Heading into a matchup with No. 2 Spartak Moscow back on March 18th, CSKA Moscow could not have been feeling better about its season. At the time, they were winners of 36 straight contests and the perennial No. 1 team in the WHH Rankings. But Spartak was able to do what no team had done, and defeated CSKA 6-5 in an overtime thriller. Seven skaters from both squads collected two or more points.
Not letting that loss set them back, CSKA rebounded by emerging victorious in its next nine outings since then. Five of those came during an undefeated run at the Vladislav Tretiak Cup last weekend. 12 participating teams were placed in two divisions of six, with CSKA finding a spot in Group B. Joining them were No. 4 SKA Strelna, Metallurg Cherepovets, Kazakhstan, Metallurg Novokuznetsk and Buffalos. In the five group wins, CSKA out-scored opponents 61-11.
No. 9 Ak Bars Kazan entered the championship game with an undefeated group play record as well, but eventually fell to CSKA. But it was not the first tournament CSKA secured a championship this season. They kicked off the 2022-23 campaign with a first-place finish at the Alexander Ovechkin Cup last August.
A large reason CSKA has found success this season is a talented group of skaters led by one of the most dynamic duos in youth hockey. Roman Andreev and Nikita Siniken have been the definition of consistency, each amassing more than 100 points. One or both of their names are found on the final scoresheet often more than once on a daily basis. Andreev has recorded at least one point in every regular season game dating back to August 27th. For Siniken, there has yet to be a contest outside of tournament play where he has failed to register at least one point. Persistent offensive output that has allowed Andreev to score 84 goals and 124 points while Siniken has scored 64 goals and 142 points.
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Following a solid showing at the U15 Ontario Hockey Federation championships, the 2008-born Soo Jr. Greyhounds carved out a spot in the Top 10 for the first time this season. Skating to a 6-1-1 record, they handled most teams they faced, including No. 3 Elgin-Middlesex Canucks. But it was two matchups against No. 1 Vaughan Kings that allowed them to stand out. In their first meeting, the Jr. Greyhounds bested the Kings 2-0. In a rematch with the championship on the line, Vaughan regained its form to shut out Soo 4-0. Still, a solid showing with two wins against ranked opponents gave the Soo enough of a jolt to crack the top-tier Canadian of their birth year.
Since April 15th, the Toronto Marlboros have collected three massive victories to propel them into the ‘11 Canadian Top 10. With a 6-5 win over No. 2 Toronto Jr. Canadiens and a two-game sweep of No. 10 Toronto Nationals, the Marlboros made a statement among fellow Ontario programs. Going back to the beginning of the month, the Marlboros have faced off with the Jr. Canadiens three times before their most recent win. In those matchups, the Marlboros went 1-1-1. In the two battles with the Nationals, the Marlboros outscored them 12-5.
Coming in as winners of their past two contests, the SKA Silver Lions made the jump from No. 5 to No. 4 with victories over SKA Strelna and Dynamo St. Petersburg. Back on April 1st, Strelna edged past the Silver Lions in overtime, setting the stage for a rematch between the two on April 15th. Resulting in a 5–3 win, the Silver Lions leapfrogged Strelna among the Russian ‘06 Top 10.
With No. 5 CSKA Moscow idle, SKA St. Petersburg nabbed two victories to move up to No. 4 among 2008-born teams in Russia. One of those wins — a shootout victory against No. 10 SKA Strelna — continued a current four-game winning streak for the team as well. St. Petersburg has been one of the most consistent teams this season, currently sitting with a 41-0-2 record. Before a 3-2 overtime loss to Dynamo St. Petersburg on April 1st, you would have to go all the way back to January 11th to find SKA’s last loss.
Another team reaping the benefits of a major win against a fellow ranked club was the ‘11 Markham Majors. A matchup with the Sun County Panthers in the U13 All-Ontario Championships had significant tournament and rankings implications on the line. Following a scoreless first period, Markham would strike three times in the second frame to take a 3-1 lead into the third period. Justin Boudreau netted his second goal of the game to secure the 4-1 final. The Majors would go on to finish 7-0-1 with a championship and a new No. 2 spot among the Top 10 in the country. Sun County, who finished 3-4-1, dropped to No. 3.
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.
