Junior Hockey’s Rising Stars - Oct 14th-26th, 2025
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). The most recent week, October 20th to 26th is below. Scroll down to see the Rising Stars from October 13th to the 19th
October 20th-26th, 2025
USHL
Niles Benson '07 is in his third season in the USHL and seeing his best productivity yet, and with a new team, the Muskegon Lumberjacks. Previously playing for Green Bay, Benson's second goal of an Oct. 25 win was his first career USHL game-winning goal. The Harvard University recruit also added an assist on the weekend for three points in two games, and he now has 12 points in 12 games, ranking second for the Lumberjacks in scoring.
Another wily USHL veteran with the potential for his best season is Sam Kappell '07. In his third season with the Madison Capitols, he registered a 2-1-3 line on Oct. 24, matching a single game career best for points. He'd previously done that with 1-2-3 lines, twice last year. His second point of that game was the 50th for his career. The Minnesota State-Mankato recruit was the No. 1 overall Draft pick in the 2023 USHL Phase I Draft. He currently leads the Caps with nine points and seven goals. The seven goals also ties him for fifth league-wide.
Sticking with the three-year veteran theme, we see Tri-City Storm defenseman Bode Laylin '07. A University of St. Thomas recruit, he led all 2007 and younger USHL defensemen in points last week with a 1-2-3 line. The three-point night on Oct. 25 was a career best, and he also scored his first power play goal of his career. Laylin's eight points ranks in a tie for fourth among USHL defensemen.
Laylin's teammate Owen Nelson '07 was huge between the pipes for the Storm with 39 saves on 40 shots in their win on Oct. 26, marking his first career junior win. A former Team Wisconsin teammate of Sam Kappell, they made the 2023 15U Nationals together.
NAHL
Russian import Artem Prima '08 saw a big jump in his overall points after a particularly generous four-assist showing for the Minot Minotauros on Oct. 24. He's also filled the net on five occasions this year, placing him in a tie for first in Minot goals and giving him 10 points in 13 games this year. Along with playing in his homeland last year, he also played for Black Bear Academy's THF AAA team. Minot took him in the third round (97th overall) of this year's NAHL Draft.
Second-year junior veteran Max Campbell '07 had his most productive weekend, putting up a 2-1-3 line for the Elmira Aviators Oct. 24-25. Formerly with the OJHL's Collingswood Blues, Campbell currently has nine points in 13 games in his first U.S. junior season. Elmira selected him in the second round (54th overall) of this year's NAHL Draft.
Lindenwood University recruit Bryce Wiitala '07 continues to be productive for the Minnesota Mallards, scoring a 2-1-3 line for their Oct. 24-25 games. His seven goals lead the Mallards, and he has nine points in 10 games. Wiitala joined the Mallards out of Holy Family Catholic.
Jakob Hanlan '07 posted a second straight win, stopping 43 of 46 shots for the El Paso Rhinos on Oct. 25. It was also the second time he faced 40 or more shots, also getting the win on Oct. 18. Hanlan has played in the QMJHL (Victoriaville Tigres) and NCDC (Rockets Hockey Club) during his junior career.
NCDC
Ian Tuffin '07 has risen to become the offensive leader for the Northern Cyclones in his first full junior season (he saw a three-game run with the Cyclones last season). Following games played Oct. 21-25, where he put up a total 5-3-8 performance, Tuffin now has eight goals and 12 points in 16 games. Tuffin was a top contributor for the Cyclones' 18U AAA team last season. His eight goals put him in the top 12 for league goal-scoring.
In 13 games this year, Rockets Hockey Club forward Tristan Venne '08 has already bypassed his 2024-25 22-game point total by posting 13 points. Most recently, Venne - who split last year between the QMJHL's Rouyn-Noranda Huskies and the Rockets - had a 3-1-4 line Oct. 23-24. With a team-leading eight goals, Venne is tied with Tuffin for 12th in league goal-scoring.
Thomas Harnett '07 scored his first junior hat trick for the Connecticut Jr. Rangers on Oct. 24, doubling his goal total and giving him a team-leading 14 points off a 6-8-14 line. Harnett was the Jr. Rangers' second round NCDC Draft selection in May, 36th overall, selected out of the Elite Hockey Academy AAA program.
In net, Jakub Sirhal '07 earned his first North American shutout, stopping all 32 shots he faced on Oct. 24 for the Rockets. The Slovakia native is already tied for fourth in wins with five this year. He joined the Rockets from HC Slovan Bratislava's 18U and 20U teams.
EHL
In a bit of a quiet week over which just seven games were played league-wide, Roberts Stamurs '07 dished out four assists for one of the league's best single-game performances overall last week for HC Rhode Island. The Latvian out of the Prizma Riga organization improved to a 3-8-11 line, doubling his previous assists in one outing.
