EXETER, NEW HAMPSHIRE — Two of the biggest entities in youth hockey events — Total Package Hockey (TPH) and World Hockey Group (WHG) — have teamed up in a joint venture to launch World Hockey Events (WHE). Between the two organizations, WHG and TPH account for more than 20 years of tournament operations experience, with a global network of elite coaches, knowledgeable scouts and evaluators, experienced tournament directors and state-of-the-art facilities. Through World Hockey Events, the two groups combine to raise the bar of expectations regarding tournaments and events worldwide.
Together, the organizations merge to provide more than 25 tournaments, camps and tours throughout North America and Europe. World Hockey Events includes tournaments for Tier-I and Tier-II level teams as well as individual programming for Elite and AAA-level athletes. Not just offering world-class events for the youth hockey community, but a first-class experience for the athlete, the team and the families.
“People can expect the absolute best,” said WHG chief executive officer Travis Bezio. “Players, coaches and parents attending a World Hockey Event will experience the very best in competition, hospitality and travel. A seamless process from start to finish that will leave everyone with memories that’ll last a lifetime.”
The current portfolio includes iconic events such as The World Selects Invitational in Nashville, Champions League Hockey and Grand Rapids AAA Kick-Off Classic. Other programming like international tours to European World Selects events and individual-entry tournaments like The Atlantic Scramble and New England States Rivalry Challenge.
“At TPH, we’ve always prided ourselves on running great youth hockey events since our first tournament 15 years ago,” said TPH chief executive officer Alan Keeso. “By working together with Travis Bezio and his team at World Hockey Group, we feel it’s an opportunity for both groups to elevate all of our events to heights never seen before in youth hockey.”
As part of the merger, WorldHockeyHub.com will serve as home for the entire World Hockey Events portfolio. Every tournament, tour, and event from the team at WHE will be available exclusively on the World Hockey Hub, with multimedia coverage, schedules, standings, tournament recaps and digital media provided by The Pulse of Youth Hockey.
Through World Hockey Events, both TPH and WHG expand their respective footprints on the youth hockey landscape, improving on current programming and venturing into new endeavors like the expansion of Champions League, World Selects and the Centers of Excellence.
For more information regarding World Hockey Events and its complete list of events, click HERE.
About Total Package Hockey: Founded in 2001, it is Total Package Hockey’s (TPH) vision to become the world leader in positively impacting the lives of student-athletes through sport. TPH prides itself on operating at a standard that exceeds expectations of student-athletes, families, coaches, teachers, advisors and all other entities within both athletic and academic circles. With platforms that include association management, elite prospects programs, tournaments and showcases, camps and clinics and its hallmark Center of Excellence academy model, TPH services over 10,000 student-athletes on an annual basis, throughout 15 U.S. based divisions.
About World Hockey Group: The worldwide leader in youth hockey tournaments and events. World Hockey Group (WHG) provides more than two dozen unique events in exotic locations around the globe. The team at WHG is deeply involved in the youth hockey community, with an international presence in various countries including the United States, Canada, Sweden, Finland, Russia and central Europe. WHG prides itself on providing world-class competition along with a first-class travel experience. Events like the Champions League and World Selects tournament series offer amazing opportunities abroad both on and off the ice for the entire family to enjoy.
About World Hockey Hub: The Pulse of Youth Hockey. World Hockey Hub (WHH) is your number one resource for the latest news, team rankings, highlights, analysis and more from the world of youth hockey. WHH is the worldwide leader in providing global coverage of the game year-round. With an international rankings system, a comprehensive list of more than 500 tournaments, event ratings and reviews as well as the latest team and prospect news, WHH is your one-stop-shop for everything youth hockey related.
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The Quebec International Pee Wee Hockey Tournament has announced its complete list of teams participating for the prestigious event in February, and while there won’t be as many teams as usual, there will be worldwide representation within each bracket.
At the AAA level, six countries will battle for the Pee Wee hockey supremacy. Teams from Canada, the United States, Czech Republic, Hungary and Latvia will all compete; at the AA/A levels, there are even more nations represented.
All participants must abide by a strict vaccination policy, which was announced in September. If you have your two vaccination shots by February 2, you’re in.