Ilves and JYP clashed last Friday in one of the more exciting games of pool-play action at the 2023 Unikie U13 Spring Cup. A 2-1 win for JYP was one of six games decided by one goal on the first day of tournament action. Onni Olkkola’s goal with just under seven minutes left in the contest proved to be the game winner for JYP. The victory wrapped up a perfect 3-0-0 record in Group E. Ilves, despite the loss, finished second in the group.
It wouldn’t be the last time the two teams met in the tournament. Both JYP and Ilves managed to win in the semifinals to set the stage for a rematch on Sunday. Ilves jumped out to an early lead, thanks to a goal from Kalle Havakka six minutes into the game. However, 17 saves from Roni Rautiainen would hold Ilves to just the lone goal on the scoreboard. Veeti Virolainen, Terho Antila and Wäinö Tuomaala would fuel a comeback for JYP in a 3-1 championship victory. The win gave JYP its second of the tournament over Ilves, and fifth overall as they completed a 5-0-0 gold medal run.
Four of the top 10 scorers at the conclusion of the tournament all hailed from JYP. Kalle Viitanen led the tournament in scoring after producing back-to-back three-point games in pool play. He added another multi-point game in the semifinals against Kiekko-Espoo EKS to push his tournament total to five goals and eight points. Veeti Virolainen and Elias Rantanen also finished among the top scorers in the tournament with six points apiece. Rounding out JYP’s impressive lineup were Onni Olkkola, Terho Antila and Eliel Halonen, who all tied with five points.
Having a bevy of offensive options allowed JYP to dominate group play. Initially placed with Kiekko-Laser, Ilves and Kiekko-Espoo Blues, JYP outscored them all by a combined 14-1. Ilves was the lone team able to get a puck past Roni Rautiainen in net.
As a result of its first-place finish, JYP drew K-Espoo EKS in its semifinal game. Rantanen, Halonen and Olkkola all recorded at least three points in an 8-3 win. In the opposite semifinal, Ilves was matched with first-place finisher Tappara, who went 3-0-0 in group play. Juho Nyberg notched both goals and Mio Nieminen made 23 saves in a 2-0 win for Ilves. That set the stage for the championship rematch between JYP and Ilves.
With three of JYP’s top four scorers kept at bay, Ilves managed to get an early 1-0 lead. The trio of Viitanen, Rantanen and Olkkola combined for 11 of JYP’s 24 goals in the tournament. However in the championship, they struggled to find the back of the net in the rematch with Ilves. That’s when Terho Antila and Wäinö Tuomaala were able to break through, to gain a lead for JYP late in the championship.
The pair of goals from its depth players fueled JYP to a come-from-behind win over Ilves. The victory was their fifth of the weekend, and clinched the gold medal.
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It was a busy final weekend of youth hockey in the province of Ontario as winners walked away from the U14 OHL Cup and All-Ontario Championships. Both events — three age groups in total — determined provincial champions as the best youth hockey teams in Ontario were crowned on Sunday. The U14 Toronto Jr. Canadiens made it a clean sweep at the OHL Cup after the U16 team won the tournament earlier this month. Then, heavy favorites Markham Majors and Vaughan Kings won in the U13 and U15 tournaments respectively.
The 2009 squad was able to give the program twin OHL Cup titles when they ended a 5-0-0 run with a 3-2 win over the Barrie Jr. Colts in the title game. A fitting end for a team that entered the tournament as the No. 1 ranked team in the world.
The Jr. Canadiens started the showcase with a 5-0 shutout of the OMHA champion Halton Hurricanes on Friday. Later that afternoon, they defeated the North Bay Trappers, 5-1. Having secured a playoff spot, next up was a date with the Sun County Panthers in the quarterfinals. Leading scorer Jax Pereira (6G, 4A) emerged as the hero, tallying the winning goal in a 4-3 double-overtime victory. JRC, who came into the tournament as the third seed out of the GTHL, defeated league champion Don Mills Flyers 5-3 on Sunday morning to advance to the championship game.
Taking on the Barrie Jr. Colts, Noah Laus and Connor Adam each notched a goal in the first period. Kaden Rolling cut into that lead with a power-play to get the Jr. Colts on the board at 13:57 of the second period. A few minutes later, Benjamin Marling knotted the score at 2. Marling finished as the top-scoring defenseman in the showcase with eight points in five games. Lucas Quain put home a feed from Keaton Ardagh on the man advantage to put JRC back on top 3-2 before the period came to a close. That goal would go on to serve as the eventual game-winner, as the score remained the same throughout the final period.
