SMITHEN FOR DOUBLE DIGITS: With points in both U18 games last weekend, forward Will Smith (Lexington, Mass.) became the first U18 skater to record a point in the first 10 games of the year since the NTDP moved to USA Hockey Arena to begin the 2015-16 season. Smith passed Dylan Duke (Strongsville, Ohio / NTDP 2019-21), who had recorded at least a point in his first nine contests to begin the 2020-21 campaign.

Smith posted a trio of assists in the win against St. Thomas Friday evening before netting the U18s' first goal of the game Saturday at Bethel.

The Boston College commit's three-point performance was his fourth on the season and fifth multi-point effort through 10 games played. Smith's 13 assists and 19 total points lead the Under-18 Team, while his two game-winning goals ties him atop the team leaderboard.

ALWAYS REMEMBER YOUR FIRST: A trio of forwards from the Under-17 Team recorded their first USHL goals and first score in a USA uniform this past weekend.

Charlie Pardue (Winnetka, Ill.) tallied his first near the end of the opening period Friday night, a one-timer from the slot to bring the U17s within a pair against Chicago.

On Saturday, Austin Baker (White Lake, Mich.) kicked off the game's scoring with his first NTDP marker as he followed up a Cole Eiserman (Newburyport, Mass.) shot and potted the rebound for an early 1-0 lead.

Midway through the third period, Brodie Ziemer (Hutchinson, Minn.) ripped a one-timer from the slot off a pretty set-up from a Kamil Bednarik (Elmhurst, Ill.) pass through three Chicago defenders for his first score in the red, white and blue.

As a team, 14 players have tallied at least a goal for the Under-17 squad this year, while all but two skaters have hit the scoreboard in some fashion.

D OF THE WEEK: Under-17 defenseman Cole Hutson (Barrington, Ill.) was named the USHL Defenseman of the Week, marking the second time in the first four weeks of the season that the NTDP was represented, after Will Skahan (Woodbury, MInn.) took home honors in Week 2.

Hutson and the NTDP split the weekend against the Chicago Steel, picking up the U17s' first home win in USHL action this season. The Saturday night 5-4 win was spurred largely by a three-assist (0-3-3) performance from Hutson as the Boston University commit picked up the primary assist on a power play score early in the second, and an even strength helper in each of the second and third periods. The Barrington, Ill. native opened the weekend with an assist in Friday night’s matchup with Chicago. That assist marked Hutson’s first point of his USHL career and he's now skated at a point-per-game pace with eight points (1g-7a) in eight games this season.

2022 U18 FIVE NATIONS: USA Hockey Arena is proud to host the 2022 U18 Five Nations Tournament, taking place from November 8-12, 2022, in Plymouth, Michigan.

The best hockey players under the age of 18 from the United States, Czechia, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland will all compete in a round-robin style schedule, facing off against all other teams throughout the week.

All tickets for the Five Nations will be sold as day passes - one ticket provides entry to both games on a given day. Tickets for all five days of the tournament are on sale now and fans can purchase by visiting the USA Hockey Arena box office in person or by calling 734-453-8400