Junior Hockey’s Rising Stars - Jan. 5th - Jan 11th, 2026
WRITTEN BY JOSHUA BOYD
Each week, check back with The Dan K Show as Joshua Boyd breaks down the past week's top performances from 2007 and younger U.S. junior players (2008 and younger for USPHL Elite and EHL Premier). All statistics are taken from league sites; if there are any statistical errors, please contact the league in question.
Junior Hockey's Rising Stars
Games of Jan. 5-11, 2026
USHL
It feels like goals have grown on trees for the Washington Capitals for the last 20 years (due to a certain No. 8), but it won't last forever. With that in mind, they must have been happy to see Jackson Crowder '07 earn his first multi-goal game in his three-year USHL career. Playing for the Chicago Steel, Crowder sent home two goals for the first time on Jan. 9, including his first OT game-winner. He added another goal and assist for good measure on Jan. 10. he scored four points over back-to-back games for the third time - also hitting that mark Oct. 17-18. Having started with the Sioux City Musketeers in 2023-24, Crowder now has 44 points in 80 career USHL games. When he joined in 2023-24, he played most of that season for the Dallas Stars Elite, for whom he played at both the 14U and 15U Nationals. At the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, the Caps selected the future Ohio State Buckeye with their fifth round pick (155th overall). Crowder was a 2023 USHL Phase I selection by the Musketeers.
Caden Dabrowski '08 matched a season-and career-best in assists with three on Dec. 10, and scored his second USHL goal on Dec. 9 for a four-point weekend with Dubuque. The Merrimack College recruit currently has 13 points in 23 games. Dabrowski was selected by Dubuque in the fourth round (65th overall) of the 2025 USHL Phase II Draft. Dabrowski played at the 2025 16U Nationals with the Chicago Mission.
His Dubuque teammate Masun Fleece '07 - a frequent mention in this column - had his best point production of his three-year career when he put up a 1-3-4 line on Jan. 10. Fleece, a University of Maine recruit, improved to a 1.00 points per game average this year with 30 points in 30 games, well more than the 19 points he scored over his first two USHL seasons - or even the 28 points scored with the BCHL's Sherwood Park Crusaders in 2024-25. He now has 49 points in 103 USHL games. Currently with Dubuque, he played 2023-25 with the Fargo Force. Fleece played at the 14U and 15U Nationals in prior years with Shattuck-St. Mary's.
Joseph Skidmore '08 had his best save percentage for a game as he went 65 minutes and a shootout with Cedar Rapids, stopping 28 saves on 29 shots in those 65 minutes for a .966 save percentage. Skidmore is currently 4-3-1-2 for Cedar Rapids, joining them from Little Caesars. He made the 16U National Championship Game with Little Caesars, in his third trip to Nationals after also going with the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes at the 14U and 15U levels. He was a 2024 USHL Phase I Draft selection by Cedar Rapids (fourth round, 65th overall).
NAHL
Matt Shpungin '07 scored his first junior hat trick on Jan. 9, and added an assist for a season-and career-best four-point game and he also had an assist on Jan. 8. Unfortunately, for all of his efforts, his Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks suffered a 6-5 OT loss. Shpungin improved to 26 points in 35 games thus far. Shpungin joined the Hat Tricks out of the Jersey Hitmen Midget program, having won Tier 1 Hockey Federation championships at the 16U and 18U games.
Philip Wiklund '07 has been red-hot for a month, as he has a six-game scoring streak going with 12 points back to Dec. 13. For the Minot Minotauros, Wiklund now has 23 points in 27 games since being drafted in the 2025 NAHL Entry Draft in the fifth round (164th overall). Over Jan. 9-10, he had a 1-4-5 line, and those five points represent a season best for consecutive games. Wiklund is in his first North American season, joining from his native Sweden's Vasteras IK J18.
Mikhail Cherepanov '08 is one of just four defensemen leading their NAHL team in scoring. For the New Hampshire Mountain Kings, he has scored 16 points in 32 games. A day after scoring his second goal of the season, he registered a season-and career-best three assists on Jan. 10 for four points in two games. He has five points in three games, also a best mark for that many consecutive games. Two years after his last game in his native Russia, he played last year with Team Illinois' 16U team. He is a 2025 USHL Draft Pick, selected by the Tri-City Storm (11th round, 178th overall).
In his last five games - including all those played in December 2025 and thus far here in January -Mason Gudridge '07 has a cumulative save percentage of .967. He stopped 79 of 83 shots over two wins Jan. 9-10 for the Watertown Shamrocks, giving him three wins in a row back to Dec. 19, and he is 8-1-0-0 since Nov. 7. The second-year Shamrock is eighth in league save percentage at .919, and his 10 wins are double his 2024-25 output. He has 15 wins in 33 NAHL appearances, since joining last year from the Little Caesars 18U team. He played one year earlier for Victory Honda's 16U team, including at the 2024 16U Nationals.