Both Jr. Canadiens netminder Ethan Maniaci and Barrie’s Malcolm Rose received Player of the Game honors for their respective teams. Ardagh would finish tied with Marling for second in overall points with eight (2G, 6A).
“At the beginning of the year we all set goals,” said Jr. Canadiens head coach Matt Viola. “Every kid on the team wrote it down on a piece of paper. I am happy for all these boys to have accomplished something they’ll remember forever.”
In the Markham Majors’ first four matchups, they outscored opponents 29-5. Much of that was fueled by their depth, as seven skaters average a point per game in the tournament.
In their next contest, the Whitby Wildcats had them up against the ropes, trailing 3-2 with under five minutes left to play. But with 3:37 remaining in the third period, Cam Johnson managed to find space and slip the tying goal in the net, salvaging the Majors’ unbeaten record.
Congratulations to the Markham Majors on winning the U13 AAA All-Ontario Championship! 🏆
— GTHL Hockey (@GTHLHockey) April 17, 2023
The Majors captured the title with a 5-0 victory over the Nickel City Sons on April 16.@OHFHockey | @MarkhamIslande1 pic.twitter.com/Nq3MewugWc
Markham would continue to nab wins in its next three games, including a 5-0 shutout in the championship game against Nickel City Sons. Justin Boudreau finished first on the team and third overall with eight goals and 14 points. Behind him, Carter Cross (3G, 9A), Jack Samek (6G, 6A), and Maddon Walsh (12A) rounded out the Markham skaters in the Top 10 for points. While the team’s offense was nearly unmatched, it helped that Markham had the two best netminders of the tournament as well. Dylan Sack allowed only six goals, leading to a 1.44 goals-against average and .906 save percentage with one shutout. His counterpart, Massimo Tomassi, recorded a 1.58 goals-against average and .915 save percentage and one shutout in four games.
The Vaughan Kings lived up to lofty expectations as No. 1 team in the World Rankings when they secured a title at the U15 All-Ontario Championships. A 4-0 win over the Soo Jr. Greyhounds cemented themselves as the top team in the birth year. Coming into the tournament as the two best teams in the field, they seemed destined to battle it out for provincial bragging rights.
The two teams managed to meet twice in the final two days of the season. On Saturday, Dalton Hoornstra did something no other team had done to Vaughan in 74 games this season. He shut them out in a 2-0 win that put the Jr. Greyhounds into the playoffs as the top seed. The top team in ‘09 team in the world that averaged 4.49 goals per game was kept off the scoreboard completely.
Alexander Hage (2G) and Ben Bowen (3A) helped the Kings get back on track with a 4-2 win over York Simcoe Express in the semifinals. With Soo defeating the Upper Canada Cyclones 5-1 in their following game, the table was set for a rematch between the two with the championship on the line.
Congratulations to the Vaughan Kings on winning the U15 AAA All-Ontario Championship! 🏆
— GTHL Hockey (@GTHLHockey) April 17, 2023
The Kings downed the Soo Jr. Greyhounds 4-0 on April 16 to become OHF Champions.@OHFHockey | @vaughankingsAAA pic.twitter.com/pjgFgIoCMM
It would be a much different affair than the previous meeting. Despite their best efforts, Hoornstra and the Jr. Greyhounds were unable to keep Vaughan’s impressive attack at bay for a second time. Bowen opened the scoring with a power-play goal in the first period, and later increased the lead to 2-0 in the second period. In the third frame, Elijah Chavez and Zach Nyman scored ten seconds apart to put the game out of reach for the eventual 4-0 final. Joseph D’Angelo was huge in net, collecting his second shutout of the tournament. He would finish with a 0.77 goals-against average, allowing only three goals in four appearances. Bowen would finish atop the leaderboard with six goals and 13 points, tied with Soo’s Nikolas Rossetto.
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Hockey Quebec concluded its 2022-23 youth hockey season this weekend with the Chevrolet Cup. The tournament crowned a provincial champion as the best team in the Canadian province at the 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 age groups.
The Laval Patriotes claimed two of those championships, winning the ‘10 and ‘11 tournaments. Additionally, As de Quebec won the 2009 title, while Estacades Mauricie won the 2008 playoffs and Laval/Montreal won the oldest age group as 2007 champions.