It doesn’t look like a typical slate of teams — for instance, U.S. hockey hotbeds like Illinois and Michigan will not be represented — but having any international participants is way better than what was expected in previous months. The fact the tournament is taking place at all is an accomplishment in itself, given that it was canceled last winter due to COVID.
Thirty-two AAA teams will battle for the crown in Quebec, as the field features top-notch talent across the board.
New Jersey Hockey Academy, ranked No. 3 in the world in the latest poll, will surely have a contingent of players skating for the New Jersey Devils squad that will be representing their region at the tournament.
The No. 8 ranked Huron-Perth Lakers will be the top intact team competing in Quebec, making them one of the heavy favorites for winning it all. Huron-Perth is 29-4-2 on the season as it stands right now, and they haven’t lost a game since Nov. 7.
Ranked No. 8 in the Canadian rankings, the Sun County Panthers will be looking to make some noise at the tournament, as will the No. 10-ranked North Shore Winter Club.
Coming across the border will be five teams ranked in the top 10 of U.S. youth teams at the ’09 age group. The No. 6-ranked Los Angeles Jr. Kings lead the way for American clubs; the are 21-7-2 on the season. The remaining teams ranked in the top 10 are joining them — the No. 7 St. Louis Jr. Blues, the No. 8 Mid-Fairfield Jr. Rangers, the No. 9 Boston Jr. Terriers and the No. 10 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite.
The teams logging much longer travel times to reach Quebec are the Czech Knights (Czech Republic), the Hungary Talent (Hungary), the Slovakia K&B Stars (Slovakia) and Riga HS (Latvia).
Pee Wee Quebec tournament organizers deserve a wealth of recognition for making such a substantial event still take place amidst the global climate. Here were some of the special rules outlined for the 2022 tournament in the quest to make it happen:
World Hockey Hub will have extended coverage of the Quebec International Pee Wee Hockey Tournament when the tournament gets underway in February. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube for news, highlights and more from the world of youth hockey.
Food, family…and face-offs?
In what has become a tradition in the youth hockey world, the weekend following American Thanksgiving has become perhaps the biggest tournament weekend of the season. Turkey dinners, family gatherings, Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, and a whole lot of hockey action across the country.
It’s a wonderful way to skate off the turkey hangover, and it seems like each and every year, more and more teams are getting in on the Thanksgiving action.
When we say there was a remarkable amount of tournaments taking place across the country, we’re not exaggerating.
There were 16 U.S. tournaments listed on the World Hockey Hub alone, and it’s easy to assume there were even more taking place across the country. Those 16 events took place in 12 different cities, with more than 1,500 teams in action.
In a ‘normal’ year, plenty of Canadian teams would take part in American festivities, partaking in some of the very tournaments mentioned below. Canada, however, had its own busy weekend of youth hockey, with tournaments like Silver Sticks; more on that later this week.
Here is a look at some of the highlights from the U.S. tournament weekend:
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The Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) resumed regular hockey activities on Nov. 1, but its teams have been up and running for a regular hockey season since October. That means plenty of hockey to analyze and start figuring out who the teams to beat are in the most storied youth hockey league in North America. Here are our teams to beat in the GTHL this season.
The Toronto Jr. Canadiens are the team beat to beat in the GTHL this season at the U16 age level. As we head into the third weekend of November, they hold a perfect 14-0-0 record, which puts them in the top spot of the Canadian Rankings, and No. 2 in the world. On Oct. 10, the Jr. Canadiens gave the Mississauga Senators their first loss of the season by a 6-4 final; on Nov. 14, they did it again, this time with the scoreboard reading 6-2 at the final buzzer. It’s early in the season, sure, but the Jr. Canadiens are picking up steam and its hard to see anybody derailing them at the moment.
Much like their 2006 counterparts, the Toronto Jr. Canadiens are dominating early in the season at the U15 age group, too. Checking at No. 1 in the Canadian Rankings and No. 3 worldwide, the Jr. Canadiens have a nearly flawless 10-0-1 record on the young season. The Jr. Canadiens kicked off their 2021-22 campaign against the Toronto Marlboros and picked up a 5-3 win. To make sure it wasn’t a bit of opening-game luck, they did the same on Oct. 10, beating the Marlboros 4-2. The Jr. Canadiens’ one tie came at the hands of Ottawa Myers Automotive, a squad that has played to a 13-7-4 record so far this season. We’re not counting out the Marlboros just yet though — an 18-2-1 record makes them a terrifying next-on-schedule for any of the GTHL clubs.
