Weekend Wrap: Stoney Creek's Third Showcase, the USHL Fall Classic & Central Plains Caps Showcase
Photo: Stoney Creek Girls Hcokey Association & TSMMedia.ca
As we prepare for our first MYHockey Rankings release of the 2025-26 season, it’s hard to believe that it’s already been six weeks since the first game scores of the year could be counted toward team rankings. In a little more than 24 hours, though, teams will get to see the fruits of their early season labor.
The sixth weekend of the 2025-26 Youth Hockey season brought the final installment of the Stoney Creek Girls Hockey Association’s September trilogy of showcases in Ontario along with one of the most-anticipated USA Boys Tier 1 events of the fall in Pittsburgh. In addition, we got our first glimpse of some of the top U18 Girls teams in Western Canada.
After hosting U18 and University showcases the previous two weekends, the Stoney Creek Sabres welcomed 64 more of the continent’s top Tier 1 Girls programs for its U15 AA Showcase Sept. 19-21. The event included 14U Tier 1 Girls teams from the United States, U15 Ontario AA and Quebec AA teams and U15 AAA teams from Western Canada.
Meanwhile, in conjunction with the start of its Tier 1 junior season, the United States Hockey League (USHL) hosted its annual USHL Fall Classic youth tournament in Pittsburgh. More than 90 top 14U, 15O, 16U and 18U USA Tier 1 Boys teams competed there from Sept. 18-22.
As part of the Fall Classic Weekend, the USHL season began Wednesday, Sept. 17, with a pair of games at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Center. The Dubuque Fighting Saints opened their 2025-26 campaign with a 10-2 drubbing of the Sioux City Musketeers as Colin Frank, Eetu Orpana and Teddy Merrill each netted a pair of goals.
The other contest was a tad more exciting, with the Muskegon Lumberjacks outlasting the Waterloo Black Hawks in a 4-3 shootout victory. The shootout lasted six rounds before Ethan Drabicki buried the game-winning goal. Muskegon’s Carter Sanderson scored twice for the winners.
Four more USHL games were played Sept. 18, and 10 more contests took place throughout the remainder of the weekend.
All USHL games are streamed on FloHockey.
Here is a look at the rest of the USHL results from the weekend:
Thursday, Sept. 18
Omaha Lancers 5, Green Bay Gamblers 4
Chicago Steel 5, Sioux Falls Stampede 1
Muskegon Lumberjacks 3, Sioux City Musketeers 2 (OT)
Dubuque Fighting Saints 5, Waterloo Black Hawks 2
Friday, Sept. 19
Cedar Rapids RoughRides 3, Des Moines Buccaneers 2
Sioux Falls Stampede 3, Green Bay Gamblers 2 (SO)
Youngstown Phantoms 5, Tri-City Storm 4
Chicago Steel 4, Omaha Lancers 1
Saturday, Sept. 20
Madison Capitols 3, Lincoln Stars 2
Fargo Force 1, USA NTDP 0 (OT)
Youngstown Phantoms 4, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders 3 (SO)
Des Moines Buccaneers 4, Tri-City Storm 1
Sunday, Sept. 21
Fargo Force 4, Madison Capitols 3
In addition to the USHL, the remaining Canadian Jr. Hockey League (CJHL) Jr. A member leagues that had yet to begin play dropped the puck on their seasons last weekend.
Play began in the Central Canadian Hockey League (CCHL), the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), the Manitoba Jr. Hockey League (MJHL), the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) and the Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL).
The CCHL opened play Sept. 17 with the Nepean Raiders defeating the Renfrew Wolves, 4-2. Meanwhile, the AJHL, SJHL, SIJHL and MJHL all started up Sept. 19.
The CJHL is comprised of nine leagues and nearly 120 teams spread out across Canada competing at the Jr. A level. The nine league champions along with a host team play for the national championship and the Centennial Cup in May.