Stamurs' teammate Donovan Burke '07, who scored a hat trick in his Oct. 16 junior debut - earning him a mention here last week - doubled his point total from three to six by scoring a goal and adding two assists for three points on Oct. 22. The former Norwich Hockey Club standout remains on a 3.0 points per game average streak.
Also earning a second straight nod here is Providence Hockey Club goalie Conner Nicolson '07, who stopped 24 of 25 shots on Oct. 22 for his fourth straight win. Giving up no more than one goal in three of his last four games has him ranked second in wins, second in save percentage (.956) and fourth in GAA (1.71).
USPHL Premier
Goals in your first four games and two straight hat tricks is a great way to start a junior career. On Oct. 25 and 26, the Southern Alberta Mustangs' Austin Stewardson '07 racked up back to back hatties and registered a total of nine points. He now has 12 points in four games.
Vertti Sakko '07 is starting his North American career with a nearly 3.0 points per game average himself, scoring 24 points in nine games. This includes a run of 4-4-8 in his last three games for the Fresno Monsters. The former KJT Haukat 18U player had a 3-3-6 performance on Oct. 24.
On Oct. 26, the St-Lazare Avalanche's Caleb Laurie '07 had his first multi-goal game, and did he ever! He scored four goals that day and improved to 15 points, which sees him tied for the Avalanche team lead.
Vincent Labelle '08 stopped all 33 shots he faced on Oct. 20 for his first junior shutout since joining College Universel Gatineau, joining from the Lac-St-Louis Lions of the Quebec AAA team.
NA3HL
Brayden Pelcl '07 remains one of the hottest hands in the league, recently scoring a 4-9-13 line in three games between Oct. 23-26. He has risen to a line of 14-26-40 in just 13 games, joining this year out of Prior Lake (Minn.) High School.
Dylan Crossley '07 also had a big week, putting up a 2-9-11 line for the Louisiana Drillers next to his teammate Pelcl. Crossley also has a points per game average well over the 2.00 mark, with a line of 8-18-26 in 11 games. He came to the Drillers from his hometown Wenatchee Wild 18U AAA team in the CSSHL.
Brendon Miller '08 also had a huge weekend, hitting the multi-goal milestone for the first time with a four-goal game on Oct. 24. All told, he had a 6-3-9 line for two games of Oct. 24-25. This is actually his second season with the Peoria Mustangs, having split last year between Peoria and the Maine Jr. Mariners AAA team in the THF. He has 17 points through 16 games this season, tying for the team lead and leading the way in Mustangs goals.
Austin Trieber '07 had a huge weekend in goal, first stopping 26 of 27 shots on Oct. 24, followed by stopping 42 of 45 the next day. He now has five wins, bypassing his 2024-25 NA3HL totals, also played with the Gillette Wild. Trieber holds a 2.67 GAA and a .927 save percentage in addition to a 5-1-1-0 record.
USPHL Elite
Jackson Buchanan '09 enjoyed a fantastic three-game run with a 1-7-8 total for the first-year Coral Springs Jr. Cats. A former member of his hometown Palm Beach Breakers and the North County Stars high school team, Buchanan has now improved to 14 points in 13 games as a first-year junior player.
Colsen White '08 has found his groove with his hometown Fort Wayne Spacemen Elite squad, recently posting a 4-2-6 line over a three-game weekend, all actually coming in one Oct. 25 game against the Chicago Cougars. That saw his first multi-point junior game and first junior GWG. He now leads the Spacemen in scoring with 14 points in 12 games. The former Carroll (Ind.) High School standout has also seen four Premier games with the Spacemen this year.
Second-year Elmira Impact forward Donovin Perhach '08 just keeps building his case for reaching the next level. After posting a 2-3-5 line in two games Oct. 24-25, he added his first Premier assist in his first game at that level in an Oct. 27 call-up. He remains on a six-game Elite point-scoring streak and after 12 games, he is just four points from matching his 28-point total of 2024-25.
In net, Brody Patton '08 earned his second win of the season in great fashion, stopping 36 of 38 shots on Oct. 23. He stands with a .911 save percentage, joining the Florida Jr. Blades this year from the St. Louis Sting 16U team and Edwardsville (Ill.) High School.
EHL Premier
Dominic Moushon '08 is on a pace to more than double his 2024-25 totals with the New Jersey Bears, as he currently has a league-leading 26 points in 12 games, after posting 40 points in 39 games last season. His first hat trick came on Oct. 24, part of a three-game stretch showing a 4-5-9 line.
With three assists on Oct. 24, Moushon's Bears teammate Brendan Crowley '08 - a first-year junior who joined from the Rockets Hockey Club 16U program - improved to 15 points in 12 games, good for a tie for fourth in the league scoring race.
