It’s a quiet week in Plymouth, Michigan, as the U.S. National Under-18 Team hits the road for a pair of college opponents and the U17s have a bye week to prepare for their second international tournament.
COLLEGE BOUND: The U18s play at Princeton University on Saturday before playing at Neumann University on Sunday.
“We are making progress,” U18 coach Danton Cole said. “We are working on different things, and as we become more proficient we add more stuff. We want to work on things until they become automatic for our players. When we play the game the right way, we do a good job. We need to continue to work hard and stick with what is working.”
The U18s swept a two-game series against Sioux City over the weekend, posting a 5-2 win on Friday and a 7-4 victory on Saturday.
On Friday, Zach Walker (Boise, Idaho) paced the offense with two goals while Luke Martin (St. Louis, Mo.), Kieffer Bellows (Edina, Minn.) and Joey Anderson (Roseville, Minn.) recorded single tallies. Goalie Jake Oettinger (Lakeville, Minn.) finished with 32 stops.
Anderson scored twice on Saturday while Oettinger finished with 35 saves. Trent Frederic (St. Louis, Mo.), Ryan Lindgren (Minneapolis, Minn.), Clayton Keller (Swansea, Ill.), Martin and Bellows also scored.
“It was good to see this weekend,” Cole said. “One thing we stress and talk about is dealing with adversity. We were short five guys both nights, and then we lost two guys within the first few minutes on Saturday night. I thought the guys did a great job, battled hard and we won two games.”
PREP FOR FOUR NATIONS: The U17s enjoy a bye week before heading to Slovakia to begin the Four Nations Tournament on Dec. 13.
“It will be good for our players to get a full week of practice and time in the weight room before we head to Slovakia,” U17 coach Don Granato said. “We will continue to work on all aspects of our game. This is going to be important as we continue to prepare for the upcoming Four Nations.”
The U17s dropped their last two games, falling 3-2 to Bloomington on Thursday and 9-5 at Muskegon on Saturday.
Against Bloomington, Scott Reedy (Prior Lake, Minn.) and Jacob Tortora (Victor, N.Y.) scored while goalie Dylan St. Cyr (Northville, Mich.) kicked out 40 shots. Tortora, Tommy Miller (West Bloomfield, Mich.), Joey Cassetti (Pleasanton, Calif.), Grant Mismash (Edina, Minn.) and Josh Norris (Oxford, Mich.) had goals against Muskegon. Adam Scheel (Lakewood, Ohio) and St. Cyr combined for 30 saves.
Upcoming Games
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Notebook
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Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane (Buffalo, N.Y./2004-06) was selected as the NHL First Star of the Month for November. Kane led the NHL with 15 assists and 23 points, registering at least one point in all 13 November games.
With an assist Sunday, Kane recorded a point in his 22nd straight game, a Blackhawks’ record. Kane broke the old record of 21 games set by Bobby Hull in 1971-72. During the streak, Kane has 13 goals and 23 assists. Click here for the video of Kane’s assist that broke the record. -
Boston College freshman forward Colin White (Hanover, Mass./2013-15) was named the Hockey Commissioners’ Association National Rookie of the Month for November. White scored five goals and added 12 assists during the month and his 17 points and 2.43 points per game led all NCAA players. In addition, White was named the Hockey East Rookie of the Month for November, while his teammate Thatcher Demko (San Diego, Calif./2012-13) earned Goaltender of the Month honors.
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The U18s, who have won six straight games, carry a 20-4-1 (W-L-T) record into this week’s action.
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Clayton Keller (16-34) continues to lead the U18s with 50 points, while Kieffer Bellows (20-16) is second with 36 points. Adam Fox (Jericho, N.Y./3-21) sits third with 24 points. Joey Anderson (10-10) is fourth with 20 points. Rounding out the top six are Trent Frederic (10-7) and Chad Krys (Ridgefield, Conn./1-16) with 17 points each.
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Jake Oettinger and Joseph Woll (St. Louis, Mo.) split time in net for the U18s. Oettinger is 12-3 with a 2.33 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage. Woll is 8-1-1 with a 1.74 GAA and a .931 save percentage.
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The U17s carry an 8-11-4 (W-L-OTL) overall mark into the bye week.
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Scott Reedy (10-14) paces the U17s with 24 points. Evan Barratt (Bristol, Pa./7-12) is second with 19 points, while Josh Norris (8-9) ranks third with 17 points. Grant Mismash (Edina, Minn./7-8) is fourth with 15 points. Brady Tkachuk (St. Louis, Mo./5-8) and Quinn Hughes (Orlando, Fla./2-11) round out the top six with 13 points each.
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In goal for the U17s, Dylan St. Cyr and Adam Scheel split time. St. Cyr is 4-8-2 with a 3.53 GAA and an 88.6 save percentage. Scheel is 4-3-2 with a 4.41 GAA and an 89.3 save percentage.
NTDP in the News
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Find out more about Dylan Larkin’s and Jack Eichel’s mutual admiration for each other.
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Eichel and Larkin faced off against each other in the NHL for the first time last week.
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Learn more about Eichel’s and Larkin’s friendship, which stems from their NTDP days.
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More on Patrick Kane’s point streak record.
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Go behind the numbers of Kane’s point streak.
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Catch up with former NTDP defenseman David Warsofsky (North Marshfield, Mass./2007-09), who now plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
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Discover how Warsofsky is an old hand at power play.
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Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.