NCDC
Utica Jr. Comets veteran Tyler Lokker '07 scored a goal and added two assists in two games. Joining with a goal in his prior game on Dec. 21, he now has four points in three straight games, equaling the first three games at the start of his season. He has 21 points in 32 games this year, after scoring nine points in nine games in the NCDC last year. That was in addition to the 34 points in 39 games he put up last year with the Jr. Comets' USPHL Premier team.
Australia's Jed Lake '07 registered his first two-goal game for the Rockets Hockey Club on Jan. 10, and over his past three games going back to Jan. 5, he has a 2-1-3 line, representing almost a third of his 10 points in 32 games this year. He may be new to the Rockets and the NCDC, but the IIHF knows him well. Lake has been representing his home country since 2023-24, playing in the World Under-18 Championships three years in a row. He was named Best Forward for the Division II Group B tournament last spring, and he will join Australia later this week for the World Under-20 Division II Group B tournament, his first at the U20 level. Lake was drafted in the 2023 NCDC Draft (by the former Rock Springs Grizzlies) and again this past spring by the Rockets.
For the Islanders Hockey Club, defenseman Hayden-Manuel Medrano '08 is on a hot streak, with a six-game scoring streak producing a 1-6-7 line. Medrano posted three assists in three games to start 2026, between Jan. 7 and 11. The seven points scored in the streak dating back to Dec. 19 comprises the bulk of his 10 points over 27 games this year, his first in junior hockey. Originally from Montreal, Medrano played last year with Elite Hockey Academy's 16U AAA team.
In net, John Gazzola '07 - a longtime Jersey Hitmen Midget teammate of Matthew Shpungin - posted a beauty of a 38-save shutout on Jan. 9. Gazzola now has three shutouts for the season with the Hitmen NCDC team. This 12th win ranks him in the top five league-wide. His .935 save percentage and 2.04 GAA are both top 10 among NCDC goalies with at least 10 games played. Gazzola has spent all of his teenage years with the Hitmen organization, and was side-by-side with Shpungin when they won the THF 18U title last season.
EHL
Daniel Novoselov '07 schooled everyone on making your EHL debut. During a season spent mostly with the New Jersey 87's EHL Premier and 18U teams - as well as a short stint with Rutgers University's ACHA team - he got the call for the 87's Jan. 9 EHL game. He made the best of it with two goals and one assist for three points, the best single game performance for a 2007 or younger player in the league last week. For the 87's EHLP team, he had 19 points in 21 games, which is tied for the team lead. Prior to joining the 87's, Novoselov played with the Mercer Chiefs 18U team in the THF.
The only other '07 or younger EHL player to score two goals in their only action last week was Phil Boncore '07, a forward with the Express Hockey Club. Boncore made the jump to the EHL from Massachusetts high school hockey in his hometown of Winthrop. His first multi-goal game came on Jan. 7, and he improved to five points in 17 games this season, with all five points coming in his last seven games dating back to Dec. 10.
We're always excited to report good news for Lewis Brocklehurst '07, and that's especially true when he puts up a 53-save shutout as he did on Jan. 8. Brocklehurst has played in seven games and is already tied for second with three shutouts, and is one of only four EHL goalies with three or more shutouts - and the only '07 or younger goalie in that category. For the Philadelphia Little Flyers, he has a 4-2-0-0 record. His .954 save percentage is second in the EHL and his GAA of 1.79 is ranked seventh. Brocklehurst joined the Little Flyers from last year's Bridgton Academy prep team in Maine.
USPHL Premier
Finnish import Vertti Sakko '07 posted back-to-back hat tricks Jan. 9-10, and also added five assists over the three games Jan. 8-10 for 11 points in such a short span. He ascended into the top 10 of USPHL Premier scoring with 58 points, tying him with three others for ninth place in this, his first North American season. Sakko is on a six-game scoring streak with 16 points in his last five games. He came aboard with the Fresno Monsters from KJT Haukat U18 in his native country.
Another Finn picking up a hat trick on Jan. 10 was the Bremerton Sockeyes' newcomer Anton Melotindos '07, who set a season-and career-best with three goals that evening, and he tied his best points output with four points. This season, the former Kiekko-Espoo U18 standout has 28 points in 26 games for the Sockeyes.
Staying in the west, the Long Beach Bombers' Roman Adomitis '07 registered a 4-1-5 line on Jan. 10 and also had two points Jan. 9 for seven points in two games, an average of 3.5 points per game. Additionally, the Rose City Pats 18U product has been on a tear in the last nine games with 21 points over that streak dating back to Nov. 29, and he has seven goals over his last four games. He is third in Bombers scoring with 32 points in 18 games, but easily leads in points per game with 1.78. He started this season with the NCDC's Woodstock Slammers.
