For the weekend of Dec. 5-8, we focused on events featuring some of the top North American Boys and Girls Tier 1 and AAA programs that were held in Canada, New York and Minnesota.

Our first stop was Ontario, where the host Waterloo Ravens are welcomed many of North America’s top Girls teams for the annual USA Canada Cup. A total of 78 teams competed in the tournament, which included a 16U/U18 division and a 19U/U22 division.

In Rochester, N.Y., the United States Hockey League hosted 42 USA and Ontario Boys Tier 1 and AAA teams between the ages of 14 and 18 for its fourth annual American Cup tournament. The weekend also featured a pair of USHL regular-season games between the Green Bay Gamblers and Des Moines Buccaneers.

And finally, we turned our attention to Duluth, Minn., for the 47^th annual Spirit of Duluth Hockey Tournament. There were seven of the top 10 Minn-Kota Bantam AA teams, according to the Week 11 MHR Rankings, and nine of the top 10 Minn-Kota Peewee AA teams, competing in Duluth this year. More than 150 players who have participated in the Spirit of Duluth Tournament have gone on to play NCAA Division I hockey.

 

USA Canada Cup

The USA Canada Cup is a prestigious, invitation-only annual tournament run by the Waterloo Girls Hockey Association. This year games began the morning of Dec. 6 and rand through the afternoon of Dec. 8.

Venues hosting the tournament included Albert McCormick Community Center, Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Complex, RIM Park and Sportsworld Arenas. All but the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Complex have LiveBarn feeds, so games played there should be available for on-demand viewing for another month or so.

 

2024 USA Canada Cup Complete Schedule

2024 USA Canada Cup Pools

2024 USA Canada Cup Tournament Rules

2024 USA Canada Cup Standings

 

USA Canada Cup 16U/U18 Division

The 16U/U18 Division offered a tremendous field that included 14 of Canada’s top 40 U18 teams and five top 40 16U teams from the United States, according to the Week 11 MHR Rankings. Eight Canadian top 30 teams participated along with four teams from the U.S. top 35.

The field was broken down into four 10-team pools. Round-robin play concluded Saturday night, with the top-seeded teams from each pool advancing to Sunday’s playoff round. In addition, similar-seeded teams from different pools played in consolation crossover games on the final day.

 

Pool A Top Participating Team Pool Play Records (Canada or USA Week 11 rankings)

#6 Greater Vancouver Comets (2-1-1)

#11 Oakville Hornets (0-2-2)

#33 Outouais Intrepide (2-2-0)

#36 Mississauga Jr. Hurricanes (4-0-0)

#37 HoneyBaked (0-4-0)

#45 Kingston Ice Wolves (2-1-1)

 

Pool B Top Participating Teams Pool Play Records

#10 North York Storm (2-1-1)

#22 Bluewater Hawks (0-1-3)

#24 Belle Tire (1-3-0)

#26 Toronto Leaside Wildcats (2-1-1)

#34 Stoney Creek Sabres (3-1-0)

#38 Thunder Bay Queens (0-3-1)

#42 Kitchener Lady Rangers (3-1-0)

 

Pool C Top Participating Teams Pool Play Records

#7 Bishop Kearney Selects (2-1-1)

#15 Durham West Lightning (3-0-1)

#31 North Halton Twisters (2-2-0)

#32 Ottawa Lady Senators (1-2-1)

#37 London Devilettes (1-3-0)

#46 Waterloo Ravens (2-2-0)

 

Pool D Top Participating Teams Pool Play Records

#7 Stratford Aces (4-0-0)

#12 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite (2-1-1)

#14 OHA Mavericks (3-1-0)

#25 Barrie Sharks (4-0-0)

#35 Windy City Storm (1-2-1)

#37 Central York Panthers (2-1-1)

 

Dec. 8 Bronze Medal Game

Durham West Lightning 2, Stoney Creek Sabres 0

 

Dec. 8 Gold Medal Game

Mississauga Hurricanes 2, Stratford Aces 0

 

16U/U18 Rosters & Stats

 

 

USA Canada Cup 19U/U22 Division

The 19U/U22 Division was even deeper than the 16U/U18 field, with 21 of the top 30 U22 teams from Canada and seven of the top 30 19U U.S. teams competing, according to the Week 11 MHR Rankings. There were eight teams ranked among Canada’s top 10 participating and four top 20 teams from the United States.

