“It was a play we designed, for [Martone] to slide down and [Malcolm Spence] to fill the middle and me kind of sneak back door,” said Misa, also an A-rated skater, with Saginaw of the Ontario Hockey League. “That’s something we were talking about. Glad it worked out.”
Boettiger gets name out early
Boettiger was the youngest player on the ice for either team, and he isn’t draft eligible until 2026. But he had the attention of the NHL scouts in attendance after he made 35 saves, many of them high danger.
“It was fun, for sure,” the 16-year-old said. “Lots of skill, lots of offense. I was asked to make a lot of saves, which is never a bad thing.”
Boettiger is 2-6-0 with a 4.35 goals-against average and .861 save percentage in 10 games with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program Under-18 team, but certainly played better than those numbers Wednesday.
“I think everybody in the building thought he exceeded expectations,” U.S. coach Greg Moore said. “It was a great game for him. I played him because he’s earned it, and he’s deserved it. We come here committed with our players, and we believe and trust in all of them to do the job. I was really proud of not only how he competed, but a lot of his reads and his anticipation of plays. He really stood strong against tough tests.”
Boettiger said it’s way too soon to think about the 2026 NHL Draft but understands that it’s never too early to make a good impression.
“I think it’s great,” he said. “There’s a couple [2026] guys…
