Weekend Wrap Oct. 17-19: Recaps of Tradition NIT, CCM Motown, Senators U18 AAA Showcase & NAPrepHL Toronto Showcase
Weekend No. 8 of the 2025-26 youth hockey season was a big one for North American Girls Tier 1 hockey as the 2025 Tradition NIT in Minnesota, run by the Midwest High School Elite League, got underway with exhibition games Oct. 16 and concluded Sunday, Oct. 19, at the National Sports Center and Fogerty Arena in Blaine.
The Tradition NIT is the largest 16U/19U Girls Tier I hockey tournament in North America; this year’s event featured more than 100 teams from all over the continent.
With so many top Tier 1 USA and Canada Girls teams in action at the NIT, our other featured tournaments were for the boys.
CCM Motown for ages 9U through 18U offered Tier 1 and Tier 2 competition for American and Canadian teams. There were nearly 250 teams competing in the 12U-18U divisions from Oct. 17-19 in the Detroit area. Those are the age groups we focus on for our coverage.
In Ottawa, the Senators welcomed 40 Canadian and American teams for the 20th annual Ottawa Senators U18 AAA Showcase. Play got underway Friday, Oct. 17, and ran through Oct. 19 at three Sensplex facilities in the Ottawa area.
Meanwhile, the North American Prep Hockey League held its first showcase of the 2025-26 season In Ontario at Brampton’s CAA Centre and Etobicoke’s Westwood Arena.
This year, the NAPrepHL will hold six showcases and two tournaments between October and April. The season culminates with the league’s national championship tournament in Ottawa. The initial showcase featured a Girls Division as well as competition at the U18, U16 and U14 age levels for boys, with 45 teams from all over Canada participating.
Play got underway at the Tradition NIT, annually one of the premier Tier 1 Girls hockey showcases in North America, with exhibition games Thursday in Blaine, Minn. This year’s NIT featured more than 100 top Tier 1 Girls 19U and 16U teams from the United States and Canada spread across nine divisions. Each team played four games during the weekend, with scouts from more than 50 NCAA programs in attendance.
The tournament is the final event on the calendar for the Minnesota Girls High School Elite League season, which began in September. The league includes teams from Minnesota, Illinois, North Dakota and Wisconsin, and those teams get to conclude their seasons by competing against top North American teams they normally wouldn’t face before turning their attention to their upcoming prep and high school campaigns.
Games were played at the National Sports Center’s Super Rink and Fogerty Arena
CLICK HERE for the Tradition NIT game schedule
CLICK HERE for Tradition NIT scores, stats and standings
CLICK HERE for Tradition NIT streaming information
Tradition NIT 16U
The NIT 16U group was broken down into three divisions and included a total of 45 teams. The 16U Blue Division was stacked with eight of the top 10 Girls USA Tier 1 teams, according to the Week 4 MHR rankings, and 10 of the 12 teams were ranked among the top 12.
Perennial national-championship contenders such as Shattuck-St. Mary’s, Bishop Kearney Selects, Chicago Mission, Lovell Academy, Minnesota Elite, Philadelphia Jr. Flyers and Little Caesars were in the 16U Blue Division. Lovell Academy currently is ranked No 1, and Minnesota Elite Silver is second.
16U Black Division Top Teams
Fox Motors - (3-0-1; 11GF, 3GA)
Team Colorado - (3-1-0; 10GF, 7GA)
Dallas Stars Elite - (2-1-1; 8GF, 3GA)
Biggby Coffee - (2-1-1; 9GF, 4GA)
New Jersey Colonials - (2-1-1; 5GF, 6GA)
Sno King Jr. Thunderbirds - (2-1-1; 11GF, 7GA)
16U Blue Division Top Teams
#6 Boston Americans - (3-0-1; 10GF, 4GA)
#1 Lovell Academy - (3-0-1; 14GF, 5GA)
#12 Little Caesars - (2-1-1; 8GF, 6GA)
#2 Minnesota Elite Silver - (2-1-1; 13GF, 5GA)
#7 Chicago Mission - (2-2-0; 7GF, 9GA)
#11 CT Polar Bears - (2-1-1; 5GF, 4GA)
#8 Shattuck-St. Mary’s - (2-2-0; 5GF, 6GA)
16U Red Division Top Teams
Minnesota Elite Blue - (4-0-0; 16GF, 1GA)
Minnesota Elite White - (4-0-0; 14GF, 3GA)
IHC Winchendon - (3-1-0; 9GF, 9GA)
Madison Capitols - (2-1-1; 7GF, 6GA)
Team North Dakota (2-1-1; 10GF, 9GA)
16U White Division Top Teams
Minnesota Elite Gold (5-0-0; 27GF, 1GA)
Minnesota Elite Sky (5-0-0; 30GF, 4GA)
Windy City Storm (3-1-0; 7GF, 7GA)
Milwaukee Jr. Admirals (2-1-1; 6GF, 5GA)
San Jose Jr. Sharks (2-1-1; 7GF, 8GA)
Lovell Academy Elite (2-1-1; 10GF, 8GA)
Minnesota Elite League players dominated the scoring leaders in the 16U Division, with the top eight scorers all playing for Minnesota teams. Kennedy Hochbaum of Minnesota Elite Gold led all scorers with 6-3-9, followed by her teammate Alaina Post with 3-5-8. Five players recorded 7 points.
