Chau credits his success to his days in Brooks.

“I was taught from the coaching staff, from the older players there, how to win, how to how to compete, how to play the right way,” he said. “I was, like, ‘OK, if I’m going to play, I want to play to win, and I want to find a way to kind of leave my legacy within the game in a different way, rather than individual success, but more so team success.”

Chau and Makar committed to UMass and joined a 2017 recruiting class that included future NHL players Matt Murray, Mitchell Chaffee, Mario Ferraro and John Leonard.

“It was a special moment in my life because it was kind of the first time I got to be around and watch a generational player,” Chau said of Makar. “Even when he was in Brooks, I know he wasn’t quite on the radar yet when we first started the season, but we all knew that he was going to be a very, very special player.

“And then to even get the chance to live with him and play with him in college and see all his success there and then to the NHL, it’s been incredible to watch.”

UMass coach Greg Carvel said opposing teams focused on Makar and other players, and often overlooked Chau to their detriment.

“I think he (flew) under the radar,” Carvel said of Chau. “For us, he was a very good complimentary player who scored (27) points the year we won the national championship, which is not easy to do. The fact he wasn’t the guy that other teams talked about going into games, but at the end of the game they’re, like, ‘Geez, that guy made a big difference.’”

FRISCO, Texas – The 2025 IIHF World Men’s Under-18 Championship has come to an end. Canada has gone back-to-back as the tournament champion for the first time in the event’s history, Sweden settled for silver once again and USA got a bronze medal on home ice.

One reason for the event’s popularity is it is one of the final and best viewings we get of the season’s NHL Draft class. There were upwards of 200 NHL team personnel including many of the league’s general managers that attended the tournament. 

There were a lot of takeaways from the tournament, both as it pertains to individual players and the draft class as a whole. Here’s a look at the major takeaways, including which players helped and some that may have hurt their draft stock at this late stage of the season.

The Tournament Was Indicative of a Weaker Draft Class

The World U18s confirmed something that anyone that has been following the class has known for some time. The 2025 NHL Draft is especially shallow on talent.

These players are going to develop more over time and there will absolutely be gems to be mined from this group, but at this stage of the overall development of these players, there just aren’t as many legitimate NHL prospects as you’d hope to see. 

It’s why we saw fewer 2025 NHL Draft picks move at the trade deadline and why teams are concerned that there may not be many takers when it comes to trades around draft day.

I’ve been to 10 U18 World Championships in person and this was the weakest field I have seen in all of those trips. I felt similarly about last year’s tournament, but there were at least a number of high-end prospects to track. That number was much smaller this year.

A big part of the tournament’s shallowness and lack of competitive games stems from Russia still being banned from international competition, but even so there’s far more to it than that.

It’s a down year in the United States, a massively down year in Finland, which was ousted in the quarterfinal. Switzerland, which has been trending down for years now, actually got relegated from the top level for the first time since 2006. They lost in a shootout to Norway, which had a lot of players that can return next year.

These things go in cycles. In talking with scouts, however, outside of the top several players for next year’s class led by Gavin McKenna, they’re not seeing a huge amount of upside for 2026 either. It’s still pretty early in that process, though.

So let’s get to the players and who stood out and who did not.

Prospects Rising After U18 World Championship

Let’s be clear about one thing first. Players are not going to dramatically change their draft stock playing at the U18s. It’s another data point in a series of them when it comes to evaluating top players. That said, there can be small changes, new information and at least the opportunity to give scouts a lasting impression on what they’re all about. Here are some players that did that this week.

Brady Martin, Canada

The hard-hitting Martin showed the value he can bring to any team. He’s a sturdy player who collected a lot of big hits, which only enhances the value generated by his clear skill. Martin had 11 points in the tournament including a pair of goals in the gold-medal game and was named to the all-tournament team. He is a player you notice every shift.

That is why Brady Martin is going to be a first round pick in the 2025 #NHLDraft!

The @OHLHoundPower star has his second and ’s fifth of the #U18MensWorlds final! pic.twitter.com/SVhKWLE2lg

— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) May 4, 2025

Jack Ivankovic, Canada

At 5-foot-11, Jack Ivankovic will have teams that simply skip over him. But as players like Dustin Wolf have shown, sometimes you have to ask yourself how many times a player has to prove himself. Ivankovic, who led Canada to a title at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, played even better in Canada’s route to the gold medal. The quality of competition wasn’t all that strong until the end, but he delivered in every game. In six appearances, he allowed just six goals, posting a .961 save percentage. He should be a mid-round pick, but I do wonder if a team tries to jump the line for a goalie with superior hockey sense and poise in the net.

