By Jacob Messing

The 2017 Bauer Motown Classic — streamed live right here on FloHockey — kicks off this weekend. The Detroit-based tournament features prominent junior teams around the country and has produced some of the NHL’s best young talent in recent years.

The Motown Classic is an absolute hockey bonanza: 176 teams over nine divisions, including 16 teams in the U18 Division. If you’re scouting future NHL players, this is the place to be.

This year, Michigan is home to three programs in particular harboring future professional talent. Below is a spotlight of these programs, their schedules, and their history in Motown before you catch the action live starting Friday.

Little Caesars

This is the U18 Little Caesars team’s first Bauer Motown Classic since 2013, when they won the division. The reigning 2016-17 High Performance Hockey League (HPHL) champions won last year’s state championship as well, before losing in the national championship.

Through eight exhibition games this season, L.J. Stachowski’s five goals and Zach Novack’s eights points (two goals, six assists) lead the team prior to this weekend’s tournament.

Defenseman Bobby Burns is the only returning player from last year’s championship team. He played three games last season but failed to record a point. This year he has suited up in all eight games and scored one goal.

Head coach Anthony Ciraulo is exposing his fresh-faced team to some stiff competition, which certainly helps with team bonding and chemistry. This weekend provides a chance for the team to build confidence before the regular season begins in full force.

Little Caesars’ three pool games are scheduled for Friday at 11:10 AM and 8:00 PM and Saturday at 11:10 AM. All times are EST.

Oakland Jr. Grizzlies

The Grizzlies — based in Troy, Michigan — are undefeated in pool play over the past two editions of the Bauer Motown Classic, with a combined record of 5-0-1. In 2015, they lost to runners-up Michigan Hockey Advancement in the first round of the playoffs.

In 2016, Oakland lost in the first round again, this time in a 2-0 shutout by the Windsor Spitfires, against whom the Grizzlies open pool play in a juicy rematch.

This year the Grizzlies are in the same division as the Little Caesars during the regular season. The team is currently 3-0 with 15 goals for and two goals against. Little Caesars hasn’t started regular season play.

The two divisional rivals won’t see each other during pool play, however, but could match up in the playoffs depending on how their tournaments unfold. If the two teams’ past tournaments are any indication, a playoff round matchup could be in the mix.

The Oakland Jr. Grizzlies’ three pool games are scheduled for Friday at 9:35 AM and 3:15 PM and Saturday at 8:00 AM.

Congrats to our MHA U18 Team - Compuware/@HoneyBakedHC Invitational champs for the second straight year. #CompHBinvite pic.twitter.com/DQDD4vOaov

— TPH Detroit (@tphdetroit) October 8, 2017

Michigan Hockey Advancement (MHA)

Make no mistake: this is the team to beat.

MHA got a taste of the finals in 2015 but ultimately fell to Ontario’s Hill Academy 5-4. The following year, they shut out the Naperville Sabres in the finals 5-0, and they’re now back to defend the title.

With top-tier talent, MHA regularly draws scouts from Division I colleges, and has supplied talent for junior teams for both the U.S. and Canada.

As previously mentioned, the 2015 MHA team knocked the Oakland Jr. Grizzlies out in the first round of playoffs by a score of 5-1. MHA won’t see either Little Caesars or Oakland during pool play, but the playoff rounds could be grounds for a clash.

MHA’s three pool games are scheduled for Friday at 8:15 AM and 6:40 PM and Saturday at 11:25 PM.

FloHockey will live stream all games right here, starting with the 8 AM puck drop Friday, October 20, and ending on Sunday, October 22.

Have a question or a comment for Jacob Messing? You can find him on Twitter @JMessing23.