Tradition NIT 19U
This year’s 18U group featured more than 60 Tier 1 Girls teams from the United States and Canada competing in four divisions. The 19U Blue Division included the top four USA Girls teams, according to the MHR Week 4 rankings, in Shattuck-St. Mary’s, Minnesota Elite Vegas, Chicago Mission and Bishop Kearney Selects. Seven of the USA’s top 10 were represented, and 10 of the 12 teams were ranked among the top 17. Calgary Edge school also was part of the 19U Blue group.
Some of Canada’s top U18 teams such as the No. 4 Calgary Fire, No. 5 Saskatoon Stars, No. 15 Red Deer Chiefs, , No. 21 Eastman Selects, No. 27 Winnipeg Ice and No. 28 Winnipeg Avros also participated at the 19U level.
19U Black Division Top Teams
Eastman Selects (4-0-0; 15GF, 0GA)
Minnesota Elite Navy (4-1-0; 25GF, 9GA)
New Jersey Colonials (3-1-0; 7GF, 7GA)
Milwaukee Jr. Admirals (2-1-1; 7GF, 4GA)
San Jose Jr. Sharks (2-1-0; 6GF, 12GA)
19U Blue Division Top Teams
#2 Minnesota Elite Vegas - Tradition (3-0-2; 20GF, 9GA)
#10 NAHA White (2-0-2; 13GF, 8GA)
#17 CT Polar Bears (2-1-1; 6GF, 6GA)
#6 Mid-Fairfield Stars (2-2-0; 10GF, 6GA)
Edge School Mountaineers (2-1-1; 12GF, 9GA)
#4 Bishop Kearney Selects (2-2-0; 11GF, 11GA)
#1 Shattuck-St. Mary’s (2-2-0; 12GF, 8GA)
#7 Assabet Valley (2-2-0; 11GF, 10GA)
19U Red Division Top Teams
OHA Edmonton (4-0-1; 23GF, 3GA)
Lovell Academy (4-0-0; 16GF, 7GA)
Belle Tire (2-1-1; 8GF, 6GA)
Red Deer Chiefs (2-1-1; 12GF, 7GA)
Balmoral Hall (2-1-1; 12GF, 9GA)
Saskatoon Stars (2-2-0; 8GF, 7GA)
19U Vegas Division Top Teams
Anaheim Lady Ducks (3-1-0; 15GF, 6GA)
HoneyBaked (3-1-0; 14GF, 7GA)
Interlake Lightning (2-1-1; 5GF, 6GA)
19U White Division Top Teams
Minnesota Elite Black - Royalty (4-0-1; 14GF, 4GA)
South Alberta Hockey Academy (3-1-0; 5GF, 2GA)
Shattuck-St. Mary’s 19U (3-1-0; 6GF, 3GA)
Madison Capitols (2-1-1; 4GF, 1GA)
Culver Academies (2-0-2; 10GF, 4GA)
More than 300 USA and Canada Boys Tier 1 and 2 teams competed at all age levels from 9U through 18U in the CCM Motown event from Oct. 17-19 in Michigan. Nearly 250 of the participating teams were in the 12U, 13O, 14U, 15O, 16U and 18U age groups, which is where we usually focus our attention.
The tournament offered round-robin pool play followed by quarterfinals, semifinals and championship games in most divisions. Games were played at 19 different Michigan facilities.
CLICK HERE for access to CCM Motown schedules, scores and standings
CCM Motown 18U Division
The CCM Motown 18U group consisted of 28 teams placed in two pools. In the predominantly Tier 2 18U Jetspeed Division, six of the 22 teams were ranked among the MHR Week 4 USA Tier 2 top 18, with three of those landing in the top 10: the No. 3 Columbus Chill, No. 7 Armstrong Arrows and No. 10 Pittsburgh Vengeance.
The Queen City Royals won the 18U Tacks championship. After going 2-0-1 in round-robin play, the Royals beat New Tier Green, 2-1, and the Pittsburgh Stars, 5-1, to capture the championship. Compuware went 3-0-0 in pool play but fell to the Stars, 4-3, in the semifinals.
