With 26 titles and an impressive list of NHL and Olympic stars counted among their accomplished alumni, the Faribault, Minn., prep powerhouse is always a force to be reckoned when USA Hockey National Championships roll around.

After two days of competition at the 2021 Chipotle-USA Hockey Tier I 14 & Under tournament, this year’s 14 & Under squad is certainly living up to those expectations.

One day after overwhelming Team North Dakota, 13-1, the Shattuck squad returned to the ice Thursday morning facing off against a tough St. Louis Blues team that shut out a very good N.J. Colonials team in their opening game. 

The result was another impressive effort as Brodie Ziemer scored twice and Aidan Park added three assists to pace a balanced offensive attack in an 8-2 victory.

In his seventh year at the helm of the 14U team, Christian Bragnalo knows things only get more challenging from here.

“This is my sixth or seventh national championship and I know how tough it is,” the Shattuck head coach said. “That’s why we emphasize the details of the game and talk about what championship hockey really is. The games are only going to get tougher and tougher.”

For many of these players, this is their first taste of a National Championship tournament. A number of players were on last year’s squad that saw their tournament hopes dashed by COVID-19. And with limited opportunities to participate in tournaments during this season, Bragnalo’s bunch is chomping at the bit to show what they can do.

“They’ve done a wonderful job despite being cooped up all year,” Bragnalo said. “It’s almost a shame that we haven’t been in tournament situations so that people could see them play. I’m so glad this is going on now so that people will get a chance to watch them.”

For players in the program, the history and high expectations is not lost on them. They all know that NHL superstars like Zach Parise, Clayton Keller and Jordan Greenway have all worn the maroon and white. In fact, five members of the 2021 U.S. National Junior Team that won gold at World Juniors are proud Shattuck alumni. Their photos grace the hallways of the hockey office, and the championship banners and platters fill the trophy cases at the J.P. Parise Arena.

"I think the kids know [the history] and that’s part of the reason why we attract student athletes,” Bragnalo said. “They know that Nathan McKinnon went there, and Zach Parise and Connor Garland. Obviously the list goes on. 

“The kids know the history and I think we do a good job of bringing both together, the history of the program and the now.”

For all that history, Shattuck has experienced a mini-drought of sorts in recent years, having not hoisted a championship banner since 2016 on the Youth side of Chipotle-USA Hockey National Championships. Bragnalo and his bunch are out to snap that streak, and based on the first couple of days of competition, the odds look pretty good that they will have an opportunity to do just that.