Best Uniforms
Omaha Jr. Mavericks (reds) 

Typically, making a tried-and-true color combination feel fresh and new is an endeavor best left to the designer-y types like Tom Ford, Vera Wang, or Mugatu. 

However, the individual (or group) that conceptualized the Omaha Jr. Mavericks red road uniforms could probably teach the clueless folks in the pages of Vanity Fair and GQ a thing or three about color and texture. 

Take the white in the Jr. Mavericks’ sweaters, for instance. At first glance, it’s white. Big deal. But look a little closer. The white is a slightly softer “shade” of white, allowing the red and the black to pop without turning into a D.A.R.E. poster.

Best Warmups
Minneapolis 

When team managers begin selecting a squad’s warmup outfit, they will generally peruse the catalogs of standbys Bauer, CCM, or whatever brand won’t cause parental uproar based on the cost of a jacket and pants that will be virtually useless after six months. 

The Minneapolis Peewee A’s went a different route, choosing a snap-button top more in line with Patagonia than pucks. The result is a soft-as-warm-ice shearling with a chest pocket, perfect for holding the crinkled $10 bills players always seem to need to break for smaller bills.

While the Graham Arena lobby was certainly packed with a sea of Tackla nylon jackets and windpants, Minneapolis stood out its bold choice. 

Best Cousins
Mahtomedi's Dylan and Landon Sampair 

There’s an (almost) endless line of Sampairs rolling through the Mahtomedi program, and the latest members of the brood have found a place on the Zephyrs’ Peewee AA team. 

Dylan and Landon (not to be confused with Landon and Dylan) are two dynamic pieces of a dynamic team. They’re members of a squad built on explosive plays and masters of a power-play system that better resembles speed chess than an overload or an umbrella. 

The chemistry between them (I mean, duh, they share literal DNA) is also evident off the ice, as the pair of Sampairs joined Tony Scott for a postgame interview. That video is attached below. 

Enjoy. 

Best 12-Hour Span

A 16-game Saturday is old hat for the Youth Hockey Hub staff. 

Did I just use “old hat” to describe something? Maybe I’m more worn out than I thought. 

Anyway, 16 games on a Saturday is a small number compared to the juggernaut events such as the Danglefest or Squirtacular, where a single Saturday will be filled with literally quadruple the volume of games. 

On Founders Cup Saturday, out of the 16 games played, nearly a quarter made it to extra innings. Three contests were decided in shootouts, while five total games were decided by a single goal. 

In a twelve-hour span, West Madison edged Rochester Black 4-3 in a shootout, Waseca escaped Elk River 3-2, Minneapolis topped Buffalo 1-0, Champlin Park knocked off Mankato 3-2, and the Arizona Jr. Coyotes put the cherry on top, slipping past Rochester Black 4-3 in a day-defining shootout. 

I am officially exhausted just typing out that set of games.