New England Wolves defenseman Karel Maximilian Blaha '08 improved to a point per game average and now ranks in a tie for fourth among EHLP defensemen with a 6-3-9 line in nine games. A former HC Hvezda Praha 17U player, Blaha is the only 2008 or younger blueliner in the top 15 of league defenseman scoring.
October 13th-19th, 2025
USHL
Right back at it again was defenseman Jake Prunty '09, who seems more and more likely to be sticking at the USHL level after being called up from the Rockets Hockey Club 16U AAA team. He put six assists in three games Oct. 17-19, putting him at 10 points for the season in five games. The newcomer and call-up out of the 2025 USHL Draft is now the leading scorer among USHL defensemen! Prunty is a University of Massachusetts recruit and he is already getting 2027 NHL Draft chatter.
Staying on the blue line, we turn our attention to Shayne Gould '07, a second-year Sioux City Musketeers defenseman. He scored three goals and an assist between Oct. 16-18, improving to six points, good for fifth among USHL defenseman. The UConn recruit was originally drafted by the Chicago Steel in 2023, coming out of the Bishop Kearney Selects. He represented Bishop Kearney at the 2023 and 2024 USA Hockey Nationals, after also representing the Rhode Island Saints at the 14U Nationals in 2022.
We would be remiss to not mention "usual suspects" Brent Solomon '07 and Cooper Simpson '07. The two were among all USHL leaders, along with Prunty, this past week. The Detroit Red Wings and University of Wisconsin prospect Solomon is at the top of the USHL points leaderboard after an eight-point run in three games to bring him to 15 points, tying him with Simpson, who put up six points in three games. Simpson is a Boston Bruins and University of North Dakota prospect.
Roberto Leonardo Henriquez '07 has been a stud in goal for the Green Bay Gamblers in his second year there, going 4-1-0-1 with a .920 save percentage and 1.98 goals against average, all after stopping 54 of 57 shots in wins on Oct. 16-17. He is in the top five for wins, save percentage and goals against average. The Slovakian native played most of his European career with HC Slovan Bratislava, and was part of Slovakia's Hlinka-Gretzky Cup team this summer.
NAHL
Jakeb Lynch '07 registered a 3-3-6 line for the Minnesota Wilderness. The Miami University recruit is in his second year with the Wilderness, and he has also seen USHL games in both 2023-24 and 2024-25. Lynch, who made the 2024 USA Hockey Nationals with the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite, has 64 points in 62 regular season NAHL games. On Oct. 20, he earned Midwest Division Star Of The Week.
Mack Diggins '08 posted his first junior goal - the game-winner on Oct. 17 - and had a 1-4-5 line for his biggest two games thus far for the Fairbanks Ice Dogs. The former Eau Claire High School and Team Wisconsin player represented Team Wisconsin at the 2023 14U Nationals.
Fellow Ice Dog Mason Noble '07, a Fairbanks native, played previously with Fox Motors. The defenseman had five assists in two games on the weekend, and he has six assists total on the season. Noble earlier played nine games with Fairbanks in 2024-25, registering two assists.
The 77th shot might have been the winner for the opposition, but Brian Cooke '08 put up 73 saves in a close OT loss on Oct. 17. The Minot Minotauros goalie stands at 1-0-1-0 with a .934 save percentage. Cooke joined from the St. Louis AAA Blues, from which he was selected in the 2025 USHL Draft by the Muskegon Lumberjacks.
NCDC
Owen Khuong '07 posted a 2-1-3 line for the Thunder Hockey Club vs. Universel Academy on Oct. 19, pushing him into the top six overall for scoring with 17 points in 11 games, and he's also top 10 in NCDC goals with eight. Khuong joined from the Philadelphia Little Flyers AAA program.
Thunder teammate Jonathan Lee '08 put up three assists in that same game and has been outstanding as an '08 newcomer to the NCDC. With a 2-12-14 line, Lee is second to Khuong in scoring and ranks in a tie for fifth in assists. Lee joined from the CSSHL's North Shore Warriors in his native British Columbia and was the Thunder's second-round selection (27th overall) in the 2025 NCDC Entry Draft Phase I.
Another newcomer really making the scene is Stryker Foster '08 from the West Chester Wolves. The longtime Dallas Stars Elite standout (making appearances at the 2023 and 2025 Nationals) put up a 1-5-6 line so far through nine games, including his first junior goal scored on Oct. 18 as part of a 1-2-3 line.
John Gazzola '07 earned his first junior shutout (and fifth win for a 5-0-0-0 record) with the Jersey Hitmen. He stopped all 31 shots he saw from the West Chester Wolves on Oct. 17. Mazzola is a lifetime Hitmen product, including 20-win seasons at both the 16U and 18U levels.
EHL
Donovan Burke '07 registered a hat trick in his EHL debut on Oct. 16, joining from last year's Norwich Hockey Club team.
