KEEP EATING: U18 forward Sasha Pastujov (Bradenton, Fla.) has continued his stellar play as his point streak is up to an NTDP-record 20 consecutive games. During the stretch, the 6-foot tall skater has racked up 13 goals and 23 assists for 36 total points. Pastujov’s 1.71 points-per-game average in USHL play ranks fourth among all skaters in the league. The University of Notre Dame commit is an A-ranked skater ahead of the 2021 NHL Draft per NHL’s Central Scouting rankings. 

MBEREK-0: Goaltender Kaidan Mbereko (Aspen, Colo.) turned aside all 11 shots on net in Sunday’s 9-0 win over Youngstown to pick up his second shutout of the season. With the win, Mbereko ran his season-long record to 10-3-0-2 with a 2.90 goals against average and .882 save percentage. He also blanked the Utica College Pioneers with the U17 team back on February 12 in New York.

CHAZZLE DAZZLE: Since making his season debut on February 19, U18 forward Chaz Lucius (Grant, Minn.) has led the team in both goals scored and total points. Chaz has found the back of the net a whopping 10 times in just eight games, and has added five helpers for 15 total points during his short season of play. The future Minnesota Golden Gopher has two multi-goal efforts including a hat trick Tuesday evening in Muskegon. Lucius recorded four points (1g-3a) in Sunday’s win over Youngstown to win the USHL’s Forward of the Week honors for Week 20.

GONE STREAKING: Frank Nazar III (Mount Clemens, Mich.) has racked up 11 points  in five of his last six NTDP appearances, both with the U17 and U18 squads. Across the six-game stretch dating back to Feb. 21, Nazar has notched seven goals and four assists. The 5-9 forward has 22 goals and 45 points in 37 contests so far this season. 

TURNING PRO: NTDP alum James Sanchez (NTDP 2014-16/Arizona State University) signed his first professional contract with the American Hockey League's Hartford Wolf Pack after the completion of his collegiate career that saw him put up 52 points in 62 games for the Sun Devils.

Logan Hutsko (NTDP 2015-17/Boston College) signed his entry-level contract with the Florida Panthers after an injury ended his NCAA campaign with the Eagles. Hutsko was a 3rd round pick, 89th overall, by Florida in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.

HOBEY BAKER WATCH: Four former NTDP players were named to the top-10 list 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), and Spencer Knight (Boston College / NTDP 2017-19) were all named to the list of nominees. The winner will be announced on Friday, April 9, 2021. 

NCAA PLAYER  AWARDS: More than 20 different NTDP skaters earned conference awards this week. Notably, forward Cole Caufield and goaltender Spencer Knight picked up Player of the Year nods from the Big Ten Conference and Hockey  East Association, respectively, and forwards Thomas Bordeleau (University of Michigan/ NTDP 2018-20) and Ty Smilanic (Quinnipiac University/ NTDP 2018-20) both won Rookie of the Year awards. In addition, twenty-one players landed on All-Conference teams. 

HEAD COACH GRANATO: Former NTDP coach Don Granato was named interim head coach of the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday. Before being named head coach, Granato, who coached at the NTDP from 2011 to 2016, served as an assistant coach with the Sabres for both the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. 

Granato is the fourth former NTDP coach to serve as head coach for an NHL club, joining current New York Rangers head coach David Quinn (NTDP 2002-04), Nashville Predators head coach John Hynes (NTDP 2003-09), and former Sabres head coach Ron Rolston (NTDP 2004-11) in earning the distinction.

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.