Junior Hockey’s Rising Stars - Jan. 12th - Jan 18th, 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.
Games of Jan. 12-18, 2026
USHL
Excitement is building for the 2026 NHL Draft, which is just about five months from now. However, don't think the NHL scouts aren't also looking to 2027. At next year's draft, there's a good chance they'll find draft prospect Carter Meyer '09 hearing his name called. Meyer is currently second in U.S. National Under-17 Team scoring with 19 points in 24 USHL games. He recently piled up a 3-3-6 line in games of Jan. 14 and 17, including a season-and career-best four points (2-2-4) and the OT game-winner on Jan. 17. Meyer is slated to start at Boston University in 2027-28. He played last year for The Rivers School, and also for the Boston Jr. Eagles, making USA Hockey Nationals appearances at the 14U and 15U levels with the Jr. Eagles.
His Under-17 teammate and fellow 2027 NHL Draft prospect Nolan Fitzhenry '09 also had a good run of putting up five points (2-3-5) between Jan. 14 and 17. Fitzhenry, currently uncommitted, leads the National Under-17 Team with 22 points in 24 games this season. He joined the U.S. NTDP from Shattuck-St. Mary's, with whom he won the 2025 16U National Championship. In addition to his time with the National U17 team, he's also earned two games up with the Under-18 squad this year.
Graham Jones '07 also won a USA Hockey National Title with Shattuck-St. Mary's, but at the 18U level this past spring. Currently playing with the Fargo Force, Jones also had a 2-3-5 line for his past two games on Jan. 16-17 (and he has six points over his last three games). He is tied for the team lead with 30 points, and leads the Force with 16 goals. The Force drafted him in the 2023 USHL Draft (fifth round, 67th overall), the same year he participated in the 15U Nationals, one year before playing in the 16U Nationals and two years ahead of his 18U Nationals win, all with SSM. Jones is bound for Boston College in 2027-28.
On Jan. 13, Michal Pradel '07 announced his commitment to Colorado College for next fall. A Detroit Red Wings draft pick from 2025 (third round, 75th overall), Pradel celebrated his commitment with his league-leading fourth shutout, stopping all 28 shots he faced on Jan. 17. This was Pradel's 20th win of his 40-game career of regular season games (he holds a 20-13-2-2 record). His 11-9-2-2 record represents a career-best in wins, and he ranks fourth in save percentage (.921) and fifth in GAA (2.39). Representing Slovakia at the World Junior Championships, he was named a Top 3 Player for his team.
NAHL
Andrei Gudin '08 set a season-and career-best of five points over two games when he registered a 2-3-5 line Jan. 16-17 for the Minnesota Wilderness. Despite playing in just 23 of the Wilderness' 35 games, Gudin is fifth in scoring with 23 points in 23 games. A 2025 CHL Import Draft selection by the Barrie Colts (OHL), Gudin joined the Wilderness this year from the Ohio Blue Jackets AAA 16U team. Prior to last year, he had played in his hometown of Yekaterinburg, Russia.
A familiar name returns here, as Cooper Williams '07 is the NAHL's league-leading goal-scorer with his 30th scored on Jan. 17, one of three goals scored between Jan. 16-17 for the Bismarck Bobcats forward. He also had two assists on the weekend for 51 points in 35 games, placing him in a tie for sixth in NAHL scoring. He is on a six-game goal-scoring streak with eight goals dating back to Jan. 2. Formerly with the BCHL's Prince George Spruce Kings, Williams is a Lake Superior State University commit.
Williams' current Bobcats and future LSSU teammate Royce Pietila '07 matched a two-game best with four points (1-3-4) in the Bobcats' Jan. 16-17 games. The defenseman who joined last year from Victory Honda's 18U AAA team has 27 points in 35 games, good for eighth among NAHL blueliners.
Ryan Denes '07 earned his fourth shutout of the season, placing him second in that category in the NAHL. The shutout was also his league-leading 18th win of the season. Denes stopped all 22 shots he faced on Jan. 16. This year, he is 18-2-1-1 for the Maryland Black Bears, and his career record is 28-5-5-1. He has career bests in save percentage (.912) and goals against average (2.02), the latter ranking second in the league.