After dropping the first game of the tournament, the Patriotes rattled off four consecutive wins in three days en route to the 2011 championship. Shawn-Anthony Senat led the team in scoring with seven points in five games. Three of those came in the final two games, as Laval clinched the U12 Chevrolet Cup with a 7-1 win in the semifinal and 4-0 win in the championship.
In the U13 tournament, Mathis Khoury and Justin Cardillo proved to be a dangerous tandem. They combined to score 18 of Laval’s 44 goals over the weekend. Khoury’s eighth goal helped propel the Patriotes past Intrepide de Gatineau in the semifinals. Then in the championship, he would score two more goals in Laval’s 4-2 finish over Dynamiques CCL.
With a pair of championships, the Laval Patriotes can claim superiority over youth hockey at the youngest age levels in Quebec. The U13 squad went 21-4-5 in LHEQ play and finished the regular season third in the Rousseau Sports Division. The U12 team finished second in its division with a 20-6-4 record. Both proved to be difficult opponents come playoff time, evident by their championship runs.
Entering the postseason on a 7-0-1 run, As de Quebec continued its winning ways through Entrepôts du Hockey series play. That ultimately led to a four-win run that earned Quebec a No. 1 seed entering the Chevrolet Cup. And from there, the success never stopped.
Félix Vachon’s first goal of the weekend broke a 1-1 tie against Seigneurs des Milles-Iles on Thursday. That kept Quebec’s win streak in tact as they avoided near defeat. The next two days consisted of a dominant 4-1 win over Lions Lac St-Louis and a 5-1 win over Albatros est-du-Quebec. That pushed them into a semifinal matchup with Harfangs de Sherbrooke on Sunday morning.
Forwards Zack Arsenault and Louis-Émile Dumais had done much of the heavy lifting for As de Quebec. They combined for 40 points in nine playoff games. However, when they entered the third period of the semifinal game tied 2-2, it would be a new name breaking through. Just 2:24 into the final frame, Léo-Gabriel Gosselin scored the go-ahead goal. It was his fourth goal of the playoffs and fifth point total, pushing Quebec on to the championship.
Just seven hours later, in the championship, Gosselin would do it again.
Trailing the Lanaudière Pionniers, Dumais would tie the game at 1-1 early in the third period. Then, Arsenault would score his 15th goal of the playoffs that tied it again at 2-2. As the game went to overtime, it would be Gosselin who again broke the tie, winning the U14 championship for As de Quebec just 1:17 into the extra frame.
Winning the championship in dramatic fashion, Gosselin’s goal ends As de Quebec’s 2022-23 season with a 17-game unbeaten streak.
The top four teams from each of the three divisions in the Ligue de Hockey d’Excellence du Quebec (LHEQ) earned automatic bids into the tournament.
The 2008-born Estacades Mauricie faced little resistance on their path to a 2023 Chevrolet Cup championship. In four Entrepôts Series games, they out-scored opponents 23-6 to earn the top seed heading into this weekend. Domination continued at the provincial championship as well. First, a 5-1 win over Arsenal Lac St-Louis on Thursday. That was followed up by 7-3 and 5-3 wins over Patriotes Laval and Vert et Noir RIC.
In the semis and finals, goaltenders Malik LeBlanc and Jacob St-Cyr would trade shut-out performances, as Estacades won 5-0 and 3-0 games just five hours apart.
The championship run was indicative of their 2022-23 season. In 30 LHEQ games, Mauricie went 21-2-7 to finish as the top team in L’entrepôt du Hockey Division. Enzo Lottin and Chad Lygitsakos were among the leading scorers in the league, leading the Estacades to a 2008 championship.
A team that suffered defeat just four times in LHEQ play this season, Laval/Montreal finished a run to the 2023 Chevrolet Cup with a dominant playoff push. They went 25-4-3 in the Rousseau Sports Division of the LHEQ.
With a balanced attack, Nicola Ragusa and Kamyl Chemrouk led an offense that featured nine skaters with nine-or-more points in the playoffs. That depth came in handy when Laval/Montreal needed offense to advance. In the final four games of the tournament, they reached or surpassed the five-goal mark, including a 6-5 win in the semifinals. At one point, they trailed Citadelles R-N Abi 5-1 just 22 minutes into the game. A pair of goals from Ragusa, and a third goal from Chemrouk would dig Laval/Montreal out of a hole in the second period. Luc Béliveau would score a power-play goal 6:26 into the third period to tie the game up. Then in the final moments of regulation, Mickaël Pagé would complete the comeback to make it 6-5 with his fifth goal of the playoffs.