The field was broken down into four pools of either nine or 10 teams in each. Round-robin play concluded Saturday night, with the top-seeded teams from each pool advancing to Sunday’s playoff round. In addition, similar-seeded teams from different pools played in consolation crossover games on the final day.

 

Pool A Top Participating Teams Pool Play Records (Canada or USA Week 11 rankings)

#2 Bishop Kearney Selects (2-2-0)

#2 Rink Hockey Academy Kelowna (2-2-0)

#3 Stoney Creek Sabres (2-2-0)

#14 Burlington Barracudas (2-1-1)

#16 Nepean Wildcats (3-0-1)

#20 Okanagan Hockey Academy (0-4-0)

#30 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite (0-4-0)

#34 Toronto Aeros (3-1-0)

 

Pool B Top Participating Teams Pool Play Records

#1 Etobicoke Dolphins (4-0-0)

#7 Stanstead College (2-2-0)

#11 Northwood School (1-2-1)

#12 Barrie Sharks (3-1-0)

#18 Kingston Ice Wolves (3-1-0)

#20 Washington Pride (0-4-0)

#21 North York Storm (2-1-1)

#31 Brampton Canadettes (2-2-0)

 

Pool C Top Participating Teams Pool Play Records

#9 Whitby Wolves (4-0-0)

#10 Central York Panthers (4-0-0)

#11 Delta Hockey Academy Green (1-3-0)

#13 Belle Tire (1-2-1)

#22 Toronto Leaside Wildcats (1-3-0)

#22 Nichols School (0-4-0)

#25 Oakville Hornets (4-0-0)

#27 East Ottawa Stars (1-2-1)

#36 Rink Hockey Academy Winnipeg (2-2-0)

 

Pool D Top Participating Teams Pool Play Records

#4 Mississauga Jr. Hurricanes (4-0-0)

#8 Ottawa Lady Senators(4-0-0)

#19 Windy City Storm (1-3-0)

#19 OHA Mavericks (3-1-0)

#21 Gilmour Lancers (0-4-0)

#23 Waterloo Ravens (3-0-1)

#29 Ottawa Lady 67s (1-3-0)

#32 Cambridge Rivulettes (2-1-1)

#34 Balmoral Hall (2-2-0)


19U/U22 Rosters & Stats

 

 

USHL American Cup

The United States Hockey League (USHL) hosted its fourth annual American Cup event from Dec. 5-8 in Rochester, N.Y. Games began on Thursday, Dec. 5 and were played at the Tim Hortons Iceplex, Rochester Ice Center and Canandaigua Civic Center. The tournament concluded Sunday, Dec. 8.

All three rinks that hosted tournament games have LiveBarn feeds.

This year’s American Cup featured a total of 42 Tier 1 and AAA Boys teams from the United States and Canada competing at the 14U, 15O, 16U and 18U levels. In addition to the youth tournament, a pair of regular-season United States Hockey League games between the Green Bay Gamblers and Des Moines Buccaneers were played. Every USHL team had a scouting representative at the youth tournament.
  

USHL American Cup Hub

 

USHL American Cup 14U Division

There were eight teams competing in the 14U Division of the American Cup. Four of those teams were ranked among top 16 in the United States, according to the Week 11 MHR Rankings, and one was an Ontario top 10 U15 team.

 

14U Participating Team Records (USA or Ontario rankings)

#7 Bishop Kearney Selects (5-0-0)

#7 Hill Academy (4-1-0)

#9 Buffalo Jr. Sabres (1-3-0)

#15 Chicago Reapers (2-2-0)

#16 Long Island Gulls (2-2-0)

#27 Seacoast Performance Academy (2-2-0)

#46 Wilkes Barre/Scranton Jr. Knights (1-3-0)

#80 Rochester Jr. Americans (0-4-0)

 

The BK Selects captured the 14U American Cup championship by sweeping through pool play en route to a perfect 5-0-0 record. They outscored their opponents, 28-12, and defeated Hill Academy, 6-3 in the championship game. Matthew Lynn scored twice in the title clash, with Jackson Conroy contributing a goal and 2 assists. Connor Marks and Ollie Method also scored, while Xavier LeBlanc made 20 saves. Jeremy Filips, Hunter VanderMeer and Gabriel Barakat scored for Hill, which posted a 4-1-0 record for the weekend and outscored its foes, 25-15. BK’s Matthew Lynn tied for the tournament scoring lead (10 points) with Liam Fournier of Seacoast Performance Academy.

