‘07s Showcase Their Skills at CCM 68
The top 14-year-old boys and girls from across the U.S. converged on Chicago for elite-level event
200×85 hosted the eighth annual CCM 68 Combine over the weekend. The top 68 boys and 68 girls from the 2007-birth year met in Chicago to take part in the four-day event, filled with an opening-night media day, equipment and apparel gift giveaways, top competition, and next-level instruction. No other event in the country compares in terms of next-to-nothing player costs, on-ice skills, off-ice experience, world-class instructors, scouts, and exposure to the next level.
Participants for the 2021 event were hand-selected by our internal team of scouts, after undergoing extensive evaluation at CCM 68 Futures camps last summer. Other major events like the CCM World Invite in Chicago, CCM Chi-Town Shuffle and CCM Selects tournament teams were heavily monitored during the last year as well.
The field of 68 athletes were split into four evenly-matched teams, where they participated in two practices, on- and off-ice combine testing, and three showcase-style games. They received elite-level instruction from the likes of Kevin Reiter, who is the director of the U.S. National Team Development Program (USNTDP), Rochester Americans head coach Seth Appert, and two-time Stanley Cup-winning assistant coach Derek Lalonde. The players showcased their skills in front of junior and college scouts, as well as the folks at Neutral Zone, who evaluate and assess the top prospects in North America.
Among some of the top boys, performers during the weekend included William Horcoff, Conrad Fondrk, Gavin Kor, and Cole McKinney, who scored six or more points during the three showcase games. Goalies Steven Luciano, Liam Joyce, and Bjorn Bronas posted save percentages above .920 during those games as well.
Iris Cheng, Bailey MacKellar, Lincoln Brown, Nicole Gorbatenko, and Lillian Winckler were some of the standouts from the girls’ games, with Cheng’s 10 points leading the way. Bella DiSilvestro allowed just one goal all weekend, with a .966 save percentage.
The CCM 68 has seen more than 150 alumni go on to make Division-I college commitments. Young NHL stars like Oliver Wahlstrom, Trevor Zegras, Spencer Knight, and Cole Caufield are just some of the names to come through the combine in recent years. It is one of the most prestigious events that 200×85 hosts and anyone interested in this premier weekend should begin exploring options regarding the CCM 68 Futures program.
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