JR DUCKS 14s, 18s RAISE CAHA BANNERS AT GREAT PARK ICE
The first CAHA State tournament at the newly opened Great Park ICE in Irvine this past weekend was a rousing success for the host Anaheim Jr. Ducks.
The 14U AAA and 18UAAA teams rolled to state titles and earned berths to the USA Hockey Pacific District tournament in Las Vegas on March 7-9. The 15U and 16U Pacific District tournament will be held at Great Park ICE that same weekend, and as hosts those Jr. Ducks teams gained automatic entry into it and did not participate at states.
“To win two state championships in a new building is a great way to start,” Jr. Ducks Director of Player Personnel Alex Kim said. “The club is trying to build a tradition of success, and to christen that beautiful new building with those wins, there’s no better way to start.”
The 14U team went 4-0, winning its games by a combined 22-4, capped by a 6-0 triumph over the L.A. Jr. Kings for the championship.
The 18U team swept its three games by a cumulative 16-3, including a 7-0 victory over the Ontario Jr. Reign in the final.
Both teams are following blueprints that are becoming more and more prevalent at hockey’s highest levels, their coaches said.
“Scouts who’ve watched our games tell us that we’re very fast, move the puck well and are fun to watch,” 14U coach David Walker said. “That’s what we’re trying to develop. The game is about holding the puck instead of dumping and chasing it.
“And this 2004 group does a good job holding on to pucks, and our skating has helped us create a lot of opportunities.”
Jr. Ducks Director of Coaches Craig Johnson, who works with many of the club’s teams throughout the season, noted another pattern with the ’04s.
“That’s a team that has seemed to get better and better as the season gone on,” Johnson said. “It’s a testament to Walk and his players’ hard work.”
Bantam is an age group when players’ sizes and skills can vary widely because everyone matures at different paces, but the 2004s haven’t been led by one or two stars, Walker added.
“Every kid on our team, at some point this year, has been a major contributor to our success,” he said. “When we won the NHL Youth Cup in Dallas, we had players step up who weren’t big scorers for us.”
The 2004s came into the CAHA tournament as the top seed after rolling to a 9-1 record in league play and outscoring foes by a combined 49-13.
Team members include: goaltenders Aidan Comeau and Alex Koenig and skaters Hudson Blue, Russell Bustamante, Brandon Grant, Jungwook Hong, Elijiah Hull, Kyle Isenberg, Ben Ivey, Jacob Ivey, Austin Kluksdahl, Michael Patko, Tomer Ramot, Oaken Son, Merril Steenari and Jason Stefanek.
The 18Us took a similar path to the CAHA tournament, winning 11 of 12 league games while outscoring rivals 51-12.
But the older group had to overcome its share of obstacles along the way, coach August Aiken said.
“There are no excuses, but we’ve only had 12 healthy skaters most of the past two months,” he said. “We’re getting healthy at the right time, and the boys are coming together at the right time.”
Aiken has gotten balanced scoring from the group, which also relies heavily on its wheels.
“We play a speed game. All of these guys can skate well – that’s something Craig and Alex and I all have preached,” Aiken said. “Move the puck, make quick decisions and don’t get too fancy.
“That was how we played at states, and it showed.”
The backbone of the team, however, has been its goaltending from Ethan Lahmon and Tyler Shea.
“Scouts have told us we have two of the top goaltenders at 18U in the country,” Aiken said. “Both were on the 16U team that went to Nationals last year, and they’ve taken that experience and continued to play at a high level.”
In addition to several skaters from that 16U team, Aiken said his 2000s have played a huge role, particularly down the season’s stretch.
“Tyler Shetland made big plays all weekend and he’s been a great leader for us,” Aiken said. “He hasn’t let bumps and bruises stop him all season. Dylan Guitierrez, Jordan Skahill and Daniel Ton-That all have stepped up at various times and have been very steady leaders for us as well.”
Other team members include: Ethan Alexandrovich, Benjamin Biester, Dalton Garcia, Ryan Green, Patrick Harrington, Erik Hultenius, John Klus, Kyan Lakin, Spencer Light, Lyusyen Loshak, Timothy Marchant, Jerrett Overland, Victor Ouellet Mascotte and Thomas Sherman.
“That’s a good, hard-working group,” said Kim, who coached many of them at 16U. “August has done a really good job with them, and it’s good to see them getting rewarded.”
The 18s also finished tied for seventh in the 24-team Tier 1 Elite Hockey League, one point out of fifth, and will participate in the league’s upper division playoffs at Blaine, Minn., this weekend. The 14s went 4-2-2 at Tier 1 showcases.
The CAHA successes are just part of what Walker and his colleagues hope will be a longer story.
“We set out with a three-step goal,” he said. “The big goal is to get to Nationals, but you can’t do that without doing well at States and earning a spot at Districts. It’s great to win a State championship, but now we’re on to step two.”