A year ago, Teddy Stiga was a regular resident on the United States National Team Development Program U-17’s fourth line, finishing the 2022-23 season with 21 points through 49 games. Now, the 17-year-old winger is a top-six staple for the U-18 squad and is on pace for a career showing.
Why?
Stiga is bigger, stronger and faster — and it’s all a credit to the commitment to his craft ahead of his freshman campaign with Boston College next season.
“He’s been able to make things happen quicker. He’s been able to make reads faster. He’s been able to be way more accurate with his passing and his shooting,” NTDP U-18 head coach Nick Fohr said. “He’s able to make plays at a high level, at a high speed. When you can do that, good things follow.”
Stiga has 18 goals and 31 points through 27 games this season, averaging over a point per game and already surpassing his 21 points he posted in his U17 year. The Sudbury, Mass., native has solidified his top-six standing but is still determined to grow his game.
“I’m a really smart player. I think the game at a really fast pace,” Stiga said. “I’m a good skater and I can play both sides of the puck, but I really like playing offense, and I like making plays and getting goals and assists and helping the team win whatever way I can.”
Stiga, who fell in love with hockey while playing on his backyard rink with his father and brother and came to the program from Belmont Hill, will have somewhat of a homecoming in the 2024-25 season when he officially joins an Eagles team that is currently ranked No. 1 in the country.
“I know how electric Boston can be for college hockey,” Stiga said. “It was great for my family — they’re even more excited than me about BC and just being in Boston for a while longer and being able to see them a lot.”
Fellow Boston College commit James Hagens is centering Stiga’s line this year with the NTDP, and the duo has formed a connection that could translate to the NCAA stage. To no one's surprise, Hagens is off to a hot start, too, posting 13 goals and 39 points in 24 games.
“I think we’ve built a good chemistry so far. We’ve been playing good together,” Stiga said. “It’s fun to think about what we have for the future at BC and then obviously with the guys they have there already.”
Boston College has become a pipeline for the NTDP, with six of its 11 freshmen this season coming from the program — namely Drew Fortescue, Will Smith (Arlington, Mass.), Ryan Leonard (Amherst, Mass.) and Gabe Perreault — and it will no doubt ease the transition to the collegiate level for Stiga.
“The connection that our guys have that go through the program, whether they’re there at the same time or not, is always really ingrained in them, the things that we do and the culture that we have,” Fohr said.
While Stiga’s offensive production is an obvious upside to his game, the work in the middle of the ice and in the defensive zone is what really has aided his development. Stiga played center a lot in his U-17 year, which Fohr said helped his defensive contributions. This season, it’s all about paying attention to details even when the puck isn’t on his stick.
“My challenge to them at the beginning of this whole process and something that we talk about is we’re trying to develop them into winning hockey players. And to win you have to do more than just play with the puck,” Fohr said. “It’s just the focus that he’s put himself in and something that he’s done a very good job with.”
Looking at Stiga’s ceiling in the next five years, Fohr said there’s one drawback: his size. Standing at 5-foot-10, 177 pounds, Stiga is on the smaller side compared to other guys in his age group. However, Stiga can learn to use it to his advantage. He’s a shifty and speedy winger, not a power forward, and he’ll have to lean into that role as he climbs the ranks.
“Long term for him, that’s going to be a hurdle that he has to address,” Fohr said. “Can you do it? Absolutely. You’ve got a guy right in your own town there in Boston playing for the Bruins with Brad Marchand, who’s a smaller, undersized guy.”
As Stiga heads into his NHL Entry Draft year, the noise around him has gotten louder. Between scouts at games, collegiate expectations and heightened media attention, Stiga is trying to remain focused on his current role at the program and take the whole process “day by day.”
“Obviously you’re thinking about the future, but you try to keep that in the back of your head and you want to take it day by day,” Stiga said. “I think living in the moment and just going to work each day is what I do. I don’t really think too far ahead or too far behind, I just like to stay present, and that keeps me in a better mental space as well.”
Beyond the hockey player, Stiga is a guy his teammates want to be around on and off the ice. He’s in the middle of the locker room and has been one of the U-18 squad’s leaders in his second year with the NTDP. Mix that with his work ethic, and BC fans have something to be excited about.
“He’s got the ability to have really good relationships and really good balance with his team,” Fohr said. “And he’s got a personality that just comes out. It’s energetic and he’s got that kind of magnetic personality that guys like to be around and want to be associated with.”
