Standout performers from 14U and 15O USA Hockey Nationals
Craig Peterson, on-site at 14U Nationals
World Hockey Hub was on-site for the 2023 USA Hockey Nationals in Plymouth, Michigan, and Wayne, New Jersey. The team provided wall-to-wall coverage of the 14U and 15O tournaments from pool play to playoffs, and the championship game. In addition to that, our writers assembled All-Tournament Teams to spotlight some of the top performers from both the 2007 and 2008 birth years. See below for more details:
2008 All-Tournament Forwards
| Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll Chicago Mission | Camden Nimmer Bishop Kearney | Kalder Varga Chicago Mission |
| Michael Berchild Shattuck-St. Mary’s | Tynan Lawrence Shattuck-St. Mary’s | Lukas Zajic Chicago Mission |
| Noah Davidson LA Jr. Kings | Logan Stuart LA Jr. Kings | Kase Kamzik Pittsburgh Penguins Elite |
| Ethan Garden Little Caesars | J.P. Hurlbert III Dallas Stars Elite | Sean Miller Pittsburgh Vengeance |
Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll is a big-bodied forward who does a good job of keeping his feet moving on the attack. At times, showed he could be Mission’s best forward on the ice. He tied for the team lead in goals with five in six games.
Camden Nimmer was the best forward in the tournament on several occasions. Constantly in possession of the puck, crafty with his feet and very tough for defenders to corral. I don’t think Bishop Kearney wins the national championship without him.
Kalder Varga is a well-rounded forward who dominated the game with his puck skills. Every time he was on the ice, good things seemed to happen. Whether he scored goals, set them up, forced turnovers or disrupted opponents’ offensive attacks.
Michael Berchild is a guy I circled every time I watched Shattuck. He’s fun to watch with the puck on his stick. Berchild’s style of play easily grabs your attention and there’s a lot to like about the things he makes happen in the game.
Tynan Lawrence tied for the tournament lead in scoring with nine points, despite Shattuck being eliminated in the quarterfinals. As the top-line center, Lawrence played well in both ends of the rink.
Lukas Zajic displayed his explosiveness both as a skater and a scorer. His speed sprung Zajic on multiple breakaway opportunities. His quick wrist release led to five goals in six games. Factored in on a third of Mission’s offense with eight points.
Noah Davidson has the size and speed to be a top prospect in the birth year. He led the Jr. Kings in scoring with six points and was the team’s best forward on multiple occasions. There’s a lot to like about Davidson’s future in the game.
Logan Stuart was a do-it-all center that made others around him better. Made his presence felt on the forecheck, highly influential in the D-zone, made things happen offensively while also blocking shots and winning face-offs.
Kase Kamzik has plenty of intangibles to like. Good size, speed, footwork and puck skills that made him stand out on the game’s biggest stage. He’s a playmaker that significantly influenced the game from the wing.
Ethan Garden is a work-hard whose feet don’t stop moving. That energy leads to a lot of positive little plays that influence the game in big ways. He wins puck battles, clears the zone, goes on the offensive and attacks defenders relentlessly.
J.P. Hurlbert III is another one with great intangibles. He’s a good skater with a high hockey IQ that you love to see from a center. Without him, DSE might not make the tournament, let alone win two games at USA Hockey Nationals.
Sean Miller had big performances that were impossible to ignore. He’s a shooter, who doesn’t need much room to let it go. This was most evident in his three-goal performance that helped beat Chicago Mission.
2008 All-Tournament Defensemen
| David O’Brien Bishop Kearney | Kent Greer Pittsburgh Penguins Elite |
| Dominic Pajkic Shattuck-St. Mary’s | Kaden Sienko Bishop Kearney |
| Abraham Barnett Chicago Mission | Brody Berard Mount St. Charles |
David O’Brien played some of his best hockey at USA Hockey Nationals. He was constantly the most influential defender for BK, making good things happen all over the ice. O’Brien was always composed, rarely rushed and constantly in control of the game.
Kent Greer may have been the best prospect on the blue line all tournament. His combination of size, footwork, vision and puck skills made him an easy standout. In the process, Greer led PPE — and all defensemen — in scoring with eight points.
Dominic Pajkic looked to be Shattuck’s best defenseman on several occasions. His educated feet sets him apart from others on the blue line. His ability to maintain tight gaps and forces opponents into mistakes is fun to watch.
Kaden Sienko was very stout defensively. His 6-foot frame was magnified at this age group. His size and reach made Sienko extremely difficult for smaller attackers to get around. He owned the neutral zone and transition game.
Abraham Barnett was a towering presence on the back end for Mission. Very few mistakes in his performance at USA Hockey Nationals. That performance helped put Chicago into the championship game.
Brody Berard might have been Mount St. Charles’ most influential player of the tournament. Quick on retrievals and foot speed that gets him heading north in a hurry. Berard snapped off crisp passes constantly, and you just love to see that from the back end.
2008 All-Tournament Goalies
| Gavin Weeks Bishop Kearney |
| Jake Windbiel Chicago Mission |
Gavin Weeks was easily the best goalie in the tournament. Likely the biggest reason BK won the national championship as well. He gave his team a chance to win every time out, and posted tournament highs in wins (five), goals-against average (1.13) and save percentage (.947).
Jake Windbiel was huge in net. At 6-foot-4, nobody in the tournament took up more space in goal than Windbiel. Plus, his vision and angles always seemed to have him in good position. Rarely, if ever, was Windbiel out of position in net.
15O USA Nationals All Tournament Team
Peter Rossi, on-site at 15O Nationals
2007 All-Tournament Forwards
| Benjamin Kevan Los Angeles Jr. Kings | Will Horcoff Little Caesars | Gavin Kor Shattuck-St. Mary’s |
Benjamin Kevan was clutch all tournament long. He tied with Gavin Kor at 14 points (6G, 8A) in six games, Kevan was the engine of the Jr. Kings championship run. Possessing incredible vision and passing skills, Kevan was often finding teammates in critical moments for game-tying or game-winning goals.
Will Horcoff may be the best overall player at the ‘07 birth year. Possessing great size at 6-foot-3, 170 lbs., he exudes confidence with the puck, especially rushing it up the ice or aiming to control play through the neutral zone. Despite Caesars’ surprising loss in the semifinals to Shattuck-St. Mary’s, Horcoff still ended up in third in total points with 13.
Gavin Kor was dominant on the power play this week. Eight of his 14 points came on the man advantage. Kor’s biggest assets are his quick feet and slick hands, often providing him enough to find open areas of the ice for teammates to feed him the puck.
2007 All-Tournament Defensemen
| Charlie Tretheway Little Caesars | Stephen Grumley Los Angeles Jr. Kings |
Charlie Tretheway had the ability to turn the momentum of a game with a single shift. His ability to shut down opponents, either one-on-one or odd-man rushes is almost second to none. Great hockey sense helps him determine when to jump up in the rush or when to hang back. Thretheway finished with five points (2G, 3A) in five games.
Stephen Grumley led all defensemen in scoring with five points. Displaying great patience with the puck, he allows teammates to get into the best scoring areas before distributing the puck. That passing ability also serves him as the quarterback of the power play, where he can chip in offensively as well.
2007 All-Tournament Goalie
| Seid-Ali Nabiev Los Angeles Jr. Kings |
Seid-Ali Nabiev recorded a 1.91 goals-against average and .935 save percentage in three games. He backstopped the Jr. Kings in their two overtime victories, one of which was for the championship. Has a great ability to see the puck through traffic, and a dependable and quick glove hand.
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