Pulling off the unlikely comeback opened up the doors for a championship matchup with Corsaires Pointe-Lévy. An opponent that finished the regular season with a 16-12-4 record, and entered the Chevrolet Cup as the No. 4 seed out of the Entrepôts du Hockey series. Three consecutive one-goal victories helped lift Corsaires just to get to the championship game. However, Laval/Montreal would see to it that Corsaires’ run came to an end.
Ragusa, Chemrouk, Anthony Miscione and James Roberts would score four consecutive goals to start the game. That mounted a lead large enough that Pointe-Lévy could not come back from. Laval/Montreal would finish the game 5-1 to claim the 2007 championship.
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Propelled by key victories at 16U USA Hockey Nationals, the Long Island Gulls found a new home in the No. 1 spot among 2006-born clubs. They defeated No. 3 New Jersey Rockets, No. 4 Compuware, No. 6 Little Caesars and No. 9 Mount St. Charles, all Top-10 U.S. teams. The Gulls also managed to pull out a strong victory over previous top spot holder Shattuck-St. Mary’s, who slid down to No. 2.
In Sweden, Täby HC maneuvered its way to the top, thanks to a deep run to the championship game versus Brynäs IF for 2007-born teams. Even more impressive was the final result of the matchup, with Brynäs managing to put up seven goals en route to winning the club’s first-ever Sweden National Championship. A win that helped boost Brynäs, who was previously unranked, into the Top 10.
Sticking with the ‘07s, Tappara went 6-1-0 in the Finnish SM-Series playoffs to secure the top spot from Kiekko-Espoo. TPS and KalPa also experienced jumps to No. 3 and No. 4 in the Top 10, respectively, resulting from key victories during their playoff runs as well. In the ‘08s, Jokerit’s 3-0-0 stretch allowed them to take the No. 1 spot, with second-place Kärpät Musta in the No. 2 spot and third-place Kärpät Valkoinen settling in to No. 3.
Fresh off winning gold at the 2023 U14 Uplandia Trophy with an undefeated run, Brinkens IF is enjoying a new view from the No. 1 spot.
The 2011-born Vaughan Kings put up a stellar showing against the No. 2 Toronto Jr. Canadiens, defeating them 8-1 to leapfrog them to the No. 1 spot. Vaughan also managed to split two games against No. 10 Toronto Nationals. In Russia, the ‘11s saw a new club take the No. 1 spot as well with CSKA Moscow taking over for No. 2 Dynamo St. Petersburg. CSKA put three crucial victories against Top-10 teams under its belt to slip past Dynamo.
No. 5 ‘06 SKA Strelna suited up for two games against No. 6 SKA Silver Lions, resulting in two wins for Strelna to move them up a spot. Traktor Chelyabinsk put together a decent string of wins to slide into the No. 10 spot for the first time this season. 2009-born Dynamo St. Petersburg took two out of three games against No. 9 SKA Strelna to push them out of the No. 8 spot.
There were some big showdowns at the ‘07 USA Hockey Nationals tournament, and the Los Angeles Jr. Kings’ championship run vaulted them from No. 7 to No. 3. It started with wins against teams like No. 4 Mount St. Charles and No. 8 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite. Then, it culminated with a championship win in overtime against No. 5 Shattuck-St. Mary’s. In Canada, the Halton Hurricanes took advantage of two games with No. 5 York Simcoe Express, taking the No. 4 spot among other ‘07 teams with two wins.
Continuing to impress with the 2008-born clubs was No. 2 Linköpings HC, who bested No. 3 Djurgårdens IF twice at the 2023 Swedbank Trophy. Linköpings went on to win the gold medal, which ended a perfect 5-0-0 run.
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.
The U15 All Ontario Championship gets underway on Wednesday. The teams competing are the six league champions, plus the host team. Participants will compete in a six-game round robin that runs through Saturday. Then, on Sunday, the top four teams advance to the playoffs.
The tournament — despite only having seven teams — features three of the top four 2008-born teams in Canada. No. 1 Vaughan Kings, No. 3 Elgin-Middlesex Canucks and No. 4 York-Simcoe Express headline this tournament of champions. Plus, the Soo Jr. Greyhounds and Upper Canada Cyclones have made appearances in the Top 10 this season as well.
