important than just maintaining eligibility. To Kosecki, a player’s performance in the classroom shows a great deal about his character and his determination for having success in hockey.
“Yeah absolutely, it shows what type of kid he is and whether he’s serious about his hockey career,” Kosecki said. “If he doesn’t have good grades, he’s not going to be able to get into college and play college hockey, and that’s why we’re recruiting these kids, it’s so they can play college hockey.”
When asked what he would tell a kid who approached him in a rink lobby asking for advice, Kosecki highlighted his most important points, because there would be many.
“Oh wow, I could go on for hours about that,” Kosecki said. “There are so many different factors. The number-one thing I tell every kid is stop feeling like you have to score to impress scouts or be the leading scorer to impress scouts. Even as a coach, I’ve never had a scout ask me how many points a kid has. Scouts already decided if they like the kid. I’m the same way, I’ve never asked a coach how many points a kid has, I already decided whether I like that kid or not. Be one of those kids who can play all three positions as a forward, be the kid who’s willing to play both defensive spots.”
He also said to not sweat it if you’re not getting power-play time.
“You don’t have to be one of the kids on the power play. For some reason…we’ve become a generation who, if you ask 100 parents, 99 of them would say they would rather have their kid on power play than the PK, and it’s the stupidest thing ever. If you want to make it to the next level, you have to be a kid who…unless you’re the best of the best, you’re a kid who’s going to need to be able to play in all three zones, all three positions, be on the power play or the PK, be able to know different systems.
“The kid who can step in and say, ‘yeah, I can play right wing in a 1-2-2 or I can go out there and penalty kill,’ – those are the kids who are going to make it. That’s why a lot of times the most skilled player doesn’t make it. it’s the kid who’s going to work the hardest and the kid who is the smartest hockey player.”
And finally, Kosecki illustrates the value in watching a lot of hockey — your own, as well as higher levels of play.
“The other thing I would say is study the game. With social media and everything, [young athletes] don’t watch a lot of hockey. So if you’re not going to watch a lot of hockey, you better do a ton of video then, so that you’re learning the game. There is no better way to learn the game than watching your own video and having a coach break down your video and teach you the things you’re doing good and the things you’re doing bad.”
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The impacts of COVID-19 have brought changes and new ideas to almost all aspects of life.
Why would hockey be any different?
In hockey-crazed Canada, leaders of the youth hockey community have identified the need for change. At the “birthplace of hockey” as Canada is affectionately known, it is time to make the sport more welcoming and accessible to the changing demographics and lifestyles within the country.
The Future of Hockey Lab — first opening in Nova Scotia — will be actively pursuing the aforementioned needs, as its founders strive to find new ways to grow the game outside of its traditional audience.
Spanning across the top of the program’s new website upon each visit: ‘The Future of Hockey Lab enables the creation, experimentation and testing of game-changing ideas and innovations to make the sport of hockey more accessible for all who wish to participate.’
A five-point list outlines its mission just below the mission statement. Those are:
The Future of Hockey Lab was co-founded by Hockey Nova Scotia executive director Amy Walsh and Carolyn Townsend, previously with Sport Nova Scotia.
“We know the sport of hockey is truly loved by many, but it’s really only accessible to a select few and that select few is getting smaller and smaller,” Walsh said in an interview with CBC. “So this is really about testing ideas and new innovations that might make the game more accessible to all people.”
Hockey Canada is assisting with the creation of the lab, and there is financial support from Bauer Hockey, Scotiabank and Canadian Tire through their Jumpstart Charities initiative.
It’s a project that has been in the works for a few years now, as Hockey Nova Scotia commissioned a Diversity and Inclusion Task Force in December of 2019 to speak with the general public about how to better make hockey a welcoming sport for all.
That task force spoke with 840 members of their community — many who had bad experiences and left the game or never started at all — and produced a report to make the hockey community take a look in the mirror.
From there, Hockey Nova Scotia created “The Player’s Journey” in which they mapped out the experience of a player from start to finish, creating hundreds of data points on how to improve the customer experience for players of all ages. The Women’s Worlds Legacy Development Plan, meanwhile, was created by female hockey players to help better support the girls’ game and help grow and enhance it.
The Future of Hockey Lab’s ‘theory of change’ shared below is something that can be embraced by all hockey nations, not just Canada.
“WHAT IF… Folks from communities across the province could get all the supports they need to develop and TRY game-changing ideas and innovations? Running experiments to address barriers to access in hockey, and learning what works and what doesn’t—then growing, expanding and supporting everything that works. This is our theory of change, and how we can one day realize a more inclusive game.”
There’s always room for the sport to grow, and to do that, everyone needs to do their best to make hockey a fun, rewarding and welcoming experience for all its participants and their families.
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The latest world rankings were released on Wednesday. Many teams have begun building their respective resumes for the ‘21-22 season, with only Canada and Sweden — and Finland at some age groups — yet to begin. A pair of No. 1s, though, have wasted little time stacking impressive performances in their respective age groups, in the early stages of September.
The 2008-born LA Jr. Kings have pulled ahead of the pack, with a 7-0-1 record. Four of those wins came over the weekend, including a dominant 6-2 victory over HoneyBaked; the 10th ranked team in the States. The Jr. Kings’ only hiccup was a 4-4 tie they skated to with the Windy City Storm on Saturday. The Chicago-based program is fourth in the country, and 11th in the world, with three wins of its own over ranked opponents.
