KRAVARE, Czech Republic – John Beecher (Elmira, N.Y.), Cole Caufield (Stevens Point, Wis.), Michael Gildon (Plano, Texas) and Jack Hughes (Orlando, Fla.) each tallied two goals for the U.S. National Under-18 Team in its 8-2 victory against Sweden in the opening game of the Under-18 Five Nations Tournament on Wednesday afternoon at Buly Arena.
Hughes also drew an assist in the game. Defensemen Drew Helleson (Farmington, Minn.) and Alex Vlasic (Wilmette, Ill.) contributed two assists each.
Team USA goaltender Spencer Knight (Darien, Conn.) made 25 saves to earn his first international victory of the season.
Team USA will face the Czech Republic tomorrow at 1 p.m. ET in its second matchup of the tournament.
A full recap and highlights can be found here.
Under-18 Five Nations Tournament • Team USA Schedule
Kravaře, Czech Republic — Nov. 7-11
Date Opponent Result/Time (UTC/EST)
Wednesday, Nov. 7 Sweden W, 8-2
Thursday, Nov. 8 Czech Republic 7 p.m. / 2 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 9 Switzerland 2 p.m. / 9 a.m.
Sunday, Nov. 11 Finland 2 p.m. / 9 a.m.
NOTES: Hughes earned the Player of the Game honor for Team USA … Team USA went 0-for-1 on the power play and 3-for-4 on the penalty kill … All games throughout the Under-18 Five Nations Tournament will be available via livestream here … The official tournament website can be found here … Team USA’s home page for the tournament can be accessed here … The Under-18 Five Nations Tournament features a group of five teams, including the Czech Republic, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States … Follow @USAHockeyNTDP on Twitter for tournament updates and join the conversation on social media by using #5NationsU18 … John Wroblewski (Neenah, Wis.) will lead the U.S. National Under-18 Team alongside associate coach Dan Hinote (Elk River, Minn.), intern assistant coach Kevin Lind (Homer Glen, Ill.) and director of player personnel Kevin Reiter (Pittsburgh, Pa.).
