The 15uAAA Boys will compete in Plymouth, MI at USA Hockey Arena from Apr. 3-8, after defeating the Los Angeles Junior Kings in two consecutive games on Mar. 10-11 by a score of 3-1 and 4-2 to capture the 15AAA Pacific District Championship. Official tournament schedules have not been released yet.
The 18uAA Boys will host the 2019 USA Nationals for the Youth Tier II Championships in San Jose from Apr. 4-8. Two rinks will host the tournament in the Bay Area; Solar4America Ice at Fremont and Solar4America Ice at San Jose, the official practice facility of the San Jose Sharks.
Established in 2000, the Jr. Sharks program boasts 28 teams comprised of boys and girls hockey. The program boasts two previous USA Hockey National Championships; 2017 Girls 19uAA and the 2011 Girls 12uAA.
NHL players who have come through the Jr. Sharks program and its predecessor program include Alec Martinez (Los Angeles Kings), Brett Sutter (Calgary Flames/Carolina Hurricanes/Minnesota Wild), Casey Wellman (Minnesota Wild/Washington Capitals), Matt Tennyson (San Jose Sharks/Carolina Hurricanes/Buffalo Sabres), Viktor Tihkonov (Arizona Coyotes/Chicago Blackhawks), Stefan Matteau (New Jersey Devils/Montreal Canadiens/Vegas Golden Knights).
The USA Hockey Nationals is an annual tournament dating back to 1938, where youth hockey teams across the country compete for the ultimate prize, the USA Hockey national championship. Thousands of players have taken the ice under USA Hockey to compete, some going on to play in the National Hockey League. Some of the notable players to appear in the USA Hockey Nationals are current Sharks captain Joe Pavelski, Jeremy Roenick, Kendall Coyne-Schofield, Julie Chu and Hilary Knight.
