The Little Caps 15U Team enjoyed a great weekend in Troy, MI sweeping the North American Prospects Hockey League (“NAPHL”) playoffs on their way to capturing the 15-Pure NAPHL league title.   The players put in a dominant performance, winning all 6 games, and posting a plus-29 goal differential to bring home the Dixon Cup.  The team saw production and commitment from the entire roster, great goaltending, solid defense, and a total team effort throughout the weekend.  It is a well-deserved title. 

Despite the hectic schedule, the team took advantage of a terrific opportunity to visit to the USA Hockey National Team Development Program’s home rink in Plymouth, MI for a tour of the NTDP facilities and the 17U National Team game versus the USHL’s Chicago Steel.  The team spent Friday evening touring the NTDP training rooms, classrooms, locker rooms, and learning about the NTDP methods and philosophy.   Pictures of gold-medal winning teams adorn the halls at the facility, and the players recognized several current NHL’ers who got their start with the National Team.  There were some familiar players on the ice as well, former Little Cap Jason O’Neill and former AYHL standout Jordan Seyfert play for the Chicago Steel. 

Reid Leibold (16 F) was impressed with a “very professional facility where they have the tools to develop great hockey players.”

Adam Varga (67 F) added, “growing up my dream was always to play for my nation. After visiting the NTDP facility my love for the program grew even stronger. I loved everything about it! Seeing pictures of NHL players that once played for the program showed how great it is when it comes to developing players. USNTDP picks the top players from each birth year in hopes of developing them into college, pro, and even Olympic athletes. Just walking through the halls gave me chills. The off ice room was amazing as it included turf and other training equipment. Our tour guide also showed us the dining and film room. Top notch! We then made our way to the locker room. I thought it was the right size (not too big not too small). Having a locker room like that would bring the boys together and build chemistry. After the tour was finished with we watched the remainder of the game. This game was also fun to watch given the fact that it was the top 00's. It was also great to reunite with my friend Jordan after. Overall, our trip to the USA Hockey Arena was an amazing experience and I would love to do it again!”

Team Captain Bobby Staring (17 D) summed up the experience, stating "it was awe inspiring. Everything needed to get better as a hockey player was there and top notch. It's a type of place you never want to leave, and it made me want to do anything possible to be able to actually play there. It's a hockey heaven."