In the 18U Jetspeed Division, the No. 17 Toledo Jr. Mobsters rolled to six straight wins, capturing the championship with a 5-3 victory over the third-ranked Columbus Chill. Toledo beat the No. 13 St. Louis Sting, 6-3, in the semifinals.
CCM Motown 16U Division
There were 26 total 16U teams competing in two divisions. The eight-team Tacks Division featured the seventh-ranked Tier 1 Oakland Jr. Grizzlies as well as the Windsor Jr. Spitfires and Markham Majors from Ontario.
Five USA top 25 Tier 2 teams were in the 16U Jetspeed Division, including the fourth-ranked St. Louis Sting and seventh-ranked Columbus Chill. The Clarence Mustangs and Allegheny Badgers also were ranked among the nation’s top 14.
The Oakland Jr. Grizzles won all six games they played to capture the 16U Tacks championship. They capped the tournament with a 5-2 championship-game victory against Little Caesars after beating Windsor, 6-0, in the semifinals.
In the 16U Jetspeed Division, the No. 7 Columbus Chill went 2-0-1 in pool play before beating Clarence, the No. 4 Sting and the Mid-State Mustangs in the playoff round to earn the championship.
CCM Motown 15O Division
At the 15O level, a total of 26 teams participated at CCM Motown, with 12 of those entered in the Tier 1 Tacks Division. That group included three teams ranked among the top 36 in the U.S. along with Ontario’s No. 27 U16 AAA Ottawa Valley Titans and the Vaughan Rangers, the province’s top-ranked AA team.
Victory Honda opened the weekend with a 1-1 tie vs. Ontario’s Ottawa Valley Titans before recording four straight victories to advance to the15O Tacks championship game. Ottawa Valley won the rubber match, 5-3, to capture the title after knocking off the Vaughan Rangers, 6-0, in the semifinals.
CCM Motown 14U Division
The 14U group was divided into three divisions, with 52 total teams competing. There were 12 teams in the Tier 1 14U Tacks Division, with six of them ranking among the USA’s top 60, according to the latest MHR rankings. Included among those six were the No. 15 Oakland Jr. Grizzlies, No. 30 Indiana Elite and No. 35 Belle Tire. The Tier 2 Jetspeed Division included the fifth-ranked Chicago Jets, No. 8 Dallas Penguins, No. 9 Nashville Warriors and No. 20 Chicago Blues.
After going 2-0-1 in pool play, Victory Honda beat the Pittsburgh Predators, 4-2, the Oakland Jr. Grizzlies, 1-0, and HoneyBaked, 5-0, to win the 14U Tacks Division Championship.
The Pittsburgh Aviators won all six games they played in Michigan, going 3-0-0 in pool play and capping off their weekend by defeating the St. Clair Shores Saints, 3-2, in the Jetspeed championship game.
CCM Motown 13O & 12U Divisions
There were 56 13O teams at CCM Motown. They were divided into three divisions, similar to the 48 teams playing at the 12U level.
The 18-team 12U Tier 1 Tacks Division featured seven USA top 40 teams along with Ontario’s 12th-ranked U13 Grey Bruce Highlanders, No. 37 Windsor Jr. Spitfires, No. 41 North York Rangers and No. 44 Sun County Panthers. The top American teams were No. 18 HoneyBaked, No. 26 Ohio Blue Jackets, No. 29 Boulder Hockey Club and No. 32 Fox Motors.
The Chicago Mission, Fox Motors and Grey Bruce Highlanders each went 3-0-0 in the preliminary round of the 12U Tacks Division, but none of them would skate away with the championship hardware. Instead, HoneyBaked won three playoff games after going 2-1-0 in pool play to earn the title. HoneyBaked beat Boulder City Hockey Club, 6-0, the Mission, 6-4, and the Ohio Blue Jackets, 3-2, to capture the crown.
Ottawa Senators U18 AAA Showcase
The 20th annual Ottawa Senators U18 AAA Showcase got underway Friday, Oct. 27, with a total of 40 USA Tier 1 and Canadian AAA teams competing. Teams traveled to Ottawa from as far away as the Maritimes in Eastern Canada and Pennsylvania in the United States.
The 40 participating teams were divided into 10 four-team pools for round-robin play, with round-of-16 playoff games and quarterfinals scheduled for Saturday followed by semifinals and finals on Sunday. Canadian Prep teams also competed along with the AAA teams and the Tier 1 Wilkes Barre-Scranton Jr. Knights from the U.S.
All games were played at three SensPlex facilities in the Ottawa and can be viewed live or on-demand via LiveBarn.