NCDC
Gabriel Braun '07 put up his first two-goal game and a five-point weekend Jan. 15-17 for the first-year Lewiston MAINEiacs. Overall, his line was 3-2-5 as he improved to 28 points in 29 NCDC games. Braun joined the MAINEiacs from Team Wisconsin 18U AAA and Fond du Lac Springs (Wis.) High School, for whom he was Captain last year. He's also a USA Hockey 15U Nationals (2023) alum with Team Wisconsin.
Jakob Weich '07 matched a career-best three points with his only action last week, earning a 2-1-3 line for the Thunder Hockey Club on Jan. 17. Weich only recently returned to the Thunder lineup on Jan. 7 after missing all of December and playing his last 2025 game on Nov. 19. He had 18 points through 22 games. Weich was acquired from the Jersey Hitmen, who had drafted him with their first Phase II selection in 2025, 16th overall. He played the past two years with the Nashville Jr. Predators.
Defenseman Daniel Raskin '07 was busy last week, skating with the Northern Maine Pioneers. In four games between Jan. 12-18, he put up a 1-4-5 line to make up half of his 10 points in 24 games this year. He has played eight games for the Pioneers and scored seven points, since joining from the Boston Junior Bruins in December. He joined the NCDC from the Windy City Storm 18U AAA team of 2024-25.
In goal, Michael Aafedt '07 registered his first junior shutout with a masterpiece of 53 saves on Jan. 18, in just his third NCDC game. He started the season with the Melville Millionaires of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, before making his NCDC debut with the Rock Springs Miners on Jan. 2. With Rock Springs, he now has a 2-1-0-0 record with a .955 save percentage and a 2.33 goals against average. Prior to starting his junior career, he backstopped Minnesota's The Blake School
EHL
Donovan Burke '07 is no stranger to this space. The HC Rhode Island forward improved to 25 points in 21 games after he extended a month-long point streak to five games. On Jan. 15 and 17, he put up a 2-2-4 line, giving him seven points since Dec. 18. Burke skated for the Norwich Hockey Club last year, and is a USPHL Elite alum, as well.
On Jan. 13, Benjamin Jones '07 scored multiple points for the first time in junior hockey with a 1-1-2 line, putting him at six points in 24 EHL games. This is significant as Jones started this season in the EHL Premier, all with the Philadelphia Little Flyers. "Trust the process" certainly holds true in this case. Jones joined the Little Flyers this year from Mission Arizona Ice and Arizona's Mountain Ridge High School.
HC Rhode Island defenseman Yeonwoo Moon '07, an import from South Korea registered points in consecutive games for the first time, putting up an 0-3-3 line Jan. 15 and 17. Moon improved to 10 points in 26 games.
USPHL Premier
Chase Petrella '07 had a heck of a week for the South Shore Kings, with back-to-back hat tricks, plus one goal. He put home four goals and added two assists on Jan. 13, and followed up with another hat trick on Jan. 14 for a 7-2-9 line in a pair of contests. Petrella, who now has 46 points in 31 games, is on a 10-game scoring streak with 23 points in that space. The former Coeur d'Alene Thunder player has 14 points in four 2026 games.
Nathan Riendeau '07 sent home his first hat trick for the Elmira Impact on Jan. 15, and also registered an assist to give him 25 points in 21 games in this, his second season for the Impact. He has more than doubled his 12 points scored in 2024-25, and he has 37 points in 68 career regular season and playoff games. Riendeau is an alum of College Charles-Lemoyne in the RSEQ, Quebec's secondary school league.
Another player who has more than doubled his 2024-25 output is the Bremerton Sockeyes' Eli Belanger '07 - by doubling his previous single game career high with a 2-2-4 line on Jan. 12. This pushed him to 18 points in 25 games this year, after scoring eight points in 43 games. He came from the Valley Thunder 16U team, which played in the USA Hockey Tier II Nationals in 2023-24.
Hampton Roads Whalers goalie Felix Tolke '07 is the Premier leader in wins at 21-0-0-0 and in save percentage at .959. He helped these totals by stopping all 31 shots he faced on Jan. 17. Tolke now has eight shutouts, and is simply dominating the Premier since joining from his native country of Sweden's HV-71 J18 program.
