Men's Ice Hockey 7/13/2026 9:24:00 AM Joel Norman

McMAHON HIGHLIGHTS LANCERS SKATING AT NATIONAL 17 FESTIVAL

The Omaha Lancers are well represented at the 2026 Boys National 17 Festival with seven players skating in Amherst, NY.

Players born in 2009 and registered USA Hockey players received the invitation to participate and compete for the opportunity to eventually be named to the 2026 U.S. Under-18 Men's Select Team that will participate in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Edmonton Aug. 3-8. A select number of National 17 Festival participants will receive an invite to the Hlinka Gretzky Cup Selection Camp July 23-27 in Saint Paul, Minn.

Lancers defenseman Thaddeus McMahon highlights the list of Lancers at the 2026 Boys National 17 Festival. McMahon, the first overall pick in the 2025 USHL Phase I Draft, skated in 13 games with Omaha before sustaining a season-ending injury. The Wilmette, Ill. native announced himself immediately in his first USHL games by scoring the game-winning goal in a 5-4 win over Green Bay Sep. 18.

Six other prospects are participating in the Festival. Two others appeared in USHL games in 2025-26: Owen Kailher in and Griffin Storey in a pair of games against the Lancers with the USA Hockey NTDP U17 team.

"The National 17 Festival has been an exciting week of hockey with a lot of high-end talent from the 2009 birth year from all across the U.S.," Lancers general manager Marc Fritsche said. "It was great to see our players competing against their peers at such a high level."

View a full list below of the Lancers participating in the 2026 Boys National 17 Festival.

LANCERS PLAYER	2025-26 TEAM(S)
Gavin Andersen	Warroad High School (Minn.), Team Spade (UMHSEHL)
Caine Bickel	Seacoast Performance Academy 16U AAA
Brayden Godon	Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights 16U AAA
Owen Kailher	Mount St. Charles Academy 16U AAA, Omaha Lancers (USHL), Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL)
Thaddeus McMahon	Omaha Lancers (USHL)
Griffin Storey	Waseca High School (Minn.), Team Spade (UMHSEHL), USA Hockey NTDP U17 Team (USHL)
Chase Warsofsky	Cushing Academy (USHS PREP)

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Players Mentioned

#X Owen Kailher: F; 5' 11"; Redshirt

#19 Thaddeus McMahon: D; 5' 10"; Redshirt

Players Mentioned

#X Owen Kailher
: 5' 11"; Redshirt
: F

#19 Thaddeus McMahon
: 5' 10"; Redshirt
: D

Players Mentioned

#X Owen Kailher

#19 Thaddeus McMahon

Players Mentioned

#X Owen Kailher

#19 Thaddeus McMahon