Other CJHL leagues include the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL), Quebec AAA Junior Hockey League (LHJAAAQ), Maritime Junior Hockey League (MJHL) and Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL). Those leagues began their seasons earlier this month.
Also taking place Sept. 19-21 north of the border, but a little farther to the west, was the Central Plains Capitals Preseason Showcase, featuring most of the U18 teams from the Manitoba Female Hockey League. Eleven teams participated, including eight of nine MFHLU18AAA member clubs as well as the Weyburn Gold Wings and Prince Albert Northern Bears from Saskatchewan and the Pilot Mound Buffaloes (Manitoba) of the Canadian School Sport Hockey League (CSSHL).
Every September, the Stoney Creek Girls Hockey Association in Ontario hosts three high-end showcases that attract top Tier 1 Girls programs from all over Canada and the United States.
Sept. 5-7 the Stoney Creek U18 AA Showcase was held, while the weekend of Sept. 12-14 brought the University Showcase. The U15 AA Showcase was up next and took place Sept. 19-21.
That event included U15 AA Girls teams from Ontario and Quebec, U15 AAA Girls teams from Western Canada and Tier 1 Girls teams from the United Sates.
The 64 teams were divided into eight divisions of eight teams for pool play, with games starting Friday, Sept. 19, and running through Sunday, Sept. 21.
Games were played at Gateway Ice Arena, and Liuna! 4 Ice Centre. Both venues are serviced by LiveBarn, with Liuna! 4 Ice Center listed on the LiveBarn website as Mohawk 4 Ice Centre, so tournament games should be available for live and on-demand viewing.
Teams were seeded for the playoffs based on round-robin points, with the top four No. 1 seeds competing for the Gold championship, while pool-winning seeds 5-8 played for the Silver title
The second-place teams in each pool also were seeded 1-8, with Nos. 1-4 playing for the Bronze championship and Nos. 5-8 playing in the Brass playoff bracket. Remaining teams skated in consolation games Sunday.
CLICK HERE for the complete schedule and all game results
CLICK HERE for the showcase standings
CLICK HERE for the team rosters
Becker Division Top Teams
Traditionally strong programs such as the Nepean Wildcats, Team Illinois, Windy City Storm and Windsor Wildcats battled it out for supremacy in the Becker Division.
Nepean Wildcats (3-0-1; 24GF, 2GA)
Windsor Wildcats (3-1-0; 18GF, 7GA)
Team Illinois (3-1-0; 9GF, 4GA)
Windy City Storm (2-1-1; 14GF, 5GA)
Carter Division Top Teams
Some of the names readers might be familiar with in the Carter Division were the Burlington Barracudas, Clarington Flames, East Ottawa Stars and Etobicoke Dolphins.
Burlington Barracudas (4-0-0; 21GF, 3GA)
Etobicoke Dolphins (4-0-0; 18GF, 5GA)
East Ottawa Stars (3-1-0; 11GF, 6GA)
Clarington Flames (3-1-0; 13GF, 8GA)
Chuli Division Top Teams
Chuli Division headliners included Little Caesars, the Ottawa Senators, Kitchener Lady Rangers and Ancaster Avalanche.
Little Caesars (4-0-0; 17GF, 6GA)
Kitchener Lady Rangers (3-1-0; 11GF, 4GA)
Ancaster Avalanche (3-1-0; 14GF, 8GA)
Ottawa Senators (3-1-0; 8GF, 7GA)
Jenner Division Top Teams
The deep Jenner Division included usually strong teams representing the Barrie Sharks, Peterborough Ice Kats, Stoney Creek Sabres, Sudbury Lady Wolves, Connecticut Jr. Rangers and Philadelphia Jr. Flyers.
