U15 Nationals Preview
The U15 Only USA Hockey National Championships are set to get underway on April 1, 2025, showcasing some of the best young talent in the nation. Here is a comprehensive preview, including a team-by-team breakdown, records, players to watch, and our round robin predictions.
Division Breakdown
Liberty Division
#4 Chicago Reapers
Record: 55-11-2
Path to Nationals – At-Large Bid
Players to Watch: Tyler Cooper (Forward), Caleb Deanovich (Defense), Lucas Johnson (Goalie)
Round Robin Prediction: 1st in Division
The Reapers come into the tournament going 2-0-1 in the Central District tournament with their only loss coming in a shootout against the St. Louis AAA Blues. They are a well-coached team that plays a team game in all three zones. Not a flashy group, we expect them to play with a chip on their shoulders and edge out the Blues for the division.
Biggest Question – They sometimes lack secondary scoring – we know they can keep the puck out of the net with their defensive scheme, will they score enough to overcome the high scoring teams in their division?
#5 St. Louis AAA Blues
Record: 44-8-1
Path to Nationals – Central District Champion
Players to Watch: Charlie Barnes (Forward), Liam Power (Forward), Luke Karcher (Defense)
Round Robin Prediction: 2nd in Division
The Blues went 3-0 in the Central District tournament earning them an auto-bid to the championship. They can play any style of game, which makes them a tough opponent in a short tournament. They have balanced scoring and play with skill, speed, and toughness. We expect the division to come down to the last day in the round robin with them falling just short against the Reapers.
Biggest Question –They have shown they can win close games with either goalie and by playing solid team defense. Will this hold up against the top teams in the country to make them a contender in the tournament?
#12 Cleveland Barons
Record: 44-22-1
Path to Nationals – Mid-Am District Champion
Players to Watch: Oliver Ozogany (Forward), Samuel Pisarcik (Forward), Stanislav Sanejstr (Defense)
Round Robin Prediction: 3rd in Division
The Barons shocked a lot of people by upsetting the favorite Pens Elite in the Mid-Am Final by a score of 7-6 in overtime. They rely heavily on their offense led by Oliver Ozogany, who is tendered in the USHL by the Tri-City Storm. This team loves to score goals and will challenge their opponents’ defensive structure and goaltending.
Biggest Question – Commitment to defense – we know they can score with the best teams but if they have trouble putting the puck in the net, will they play enough team defense to win a low scoring game?
#13 Florida Alliance (South)
Record: 40-14-1
Path to Nationals – Southeast District Champion
Players to Watch: Logan Anderson (Forward), Philip Veneziano (Defense), Cole Brindley (Goalie)
Round Robin Prediction: 4th in Division
Florida steamrolled through the Southeast District with a winning margin of almost 5 goals per game. They play a heavy game with speed off the rush and physicality all over the ice. They are a hard-working team but are limited by the roster depth. They will compete and give their opponents all they can handle but we ultimately see them in last place in this division.
Biggest Question – They only dress 16 skaters so will they be durable given their style of play? Can they impose their will and presence on the other teams in the division? Brindley will have to be sensational in net for them to advance.
NHL Division
#6 Chicago Mission
Record: 44-20-2
Path to Nationals – At-Large Bid
Players to Watch: Oliver McKinney (Forward), Alexander Milojevic (Forward), Gavin Burcar (Forward)
Round Robin Prediction: 1st in Division
The Mission are one of the best teams in the country and will come into the tournament with something to prove after having a disappointing Central District showing. They play up an up-tempo style and have a good mix of size, skill, and speed. Their D core is one of the biggest in the nation and makes you earn every inch in their zone.
Biggest Question – Which Mission team will we see in the tournament? They sometimes lack consistency from game to game and in a short tournament this could be their undoing. We still see them winning this division over Detroit Little Caesars.