NA3HL
Seemingly out of nowhere, Binghamton Buzz defenseman Mantas Lisauskas '08 put up a six-point performance (2-4-6) on Jan. 16, and he added another assist on Jan. 17. This past weekend gave the first-year junior seven of his 10 total points through 23 games played this year. Lisauskas previously played for Crystal Beach Academy in Canada's North American Prep Hockey League.
Another NA3 defenseman, George Ericson '07, set a season-and career-best of three points (all assists) in his only action last week on Jan. 17 for the Minnesota Moose. He is leading his team's defensemen in scoring with 22 points in 33 games. The NAHL's Minnesota Mallards took note of his efforts this year and gave him his NAHL debut on Dec. 20. With the Moose, his team has not lost in regulation since Nov. 30, and they are third in winning percentage at .833. Ericson joined from Wayzata (Minn.) High School.
The Louisiana Drillers' Brayden Pelcl '07 continues to approach the 100-point mark, currently sitting at 92 points in 32 games (and with 32 goals in that space as well). He put up eight points (3-5-8) since Jan. 16, and his 2026 scoring streak is now at six games and 13 points. Pelcl joined the NA3HL from Prior Lake (Minn.) High School.
A former Minnesota Lakers 15U teammate of George Ericson, Sheridan Hawks goaltender Wyatt Knott '07 registered a 38-save shutout on Jan. 17, his best shutout performance and the third-highest saves total this year. Knott, a former Rogers (Minn.) High School goaltender, is in the NA3HL Top 10 in goals against average (2.13) and save percentage (.936).
USPHL Elite
Alessandro Calandriello '08 put up back-to-back three-point games Jan. 17-18, which matches his prior two games as well. That gives him a four-game streak of three points apiece for the first-year Montreal Knights. He currently has an eight-game point streak that has yielded 20 of his 44 points, put up in 26 games. He joined the Knights from the Laval/Montreal Rousseau 17U team of 2024-25.
The Tampa Bay Juniors' Riley Furbeck '08 has been having a happy new year, and making it so for the Juniors as well. They are 6-1-0-0 while Furber has put up all three of his two-goal games and nine (of his 18 total) points over the last seven games since the calendar flip. Furbeck's second three-point game came on Jan. 18, a 2-1-3 performance. Furbeck joined from the Tampa Crunch and has played these past two years with his hometown Riverview (Fla.) High School team.
Cash Morrow '08 also had at least three points in each of his last two games - and all from back-to-back hat tricks on Jan. 17-18. He also had an assist on Jan. 16 for seven points over three games. Playing for the Red River Spartans 18U AAA team that competes in the USPHL Elite, Morrow now has a 9-2-11 line in 26 games. That three-game stretch was certainly his most productive and good for a majority of his Elite points. He joined Red River after two seasons with Northern Cyclones Academy.
Zachary Campbell '08, who joins Cash Morrow on the Red River Spartans, matched his season-and career-best of 30 saves on 31 shots. A Huntsville, Ala., native, Campbell also earned his third win of the season for Red River.
EHL Premier
Larry Miller III '08 enjoyed a huge five-assist showing on Jan. 16, more than doubling his prior season best of two points (set multiple times). He also had an assist on Jan. 17 as part of a three-game weekend, giving him six points over that stretch. That sees him in the scoring lead for the Philadelphia Little
Flyers with 24 points in 24 games. Along with playing for the Berks Beast high school team the last two years, he also played in 2024-25 for the Palmyra Black Knights 15U team.
The most recent game (Jan. 14) for the Providence Capitals' Domino Costa '08 was notable for the second-year veteran as he both tied and moved past his 2024-25 points total. He now has 32 points in 25 games, after posting 31 points in 42 games last season. This season is also more notable in that he's had seven games up with the EHL's Providence Hockey Club, including call-up games on Jan. 15-16.
The Atlantic City Seals' Ryan Bacon '08 registered his first three-game point streak of the season, earning five points between Jan. 16-18 (1-4-5), comprising much of his 12 points over 22 games. Bacon, formerly with the Atlantic City Sharks 16U team, is also in his fourth year with the Mainland Regional High School team in Linwood, N.J.