 

USHL American Cup 15O Division

There were 14 teams competing in the 15O Division of the American Cup. Six of the participants were ranked among the top 15 in either the United States or Ontario. All but one of the teams was ranked among the top 40 in either the U.S. or Ontario.

 

15O Participating Team Records

#6 Vaughan Kings (1-3-0)

#11 Wilkes Barre/Scranton Jr. Knights (2-2-0)

#12 Seacoast Performance Academy (3-1-0)

#13 Long Island Gulls (2-1-0)

#14 Halton Hurricanes (4-1-0)

#15 Pittsburgh Predators (2-2-0)

#18 Bishop Kearney Selects (3-1-0)

#23 PAL Jr. Islanders (2-2-0)

#25 Tam Illinois (2-2-0)

#22 Yale Jr. Bulldogs (3-1-0)

#27 Buffalo Jr. Sabres (3-2-0)

#34 Philadelphia Jr. Flyers (0-4-0)

#37 Boston Hockey Academy (1-3-0)

#91 Rochester Jr. Americans (0-3-0)

The Halton Hurricanes dropped their opening game, 4-1, to Seacoast before responding with four straight wins to capture the tourney title. They defeated the Buffalo Jr. Sabres, 7-5, in a championship-game shootout that saw Alex Taylor tally 2 goals and 3 assists. Jacob Scarpelli, one of our November Peak Performers, also scored a goal along with Aleksandr Sementsov, Jace Katzin, Colton D’Amico and Mason Bartlett. Cole Vreugdenhil was the winning goalie. Grant Jokic and Louis Gugliuzza eacn recorded a goal and an assist for the Jr. Sabres. Sementsov lead all scorers in the division with 7 goals and 7 assists, while Taylor was second with 5-5-10.

 

USHL American Cup 16U Division

There were 12 teams competing in the 16U Division of the American Cup. Six of the participants were ranked among the top 20 in the United States, according to the Week 11 MHR Rankings, and all 12 could be found among the nation’s top 50.

 

16U Participating Team Records

#2 New Jersey Rockets (4-1-0)

#3 Seacoast Performance Academy (2-2-0)

#7 Long Island Gulls (5-0-0)

#11 Bishop Kearney Selects (1-3-0)

#17 Buffalo Jr. Sabres (2-2-0)

#19 Culver Academies (3-1-0)

#32 Boston Hockey Academy (1-3-0)

#35 PAL Jr. Islanders (2-2-0)

#33 Philadelphia Jr. Flyers (1-3-0)

#48 Rochester Coalition (2-2-0)

#50 Pittsburgh Vengeance (0-4-0)

Revo Ice Academy (2-2-0)

 

The Long Island Gulls allowed just four goals while scoring 20 in rolling to the 16U championship. They shut out one of their top rivals, the New Jersey Rockets, 1-0, in the title game, with Jordan Valcich recording a 21-save shutout. Dominic Mack scored the game’s lone goal, with Anthony Thomas-Maroon picking up the assist, in the third period. That was New Jersey’s lone loss of the weekend; the Rockets also only allowed four goals while scoring 17. New Jersey’s Benjamin Marcolini and Ryan Tserlin tied for the 16U scoring lead with 8 points apiece.

 

USHL American Cup 18U Division

There were eight teams competing in the 18U Division of the American Cup. Three of those teams were ranked among the top 10 in the United States, according to MHR’s Week 11 Rankings, and five of the eight were in the top 32.

 

18U Participating Team Records

#3 Long Island Gulls (3-1-0)

#5 Bishop Kearney Selects (3-2-0)

#8 New Jersey Rockets (4-1-0)

#17 Northwood School (2-2-0)

#32 Seacoast Performance Academy (2-2-0)

#55 Buffalo Jr. Sabres (0-4-0)

#56 Wilkes Barre/Scranton Jr. Knights (0-4-0)

#74 Boston Hockey Academy (3-1-0)

 

The Rockets dropped a preliminary-round game, 3-2, to the Long Island Gulls, but managed to play their way to the championship game by winning their other three games by a combined 24-7 margin. New Jersey continued that domination with a 6-0 victory against the Bishop Kearney Selects in the championship game. Daniel Hussa recorded a hat trick in that contest, with goalie Jack Scali earning the shutout win. Trey Dopson, Ryan George and Vincenzo Capano scored the other New Jersey goals. Capano led all 18U scorers with 6 goals and 5 assists as the Rockets produced the division’s top six scorers.