The upcoming schedule will certainly present bigger challenges, with trips to Pittsburgh in October and Detroit in November. With a trio of forwards Sammie Ochoa, Tyus Sparks and Logan Stuart up front, the Jr. Kings should present difficult matchups for future opponents.
CSKA Moscow validated its preseason No. 1 in the 2009 age group with a 17-game win streak to open the season. Four victories have come against fellow Russian Top-10 teams, including not one, not two, but three dominant performances against No. 4-ranked Dynamo Moscow. In those games, CSKA out-scored Dynamo 29-5. They are averaging nearly 10 goals a game with 169 goals already this season.
Daniel Ermolov, Artem Karsuro and Nazar Privalov lead the way for CSKA. Expect the schedule to be a bit more challenging as the season wears on, but there’s no mistake in who the clear-cut No. 1 is at the end of September.
Check out the complete world rankings to see who the top teams are at the ‘05, ‘06, ‘07, ‘08, ‘09 and ‘10 age group HERE. Our world rankings are updated every two weeks, and you can submit your rankings to the committee! Or, follow us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook for the latest news from the world of youth hockey.
Since its inception in 1911, the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) has seen its share of historic moments.
The 2020-21 season made history, in a way that nobody ever wanted to see.
After missing an entire season of hockey because of COVID-19, the GTHL — arguably the best youth hockey league in the entire world — is set to return for 2021-22, a welcomed sight for the Canadian hockey community.
In late August, the storied organization announced its “Game Plan 2.0” framework for returning to play this season, setting out how it plans to handle the unique environment North America still finds itself in during the battle with COVID-19. A substantial part of that plan is requiring vaccines for GTHL directors and staff, GTHL member executives and staff, team officials, timekeepers, on-ice officials, instructors, in-arena employees of the GTHL and players who were born in or before 2009 (barring medical or approved exemptions under the Ontario Human Rights Code).
The competitive divisions of the GTHL are slated to begin on November 1, while some of the house leagues and learn-to-play programs have an earlier start.
“The Game Plan 2.0 and the Vaccine Policy puts the safety and well being of players as the top priority as we begin the much-anticipated return to programming.” said Scott Oakman, Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the GTHL. “Players, their families, and minor hockey associations are excited to be able to return to play and we are working hard at creating the safest environment for them.”
A very robust return-to-play plan can be viewed here.
One of the highlights is that while face masks must be worn at all times inside facilities, players, team officials and on-ice officials will not be required to wear masks on the ice. Coaches must wear a face mask on the bench.
The 2019-2020 GTHL season was cancelled on March 12, 2020, and while plans were in place for a 2020-21 season, it did not come to fruition.
A return to play means that some of the best young players in the world get a chance to return to action during a crucial time for their career aspirations. The largest minor hockey league in the world, the GTHL annually showcases more than 40,000 hockey players in Markham, Mississauga, Toronto and Vaughan.
The league has gone through a variety of changes as it has expanded over the years. Today, age groups start at Under-7 (the 2015 birth-year for this season) up through Under-18 (2004 and 2005 birth years) at the AAA, AA and A levels. The Under-14 through Under-17 AAA age groups are some of the most heavily scouted divisions of hockey in the entire world, with a recent alumni list featuring the likes of John Tavares, Jack and Quinn Hughes, Connor McDavid, Tyler Seguin and many, many more.
Even if you aren’t familiar with the league itself, you will surely have come across some of the member clubs. Storied programs like the Don Mills Flyers, Markham Majors, Mississauga Rebels, North York Rangers, Toronto Jr. Canadiens, Toronto Marlboros and Vaughan Kings are just some of the powerhouses routinely competing for GTHL titles.
In every generation of GTHL alumni lists, the names jump off the page. In some of the early days, the likes of Red Kelly, Frank Mahovlich and Ken Dryden stand out, and it only gets better from there.
In the 1970s, spectators of the GTHL got to see Paul Coffey, Larry Murphy and Adam Oates. A few years later, it would be Adam Graves, Brendan Shanahan and Sean Burke. Blockbuster names continued, with Eric Lindros, Anson Carter, Mike Peca, Kevin Weekes and Jason Allison all spanning three birth years between 1973 and 1975.
As the league continued to establish itself more and more as an international powerhouse, talent continued to appear and develop within its member programs. We won’t list them all, but just from a quick skim…check out these NHLers (with their birth year in parentheses):
| Mike Cammalleri (1982) Ray Emery (1982) Jason Spezza (1983) Rick Nash (1984) Brent Burns (1985) Andrew Cogliano (1987) Wayne Simmonds (1988) P.K. Subban (1989) Sam Gagner (1989) John Tavares (1990) Alex Pietrangelo (1990) | Ryan O’Rielly (1991) Tyler Seguin (1992) Jeff Skinner (1992) Dougie Hamilton (1993) Max Domi (1995) Darnell Nurse (1995) Connor McDavid (1997) Mitch Marner (1997) Jakob Chychrun (1998) Quinn Hughes (1999) Jack Hughes (2001) |
World Hockey Hub will have continued coverage of the GTHL, and other top youth leagues around the world all season long. Be sure to follow us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook for the latest news from the world of youth hockey.