WHIP IT: U18 defender John Whipple (Minnetonka, Minn.) used a lethal release down the left wing to put the U18s ahead, 3-0, in Sunday afternoon's 8-4 win over Green Bay.
The score was the first of Whipple's season after he potted four during his U17 year. The goal adds to his 14 helpers to become the third U18 defendseman to notch 15 points after Cole Hutson (Chicago, Ill.) with 38 (11g-27a) and Logan Hensler's (Woodbury, Minn.) 22 points (3g-19a).
Whipple, a University of Minnesota commit, has been most impressive in international play this season, where he has recorded six of his 15 points in just eight games of action.
SCHOOL'S OUT: The U.S. National Under-18 Team is ready to close out its 2023-24 Kroger College Series this weekend with their pair of games in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Thus far on the schedule, the team is 6-5-3 through 14 games. They've taken down all three Division III teams they've played in Utica College (7-1), Adrian College (13-1) and Stevenson University (5-2), and have added a trio of wins at the Division I level, including topping the #1 Boston University Terriers by a 7-2 final back on October 14.
BAD MOONEY RISING: U17 forward LJ Mooney (West Mifflin, Pa.) has made his presence felt since his brief call-up to the U18 squad.
In four games with the U18s, the University of Minnesota commit has potted a pair of goals and added five assists for seven total points, tied with linemate Cole Eiserman (Newburyport, Mass.) for most on the team during that span.
Mooney has multiple points in three of those four games, including a three-point performance in his U18 debut, a 5-3 win over the Lincoln Stars on February 23.
With the mini-run, Mooney is up to 40 points (19g-21a) in 44 games this season to lead all U17 skaters in scoring.
A LITTLE EPP IN YOUR STEP: Forward Kristian Epperson (Mequon, Wis.) has found his stride skating with the U17 team as the forward connected for back-to-back multi-point efforts on Saturday and Sunday last weekend.
On Saturday, Epperson assisted on linemate Will Horcoff's (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) first-period goal to tie the game, and after Cedar Rapids regained the lead, Epperson found the back of the net with a sharp-angled shot from the sideboards to tie the game once more.
The University of Michigan commit followed that up with an exact replication Sunday afternoon. He assisted on Horcoff's third-period score and then tallied his own near the midway mark of the period.
The games marked the first time this season that Epperson scored in back-to-back games, as well as the first time producing multiple points in a back-to-back. The forward is up to 20 points (9g-11a) in 46 total games this season.
POTTS AND PANS: U17 forward Cullen Potter (Minneapolis, Minn.) has taken over one of the lead scoring roles on the team over the past six weeks.
Last weekend, Potter put up five points in three games, including a pair of multi-assist efforts to end the weekend. Over his last 12 games, the future Michigan State Spartan has six goals and seven assists for 13 points to lead all U17 skaters over the stretch.
His 36 points (12g-24a) in 44 games puts him tied atop the U17 scoring leaderboard with Will Moore (Ithaca, N.Y.).
A GRAND GAME: Boston Bruins forward James van Riemsdyk (NTDP 2005-07) skated in his 1,000th NHL game Tuesday night, becoming the eighth NTDP alum to hit the four-digit milestone.
The 6-foot-3, 208-pound forward has skated in 59 games this season, recording 11 goals and 27 assists for 38 points with a plus-11 rating. Currently in his 15th NHL season, van Riemsdyk has accumulated 311 goals and 318 assists for 629 points though 1,000 games with Boston, Philadelphia and Toronto.