Milton Gästrin, Sweden

Aside from the final against Canada, which was a rough one for all of the Swedish players, I thought Gästrin showed the full range of his ability in the tournament. He’s not a graceful skater, but he won puck races and showed an extra gear I did not see before. He plays a heavier game and is good around the net. He finished with 10 points while captaining the team. I think there’s a stronger case for him to land in the first round, which is where he was trending towards anyway.

LJ Mooney, USA

The odds are stacked against players that are 5-foot-7 or shorter and that’s where Mooney is at this stage. However, he played some of his best hockey of the season at the biggest moment. He was Team USA’s most consistent driver and led them in scoring with 11 points. He made tons of plays, but what stands out to me is how fearless Mooney is. He had some good body checks, gets to the interior well and showed the quick-twitch skills that could make defenders miss. I wonder if a team takes a chance on him as early as the fourth round, because he’s a player I’d want to give a chance to.

Filip Ekberg, Sweden

Ekberg was the MVP of the tournament and an unlikely source of massive points. He had 18 in the tournament, most ever by a Swede in the tournament. He ranks in the top-10 all-time and is tied with Alex Ovechkin, Cole Caufield, Gabe Perreault and Mikhail Grigorenko. He’s tied for sixth in single-tournament goals with 10. I’m not saying he’s going to jump a round or two here. He’s still a mid-round pick, but I do think he showed more of the skill and hockey sense he can bring despite not being the biggest player.

Filip Ekberg scores his 6th goal of the tournament, and it was a beauty @trekronorse is first on the board! #U18MensWorlds #SWECZE pic.twitter.com/2GFBfDcJ1Z

— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) April 28, 2025

Braeden Cootes, Canada

He wears the “C” in Seattle for the Thunderbirds and he wore it for Team Canada. Cootes didn’t wow me by any means, but he played very well. He had a slow Hlinka-Gretzky Cup and his production was fine, not amazing in the WHL. That said, he does a lot of little things well, can be relied on in all situations and has an emotional maturity to him that makes him an effective leader. He had 12 points in the tournament as one of Canada’s leading players.

Will Horcoff, USA

This is going off of more from what I heard from scouts than my personal opinion on this one. Though Horcoff had just four points in seven games, I heard from NHL personnel that they saw improvement in his game from when he was at the NTDP earlier in the year. Horcoff left midseason to enroll at Michigan early and made an instant impact for the Wolverines. He returned and helped Team USA with his big frame, playing physical and being disruptive.

Cullen Potter, USA

With eight points in the tournament, he made his impact felt. Potter can change any game with his speed. He just needs to finish a bit more consistently on what he can generate. Seeing him against his own age group reminded me of how impactful he can be. That wasn’t always on display in college, but it’s a clear separator for him in this class. I think Potter has a better chance at going in the first round than I did before the tournament, but I do still want to see him complete more plays. With that skating and skill combination, though, he looked like a clear first-round talent, particularly in this class.

Prospects With Stock Stable After U18 Worlds

Jackson Smith, Canada

Smith had four goals and one assist in the tournament from the back end, but I also think he didn’t show us anything we didn’t already know he could do. He’s a highly-mobile player with size. The questions that remain come down to hockey sense and his ability to think the game at the pace needed to play it at a high level. His execution was a little off at times, and it looked like decisions need to come quicker. He’s still poised to be a top-15 or top-20 pick in this draft, but I did think some of his flaws were exposed.

Radim Mrtka, Czechia

Mrtka is a bit of an enigma as a prospect. He’ a 6-foot-6, right-shot defenseman defenseman who can skate and make a few plays. But there are questions about his compete level and physicality, which I thought showed up once again in this tournament and do give me pause. He can’t lose battles at his size against his own age group. That said, he’s got so many tools that NHL teams are going to see the upside for him. He could be a top-10 pick yet.