Take an in-depth look at each of the seven participating teams in our Power Rankings below:
They enter the tournament as an honorary participant. The Soo Jr. Greyhounds were already set to compete as the host team. However, the Jr. Greyhounds doubled down by winning the Northern Ontario Hockey Association (NOHA) championship. Because of that, a seventh team was necessary for competitive balance, so Sudbury Nickel Capitals entered the chat. They come in with a 9-26-2 record on the season and just two victories since Christmas. They average 3.95 goals against this season and could face quite the uphill battle in the All-Ontario Championship this week.
Another team that comes into the All-Ontario Championship with a sub-.500 record. The Thunder Bay Kings have already played Vaughan and Soo earlier this season. However, they’re 0-6-0, having played both opponents three times each. While the team has struggled this season in the win column, it’s come while playing one of the toughest schedules in the province. Only Vaughan and the Toronto Marlboros have played a more difficult slate of games in ‘22-23, according to MyHockeyRankings. Are they battle tested enough to compete in this tournament of champions?
The Upper Canada Cyclones debuted in the Top 10 in September, but dropped out shortly after and never returned. They enter the tournament as a relative unknown to fellow participants. Cyclones have only played three games against All-Ontario Championship teams; splitting wins with Elgin-Middlesex and defeating Sudbury 6-2 in November. Admittedly, they may be a tad low at No. 5 here. That split with EMC is telling, as even in defeat, UCC took the higher-ranked Canucks to overtime. The Cyclones can compete at a high level, but they’ll have to do it against the best of the best this week.
A little home cooking never hurts. Being able to play in their home rink, use their home locker room and sleep in their own beds. It’s certainly a nice perk for the Soo Jr. Greyhounds that the other six teams might not get to enjoy. They tied York-Simcoe 1-1 in January, and were shut out 4-0 by Vaughan. So for the Soo to take the next step and compete with teams ranked ahead of them in the Power Rankings may prove to be a challenge. Nonetheless, the Jr. Greyhounds enter the tournament on a 10-1-1 run in their last 12 games.
Elgin-Middlesex Canucks are a little concerning because they’ve played the weakest schedule among Top-10 teams; at least according to MyHockeyRankings. That’s slightly supported by their 7-1 loss to Vaughan and 4-4 tie to the Oakville Rangers in the only two games EMC played against ranked opponents. Regardless, they do have a potent offense that averages 4.64 goals per game and enter the tournament with a 13-1-0 record since Feb. 1st.
They opened up the season on a 19-game unbeaten streak, and now enter the All-Ontario Championship on a 19-game unbeaten streak. York-Simcoe Express looks to be arguably the hottest team in the tournament right now. With a plus-209, YSE has the second-best goal differential this season among participating teams. Also reflected by their 60-6-9 record. Only three teams in Ontario reached the 60-win plateau; one of them is the top rated team, and the other is the Oakville Rangers. York-Simcoe has reached rare heights this season and could continue to climb before Sunday.
The Vaughan Kings have arguably been the top 2008-born team in Canada for more than two seasons. They won last year’s season-ending U14 OHL Cup championship as the best team in Ontario. This season, they won the International Silver Stick tournament. They also won the regular season and playoff championships in the GTHL. With a 69-5-2 record, all the Kings have done this season is win. They already have victories over York-Simcoe, Elgin-Middlesex, the Soo and Thunder Bay by an average margin of 4.3 goals. It won’t be a cakewalk, but there’s no reason to think Vaughan can be stopped in Sault Ste. Marie this week.
Top teams from the 2010 birth year will compete in the U13 All-Ontario Championship this week as well. The tournament will run concurrently to the U15 tournament, just an hour west up the coast of Lake Superior.
Participating teams include:
Host Thunder Bay Kings
ALLIANCE Hockey champion No. 2 Sun County Panthers
GTHL champion No. 4 Markham Majors
HEO champion Ottawa Valley Titans
NOHA champion Nickel City Sons
OMHA champion Whitby Wildcats
HNO representative Kenora Thistles
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The U13 Resport Trophy and U14 Uplandia Trophy regularly close the book on the youth hockey season in Scandinavia. In Sweden and Finland, the only national tournaments at the youth hockey level happen at the U16 age level. So, teams in younger age groups compete at iconic events like Resport and Uplandia, serving as de facto season-ending tournaments.
The pair of events featured 50 teams at the A, AA and AAA levels. Participants hailed from the host country of Sweden, as well as Finland, Norway, Iceland, Latvia, Denmark and Austria.
