Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the host-site for this year's U16 national tournament, and the amount of high-quality players is enough to bend steel.

The talent in the four pools is off the charts, with several players having skated in the National Team Development Program's U17 tryouts recently, including Michael Gildon of the Dallas Stars Elite, Marshall Warren of the North Jersey Avalanche and Drew Helleson of Shattuck-St. Mary's, the defending national champions. 

Also keep an eye on Arthur Kaliyev (Detroit Compuware), Killian-Kiecker-Olson (CO Thunderbirds), Alex Turcotte (Chicago Mission), and the Detroit Honeybaked duo of Michael Mancinelli and Ryan Savage.

USA: Anaheim Jr. Ducks, Detroit Compuware, CCYHA Selects, Sioux Falls Jr. Stampede

Predicted Winner: Detroit Compuware

OLYMPIC: Colorado Thunderbirds, Cape Cod Whalers, Shattuck-St. Mary's, Tampa Scorpions

Predicted Winner: Shattuck-St. Mary's

NHL: North Jersey Avalanche, Omaha AAA HC, Dallas Stars Elite, Pittsburgh Penguins Elite

Predicted Winner: North Jersey Avalanche

LIBERTY: Chicago Mission, Detroit Honeybaked, Westchester Express/NY Apple Core, Culver Academy

Predicted Winner: Chicago Mission

Like their U16 counterparts, the reigning champ in the 2002 Division are the boys from Faribault, Minnesota wearing the sweater of  Shattuck-St. Mary's, who will look to defend their 2016 title in Scottsdale, Arizona this weekend.

The Sabres return to the national tournament with another loaded lineup, featuring Owen Baumgartner, Blake Mesenburg, Peter Reynolds and Kiron Morioka between the pipes. 

A regular-season nemesis of the Sabres will also take part on the national stage, with the New Jersey Colonials sending a team highlighted by Nicholas DeSantis and Alexandros Gaffney, who's committed to Harvard. 

Other game-breakers in the 2002 field include Matthew Knies of the Phoenix Jr. Coyotes, Wyatt Schingoethe of the Chicago Mission, Mitchell Smith of Belle Tire and Hunter Strand of the Alaska Oilers. Schingoethe is committed to Notre Dame.

USA: Chicago Mission, Belle Tire, Rocky Mountain Roughriders, Team North Dakota

Predicted Winner: Chicago Mission 

Olympic: Detroit Little Caesars, Westchester Express, South Shore Kings, Washington Little Caps

Predicted Winner: Westchester Express

NHL: New Jersey Colonials, Shattuck-St. Mary's, Pittsburgh Penguins Elite, Alaska Oilers

Predicted Winner: Shattuck-St. Mary's

LIBERTY: Phoenix Jr. Coyotes, Oakland Jr Grizzlies, Syracuse Nationals, Mid-Fairfield Jr. Rangers. 

Predicted Winner: Oakland Jr. Grizzlies