Game Report - U15 Chicago Mission vs Mid Fairfield Rangers
Game Report - U15 Mid Fairfield (6) vs Chicago Mission (3)
#13 Okanagan Hockey
Record: 28-18-0
Path to Nationals – Rocky Mountain Champion
Players to Watch: Axel Gleasman (Forward), Colten Lien (Forward), Jasper Spears (Defense)
Round Robin Prediction: 2nd in Division
Okanagan earned their way into the tournament with a 2-1 OT win against the Dallas Stars Elite. This is a team that has shown that they can compete with the top teams in the country with close losses against the Mission and the Reapers earlier this year. They combine size and goal-scoring and are defensively sound. There are not a lot of holes in their team game.
Biggest Question – Can they get over the hump against the top teams? They have been close with some one-goal losses and their challenge this week will be to elevate their game to the next level. We expect them to do so by upsetting Little Caesars to earn 2nd place in the division.
#3 Detroit Little Caesars
Record: 67-5-2
Path to Nationals – Michigan District Champion
Players to Watch: Landon Jackman (Forward), Brock Burch (Forward), Anthony Timmerman (Defense)
Round Robin Prediction: 3rd in Division
Little Caesars enter this tournament after a semi-final appearance in the OHL Cup. They have the scoring depth to compete with anyone in this championship. Each line can be the #1 line in a game, which makes them dangerous. They also get added and timely offense from their back end.
Biggest Question – Will they run out of gas? They have played a lot of hockey this year and they just finished playing 6 games in 4 days in Toronto and have played the most games of any team in the tournament this year (74).
#11 Anaheim Jr Ducks
Record: 50-11-3
Path to Nationals – Pacific District Champion
Players to Watch: Trevin Vargo (Forward), Nikolas Ferry (Defense), Evan Enck (Goalie)
Round Robin Prediction: 4th in Division
Anaheim may be the most underrated team coming into this week. They outscore their opponents on average 3-to-1 and have only given up 105 goals in 64 games this season. Coach Kim coaches a well-disciplined style of hockey and you will not see these Jr Ducks lose their structure. Goals will be hard to come by in any game in which they are involved.
Biggest Question – Will the defense and goaltending hold up against the high-powered offensive teams in their division? We believe each game will be a 1 or 2 goal game, but they will not score enough to overcome the constant offensive attack from their divisional opponents.
Olympic Division
#2 Jr Mounties
Record: 48-5-2
Path to Nationals – At-Large Bid
Players to Watch: Rocco Pelosi (Forward), Brayden Willis (Forward), Christian Semetsis (Defense)
Round Robin Prediction: 1st in Division
The defending national champion Jr Mounties have a sour taste in their collective mouths and that could pose problems for their opponents in the tournament. After losing to their rival Mid-Fairfield in the New England District Final, the Jr Mounties are on a mission to repeat as champions. They are deep at every position and are dynamic offensively. They are a must-watch as they play with energy and creativity all over the ice. They can send wave after wave on the attack and defend in front of arguably the best goaltending tandem in the country with Nate Chizik and Quinn Beumer.
Biggest Question – How bad do they want it? It is hard to repeat, and they will have a bullseye on their backs. We have seen them rise to the occasion on multiple instances this season and expect this to be no different.
#7 Boston Jr Eagles
Record: 26-6-1
Path to Nationals – Massachusetts District Champion
Players to Watch: Carter Meyer (Forward), Finnegan Sears (Forward), Sam Pandolfo (Forward)
Round Robin Prediction: 2nd in Division
The Jr Eagles may boast the best forward line in the tournament. They are electric and are big game producers. Justin Lee is more than capable in net and they have excellent puck movers in their defensive corps. They have all the components to make a long run this week.
Biggest Question – Are they battle tested? They have played the least number of games of any team in the tournament (33) due to the split season schedule with the New England Prep Leagues. We believe they will advance but their inexperience against tougher opponents may determine how deep they go in the playoff rounds.
