Bauer World Invite Bantam U14
This year the Bauer World Invite attracted four of the YHH Top 10 and the top three Bantam teams from Minnesota (Minnetonka, Edina, and Blaine). There is a field of 32 teams from all over the US and Canada, four teams evenly weighted in eight different pools.
We will choose the pool winners and a few darkhorses. We will take a stab at who will win as well.
Projected Winners:
Pool A: Blaine - #3 in MN, three top end scorers and two great goalies.
Pool B: Compuware - #10 in YHH Staff Rankings, might be best team in HPHL
Pool C: CO Thunderbirds - #2 in YHH Staff Rankings, loaded team
Pool D: Minnetonka - #1 in MN, as an elite of a team we've seen in MN in five years.
Pool E: Belle Tire - #7 in My Hockey Rankings, beat #9 Little Caesars and tied #3 Mission.
Pool F: Chicago Young Americans - #13 in My Hockey Rankings
Pool G: Chicago Mission - #3 ranked team in US, have gone 6-1-3 in last 10 games.
Pool H: Edina - #2 team in MN, perennial power every year - very deep team that can move the puck.
Darkhorses: Team Wisconsin, Belle Tire, Team Illinois, St. Louis Jr. Blues and PAL Jr. Islanders.
Predictions
Tonka's Josh Luedtke scores for the Skippers in the Centennial Preview
Quarterfinal Winners:
CO Thunderbirds > Blaine
Chicago Mission > Belle Tire
Minnetonka > Compuware
Edina > CYA
Semifinal Winners:
Minnetonka > Edina
Colorado > Chicago Mission
Championship: Colorado > Minnetonka
Storylines: The loser of the #6 Team Illinois vs. #2 CO Thunderbirds game will face Minnesota #1 Minnetonka in the Sweet 16, which means only one of the top 10 teams in the field will make the final eight Sunday morning.
Players to Watch
Brady Berlin from the Thunderbirds this Fall against the Mission
Several great players for the YHH lens to see this weekend - some are familiar faces but wearing new jerseys, some we will see for the first time and others we've seen since Squirts.
Killian Kiecker-Olson is a Minnesota born player who laces his skates up for the Colorado Thunderbirds, the tourney favorite. Alex Turcotte from CYA is a special player that we have heard raves about - we will see him for the first time Friday.
Finally, we will get a chance to see the top Minnesota Bantam teams compete with the top Tier 1 teams in the US. Players like Bobby Brink and Jack Bayless from Minnetonka and Bryce Brodzinski and Will Hillman from Blaine will tee it up and represent their communities against the all stars from Chicago, Detroit and other far off lands.
Here are a look at just a few top players in the event this weekend:
Jack Bayless scored last March to help lead Minnetonka to state title over Edina
Here are a look at just a few top players in the event this weekend:
- Jack Bayless, Minnetonka - fast as lightning, will have over 100 points this year for Skippers.
- Brady Berlin, Colorado Thunderbirds - great hands, very rugged power forward - can score in bunches
- Bobby Brink, Minnetonka - great skill and hockey IQ, unbelievable scoring acumen
- Ryan Brow, Belle Tire - big stay at home defenseman - very physical presence
- Cole Caufield, Team Wisconsin - great quickness, shifty and with great vision and hockey sense.
- Cole Danielson, Team Wisconsin - great hockey body, with major upside - this kid could be really good someday.
- Joe Daninger, Blaine - great balance, one of the top two Bantam Goalies in Minnesota
- Aeden Drossos, Chicago Mission - great skater, very athletic - dad played football at Purdue
- Justin Jacoby, St. Louis Jr. Blues - slick skating forward who has great hands - will light it up when given space
Killian Kiecker-Olson will line up for tourney favorite Colorado Thunderbirds
- Killian Kiecker-Olson, Colorado Thunderbirds - power forward, hard to knock off puck who has a great scoring touch.
- Michael Mancinelli, Compuware - workhouse, will carry the load a
- Ryan Robinson, Team Illinois - Power forward with size, great on the forecheck
- Lucas Sandoval, Colorado Thunderbirds - high end goal scorer, has twin brother Dominic
- Camden Thiesing, Team Illinois - two way player, smart - played for '00 TPH last year
- Alex Turcotte, CYA - big fast, hard shot strong feet
- Alex Vlasic, Chicago Mission - NHL prospect with great puck skills
- Mike Vorlicky, Edina
- Hunter Weiss, Chicago Mission - big defenseman with great speed
- Jack Williams, St. Louis Jr. Blues - goalie
On top of these players, we are certain dozens more will shine and make a name for themselves. We can't wait for the puck to drop.
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