Since 2015, the top Squirt Majors in North America have descended on Bloomington, Minnesota in late June for the North American Hockey Showcase.  

Over the past four years, the tournament has seen some truly spectacular moments, enormously impressive players, and forged lasting friendships that have connected players across the continent for years to come.

For nearly a full week, teams battle through dramatic games, cheer on their countrymen from the stands, subconsciously paying homage to a game that defines themselves as much as they define the sport. All of these emotions manifest themselves under the state championship banners of one of North America's premier prep programs, the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars and their heroes of yesterday.  

With Jefferson's blue and Jefferson's ghosts in attendance every time blades grace the ice, the atmosphere beyond the boards matches the intensity the players have brought to the ice for nearly half-a-decade. 

Both the community of Bloomington and the Youth Hockey Hub welcome you to The Show.     

With players hailing from Wisconsin and Ohio, and four different winter season programs, Team Great Lakes offers an eclectic mix of faces familiar to one another and new blood. 

The bulk of the team calls the Milwaukee (WI) Jr. Admirals their home club during the regular season, a group that won 16 games this season and finished their slate with a pair of victories over a talented Madison (WI) Capitals squad. Joining the Admirals are several members of the Cleveland Barons, a team that averaged nearly 4 goals-per-game en route to 21 wins this year. 

Key Players: Blaine Krahn, Mark Michelson  

Last year's United States runner-up returns with another strong roster, buoyed a mix of finesse-driven snipers and puck-moving playmakers. 

Six of those players skated this past winter for teams that finished their seasons ranked in top-15 of the Youth Hockey Hub NOW Rankings, indicative of a strong roster from top to bottom. Great Plains will operate from a place of great speed and quickness. 

Key Players: Luke Myers, Danny Klaers

Team Minnesota represents players to across the metro area, with a goaltender from just down the street in Bloomington, to a forward making the trek from southeastern hockey hub Rochester. 

Another group built on speed, Team Minnesota also boasts multiple shooters with velocity and accuracy, and should score more than its share of goals during The Show.  The squad has already proven itself with quality showings in three pre-Show scrimmages. 

Key Players: Henri Ament, Ryder Betzold

Five of the players dotting the New England roster skated this winter for the Middlesex Islanders of the Islanders Hockey Club organization, which won 52 games and finished the season perched atop the MyHockeyRankings standings. 

Joining those Islanders are six members of the Boston Jr. Eagles, a team responsible for one of the four losses suffered by the Islanders this season and the No. 8 rated team in the country according to MyHockeyRankings. Players from the Valley Jr. Warriors, Assabet Valley Patriots, Minuteman Flames, and Bow River (AB) Bruins will mix with the Islanders and Eagles.

Forward Freddy Meyer's father, also named Freddy, is the head coach of Team New England, and played for four seasons at Boston University before appearing in 281 NHL games.  

Key Players: Egan Beveridge, Jake Tavares

In the truest sense of the name, North America is represented by players from across the continent, with Minnesota, North Carolina, Ontario, Washington, Newfoundland, Indiana, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Alberta all sending players. 

With so many corners of the western half of the globe speckling the roster, North America will be an intriguing team to watch, as players do their best to gel as a cohesive unit on the ice. 

Key Players: Drew Caines, Mercury Bischoff

A mountainous collection of players from Colorado, Wyoming, and a dash of North Dakota spice, Rocky Mountain could be the true dark horse of the group. The key to Rocky Mountain's success could come down to clutch goaltending a strong defensive play. 

Key Players: Henry Boettiger, Thomas Putnam

Missouri, Wisconsin, Arizona, Ohio, Minnesota, and British Columbia come together to form Team USA, with a hint of Canadian flavor in Surrey, BC native Gurkaranvir Otal. 

Players for Team USA skated for Detroit Belle Tire, Cleveland Barons Elite, and the Arizona Jr. Coyotes, among other programs that finished among the top 50 teams in the United States for the 2007-age group. 

Key Players: Tre Peck, Josh Toll 

Semifinal Predictions 

Great Lakes

Great Plains 

Minnesota 

New England

Champion Prediction

New England