Philadelphia Jr. Flyers (4-0-0; 14GF, 2GA)
Sudbury Lady Wolves (3-1-0; 7GF, 7GA)
CT Jr. Rangers (2-1-1; 10GF, 6GA)
Barrie Sharks (2-1-1; 12GF, 12GA)
Nurse Division Top Teams
Traditional top teams battling it out in the Nurse Division included the Chicago Mission, Connecticut Polar Bears, London Devilettes, North York Storm, Markham-Stouffville Stars and Saugeen-Maitland Lightning.
Chicago Mission (4-0-0; 19GF, 2GA)
London Devilettes (3-1-0; 13GF, 7GA)
CT Polar Bears (3-1-0; 9GF, 4GA)
Saugeen-Maitland Lightning (1-2-1; 5GF, 12GA)
O’Neill Division
It didn’t get any easier in the O’Neill Division, with the likes of the Central York Panthers, Durham West Lightning, Lovell Academy, Ottawa Lady 67s and Toronto Leaside Wildcats all looking to make a run at the top seed.
Durham West Lightning (3-0-1; 12GF, 3GA)
Toronto Leaside Wildcats (3-1-0; 8GF, 4GA)
Central York Panthers (2-1-1; 9GF, 7GA)
Lovell Academy (2-2-0; 11GF, 8GA)
Upson Division
Upsets were hard to come by in the Upson Division with teams such as the Oakville Hornets, North Halton Twisters, Waterloo Ravens, St. Catharine Brok Jr. Badgers and South Valley Havoc in the mix.
Oakville Hornets (4-0-0; 24 GF, 1GA)
Waterloo Ravens (4-0-0; 25 GF, 2GA)
North Halton Twisters (3-1-0; 9GF, 5GA)
St. Catharines Brock Jr. Badgers (2-1-1; 8GF, 4GA)
Vespa Division
And finally in the Vespa Division, the Cambridge Roadrunners, Mississauga Jr. Hurricanes, Lac St Louis Warriors, Anaheim Lady Ducks, Dallas Stars Elite and Brampton Canadettes all made a push to challenge for berths in the playoff rounds.
Mississauga Jr. Hurricanes (4-0-0; 26GF, 0GA)
Dallas Stars Elite (3-1-0; 15GF, 1GA)
Brampton Canadettes (2-1-1; 15GF, 8GA)
Anaheim Lady Ducks (2-1-1; 7GF, 7GA)
Gold Championship Game
Mississauga Jr. Hurricanes 2, Oakville Hornets 0
Silver Championship Game
Durham West Lightning 1, Nepean Wildcats 0 (SO)
Bronze Championship Game
Waterloo Ravens 2, Dallas Stars Elite 1 (SO)
Brass Championship Game
Toronto Leaside Wildcats 3, Sudbury Lady Wolves 2
About 40 top clubs sent more than 90 14U, 15O, 16U and 18U USA Tier 1 Boys teams to participate in the USHL Fall Classic Sept. 18-22. The tournament was held in conjunction with the opening of the USHL season at a handful of rinks around the Pittsburgh metro area.
Fall Classic youth tournament games began Thursday, Sept. 18, and ran through Monday, Sept. 22. All of the host rinks are serviced by LiveBarn, so games should be available there for live and on-demand viewing.
CLICK HERE for the Fall Classic Program with team rosters
CLICK HERE for links to the Fall Classic schedule, results, stats & standings
CLICK HERE for the Fall Classic Hub
14U USHL Fall Classic Top Teams
Pittsburgh Penguins Elite (5-0-0; 33GF, 4GA)
Boston Jr. Eagles (4-1-0; 22GF, 19GA)
Team Minnesota Red (3-1-0; 23GF, 10GA)
Islanders Hockey Club (3-1-0; 20GF, 8GA)
Team Minnesota Blue (3-1-0; 14GF, 8GA)
Rocky Mountain RoughRiders (3-1-0; 20GF, 15GA)
Team Illinois (3-1-0; 20GF, 15GA)
14U Championship Game
Pittsburgh Penguins Elite 6, Boston Jr. Eagles 0
D’Angelo Fluhme scored twice, and Brooks Del Signore recorded a 21-save shutout to lead the hometowners to the 14U title.
