NO. 54 FOR NO. 53: In his 35th appearance with the NTDP, Isaac Howard (Hudson, Wis.) netted his 54th point of the season with an assist on Frank Nazar's second-period goal. The forward currently leads  the program with 26 goals and 27 assists. 

Howard's 13 goals in USHL play also rank him among the top 2 in rookie scoring, while his total points put him in the top 10 among newcomers.  

LASER-FOCUSED NAZAR: Frank Nazar III was electric for the U17s against Shattuck-St. Mary's last weekend, notching four goals and six points and garnering a plus-7 rating to lead the U.S. scoring effort alongside Isaac Howard (1G, 5A). The forward now boasts 20 goals and 41 points in 34 games, good for second in scoring among U17 skaters.

NO PPGs, NO PROBLEM: The U17s did not allow a power-play  tally in either of last weekend's games against the Sabres. The U17s' penalty killing percentage now  sits at 78.1 percent, and the team is an impressive 14-1-0 when not allowing a power-play goal this season.

BERRY IMPRESSIVE: U18 defenseman Sean Behrens (Barrington, Ill.) has been on fire since returning to the lineup from injury on February 19. In those six games, Behrens has collected nine points, including a pair of goals, and has manned top-line minutes on the power play. The University of Denver commit's eight-game point streak was snapped Sunday afternoon, but he looks to put himself back on the scoresheet this weekend.  

LUCIUS LIGHTS LAMPS: Chaz Lucius (Grant, Minn.) hasn't missed a beat as he's potted five goals in his first four games of the 2020-21 regular season. Lucius continued his over a goal-per-game run with markers in both games he played in over the weekend, showing off his snappy wrist-shot on each. The 6-foot-1 forward now has 36 goals in 56 career games at the NTDP, to help make him an A-ranked skater on NHL Central Scouting's draft list.

TREMENDOUS 25: Twenty members of the 2020-21 U.S. National Under-18 Team and five former NTDP players were named to the National Hockey League Central Scouting's midseason rankings ahead of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. All 20 age-eligible U18 skaters for the draft were rated on the list. 

HOBEY BAKER WATCH: Six former NTDP players were nominated for the 2021 Hobey Baker Award, presented to college hockey's top player. Matthew Boldy (Boston College / NTDP 2017-19), Cole Caufield (University of Wisconsin /NTDP 2017-19), David Farrance (Boston University / NTDP 2015-17), Logan Hutsko (Boston College / NTDP 2015-16), Spencer Knight (Boston College / NTDP 2017-19 and Cam York (University of Michigan / NTDP 2017-19) were all named to the list of nominees. 

B1G SWEEP: Former NTDP players swept the Big Ten Three Stars of The Week Awards this week. Cole Caufield (NTDP 2017-19) earned the first star after posting three goals and a pair of assists last week to help the No. 5-ranked Wisconsin Badgers sweep Ohio State. Notre Dame goaltender Dylan St. Cyr (NTDP 2014-16) earned the second star after he pitched back-to-back shutouts at Michigan State last weekend. The former NTDPer stopped all 56 shots faced on the weekend to leave the series with an active shutout streak of 125:27. Forward Matthew Beniers  (NTDP 2018-20) rounded out the sweep  with the third star. The Michigan standout recorded his first career NCAA hat trick to lead the Wolverines to a 1-0-1 mark against Arizona State last weekend. 

BIOSTEEL ALL-AMERICAN GAME: The BioSteel All-American Game features the top American-born prospects eligible for the upcoming NHL Draft. The annual event, which began in 2012, has seen 188 players that have gone on to be drafted, including 44 first round picks. The ninth-annual game will be played at USA Hockey Arena on Wednesday, April 7 at 8:00 p.m. ET and broadcast live on NHL Network. More information, including ticket information and rosters, will be announced at a later date.

U18 MEN'S WORLDS: The 2021 IIHF Under-18 Men's World Championship is scheduled to take place in Frisco and Plano, Texas from April 26-May 26, 2021.

The primary venue for the tournament will be Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas. It will host Group B for preliminary round play, which includes the U.S., Russia, Czech Republic, Finland and Germany. Comerica Center will also host two quarterfinal games, both semifinal contests, along with the bronze and gold-medal games.