If the dog days of summer have beaten you down, it’s time to snap out of it.

First, for those of us on the East Coast at least, the last few days have brought relief from the sweltering weather that has produced temperatures in the high 90s with humidity to match since June. Drier, cooler air has provided us with daytime temps in the low 80s and nights in the 60s, giving us a brief glimpse of the fall weather that is right around the corner.

And we all know what cooler weather also means.

That’s right, it’s hockey season in the United States!

As of Thursday, any sanctioned youth hockey games played in United States from this point forward can be entered into the MYHockey Rankings system and will count toward a team’s 2024-25 ranking. That means the opening weekend of the season is upon us, and with that comes the first big tournament of year.

This weekend, the Mid-Atlantic Showcase Series is holding its first event of the year. The Mid-Atlantic Showcase Series Summer Showcase features more than 80 USA boys teams, nearly 1,500 players and better than 160 games. Games will be played at Hatfield Ice Arena in Colmar, Pa., and Oaks Center Ice in Phoenixville, Pa., starting at 8 a.m. Friday and running through Sunday afternoon.

Tier 2 “AA” and “A” teams from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Virginia, Ohio, Maryland, North Carolina and Delaware will compete at the 10U, 12U, 14U, 16U and 18U levels. Each team is guaranteed four games, with quarterfinals taking place late Saturday and the semifinals and championship games being held Sunday.

There are 20 teams competing at the 18U AA level, 6 teams in the 18U A Division, 22 competing 16U AA teams, 8 teams at the 16U A level, 8 competing 14U AA teams, 4 teams playing  in the 14U A Division, 4 teams at the 12U AA level, 4 competing 12U A teams and 4 teams playing in the 10U AA Division

History

The first Mid-Atlantic Summer was held in 2004, with four teams competing at the 16U AA level. Since then, it has grown every year and become one of the first and biggest Tier 2 events in the nation. Originally intended to provide competitive play for teams before they embarked on their seasons, the tournament now hosts many of the top Tier 2 programs from Ohio to the West, north to Buffalo, south through the Atlantic District and into the Southeast District. Over time, the event has hosted six National Champions and more 60 National Qualifiers.

The goal of the Mid-Atlantic Summer Showcase is to drop the puck on the hockey season with a fun, safe, competitively balanced, and organized tournament. A list of past champions can be found by CLICKING HERE.

The Field

This year’s Mid-Atlantic Showcase Series 18U AA Division includes three teams – the Reston Raiders, Team Philadelphia and New Jersey Colonials – that advanced to USA Hockey Nationals last April. Reston and Team Philadelphia competed in the same pool at Nationals, with the Raiders earning a 5-2 victory in their matchup. Reston finished the year ranked eighth in the country, while the Colonials were 22^nd and Team Philadelphia was 45^th. Reston went undefeated in pool play at Nationals before falling in the quarterfinals. Team Ohio, which concluded the 2023-24 season ranked 20^th, also has a team competing at the Summer Showcase in the 18U AA Division.

The 16U AA Division also includes three clubs that sent teams to Nationals following the 2023-24 campaign. Reston finished the season ranked third, with Team Philadelphia ranking 27^th and the Carolina Jr. Canes finishing at No. 75. Reston posted a 3-2-0 record at Nationals and advanced to the semifinals. Perennial Mid-Am and national-power Team Ohio, which finished last season ranked 29^th, also is participating in the Summer Showcase.

All Mid-Atlantic Summer Showcase games can be viewed live and on-demand via LiveBarn.