Brinkens IF, the No. 1 ranked 2009 team in Sweden, proved why it’s the top-ranked team in the country. They went 8-0-0 to win the Uplandia Trophy in Sollentuna, Sweden. Meanwhile, 15 minutes away in the city of Solna, Lukko, earned the championship at Resport Trophy.
Both tournaments were full of top teams, with representation throughout Europe and Scandinavia.
From the opening game of the tournament, forward Viggo Mallmin dominated the AAA Division at Uplandia Trophy. He scored twice in Brinkens’ 4-0 win over Flemingsbergs IK. It was the second time that top-ranked Brinkens had played the No. 2 ranked FIK. Both resulted in shutouts in favor of Mallmin and Brinkens.
The left-handed forward continued to make his presence felt, scoring two goals in each of the next two games. In those games, Brinkens knocked off Diskos 6-0 and Bäcken HC 7-1. On the final day of pool play, Mallmin assisted on the game-winning goal in a 2-0 win over No. 7 Kållered SK. But his best performance came in a four-point game against Latvia’s Baltic Wolves, where Brinkens won 5-2.
That wrapped up a perfect 5-0-0 run in pool play that earned Brinkens the top seed in the playoffs.
They drew unranked Viggbyholms IK in the quarterfinals, and Mallmin and company made quick work of them with a 9-3 win. In the semifinals, a familiar foe waited in Flemingsbergs. The second time the two teams had met in the tournament — and third time this season — it was tied 3-3 at the halfway point of the game. In the second half, Ognjen Martinovic scored a pair of goals, while Oskar St. John-Parker, Eric Sevallius and William Fällström all found the back of the net as well. FIK had kept the game close as long as they could, but Brinkens’ offense eventually blew the doors wide open. An 8-3 final score would give Brinkens its third victory over FIK as well as a spot in the championship.
In the final, the top team in Sweden took on the top team from Austria, Red Bull Salzburg. A balanced attack put Red Bull into the championship, as five skaters came in averaging a point per game. Their lone blemish in the tournament thus far was a 4-3 overtime loss to Södertälje SK on the final day of pool play.
Red Bull played Brinkens tough; something they had done to opponents all tournament long. While Mallmin and Brinkens maintained a significant 3-to-1 edge in shots, the game remained close down to the wire. With Mallmin held off the scoresheet for the first time in the tournament, Sevallius saw an opportunity to step up. He scored three consecutive goals to provide Brinkens with enough of a cushion, as they hung on to a 4-2 championship win.
Other champions from the 2023 U14 Uplandia Trophy include SDE Hockey, who won the AAA Tier-2 playoffs. Iceland’s One Ice Stars won the AA Division as well with a 6-3 victory in the championship.
For the first time in five seasons, a team from Finland won the U13 Resport Trophy. The No. 4 ranked team in the country, Lukko was one of three Finnish teams in the AAA Division. The other five teams in the tournament’s top division included four that were among Sweden’s Top 10 and Latvia’s Baltic Wolves.
With a jam-packed field of talented teams, Lukko went 2-1-0 on the first day of the tournament. It’s lone loss was a 1-0 decision to Sweden’s No. 3 ranked Järfälla HC. The next day would bring another one-goal loss, this time 4-3 at the hands of Sweden’s No. 6 ranked Flemingsbergs IK.
Lukko entered the playoffs as the 3-seed, where they met Flemingsbergs for the second time in as many days. This time, though, Lukko would be victorious as the offense put 41 shots on goal to overwhelm FIK in a 4-3 win.
After making quick work of the Baltic Wolves in the semifinals, Lukko set its sights on another rematch. Järfälla, the top team in the tournament — and highest ranked in the field — had already defeated Lukko on Thursday.
The championship would be all blue and white right from puck drop. Kaapo Honkaheimo made it 1-0 Lukko less than two minutes into the game. Two minutes later, Joona Lautamäki made it 2-0. Sixty seconds later, Honkaheimo scored again to swell the early lead to 3-0. Then, after a four-minute lull in the action, Lautamäki struck again as well to make it a 4-0 lead heading into the half.
Lautamäki completed the hat trick 11 minutes into the second half, and Vilho Aaltonen scored his fifth goal of the tournament to wrap up the scoring.
The 6-0 final meant Lukko had won the U13 Resport Trophy, avenging both of its tournament losses in the process. It is the first time on record that a Finland-based club has won the event, as the trophy remained with a Sweden team each of the previous four tournaments.
