The 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games will take place Jan. 19-Feb. 1 in Gangwon, South Korea. And when it comes to hockey, two New Englanders will be in attendance. Spencer Thornborough was the lone skater selected for the team. The Boxford, Mass., native is currently playing for Governor's Academy. As a freshman, he ranks third...
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The 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games will take place Jan. 19-Feb. 1 in Gangwon, South Korea.
And when it comes to hockey, two New Englanders will be in attendance.
Spencer Thornborough was the lone skater selected for the team. The Boxford, Mass., native is currently playing for Governor's Academy. As a freshman, he ranks third on the team in points with six (all are assists).
Thornborough has been a dominant member of the Boston Jr. Eagles '08s, showing well at the 14U nationals in the spring. That continued into USA Hockey's Select 15 Camp this summer where he potted two goals and totaled six points in four games.
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Standing six feet and 170 pounds, Thornborough plays a north-south game and has some power forward in him. He's a potential U. S. National Team Development Program evaluation camp candidate. That will take place in the spring.
While the region won't send another forward or a defenseman, Gavin Weeks, a goalie, is on the roster. The Goffstown, N.H., native is a star for Bishop Kearney Selects. With the 15U team this season, he has a 1.88 goals-against average in 24 games.
Like Thornborough, Weeks showed well at 14U nationals and won the national championship, leading the Buffalo Saints to a title with an incredible 1.13 GAA and a .947 save percentage. And also like Thornborough, Weeks put on a great performance at Select 15s, posting a 3.00 GAA and a .919 save percentage against the best talent in his age group.
While just two from the region made the team, another player will be heading to South Korea who has New England connections.
Defenseman Luke Schairer is from Charlotte, N.C., but plays for Mount St. Charles' 15O team. The 6-foot-3, 174-pound defenseman is a two-way dynamo who can heavily impact the game at both ends of the ice. At Select 15s, he had one goal and two assists in four games.
These games take place every four years. At the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics, which took place in Lausanne, Switzerland, Team USA went 3-0-0-1 en route to earning a silver medal after losing to Russia in the gold-medal game.
The lone New Englander on that team was Arthur Smith (Farmington, Conn.) who is now a goalie at Princeton. However, Smith wasn't the only player on the team with New England connections. Lane Hutson, a future star at Boston University, was there. So, too, was Cutter Gauthier — a future star at Boston College.
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