15O USHL Fall Classic Top Teams
Little Caesars (5-0-0; 33GF, 7GA)
Fox Motors (4-1-0; 24GF, 7GA)
Buffalo Jr. Sabres (3-1-0; 16GF, 6GA)
Windy City Storm (3-1-0; 17GF, 12GA)
Madison Capitols (3-1-0; 15GF, 12GA)
Hill Academy (3-1-0; 13GF, 14GA)
Chicago Reapers (11GF, 9GA)
Pittsburgh Penguins Elite (3-1-0; 10GF, 9GA)
15O Championship Game
Little Caesars 5, Fox Motors 3
Five different LC players scored, with Griffin Carter contributing a goal and an assist, to lift his team to the 15O championship.
16U USHL Fall Classic Top Teams
North Jersey Avalanche (4-0-0; 23GF, 7GA)
Team Illinois (4-0-0; 19GF, 4GA)
Dallas Stars Elite (4-0-0; 13GF, 3GA)
Philadelphia Jr. Flyers (4-0-0; 16GF, 7GA)
Oakland Jr. Grizzlies (4-0-0; 21GF, 12GA)
Seacoast Performance Academy (3-1-0; 14GF, 7GA)
Boston Jr. Eagles (3-1-0; 18GF, 11GA)
HoneyBaked (3-1-0; 15GF, 12GA)
Okanagan Colorado (3-1-0; 24GF, 10GA)
South Kent School (3-1-0; 14GA, 11GA)
There was no championship game played in the 16U Division. Vincent Arnone of the Oakland Jr. Grizzlies led all 16U players at the showcase with 7 goals and 3 assists for 10 points, followed by Madison’s Eli Ehrhardt, North Jersey’s William Losauro and Okanagan’s Jordan Tran with 9 points apiece,
18U USHL Fall Classic Top Teams
South Kent School (4-0-0; 18GF, 5GA)
North Jersey Avalanche (3-1-0; 13GF, 5GA)
Islanders Hockey Club (3-1-0; 22GF, 8GA)
Team Illinois (3-1-0; 18GF, 8GA)
Pittsburgh Penguins Elite (3-1-0; 17GF, 9GA)
New Jersey Rockets (3-1-0; 17GF, 8GA)
Brookline Whalers (3-1-0; 13GA, 8GA)
There was no championship game played in the 18U Division. Volodymyr Naumenko of Team Illinois was the top 18U scorer with 4-4-8, while Luke Dubsky of the Windy City Storm, Channing Kao of Team Maryland, Sam Lenzy of Windy City, Keith Sun of Team Maryland and Lucian Taylor of Team Illinois notched 7 points apiece.
Central Plains Capitals U18 Preseason Showcase
The Central Plains Capitals of the Manitoba Female U18 AAA Hockey League (MFHLU18AAA) hosted 11 Western Canada Girls teams for a preseason Showcase Sept. 19-21. There were eight teams from the MFHL along with the Weyburn Gold Wings and Prince Albert Northern Bears from Saskatchewan and the CSSHL’s Pilot Mount Buffaloes.
Games were played at Portage Mutual Arena and Stride Credit Union Arena in Winnipeg. Contests played at Stride Arena can be viewed live and on-demand via GSHow Productions.
Central Plains Capitals Preseason Showcase Participating Teams
Westman Wildcats (4-0-0)
Winnipeg Avros (3-1-0)
Weyburn Gold Wings (3-1-0)
Eastman Selects (2-1-1)
Winnipeg Ice (2-1-1)
Prince Albert Northern Bears (2-2-0)
Yellowed Chiefs (1-2-1)
Pembina Valley Hawks (1-2-1)
Interlake Lightning (1-3-0)
Central Plains Capitals (0-3-1)
Pilot Mount Buffaloes (0-3-1)
