USA Wins U-18 Four Nations Cup

Justin Mercier’s goal with just over 12 minutes remaining in the gold-medal game led Team USA to a 1-0 victory over Sweden at the Compuware Four Nations Cup, held at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube in Michigan (Nov 8th-12th).

The Americans, who finished the competition with a perfect 4-0-0 record, cruised through round-robin play, finding the back of the net 19 times in three matches, including a 7-1 thrashing over Sweden.

However, backed by the splendid goaltending of Joel Gistedt, the Swedes put up a fight in the rematch.

Goalie Jeff Frazee of Burnsville, Minnesota earned the shutout in the final He allowed just one goal in his two appearances, while partner Billy Blase won the other two earlier games, in spite of letting in seven goals and posting an unflattering .848 save percentage.

Team Sweden was led offensively by diminutive speedster Fredrik Pettersson, arguably the most exciting player on either side during the gold-medal game.

Jack Skille of Madison, Wisconsin finished as the tournament scoring leader with seven points, while Mercier led all goal scorers with five in four games. The high-powered Americans actually boasted six of the top seven scorers at the Four Nations Cup.

Here are scouting reports on a few of the top players for Team USA.

Ryan Stoa (2005), C, USA

Terrific speed was evident throughout .. explosive first steps .. well-balanced, extremely tough to knock about .. ran around a lot during the opening period, not really accomplishing much, however, his influence increased as the game wore on .. instrumental in creating multiple chances in the final frame .. worked hard in the corners and dished out big hits, which created havoc for the Swedish defense and led to numerous turnovers .. not as solid an all-around presence as linemate Jack Skille, but Stoa is the more dangerous of the two .. an excellent passer at full speed or from inside the offensive zone .. showed off his excellent passing ability on a rush, executing flawlessly in top gear .. set up linemate Chris Cahill from the corner with a beautiful setup that went past a defender and right into the slot, where Cahill sent it wide .. used at center rather than his normal wing position .. won many faceoffs and impressed with his hard work in the defensive zone, however, Stoa may be a more lethal offensive weapon on the wing where he has less responsibility .. nevertheless, this was another standout performance which should help solidify a first-round spot at the next draft (4GP-2G-3A-5PT).

Jack Skille (2005), RW, USA

Showed excellent agility at top speed and a quick first couple of steps .. displayed terrific hockey sense, making intelligent plays all night .. a resourceful player .. when nothing is immediately open, he will lean on his puckhandling abilities, patiently waiting for something to appear .. delivers hard, pinpoint-accurate passes .. also boasts a booming shot which he can unload at full speed .. showed impressive accuracy on one particular rush, letting rip a probing shot from just inside the blueline .. his impressive size/speed combo makes him extremely tough to contain, and he shows no fear driving to the net .. a well-rounded player, he gave as good an effort defensively as he did in the offensive zone .. relentless and never quits on play .. handles the puck exceptionally well in traffic .. not always going at full tempo, at times he can appear not overly quick or agile .. however this is deceiving, as he gives a much different look when he turns the jets on .. led tournament in scoring with seven points (4-3-4-7).

Jack Johnson (2005), D, USA

If there was any lingering doubt as to whether the top-rated American was the real deal, Johnson’s performance here at the Four Nations Cup should alleviate all fears .. consistently took advantage of his excellent speed .. proactively asserted himself in the attack at every opportunity .. demonstrated great poise rushing the puck, wisely picking holes in the opposition coverage to strike .. extremely dangerous when he puts on the jets and brings it up ice .. possesses a fluent skating stride and a gift for being able to handle the puck while transitioning in any direction .. a dominant physical presence, an extremely aggressive bodychecker .. made life miserable for opponents in his zone all night .. however, he gets overly aggressive at times and prone to taking more than his fair share of penalties .. delivers his shot with tremendous velocity, and is able to unload it while skating at full flight .. a captivating performance from Johnson, who was all over the ice and performing to full potential in the gold-medal game .. tied for second in tournament scoring with six points (4-1-5-6).

Justin Mercier (2005) LW, USA

Top speed is slightly above-average, quick feet in top gear .. skates with a kind of bent-over style .. quick takeoff and first steps .. excellent balance .. handles puck very well, displaying good control in traffic .. can be a flashy player while in possession .. fearlessly drives to the net and never shies away from traffic .. very quick with his stick, made several excellent pokechecks and pickoffs, which resulted in scoring chances .. his wristshot features an extremely fast release, but only average power .. demonstrated excellent positioning all over the ice, counted upon in all situations .. scored the only goal in the gold-medal game .. brought it out from the corner, accelerated past a defender and let go a hard backhand that beat Swedish goalie Joel Gistedt .. not an overwhelmingly skilled kid, however, Mercier is a tireless worker who gets plenty accomplished because of his work ethic .. led the tournament with five goals and tied for second in scoring with six points (4-5-1-6).