 

 

Spirit of Duluth Hockey Tournament

Many top Minn-Kota Boys Pee Wee and Bantam AA teams were in Duluth, Minn., the weekend of Dec. 6-8 for the 47^th annual Spirit of Duluth Tournament. The tournament was held at the Duluth Heritage Sports Center, Mars Lakeview Arena on the Duluth Marshall School campus, Fryberger Arena, the DECC Arena and SAHA Arena in Superior, Wisconsin. Any games played at Mars Lakeview Arena should be available for viewing via LiveBarn.

All teams in each division were guaranteed at least four games in pool play, and those that advanced beyond the round-robin stage played five.

 

Spirit of Duluth Complete Schedule, Scores, Standings & Stats

Spirit of Duluth Tournament History

Spirit of Duluth Past Winners

 

Spirit of Duluth Bantam AA Division

The Bantam AA Division featured 16 teams divided into four pools of four. Seven teams were ranked among the Minn-Kota top 10, according to Week 11 MHR Rankings.

 

Pool A Team Records

#4 White Bear Lake Bears (3-2-0)

#5 Osseo-Maple Grove (2-2-0)

#14 Hermantown Hawks (2-2-0)

#32 Elk River Elks (0-4-0)

 

Pool B Teams

#6 Edina Hornets (3-2-0)

#7 Rogers Royals (3-2-0)

#20 Wayzata Trojans (2-2-0)

#26 Centennial Cougars (1-3-0)

 

Pool C Teams

#3 Grand Forks Aviators (5-0-0)

#15 Stillwater Ponies (1-3-0)

#18 Blaine Bengals (2-2-0)

#22 Duluth East Greyhounds (2-2-0)

 

Pool D Teams

#2 Minnetonka Skippers (4-1-0)

#9 Woodbury Predators (3-1-1)

#13 Andover Huskies (1-2-1)

#33 West Fargo Stampede (0-4-0)

 

Grand Forks rolled to a perfect weekend to capture the Bantam AA championship, outscoring its opponents, 21-7, in the process. The Aviators capped the weekend with a 6-2 championship-game victory against Edina. Nolan Marto scored twice for the champs, with Noah McGauvran, Chace Kalka, Brody Lucier and Tyler Kunz adding a goal apiece. Alex Straus made 27 saves to earn the win in goal. Louie Zavoral and Dylan Donnay scored for Edina. Donnay led all Bantam AA scorers with 8 goals and 7 assists.

 

Spirit of Duluth Peewee AA Division

The Peewee AA Division features 16 teams divided into four pools of four. Nine teams currently ranked among the Minn-Kota top 10, according to the latest MHR Rankings, are participating, and every team in the field is ranked among the top 30.

 

Pool A Team Records

#4 Edina Hornets (3-1-1)

#9 Duluth East Greyhounds (2-2-0)

#24 Wayzata Trojans (0-1-3)

#29 West Fargo (0-3-1)

 

Pool B Teams

#3 Woodbury Predators (3-2-0)

#6 Moorhead Spuds (4-1-)

#12 Prior-Lake Savage Lakers (1-2-1)

#21 Centennial Cougars (1-3-0)

 

Pool C Teams

#1 Minnetonka Skippers (5-0-0)

# 7 Andover Huskies (2-2-0)

#10 Grand Forks Aviators (2-2-0)

#19 White Bear Lake Bears (1-3-0)

 

Pool D Teams

#2 Osseo-Maple Grove (4-1-0)

#8 East Grand Forks (3-2-0)

#17 Blaine Bengals (1-3-0)

#28 Eden Prairie Eagles (0-4-0)

 

Top-ranked Minnetonka had a dominant weekend, going 5-0-0 and outscoring its opponents, 35-10. One of the Skippers’ most-impressive efforts came in the championship game as they defeated No. 4 Edina, 9-2. Colton Nash lit it up in the finals, recording 5 goals and 1 assist, with Carter Crowley adding a goal and 3 helpers. Donovan Klin and Jordan Corona contributed three points apiece for the champs, while Thomas Struck earned the win in goal. Will Ferrara and Landon Sauer scored the Hornets’ goals. Nash and Jace Magner of East Grand Forks led all Peewee AA scorers with 22 points each.