Sascha Boumedienne, Sweden

Boumedienne set the tournament’s record for points by a defenseman with 14. You would think that would put him in the risers category, but I think we saw against tougher opponents that there were some wildly questionable decisions made with and without the puck. The reason Boumedienne is still a surefire first-round prospect for this draft is that he is a high-end skater who can make a difference at both ends of the ice. The only problem, as one scout put it to me, there are times where it looks like he will keep both teams in the game. There’s a lot to like, but there is a lot of room to grow. That was known, but further confirmed in this tournament.

Boston University freshman defenseman Sascha Boumedienne has set a new single-tournament scoring record at the IIHF World U18 Championship!

READ MORE: https://t.co/hmP8tba40S#U18MensWorlds #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/fZpXHYVcnS

— FloHockey (@FloHockey) April 30, 2025

Will Moore, USA

Moore very quietly had points in every game at the World U18s, finishing tied with LJ Mooney for the team lead with 11. He has been talked about as a potential first-rounder and I think he’s a better fit for an early Day 2 pick. There’s some upside there with his skill and hockey sense, and as he gets stronger he should be more effective. I don’t think he did a ton to help himself, but did less to hurt himself at this tournament.

Blake Fiddler, USA

Fiddler came from outside the NTDP and quickly became USA’s No. 1 defenseman. That said, I don’t know that he seized the opportunity fully. He has good mobility and size, which separates him. But there were definitely moments where the pace ate him up a bit and his decisions weren’t coming quick enough with or without the puck. I think there’s a lot of ability to be mined and his potential is only just starting to be scratched. I did come out of the tournament wanting a little more from Fiddler.

Prospects With Stock Falling After U18 Worlds

Anton Frondell, Sweden

Frondell came to the tournament late, flying in directly after Djugårdens earned promotion to the SHL. He missed two games before arriving two hours before the game against USA in the prelims and he stepped right into the lineup. Frondell finished the tournament with three points, continuing an alarming trend of sub-par showings within his own age group. Every GM in the lottery was at this tournament and he was the only prospect they were probably there to see. He did not look like the player challenging for a spot in the top three as has been suggested. I have been a big Frondell fan since my first viewings of him last season, but this was a let-down, even with the cross-continental travel. Three points in a weak tournament just won’t cut it.

Cole McKinney, USA

Let me preface this by saying I’ve got a lot of time for Cole McKinney and I think he’s going to be a solid player and a borderline first-round prospect. He just picked a bad time to not have his best. He finished the tournament with five points and USA needed more from him. His two-way play is a big benefit, but I don’t think we saw him showcase the full complement of his skill set. He’s the classic player that does everything well, but nothing truly elite. I still think he’s going to play in the NHL, but this was a tough week of hockey.

Jack Murtagh, USA

Murtagh’s identity on Team USA is that of a scorer. As a top-six winger who can find the net, he had just two goals and six points in the tournament. I’ve liked the way he’s played most of the year, but he was harder to spot at U18 Worlds. He was being talked about as a fringe first-round candidate, but I think there may be fewer believers in that lofty position after this event. This wasn’t a great last impression.

Cameron Schmidt, Canada

He played his best game in the gold-medal game, which was a good reminder of how he can impact a game with his speed and skill. That said, I thought we’d see Schmidt open things up more offensively. There were also instances of poor decisions and occasionally trying to do too much. At his size, he has to play a very clean game and not give people excuses to doubt what he can bring to the table. I don’t think that happened here and I expect Schmidt to slip into the mid rounds, possibly the second half of the draft.

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We knew some news would be on the horizon, after Mizzou head coach Shannon Welker reported at the team’s banquet on Sunday that he’d scored a commitment or two, but he wouldn’t say much more than that, much to my dismay. This coaching staff operates in stealth mode, as the new commit wasn’t even listed on College Gym News’ transfer tracker yet!

Well, fans didn’t have to wait too long to get the news, as on Sunday night, Illinois transfer and bars specialist Makayla Green announced her commitment to Mizzou Gymnastics on Instagram, and holy hell, this is a big one.

The nation’s no. 4 bars squad is set to lose four of this season’s six rotation members to graduation, so reinforcements are desperately needed. And they have arrived, thanks to Makayla!

Per Road to Nationals data, the 5-foot-3 New Jersey native scored 9.90-plus five times last season, including four 9.925 scores. Two of those 9.925 scores were at the Seattle Regional and Big 10 conference meet, respectively, so we know that she can shine under the bright lights.