Goaltender Philippe Guimond '07 came out of his Jan. 11 game with his first junior shutout, stopping all 28 shots faced for his WBS Knights. He joined the Knights this year after playing in the USPHL Elite for the Montreal Black Vees in 2024-25. He is 4-0-1-0 over his last six games going back to Nov. 30, and he is 7-2-2-1 for the season.
NA3HL
Dylan Crossley '07's 2026 debut was a rager, as he put up a 2-3-5 in a single Louisiana Drillers game on Jan. 11. Even with two four-point outings earlier in the season, this was still enough to be a season-and career-best for the Louisiana Drillers forward. Crossley's 37 points in 19 games is good for a 1.95 points per game average, making him one of 10 Drillers with at least a 1.5 pts./game average in 10 games or more. Crossley came to the Drillers from the Wenatchee Wild 18U program.
Sean Bailey '07 put up five points one night earlier, and also had a three-assist game on Jan. 7 for eight points in his last two games. His five-point game featured a hat trick, as well, for the Long Beach Sharks, giving him his first hattie of his junior career. The five points were also a season best, and he has 11 points in his past three games. Bailey joined the Sharks from Mission Arizona's 18U organization, and he also played Arizona high school hockey for Mountain Ridge.
Just ahead of Bailey in Sharks scoring is teammate Brendan Dalton '07, who leads the way with 40 points in 31 games. In the Jan. 7 and 10 games, he posted a line of 3-4-7, an average of 3.5 points per game. He has nine points scored over his last three contests. Dalton is a more local product for the Sharks, coming from both the EJEPL's Long Beach Lightning and the Levittown/Hicksville/East Meadow co-op high school team.
After starting the season with the Mason City Toros, Logan Nowlin '07 made his debut with the West Texas Wranglers on Jan. 10, and boy did he make a great first impression. Nowlin earned a 38-save shutout for his new team, and it was his second shutout this season in just five appearances. He is 3-2-0-0 with a .949 save percentage.
USPHL Elite
Jacob Kuhn '08 finished the USPHL Tampa Showcase with a two-goal effort, and kept up what is currently a three-game point streak by adding three assists on Jan. 10 for five points in two games, and six points over three. With 32 points in 26 games, Kuhn is second on the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes scoring leaderboard, and he's only missed the scoresheet three times since Oct. 12. Kuhn played for the Mission Arizona 16U team in 2024-25.
Among all the 2008 and younger players this past week in the USPHL Elite, Connor Posthumus '08's single-game three-point effort gave him the best points per game average. He currently leads the Islanders Hockey Club with 29 points in 26 games. Posthumus has had four three-point outings this year, with three of those coming in his last eight games, over which he's scored 12 points (non-consecutively), with the last being a 2-1-3 mark on Jan. 7. Posthumus came to the IHC all the way from Oregon's Portland Jr. Winterhawks 16U program, which won the 2025 USA Hockey Tier II 16U 1A National Championship.
Eleven days into the new year, Jackson Buchanan '09 had already played in seven games. With the Coral Springs Jr. Cats, he played in four games at the USPHL Tampa Showcase, followed by three games between Jan. 9-11 vs. two Florida Division teams. Between Jan. 5-11, Buchanan scored five goals and added three assists. In the 11 games, he's only missed the scoresheet once and he has a five-game scoring streak with a 6-3-9 line over that stretch. He is fourth in Jr. Cats scoring 33 points in 30 games. He played last year (and this year as well) with the North County Stars high school team and he has also played for the Palm Beach Breakers organization.
In net for Coral Springs, Ryan Lagos '08 earned his first junior shutout on Nov. 9, stopping all 22 shots he faced. Lagos has not lost a game in regulation since October, and his point-earning streak of 4-0-2-0 dates back to Oct. 23. A teammate of Buchanan's with both the Jr. Cats and the North County Stars, Lagos holds a GAA of 2.53 and a save percentage of .921. He joined the Jr. Cats from the Florida Alliance program.
EHL Premier
The EHLP continues to be The Dominic Moushon ('08) Show, as he has improved to a league-leading 64 points in 26 games, an average of 2.64 points per game. Since Jan. 1, he has posted a 1-7-8 line in three games, which continues a 23-game point streak, as he's only missed the scoresheet once this season. The New Jersey Bears forward is also playing for his hometown North Hunterdon (N.J.) High School team.
There's little surprise that the Bears are one of the top two teams, as Brendan Crowley '08 is one of four Bears in the top 20 for scoring and he joins Moushon in the top 10, with 32 points in 20 games. He posted 4-3-7 in the first three games of the new year, with goals in each of those games.
For the Pennsylvania Huntsmen, Karsten Blum '08 is off to a good start with four points in two 2026 games so far, part of a five-game, 12-point scoring streak dating back to Dec. 13. In addition to 24 points in 23 EHLP games, Blum has been called up for five EHL games with the Huntsmen. Additionally, he has played for the Great Valley-Phoenixville high school team.