They won the Toronto Red Wings Early Bird tournament to bring in some early-season hardware, and the Vaughan Kings have won a whole lot of other games too. Ranked No. 1 in Canada and ranked No. 2 worldwide, the Kings have a 15-0-0 record alongside an 82-18 goal differential so far this year. Some of their wins have come against top competition, as well, as the Kings have taken down the No. 4-ranked Peterborough Petes, the No. 5-ranked North York Rangers, the No. 6-ranked Toronto Jr. Canadiens, the No. 8-ranked Toronto Marlboros and the No. 10-ranked Elgin Middlesex Chiefs.
The Don Mills Flyers have been climbing up the World Rankings, and for good reason. They check in at No. 2 this week as their record grows to 14-2-0 on the season. In a recent battle of No. 1 vs. No. 2, it was Don Mills prevailing over top-ranked North York Rangers 4-3, and they celebrated by beating the No. 3-ranked Toronto Red Wings 4-0 three days later. Don Mills has No. 4 ranked Ottawa Myers Automotive next on the calendar, and they have also already beaten the No. 6-ranked Toronto Titans. One of their two losses came at the hands of the No. 7-ranked Sun County Panthers, the other a 5-4 OT thriller to the Huron-Perth Lakers.
It was a close call between No. 1 and No. 2, but when No. 1 has already beaten the team below it in the rankings, you have to go with the top dogs. The Toronto Marlboros have a 19-2-1 record so far this season, including a win over the No. 2 Vaughan Kings (a 3-1 final, if you were interested). Both of their losses have come to ranked opponents (No. 4 Toronto Jr. Canadiens in overtime and No. 7 Soo Jr. Greyhounds), and they’re outscoring their competition 96-28 in 2021-22. Other big victories for the Marlboros include two over No. 5 North York and one over No. 10 Oakville, as well as a win to avenge the OT loss to the Jr. Greyhounds.
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One of the most demanding positions in any sport is playing goalie. All eyes are on them. They can’t hide from a mistake or a misstep. When the game is over the goalie is analyzed by everyone including their own coach, teammates, parents of the team, the opposing team and coaches, and even themselves.
The position often receives the most credit for a team win, but at the same time receives the most criticism following a loss. The most elite goalies not only require physical strength but mental and emotional strength as well.
An invaluable asset to goalies is to have a mental recovery plan. One that works following a loss, but also can be used right after a bad goal.
Goalies have, on average, less than a minute to get ready and set for the next play. That means if the goalie is thinking about the past mistake, what they should have done better, complaining about the ref, or worrying about their teammates, their mind is not where it needs to be.
If your mindset is not focused on the present play, your performance suffers.
A great question I like to ask athletes I work with is, “Who is the person you listen to the most?” Often, answers include parents, coaches, teammates, or teachers. Many people tend to forget that saying “myself” is an option.
The person you listen to most is yourself. Your internal narrative or self-talk consists of the thoughts and dialogue in your mind that you have all day long. This occurs automatically and we may not even pay attention to messages we send ourselves daily.
When goalies are in the crease, they need to be intentional about the messages they have on repeat. Their self-talk is critical for top performance.
If your self-talk is negative, overly critical and harsh, you are not helping yourself. You need to support yourself through positive self-talk. You don’t have to lie and tell yourself everything is great. But you need to be intentional about helping yourself perform better.
Cue yourself with instruction; “see the puck,” “play strong,” and “quick feet.” These phrases help you stay on task. You can also use motivational self-talk; “trust yourself,” “I got this,” “I’m ready,” or “I trained for this.”
Have 3 to 5 self-talk phrases that help keep you ready, positive and focused. Don’t help your opponents out by beating yourself. Create your top performance through great self-talk.
The best way to let your opponent know they’ve gotten the best of you is through body language. Many athletes don’t recognize the importance of body language.
Picture your opponent throwing their head back, then putting their hands up as if to blame their teammates for a bad play. Or if your opponent bends over, slams and breaks their stick, and skates slowly to the bench. Or imagine the players who have their head down on the bench and no one’s communicating with each other. Those players have already lost. They have been mentally beaten. They have checked out and their mindset is not in a place for their top performance.