Makayla’s average score was a 9.850 and 9.890 NQS scores will put her towards the top of the bars rotation next season. She won seven individual bars titles in her final season at Illinois, including in the head-to-head matchup with UC-Davis in the Washington Regionals Round I.

How much eligibility does she have? Per sources, it is likely to be one, though Road to Nationals data doesn’t show her as competing in either 2022 or 2024.

Here’s how the roster stacks up right now. While we wait to see if Lauren Macpherson and Grace Anne Davis return from injury to take one final go-around in the black & gold, they’re grayed out.

Stay tuned for more Gym news here at Rock M. I suspect we’ll be hearing more news very soon.

Texas universities would be able to pay athletes as part of the realignment that has upended college sports

Texas House Bill 126 (HB 126) is meant to allow Texas universities to become compliant with updated terms of rights for both the university and student athletes following the looming decision of the NCAA court case. 

“We will be killing college football in Texas if we do not pass this bill,” said Rep. Carl Tepper, R-Lubbock, who sponsored the bill.  “…Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Michigan will be able to recruit our student athletes, student athletes from around the country, and give them a certain deal to play for their colleges.”

​The NCAA’s landmark $2.78 billion settlement, known as the House v. NCAA case, has received preliminary approval from U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilkin (Oakland, Calif.) and is poised to transform college athletics by allowing schools to directly compensate athletes. The agreement includes approximately $2.78 billion in back pay for athletes who competed before NIL rules were implemented, covering those who played between 2016 and 2021. The new rules proposed by the NCAA would also allow universities to offer scholarships for all members of a collegiate team. However, they would be enforcing roster caps with this change to allow for this. 

HB 126 represents a shift in collegiate athletics by permitting universities to directly compensate student-athletes for the use of their name, image, and likeness. The bill is a departure from previous restrictions that limited such compensation to only third-party arrangements. 

Rep. Tepper said the bill would not allow the student athletes to be paid before enrolling in their institution, and colleges would be capped at a $24.5 million spending budget. However, they are allowed to present probable offers in recruiting. If the prospective athlete receives NIL compensation in high school, they will be ineligible for anything further.

When asked where the money would be coming from by Rep. Jolanda Jones, Tepper responded that no money would be out of taxpayer dollars, but from television contracts, tickets, suites and concessions –  primarily through the universities’ football programs. 

“Mostly, these athletic departments are paid for through the football program. Football is king. Some basketball, a little from baseball, but mostly football,” Tepper said. 

HB 126 also promises that the language of the NIL laws outlined will be updated every two years to keep up with any changes to ensure the Bill does not become outdated. 

Speaker of the Texas House, Dustin Burrows, took to X on April 14 when it passed the first time, saying he was “Proud of the Texas House for passing major achievements that will support our veterans and military students and preserve Texas universities’ competitive edge in recruiting student athletes.” 

He further congratulated Rep. Tepper, posting that HB 126 “keeps Texas institutions competitive in recruitment by letting colleges and universities offer NIL deals directly with prospective student athletes, in anticipation of the NCAA lifting its nationwide prohibition on the practice.”

In opposition to the Bill, Rep. Mitch Little (R-Denton) said to the House: “ …What we have done as a country is began to deconstruct and cheepen that experience [attending a university] to the point where the people who are competing on your television on saturday afternoon in college football are just a series of subcontractors there for our entertainment.” he said. “The state of Texas takes a backseat to no one in collegiate athletics…we do not need to follow other states.”

The Lone Star State is no stranger to NIL-leading athletes, even without the universities being involved. According to On3.com’s NIL player rankings, Arch Manning, quarterback for the University of Texas, leads the NCAA with an NIL valuation of $6.6 million. His predecessor, Quinn Ewers, is valued at $4.5 million. Texas Tech Basketball’s Power Fielder JT Toppins follows ranked No. 13 with a valuation of $2.8 million.  TCU Football’s quarterback Josh Hoover ranks in the top 20, coming in at No. 18, also with a valuation of $2.8 million. 

There is no mention in the bill of its effect on student athlete scholarships. Rep. Tepper said that, as designed by HB 126 and previous legislation that “They [student athletes] are specifically not employees of the university,” in response to Rep. Little’s question to him on such.