Mälmö Redhawks Red won the AA Division championship with a 6-1-0 record. The A Division playoffs also went to a Finland-based team, as Ässät won 5-1 over Jarfalla.
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Last weekend, the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) held its championship tournaments for various birth years. Two of the clubs, 2008-born York Simcoe Express and 2011-born Oakville Rangers were the lone two to be featured in the WHH Rankings.
The defensive strength of York Simcoe Express showed up during group play at the U15 division, allowing only three goals in three games. It was put to the test in the team’s first playoff matchup against the Halton Hurricanes. York Simcoe padded its lead to 3-0 towards the midway point of the third period. Just 40 seconds later, the Hurricanes got themselves on the board. While killing off a power play, Halton would cut the lead to 3-2 when it managed to get a shorthanded goal. With 3:05 remaining on the clock, Halton tied the game at 3. With a chance to reset in overtime, the Express managed to hold off Halton’s comeback and netted the winning goal. York Simcoe would go on to defeat the Oakville Rangers 3-2 in the final contest to cap off its 5-0-0 run.
The Halton Hurricanes got off to a rocky start in the U14 division before rebounding with three straight wins to take home the title. Opening with a 3-3 tie against the Southern Tier Admirals, they then fell 5-2 to the Barrie Jr. Colts later in the same day. Halton finished group play with a strong 4-2 win over the Quinte Red Devils, where they secured the victory with three third-period goals. The Hurricanes finished off York Simcoe Express in overtime to get to a rematch against the Jr. Colts with the championship on the line. Despite Halton scoring first and taking a 1-0 lead into the second period, Barrie quickly collected the next three goals to build a 3-1 lead. In the final minutes of the period, the Hurricanes found the back of the net twice to even the score. With no goals found in the third frame, overtime was required where Halton netted the game-winner.
The Whitby Wildcats overcame a 4-2 tournament-opening loss to the Barrie Jr. Colts to win its next four for the U13 division championship. Down 1-0 in their first playoff matchup against the Quinte Red Devils, the Wildcats cashed in on a power play with 3:19 left in regulation to force overtime. They would eventually find the game-winner to secure a spot in the final against the Credit River Capitals. Deadlocked at 2 late in the third period, the Capitals found the back of the net with 2:41 remaining. Whitby clawed its way back to tying the game with 12 seconds left to bring things into the extra frame tied at 3. The Wildcats completed the comeback in overtime.
It was an undefeated performance backstopped by defense and goaltending that helped the Oakville Rangers obtain the U12 championship. Oakville recorded three straight shutout victories over the Southern Tier Admirals, Central Ontario Wolves and Richmond Hill Coyotes to get to the playoff stage. In the first contest, the Niagara North Stars finally broke through when they tallied a shorthanded goal to go up 1-0 in the second period. After the North Stars doubled their lead to 2-0, things looked dire for the Rangers. Oakville, however, would not go down without a fight and struck twice in the final five seconds of the game to force overtime. Almost a full second game would be played, with Oakville finally finding the winning goal in the third overtime. In the championship game against the Quinte Red Devils, the Rangers found their defensive form once again and collected another shutout en route to the championship.
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What is one of the biggest challenges we face feeding young athletes? Ice rink concession stand food. Most concession stands are full of popcorn, pizza, breadsticks and colorful slushies. Relying on these fast and tempting options will make an athlete sluggish and decrease their potential on the ice.
Eating a nourishing small snack before or after a skate will increase energy and maximize performance. A pre-skate snack will sustain energy and a post-skate snack is important to refuel muscles. A snack should contain both carbohydrate and protein, and be consumed within one hour of exertion. That is when muscles are primed for energy intake. Food choices really do make a difference.
Planning and preparation of portable and nourishing snacks is key. Young athletes require proper energy to support recovery and repair of their growing body. For hockey players to perform well, they need to eat well.
What type of snacks will provide energy and strength? Celly Salt is here to offer some ideas to help plan and prepare snacks to fuel healthy athletes.
With a little prep work and planning ahead, you can provide youth hockey players with viable, healthy and delicious snacks for life on the road. Here’s a few we recommend:
Brand name snacks
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Cook’s Note: Great mixed into trail mix, topper for salad or just a snack.
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Cook’s Note: Mix in 2 tablespoons chia seeds with the oats for added protein, fiber, calcium and magnesium.
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