As a goalie, you cannot let the opponent take up space in your mind. Be intentional about your body language. Imagine 5 things a goalie with good body language does.
Could you do all those things in practice and in games? Don’t allow your body language to be something that just happens. Practice it. Do not allow your body language to give anything away for free.
Positive body language for goalies includes keeping your head up, eyes on the play, standing tall in between plays and communicating effectively with teammates. Work to avoid blaming teammates, slamming your stick, throwing your head back or hanging your head, bending over in disappointment or getting in the referee’s face.
Goalies need to use their mind to their advantage. It’s great to keep the positivity up through self-talk and body language but these skills bring you back to your baseline performance. Imagery and visualization take your performance to the next level.
You cannot outperform your self-image. That means if you don’t see yourself making incredible saves, showing up big in the third period or shutting down the opponent’s power play, your chances of doing so greatly diminish.
Imagery involves all the senses — seeing, feeling, hearing, movement, smelling, taste — to recreate positive plays in the mind’s eye. The mind is so powerful that simply imagining great plays and good techniques solidify those brain-thinking patterns leading to quicker reaction times, increased performance and improved self-confidence.
Create a self-image of an elite goalie. See yourself succeeding and making the clutch plays.
It’s easy to get stuck in the last play. Our minds want to analyze the past and make corrections for the future. But there is not time to go through that thinking process during a game. This activity is better saved for after the game.
Instead, you need to forget the last play and re-focus on the immediate task. This is easier said than done, it’s a skill that requires practice.
With intentional attention shifting, you can get yourself back into the present by focusing on exactly what is right in front of you.
One of my favorite re-focus cues from a collegiate goalie I’ve worked with is, “Next Shot. Next Save.” This four-word phrase moves the attention to the next play. The past play doesn’t matter anymore, I need to focus on my next save.
Another goalie reset focus through a physical routine of tapping the goal post with their stick, adjusting their pads and getting back into their ready stance. Doing this routine intentionally helps them reset their mind and body.
The paradox of being a goalie is that you must be alert while at the same time relaxed.
If you become too anxious, you may play ahead of yourself. Getting yourself out of proper position, cheating on your corners or playing too far off the crease.
If you contract your muscles too tightly, you lose reaction time, your movements lose their flow and you get tired much more quickly.
If your mind is not relaxed, tunnel vision occurs and you may not be able to see the entire ice as you should. You may start overthinking about the last couple of plays and losing present focus.
The best performances for goalies requires the right amount of energy.
I’m not saying you should be falling asleep out there; that’s too far in the other direction. You need to find the right energy level for you. Some of your teammates require their energy to be at 10, headbutting one another, jumping up and down, and hyping themselves up. Others require a lower energy level of 3 or 4, listening to music and being calm but ready.
Think of your best performance, what was your energy level at on a scale of 1 to 10. It’s important to work to recreate that exact energy level. Many professional goalies tend to have a lower energy level where they are intensely focused, in the zone and ready for anything.
If your energy level gets too high, which is often the case, you need to be able to relax the body and the mind. Through squared breathing you can calm the mind and the body. This technique requires four-second inhale, four-second hold, four-second exhale, four-second hold and then repeat. This short breathing exercise can be done in between plays, after a goal or during the period break.
Also combine your self-talk and re-focus cues to bring your energy level to where it needs to be. These techniques do not have to occur in isolation and help improve your recovery plan while used together.
Having a planned recovery plan will set you apart from your competition. Some of the best goalies in the NHL credit their success to sports psychology skills. Those goalies include Braden Holtby and Carter Hart.
Create your personal recovery plan using the suggestions above. As a goalie you need to be able to shake off the last play. Good or bad, it’s in the past. The most important play is the next one.
By Blaise Fayolle, EdD, CMPC, LLPC
Blaise Fayolle holds a doctorate in Sport and Performance Psychology and is credentialed as a Certified Mental Performance Consultant® through the Associated for Applied Sport Psychology. Blaise is also a licensed mental health professional in Michigan.
