Roughly a year ago, Mikey Berchild got the news he was going to be called up from the U.S. National Team Development Program Under-17 Team to the Under-18 Team. 

It was a deserved and confidence-boosting experience for the forward, who after registering close to a point-per-game for the U17s, tallied 24 points in 35 games with the U18s. That included eight points in seven games at the Under-18 World Championship in Frisco, Texas, as one of the younger players in the tournament. 

Now in his second season on the U18 team, Berchild has been building on that experience and emerged as a leader for his teammates. He’s fourth on the team this season with 24 points in 30 games and is tied for second with 15 assists. 

“My game has grown a lot in the past year, maybe the year started and it wasn’t my best start, but I stuck with it recently and it’s been progressing, the hard work is paying off,” Berchild said. “I kind of look at everything from a team perspective, but I see spots where we can all build on this.”

This week there’s further for players like Berchild in the 2026 Chipotle All-American Game, which will be held Thursday at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. and the game will be televised on NHL Network. 

Players from the NTDP will be split into Team Blue and Team White alongside other draft eligible prospects from the USHL. Draft prospectors and scouts in attendance will have their eyes on Berchild, one of the marquee names for Team White.

“There’s pressure when you get a chance, like he got last year,” NTDP U18 coach Nick Fohr said. “He spent time with the 18s last season and learned about the adversity and that adversity is important, he learned it’s hard what you need to go through, how you need to mature and what the next steps are.”

What are some of those next steps?

“The pucks aren’t necessarily going in as much as he’d like them to,” Fohr said. “But it’s not from the lack of process. The process is there and with time, things tend to even out, he’s a really good offensive player and supplies so much for us, he really opens things up for others.”

Fohr said it’ll be a fun opportunity for him as a coach to kind of sit back in this game and watch his players, like Berchild, who are competing against some of their usual teammates on the U18 team. 

“This format has been great, it pushes the guys they go head-to-head, we’ve had some maybe scary moments, a teammate with a big hit against each other, but in the end, it works pretty well for us,” Fohr said. “It brings out the competition for everyone.”

Berchild is doing his best to go with the flow, but events like this, he knows, can have a big impact on potential NHL draft stock. While scouts are watching every game, Berchild said, there’s something special about the marquee events and what they represent.

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.