SHORTY SEASON: The Under-18 Team has notched shorthanded markers in three of its last four games, running its record to 5-1-0 on the season when tallying a man-down marker. 

Brady Berard (East Greenwich, R.I.) gave Team USA a 2-0 lead against Boston University with a shorthanded goal off a beautiful set-up from Frank Nazar III (Mount Clemens, Mich.). While killing the penalty in the defensive zone, Nazar kicked the puck into the offensive zone, raced to the bench to grab a new stick and ran a 2-on-1 before sliding a pass to Berard for his third score of the 2021-22 season.

In the third period, Cutter Gauthier (Scottsdale, Ariz.) deflected a Terriers pass, was first to the loose puck and raced in behind the defense for a second shorthanded marker to put Team USA up 3-2 en route to an eventual 4-3 win for the U18s. 

PILING UP POINTS: Under-18 defenseman Lane Hutson (North Barrington, Ill.) scored against Merrimack College Sunday afternoon for his fourth marker of the year.

Over his past nine games, Hutson has racked up 13 points (3g-10a) to lead all USA blueliners with 22 total points (4g-18a) on the season. The Boston University commit had a seven-game point streak snapped against his future Terriers team, but has recorded at least a point in 10 of his past 12 games.

HOWARD HEATER: Under-18 forward Isaac Howard (Hudson, Wis.) has been on an absolute tear as he has racked up 22 points (8g-14a) over the team's past dozen games.

The 5-foot-10 forward leads the U18s with 33 total points, 22 assists and 77 recorded shots on goal on the campaign. This comes off a 2020-21 season in which Howard led his class with 73 points (32g-41a) split between the U17 and U18 teams. 

WORLD JUNIOR CAMP: Forward Logan Cooley and goaltender Dylan Silverstein (Calabasas, Calif.) earned invites to Team USA's World Junior Camp, which started Sunday at USA Hockey Arena.

The camp, which includes 31 players overall and six members of the gold-medal winning 2021 U.S. National Junior Team, will be used to decide the final 25-man roster that will represent the U.S. at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta from December 26, 2021 - January 5, 2022. 

Cooley has been the U18s most productive skater and has already posted 30 points (14g-16a) in 20 games, good for a team-high 1.50 points-per-game. He has also pitched in a pair of shorthanded goals and owns experience representing Team USA in international competition as he was a part of the Under-18 Men's National Team last April in Texas.

Silverstein has a 7-3-0 record in 12 games of action for the U18s to pair with a 2.85 goals-against and .911 save percentage. With a 4-0 win over Wisconsinon December 2, Silverstein became the first NTDP goaltender to shut out two Big Ten schools in the same season, after opening the college slate with a 3-0 win over Michigan State.