USA Hockey Magazine

16 // JUNE/JULY 2019 D I G I T A L E X C L U S I V E USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM "I can't say how proud I am of this group's growth, both as players and as people," said John Wroblewski, head coach of the U.S. squad. "We wanted to walk away with a gold medal, but that won't define this team. These guys are a truly special group and I can't wait to see what they do in the future." Despite coming up just short of win- ning its 11th gold medal, the Americans managed to extend their medal streak to 16 years, dating back to 2004. " I t 's b i g g e r t h a n j u s t o u r t e a m ," said Hughes, who would go on to join his brother, Quinn, on the U.S. Men's National Team. "It's the face of USA Hockey. We knew it was important to come home with a medal." Hughes broke Ovechkin's all-time mark with a feed to Cam York for a one-timer during a two-man advantage. It was one of four power-play goals the U.S. scored in the game, for a total of 13 in the tournament. One day after tying Ovechkin's single-tournament goals record with 14, Caufield had his chances to set the mark but couldn't find the back of the net. Still, the top goal scorer in NTDP history capped off a great career as the all-time U.S. leader in U18 goals with 18. "Obviously you can't do it without your team behind you," said Caufield, who was named tournament MVP. "I think our whole team contributed and played well the entire tournament. I can't thank them enough, especially Jack. He's a great player. I loved playing with him and I know he's going to do great things." P A RECORD - SETTING performance by Jack Hughes, and Cole Caufield's record-tying effort helped the U.S. extend its streak of medals at the 2019 IIHF Men's Under-18 World Championship in Ornskoldsvik, Sweden. Projected to be the top pick in the upcoming NHL Draft, Hughes scored a goal and two assists to break Alexander Ovechkin's career points mark as the U.S. overpowered Canada, 5-2, to win the bronze medal. The win against their North American rivals came a day after the heavily-favored U.S. fell in a semifinal shootout against Russia. "[It's disappointing that] we didn't end up with gold. I still think we're the best team in this tournament. I think a lot of other people think that," said Hughes, who upped his two-year point production at the tournament to 32. "To come out here, it's kind of a gut check. That kind of shows our character, shows how good we are. To come out here and beat the Canadians like that, it was a lot of fun to win our last game." It was a bittersweet ending for a team that included a core group of players that spent the last two years at USA Hockey's National Team Development Program as one of the most heralded in the 21-year history of the program. As many as eight members of this team are projected to be selected in the first round of the NHL Draft, including Hughes, who could go No. 1 to the New Jersey Devils. PHOTOS BY Images On Ice Going Out With A Bang Hughes, Caufield Set Individual Marks As U18 Team Continues Medal Haul U-18 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP k Cole Caufield continued his goal- scoring ways and was named the MVP of the 2019 the IIHF Mens Under-18 World Championship. "It's bigger than just our team. It's the face of USA Hockey. We knew it was important to come home with a medal." –JACK HUGHES, Men's Under-18 World Championship Team 16 // JUNE/JULY 2019 D I G I T A L E X C L U S I V E USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM O F F T HE D R AW

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