Eight of Ontario’s top 10 teams, according to the MHR Week 4 Boys AAA rankings, competed at the Senators Showcase. They were joined by No. 17 Canada Independent Prep team Kuper Academy from Quebec, No. 32 Fort Erie Academy, No. 25 Bourget College (Quebec) and No. 30 Everest Prep as well as Eastern Canada AAA clubs such as the Halifax McDonald’s, East Coast Blizzard, St. John Vito’s, Dartmouth Majors, Pinnacle Growlers and Tri-Pen Osprey. The Gatineau Intrepid, a traditional Quebec AAA powerhouse, also were in the field.
Senators Showcase Top Participating Ontario AAA Teams
#1 North Bay Trappers (3-1-0, second place Group I)
#2 Soo Jr. Greyhounds (0-1-3, third place Group G)
#3 Waterloo Wolves (6-1-0, first place Group C)
#4 Ajax Pickering Raiders (4-1-0, first place Group E)
#6 Ottawa Jr. 67s (2-2-0, third place Group E)
#7 North Shore Whitecaps (1-3-0, third place Group F)
#8 Ottawa Myers Automotive (3-1-1, first place Group F)
#9 Toronto Titans (4-2-0, first place Group B)
#16 Markham Waxers (4-1-0, first place Group J)
#19 Vaughan Kings (3-1-0, first place Group I)
#28 Central Ontario Wolves (3-1-0, first place Group D)
Top Non-Ontario & Prep Teams
Everest Prep Academy (2-1-1 first place Group A)
Dartmouth Majors (2-1-1, first place Group C)
Halifax McDonalds (6-1-0, first place Group H)
Halifax took on Waterloo Oct. 19 in the championship game, with the Wolves prevailing by a 4-1 margin. Zack Forwell scored twice for Waterloo, with Sawyer Smith and Logan Young each tallying once and goalie Finn Pettapiece earning the victory between the pipes.
CLICK HERE for the Senators U18 AAA Showcase full schedule with results
CLICK HERE for Senators U18 AAA Showcase standings
NAPrepHL Toronto Showcase
The first of six North American Prep Hockey League showcases to be held during the league’s 2025-26 season took place from Oct. 17-19 in the Toronto area. This initial event featured a Girls Division as well as competition at the U18, U16 and U14 age levels, with 45 teams from all over Canada participating.
The NAPrepHL is an Independent Hockey League that that was established with the goal of providing prep hockey programs with a high level of competition along with exposure to Canadian and USA junior organizations as well as CIS and NCAA hockey programs.
All games can be viewed live and on-demand via LiveBarn.
CLICK HERE for all Toronto Showcase rosters
CLICK HERE for the complete Toronto Showcase schedule with results
CLICK HERE for Toronto Showcase standings
CLICK HERE for Toronto Showcase statistics
NAPrepHL Top Varsity/18U Teams
Epic Academy (4-0-0; 20GF, 1GA)
Le Sommet Faucons (4-0-0; 23GF, 8GA)
Oxford Sabres (3-0-1; 17GF, 7GA)
Delta Prep (3-1-0; 16GF, 10GA)
Montreal Knights (2-1-1; 15GF, 8GA)
Universel Gatineau (2-1-1; 14GF, 14GA)
NAPrepHL Top 16U Teams – CCM Division
Epic Academy (4-0-0, 15GF, 2GA)
Oxford Sabres (4-0-0, 21GF, 7GA)
Montreal Knights (3-0-1; 14GF, 8GA)
VC Academy (2-1-1; 12GF, 7GA)
Simcoe County Academy (2-1-1; 11GF, 12GA)
NAPrepHL Top 16U Teams – Bauer Division
Royal City Kings (3-1-0; 13GF, 7GA)
Oxford Warlords (2-0-2; 22GF, 15GA)
London Cobras (2-1-1; 20GF, 13GA)
NAPrepHL Top 14U Teams – CCM Division
NCHA Academy (4-0-0; 22GF, 5GA)
Niagara Jr. Knights (3-1-0; 22GF, 13GA)
Rocky Mountain Moose (2-2-0; 11GF, 11GA)
NAPrepHL Top 14U Teams – Bauer Division
Chill Hockey (4-0-0; 17GF, 1GA)
Grand River Raiders (3-1-0; 19GF, 10GA)
Hamilton Ironmen (2-2-0; 21GF, 18GA)
Royal Barons (2-2-0; 12GF, 11GA)
NAPrepHL Top Girls Teams – CCM Division
L’indigo Granby (3-1-0; 15G, 5GA)
St. Martin’s (2-0-0; 8GF, 6GA)
Victus Academy (1-0-1; 7GF, 2GA)
Universel Gatineau (1-2-1; 10GF, 13GA)
Kingston Wranglers (1-2-1; 6GF, 11GA)
