Never in all his years of playing and coaching hockey at different levels had Guy Gosselin experienced anything like this.

Gosselin led the U.S. Under-17 Men’s Select Team to an undefeated record at the 2026 Under-17 Four Nations Tournament, held Aug. 15-19 at Rocknet Arena in Chomutov, Czechia.

Amazingly, only one game ended in regulation — a 4-3 win for the U.S. against Czechia to open the tournament. The Americans needed overtime to defeat Slovakia and two shootouts for their other wins, including a 5-4 triumph against Czechia in the championship game on Wednesday.

With the win, the Americans seized their 10th all-time championship in this tournament.

“Unbelievable,” said Gosselin of Grafton, Wisconsin. “I’ve been on a few of these trips. It’s a learning process for these kids. When you’re doing good, you need to continue to focus on the game. They were super resilient, and they came together as a team. Fortunately, we finished on top.”

Most of the U.S. players were experiencing an international tournament for the first time, and there was little time for them to become a cohesive unit.

“I thought the coaching staff did a really good job preparing them,” Gosselin said. “We had some excellent coaches that understand how this works. If you don’t stay focused, all of these teams are super good teams, and if you let them back into the hunt, it’s a hard night.”

In the championship game, the Czechs proved how good they were by jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the game’s opening 12 minutes. The Americans responded with three unanswered goals, tying the game in the second period.

Czechia took the lead again in the second, but once again, the U.S. rallied. Soren Saumweber scored early in the third period to tie the score at 4-4.

“They really came together today,” Gosselin said after the final. “We had a team full of good teammates that wanted to play together. [They] understood that you need to do this as a team and not on your own.”

Once the game reached a shootout, the Americans took over. Aiden Kelly, Dylan Delgado and Levi Ellingsen all converted on their attempts, while Chase Pastor didn’t allow a single Czech player to score.

Gosselin said the coaching staff had asked a lot from a bunch of 16-year-olds this week, and that his players handled the pressure-packed environment well.

“Many of them have not seen the intensity and the style of play and the high skill sets,” he said. “It took a while. Everybody kind of knew their role, and it evolves as you go. It’s really interesting taking a look at these kids and their development and where they’re from. You just never know who’s going to jump up and take a leadership role in whatever way we need it.”

Captain Jack Riehl of Mars, Pennsylvania, was one of those players who stepped up for Team USA. He scored the first U.S. goal in the final and was named player of the game. Riehl recorded two goals and a pair of assists in the tournament.

Though he had been to Prague on vacation in the past, Riehl had no experience with international hockey.

“It was really fun to experience and hang out with all the boys. All the teams here were really good,” he said.

Riehl said that there were few surprises along the way, including a few of the international rules and some of the food that the Americans ate during the week.

“There’s some questionable things on the buffet,” he joked. “There was a few days where [my stomach] was a little messed up because of the food we were eating, but [I] had to push through.”

All of the things that these teenagers experienced during the tournament should serve them well as their hockey careers continue to unfold.

“A lot of the coaches in the locker room after the [championship] game hit upon the fact that you’ve created relationships that will last forever, in the game and outside of the game, you know?” Gosselin said. “We’ve had kids on this team that play against each other all year long. But they really came together, all for one and one for all. And that was really neat to see.”

No matter where the players go from here, Gosselin came away impressed with this group.

“Obviously, the skill sets are incredible,” he said. “I was amazed by some of the things that were done out on the ice. They’re super intelligent, they’re super skilled, and yet they’re 16-year-olds.

“We put them in situations where you know they haven’t necessarily been in, and you hope that they come through. You just never know. I thought we had a mature group of kids that really came together.”

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.