The 2021 CCM World Invite Chicago brought 504 teams to the Chicagoland area for a massive early-season tournament this past weekend. Who emerged victorious? Let’s take a closer look at the top Super Tacks divisions for the ’05 through ’10 age groups.
16U Super Tacks
Chicago Mission took advantage of their home ice for the 16U age group, as they cruised to a 6-0-0 record in the Windy City. They dominated preliminary-round play, posting a 6-1 win over the NEW Jr. Gamblers and a 4-0 win over the Pittsburgh Vengeance on Friday before a 5-0 win over Belle Tire on Saturday. From there, it was a 3-1 win over the Minnesota Lakers on Saturday evening, and then a 7-2 win over the Connecticut Jr. Rangers Sunday morning before Mission finished things off with a 4-1 win over Culver Academy in the finals. Hats off to Culver, too, for a nearly flawless weekend, as well.
15U Super Tacks
Team Wisconsin gave up four goals at the CCM World Invite…over six games. With that type of defense and goaltending, it’s easy to see how they emerged victorious at the 15U age group. They registered 5-0 and 2-0 shutout wins over the MDHL (Michigan) and Pittsburgh Vengeance, respectively, on Friday, before a 3-1 win over Florida Alliance Saturday to charge into the elimination rounds. There, it was another shutout win — 3-0 over Team Illinois — in the quarters before a 3-1 win over the Cleveland Barons Sunday morning in the semifinals. In the finals, Chicago Mission managed to score twice, but, it wasn’t enough, as Team Wisconsin headed home champions thanks to a 4-2 victory.
2007 Super Tacks
Compuware had some fun after making the four-hour drive down to Chicago. With a 3-2 win over Team Wisconsin in the finals, Compuware secured a perfect weekend. They started things off with a 4-3 win over the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes and a 3-1 win over CarShield on Friday, before really hitting their stride on Saturday. There, Compuware posted back-to-back five-goal games, beating St. Louis Park 5-2 and then the Indy Jr. Fuel 5-1 in the quarterfinals. On Sunday, they recorded a 4-0 win over the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets before winning it all a few hours later.
2008 Super Tacks
The Los Angeles Jr. Kings entered the CCM World Invite Chicago as the highest-ranked participating team, and they lived up to the billing. The Kings posted a perfect 6-0 record on the weekend, out-scoring the competition 34-13 in the process. After posting a 6-2 win over the Indy Jr. Fuel and a 7-3 win over the Milwaukee Jr. Admirals to start, the Kings followed up with 7-1 and 4-2 wins over Sioux Falls Power and the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets Saturday. On Sunday, an 8-4 win over the Nashville Warriors secured their spot in the finals, where the Kings beat the Chicago Reapers 2-1.
2009 Super Tacks
The home cooking served the Chicago Reapers well this past weekend, as they emerged unscathed from a crowded 2009 class at the World Invite in their backyard. The Reapers pitched three shutouts during their run to the Super Tacks title – including back-to-back Friday 6-0 wins over the California Golden Bears and Nashville Warriors to start things off with a bang. Their last shutout? The finals, of course, as the Reapers blanked Florida Alliance 5-0. The hometown team scored 34 goals in their six games, while only allowing three all weekend – never more than one goal against in each game.
2010 Super Tacks (Crosby)
In a super-stacked Super Tacks at the 2010 age group, tournament organizers split the birth year into Crosby and Ovechkin divisions. In the Crosby division, there were seven ranked teams among the 12, and it was No. 1 holding the rest at bay. Chicago Mission navigated the tournament field with ease, posting a 6-0-0 record en route to a championship. They played the St. Louis AAA Blues in the first game and then again in the last game, and both times, Mission posted 7-1 wins. Along the way, they also took down the No. 2 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite and No. 5 L.A. Jr. Kings, too.
2010 Super Tacks (Ovechkin)
The Madison Capitols took care of business in the other 2010 Super Tacks division, registering their own perfect 6-0-0 record in the Ovi division. No strangers to winning close ones, the Caps never won by more than two goals, but each and every time out, they found a way to win – including a 4-3 final over the Colorado Thunderbirds in the final on Sunday.
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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.
World Hockey Hub has continued coverage of all things youth hockey. Be sure to follow us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook for more!
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.
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MORE FROM THE WORLD HOCKEY HUB
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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