Madi Zhaparov '07 is a second-year member of the New England Wolves on defense, joining in 2024 from Kazakhstan. After putting up eight points in 46 games last year, he's already at four points in nine games, on a pace to blast his 2024-25 total.
A great success story for EHL Premier to EHL success is Czechia native and defenseman Tomas Kubena '07 of the New York Apple Core. He is off to a strong start in his first season in just the EHL, posting a 1-3-4 line, all in his last three games, including two assists on Oct. 16.
Conner Nicolson '07 slammed the door shut on all 54 shots he faced for the Providence Capitals on Oct. 15, giving him his first junior shutout. He joined from Rink HA Kelowna of the CSSHL, posting a 3-1-0-0 record thus far. With a .955 save percentage, he is second in that category, third in goals against average (1.91) and in the top five for wins as well.
NA3HL
In a three-game run, Brayden Pelcl '07 scored seven goals and five assists over three very productive games between Oct. 17-19. He has scored in every game this season for the Louisiana Drillers, giving him 27 points in nine contests. Pelcl joined from the Kenai River Brown Bears 18U AAA and Prior Lake (Minn.) High School.
Emerson LaRoche '07 reached the top eight in scoring with 30 points in his nine games, after scoring 4-8-12 over three games. Like Pelcl, he is a product of the Minnesota high school world, having played for Minnetonka.
Brody Emond '07 keeps getting the job done for the Maine Nordiques, with a 4-3-7 line between Oct. 17-19. He now has 22 points in 14 games this year, giving him 65 points in 54 career regular season games.
Logan Nowlin '07 registered his first career junior shutout with 26 saves on Oct. 18 for the Mason City Toros, standing at 2-0 with a .945 save percentage. He joined from the Rocky Mountain Roughriders.
USPHL Premier
Bradley Backen '07 has gotten off to a great start for the Cincinnati Cyclones, posting 13 points through 10 games. This includes a 4-2-6 line scored on Oct. 17-18. Backen joined the Cyclones from Fox Motors, where he was a teammate of Fairbanks' Mason Noble, and he participated in the USA Hockey 14U Nationals with the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite.
A former Rockets Hockey Club 15U teammate of Jake Prunty, the Connecticut Jr. Rangers' Maxim Ius '09 is turning heads with a 4-5-9 line. This includes a hat trick on Oct. 19, part of a 4-2-6 run between Oct. 17 and 19. He has eight of his nine points in his last three contests.
Ius' Russian countryman Fyodor Tarasov '07 enjoyed a 2-4-6 run between Oct. 16 and 18, including a 2-3-5 line on Oct. 18. Tarasov currently has 10 points in nine games for the Worcester Jr. Railers. He joined the Railers from the Ontario Hockey Academy.
Jack Miller '07 has not let in a goal in two performances for the Toledo Cherokee. His latest shutout was a 31-save showing on Oct. 18. He stopped 11 goals on Oct. 5 for his first junior shutout and win, so he stands 2-0 with a 1.000 save percentage. Miller joined the Cherokee from the SISU Thunderbirds College Prep team.
USPHL Elite
Hunter Pope '08 put up a 1-4-5 line in games of Oct. 17 and 19 for the Chicago Crush, improving to eight points in his nine games played this year. Pope is new to the Crush and junior hockey from the Chicago Bulldogs AA program.
Staying in Chicago, the Cougars' Daniel Boduch '08 scored goals in three of four games and added an assist for a 3-1-4 line between Oct. 13 and 19. Boduch was with the HC Timberwolves in the same Central States Developmental League that produced Pope.
The Hampton Roads Whalers' Eric Kloss '08 utilized a 2-1-3 single game performance to improve to second in Elite goals with 12 and he is ranked tied for fifth in points with 18 in 12 games. Kloss is a product of the Tri-State Spartans program.
In net for the P.A.L. Jr. Islanders, Udit Suri '08 earned his first junior win in a big way, stopping 38 of 40 saves in a 3-2 win on Oct. 18. Suri previously played with the Long Island Royals.
EHL Premier
Chad Niederman '08 was feeling generous with a five-assist weekend and also chipped in with a goal for a 1-4-5 line Oct, with the Oct. 18 goal being his first game-winner. In seven games, the former Hollydell Hurricanes player has a 2-7-9 line for the Atlantic City Seals.
Right back in our eyesight from last week is Tomass Vekselis '08, who posted a goal and three assists for four points Oct. 17-18. He has scored seven of his eight points in his last four games. He joined from Austria's EHC Basel organization.
Troy Gorski '08 scored three of his five total goals over the Oct. 18-19 weekend. Gorski, who has eight points in 10 games in his second year with the New Jersey Bears, has also previously played with the Woodbridge Wolfpack and Hunterdon Central High. At Hunterdon, he has also played alongside three Bears teammates.