GETTIN' JIGGY WITH IT: U17 forward Will Smith (Lexington, Mass.) had a producitve week in the team's pair of games against the Soo Eagles, including a four-goal performance in Thursday's (Oct. 21) 9-1 victory.

His four-goal game was the NTDP's first since Chaz Lucius recorded five tallies on September 29, 2019 against MSP Magazine and the most against a junior team since Cole Caufield scored a program-record six goals against the Green Bay Gamblers in 2019 to set the NTDP's all-time goals scored record.

Smith's strong run brings his season point total to 13 (6g-7a) through the U17s' first dozen games, where he sits second on the team in scoring. 

The future Northeastern Husky forward will enter the first international break in Vaasa, Finland, with points in four of his last five games for the U17s. 

FINEAPPLE: Forward Ryan Fine (Center Moriches, N.Y.) celebrated National Apple Day with a barrage of assists up in the Soo.

Fine posted four helpers in Wednesday's win before following up with a goal and three assists in the second game of the back-to-back set. 

The pair of games pushed Fine's season-long point total to nine, which places him tied for fourth on the U17s in 10 games played. All of Fine's points have come in the last four games for the Under-17 Team.

SPREAD THE WEALTH: Throughout the U17s' 11-2 win over the Soo Eagles last Wednesday (Oct. 21) night, the team saw nine different skaters light the lamp. Austin Burnevik (Blaine, Minn.) recorded the team's first goal of the game, followed by first-period markers from Oliver Moore (Mounds View, Minn.) and Will Vote (Arlington, Mass.). 

Four different skaters scored in the middle frame - defenseman Zach Schulz (South Lyon, Mich.) and forwards Alex Weiermair (Los Angeles, Calif.), Ryan Leonard (Amherst, Mass.) and Will Smith (Lexington, Mass.). 

Gabe Perreault (Hinsdale, Ill.) and Kai Janviriya (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) capped the U17s' scoring, the defenseman's a shorthanded tally. 

The 11 total goals was the most for any NTDP team in a single game since September 20, 2019, when the U18s topped the Muskegon Lumberjacks in USHL preseason action.

SHORTY SEASON: U18 forward Logan Cooley (Pittsburgh, Pa.) scored the team's first shorthanded goal of the season when he went bar-down with a quick wrister in the team's game against Mercyhurst University on Sunday afternoon. 

Cooley has a knack for scoring while a man down as he had a trio of shorthanded tallies last season as a U17. The Notre Dame commit has been on an absolute tear as he has scored all seven of his goals on the season in the past six games. His six-game goal streak is the third longest streak in NTDP history, after Cole Caufield had stretches of seven (4/13-4/27/19) and eight (10/22-11/11/18) straight games with a goal.

Cooley's seven goals, 12 points and 1.33 points-per-game all lead the Under-18 Team this season. 

WEEKLY HONORS: Multiple NTDP alums popped up in this week's conference honors. 

Michigan State goaltender Drew DeRidder (NTDP 2017-18/MSU) was named the Big Ten's Second Star of the Week after he made a season-high 37 saves to help the Spartans tie UMass-Lowell on Friday night in Massachusetts.

Forward Red Savage (NTDP 2019-21/Miami University) was named the NCHC's rookie of the week after the Detroit Red Wings draft pick collected a trio of assists and went 13-24 in the faceoff circle in the Redhawks pair of games.

And defenseman Ty Gallagher (NTDP 2019-21/Boston University) was named Hockey East Rookie of the Week after he picked up a career-high three assists in the Terriers' win over Merrimack.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: NTDP alum Auston Matthews (NTDP 2013-15/Toronto Maple Leafs) scored his 200th career goal in Monday night's game agains the Carolina Hurricanes.

With the score in his 338th NHL game played, Matthews became the fastest American in history to 200 career NHL goals. 

He was the fastest of any NHL player since Alex Ovechkin did it in 296 games back in 2009 and also the second-fastest to 200 goals in Maple Leafs history, behind only Charlie Conacher, who did it in 317 games.

Matthews is now tied with Conacher for 13th on Toronto's all-time goal list at only 24 years of age.

NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING: Twenty players from the Under-18 Team were named to NHL Scouting's Preliminary Players to Watch list, released last week.

The five A-ranked skaters, indicating a possible first-round selection in the upcoming 2022 NHL Draft, were defenseman Ryan Chesley (Mahtomedi, Minn.) and forwards Logan Cooley (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Cutter Gauthier (Scottsdale, Ariz.), Isaac Howard (Hudson, Wis.) and Frank Nazar III (Mount Clemens, Mich.). In addition, NTDP alum Jack Hughes (2019-21 / Northeastern University), a first-year draft eligible NCAA player, was listed as an A-ranked player.

The NTDP followed with six B-rated players, thought of as possible second or third round selections and nine current players were found under the "C" listing, which marks a possible third, fourth or fifth round choice in the draft.