DUBUQUE FIGHTING SAINTS: The Under-18 Team is slated to host Dubuque in a doubleheader this weekend from USA Hockey Arena, the first and only two times the teams will meet this season. The Fighting Saints have been explosive this year, tied for first in the league with 63 points and a 31-13-0-1 (W-L-OTL-SOL) record.

Dubuque, who dropped a 3-2 final to Cedar Rapids last Friday (Feb. 14) before picking up a pair of wins to close the weekend, rosters two NTDP alums in Lucas Van Vliet (2022-24) and Cole Spicer (2020-22), who both earned silver medals for Team USA at their respective IIHF Under-18 Men's World Championships.

The roster runs deep, with 10 skaters owning at least 20 points to their name. Gavin Cornforth leads the way in goals (17), assists (20) and points (37), while Canton, Michigan, native Michael Barron (17G - 17A) and Livonia, Michigan, local Van Vliet (15G - 15A) round out the top three in the forward group. Spicer, who's posted 20 points (5G - 15A) in 24 games, leads the team in points per game at a 0.83 pace.

Matthew Desiderio leads the Fighting Saints' d-core with 31 points (12G - 19A) in 45 games, good for second league-wide amongst blueliners, while his 12 strikes are tied for the league lead. Defender Josh Niedermayer has also cracked the 20-point mark with 21 points (4G - 17A) on the season.

Jan Spunar has backstopped Dubuque in 30 of their 45 contests, owning a 19-11-0-0 record with a .913 SV% and 2.73 GAA. The '04 Czech native has six wins in his last 10 starts. Lindenwood University commit Liam Beerman has been a solid backup for the Fighting Saints, with only regulation loss to his name, compared to 11 wins with a .915 SV% and 2.72 GAA.

MADISON CAPITOLS: The Under-17 Team kicks of its weekend with a trip to Wisconsin for a duel against the Capitols, who sit third in the East with 56 points in 41 games an a 26-11-3-1 (W-L-OTL-SOL) record. The third and penultimate meeting between the two teams, the U17s still searching for their first win after most recently dropping a heartbreaking 5-4 final in mid-November.

With Madison on an 8-0-1-0 run, the U.S. will need to shutdown offensive firecracker and Michigan State commit Ryker Lee, who put-up seven points over two games against the U17s in November, and continues to impress at a 1.19 point per game pace. The '06 draft-eligible 's 44 points (19G - 25A) lead the team and sit seventh league-wide. Aiden Long (15G - 24A) and Bobby Cowan (20G -18A) are the only other skater's who've cracked the 30-point mark, while Mason Moe, who skated with the NTDP's U18 squad at the November Under-18 Five Nations Tournament, trails just behind with 28 (11G - 17A).

Colton Jamieson, who went +5 with three points across the weekend series earlier this season, tracks Madison's blueliners with 25 points (7G - 18A), good for t-seventh league-wide. University of Maine commit Charlie Michaud owns 20 (4G - 16A), while Austin Moline has 14 (1G - 13A) and John Stout has 13 (4G - 9A).

2024 U18 Men's Worlds silver-medalist Caleb Heil (16-5-1-1) and Ajay White (10-5-2-0) have split time between the pipes this season, with Heil holding a slight edge in GAA at 2.77 compared to White's 2.83.

CHICAGO STEEL: The Under-17 team closes its roadie in Chicago with a Saturday night tilt against the Steel. Standing seventh in the East, Chicago has struggled this year, entering the weekend six points out of a playoff spot with a 14-24-4-1 (W-L-OTL-SOL) record. The Steel, however, have been unbeaten in regulation since a 5-3 loss to Cedar Rapids in late January. On a season-best 4-0-2-1 streak, Chicago will head to Young Arena for Friday action against Waterloo before hosting the U17s.

In net, NTDP alum Jack Parsons (2022-24) posts a .906 SV% and 3.41 GAA with a 9-12-2-1 record, including two wins over the U17s in late December, but is coming off a 2-1 shootout loss to Youngstown on Sunday afternoon. Louka Cloutier, who carried the Steel to a 3-2 overtime loss against the Phantoms the night before, trails Parsons with a 5-12-2-0 statline and a .881 SV% and 4.10 GAA.

Eight steel forwards have cracked the 20-point mark this season, with Merrimack commit Ben Yurchuk setting the pace at 29 points (9G - 20A) in 39 games. Also amongst the offensive leaders is Teddy Mutryn, older brother of U17 forward Casey Mutryn (Norwell, Mass.), who helped Team USA to a second-place finish at the 2024 Under-17 World Hockey Challenge. The elder Mutryn tallied five points across two games between the U17s and Chicago earlier this season.

Reid Conn tracks Steel blueliners with 17 points in 40 games, with his six goals also leading the defensive group. A pair of Ivy League commits in Chris Reinger (Princeton Unversity) and Hudson Gorski (Cornell University), with 16 (4G - 12A) and 10 (2G - 8A) points, respectively, round out the top three.