#10 Long Island Gulls
Record: 42-21-3
Path to Nationals – New York District Champion
Players to Watch: Boomer Demers (Forward), Ryland Rooney (Forward), Jacoby Palmer (Defense)
Round Robin Prediction: 3rd in Division
The Gulls are a sneaky team as they enter the tournament after a dominating performance in the NY State Tournament. Their top line creates on almost every shift and they have a top notch work ethic as a group. We would not be shocked if they had an upset in the round robin and found a way to advance in this group.
Biggest Question – Do they have the firepower to match the Jr Mounties and the Jr Eagles? Those teams can score in bunches and it will be difficult for the Gulls to keep up. If they can play solid team defense and find timely goals, they will give themselves a chance.
#15 North Jersey Avalanche
Record: 31-23-2
Path to Nationals – Atlantic District Champion
Players to Watch: Patrik Ula (Forward), Ben Zwillinger (Forward), James Bronson (Goalie)
Round Robin Prediction: 4th in Division
The Avalanche play a puck possession game and are opportunistic offensively. They had enough balance in their game to come out of the Atlantic District and held their opponents to limited scoring chances. They will need timely scoring and a commitment to defense along with above average goaltending to advance.
Biggest Question – Can they keep the puck away from their opponents long enough to keep games close and find a way to win? They are a balanced team and if their goalie gets hot, they can go on a run.
USA Division
#1 Shattuck St. Mary’s
Record: 47-9-0
Path to Nationals – Minnesota District Champion
Players to Watch: Bradan Horton (Forward), Max Dessner (Forward), Drew Roscoe (Defense)
Round Robin Prediction: 1st in Division
Shattuck just keeps on rolling. They have the most balanced lineup, and they are coached as such. They roll all four lines and all three defensive pairings. They have an excellent goaltending tandem and are arguably the most consistent team in the country.
Biggest Question – Will they be complacent or will they have an unfinished business mentality after their championship loss last year? We do not foresee a letdown, and we see them being at minimum in the final four once again this year.
#9 Mid-Fairfield Hockey Club
Record: 36-22-2
Path to Nationals – New England District Champion
Players to Watch: Ryan Kaczynski (Forward), Brayden Sisco (Forward), Jake Boguniecki (Defense)
Round Robin Prediction: 2nd in Division
Mid-Fairfield is coming off the high of their season defeating the Jr Mounties in the district final 3-2 in OT. This team can score with the best of them but they leave something to be desired defensively. We believe it comes down to them and the Pens Elite for 2nd place in the division with Mid-Fairfield holding the edge.
Biggest Question – Will they compete in their own zone? They take a lot of shifts off in their own zone and this will hurt them at this level of competition. We see them dropping a game against Shattuck in the opener but rebounding to win the next two in order to advance.
#8 Pittsburgh Pens Elite
Record: 34-23-5
Path to Nationals – At-Large Bid
Players to Watch: Mark Pape (Forward), Nolan Snyder (Forward), Aiden Mowrey (Defense)
Round Robin Prediction: 3rd in Division
Little Caesars enter the tournament after a semi-final appearance in the OHL Cup. They have the scoring depth to compete with anyone in this championship. Anyone one of their lines can be the #1 line in a game, which makes them dangerous. They also get added and timely offense from their back end. We see them advancing as the 2nd place finisher in this division.
Biggest Question – Goaltending? They have been inconsistent all year and have not always played well in the big games. The Pens will need one of their guys to steal a game if they hope to advance.
#16 Sioux Falls Power
Record: 28-28-0
Path to Nationals – Northern Plains District Champion
Players to Watch: Tyler Potter (Forward), Aiden Sitarz (Forward), Alexander Woller (Goalie)
Round Robin Prediction: 4th in Division
The Power are the lowest ranked team (36) to earn a bid in the tournament after winning their district. They are also the only team with a negative goal differential. This will be an uphill battle for this group.
Biggest Question – Will they provide us with an unexpected upset? They do play a sound team game and have played a good schedule in the Tier 1 Elite League. They will make a game or two interesting but we do not see them overcoming their depth issues against the teams in their division.
