By Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com
The United States Premier Hockey League is previewing each Elite Division ahead of this Friday’s start date of the 2024-25 Elite season. Check back each weekday to see which Elite division is up next!
Order is 2023-24 regular season finish, followed by new division member
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights
Season Opener: Sept. 20 vs. Elmira Impact
Two years an Elite team, two years at Nationals – including their first National Championship game in their inaugural campaign in 2022-23. The Knights have basically written the blueprint for how to start a franchise.
There are laurels to rest on, and then there are laurels that are but rungs on a ladder, and the latter are what the Knights have chosen.
“Our roster is still being finalized but will definitely have a younger look than in the past few years, with the emphasis shifting even more to player development,” said first-year General Manager Andy Scott. “The Knights will look to their Elite team to continue to develop players to advance to the Premier and NCDC teams.”
Chris Diller is just one example of a former Knights Elite player who earned his spot on the Premier squad.
“Chris is a hard-working forward who was a team leader on last year’s Elite team,” said Scott.
There’s also Eric McHale, a standout from the inaugural season who has since pushed up to the NCDC Knights. So with that, it’s understandable that the Knights take their time to form the roster for Game 1 (and beyond).
“Our USPHL training camp is still ongoing so it is difficult to say who will be our strongest player from among the few returners that we may have,” said Scott. “Tony Shaw, who saw net time last year in both the Elite and 18U nets, will be expected to provide leadership.”
Among the new Knights, the team will look for big things out of goaltender Jadyn Clark. The ’06 from Buffalo, N.Y., last played for the Buffalo Regals.
“He will look to develop his game at the junior level to go along with his tremendous size,” Scott added.
P.A.L. Jr. Islanders
Season Opener: Sept. 14 vs. Rockets Hockey Club
The Jr. Islanders were another Elite program that had their best season in their time in the league during the 2023-24 campaign.
“Coach Aleksey Nikiforov believes their team is young, fast, and skilled and hard-working, and feels they will be competitive,” added Asst. General Manager Rob Antonucci. “He feels the team can be as good as last season as long as they play within his system and keep their composure.”
The Jr. Islanders saw a strong group advance from their bar-setting Elite team of last year to the Premier Jr. Islanders, including Elite Atlantic All-Stars Justin Morrissey and Lucas Lewin, as well as Chris O’Hea, Rich Bovich and Sean Walsh.
“They were all instrumental in helping the Elite team success and high rankings last season,” added Antonucci.
Sam Kadison and Alex Morris bring experience back to the P.A.L. Jr. Islanders.
“I believe Sam makes us really strong in goal this year and we have much depth,” added Head Coach Aleksey Nikiforov. “He is fast and his work ethic is super strong. Alex Morris is a big, fast, skilled forward who will bring grit to the front end this season. These are two veterans that will help bolster our squad.”
Coach Nikiforov also said he is excited about the 2024-25 team this season as the roster is filled with many new skilled players.
Kyle Antonucci is a goalie who is a Tier 1 Hockey Federation All-League Goalie and MVP goalie of the playoffs this past season. Dom Feiler also joins the team in net to join Kadison and Antonucci and provide that aforementioned strong goaltending core.
Lukas Fine, Andrew Jozwicki and Andrew Mervyak are all newcomers to the defense.
“Lukas is a fast and skilled player that brings leadership and strength to the defense and is fun to watch,” said Nikivorov, adding Lukas is the brother of Harvard University forward Ryan Fine. “Both Jozwicki and Mervyak bolster the back end with skill and grit. Both had a strong training camp and will play a big part.”
Up front, Aiden Ortiz projects to be a big contributor to the P.A.L. offense, while additional new “fast, skilled and gritty forwards” include Nick Morolla, Jack Chaitman, Max Campo, Harold Stauffer, Dante Scibelli and Kurt Smock.
Rockets Hockey Club
Season Opener: Sept. 14 vs. P.A.L. Jr. Islanders
The Rockets had their best Elite regular season since the formation of the USPHL Elite in 2017. They also brought to the ice the league’s leading scorer as well as the all-time leading scorer in Elite history in John Crowdell. The Rockets took this act on the road to Nationals as well, their fourth trip in five years.
The 2024-25 Rockets will have a different character, but longtime Head Coach Todd Wagenbach is encouraged with what he has seen up towards this weekend’s opener.
“We are going to be a little younger and a little less experienced this year than in years past, but I expect that to be the case around the division as well, so I look forward to seeing how that plays out,” said Wagenbach. “That said, the expectations for this group are through the roof and I expect similar results to what we have established to be our successful culture in this league and division.”
The Rockets veterans from 2023-24 who will be helping to set the culture for newer Rockets include John Whyte, Aiden Ball, Josef Polacek, George Roland, Moni Taipovic and Anthony Desimone. Whyte (’06) was a top 10 scorer last year, scoring 25 points in 17 Elite games, splitting the season between the Rockets and the Woodbridge Wolfpack 18U team.
With the advancement of former All-Star goaltender Joseph Auletti to the USPHL Premier Conference, and his creasemates, the door is open for new goalies to shine in 2024-25.
“Goaltenders Brody Teitelbaum (’07) Brendon Baldinger (’06) and Brendon Eigner (’08) will give us a chance to win every game.
Jersey Hitmen
Season Opener: Sept. 15 vs. P.A.L. Jr. Islanders
The Hitmen themselves have not been strangers to the Nationals over the years, so this is another organization that finds ways to win and also finds ways to send players in the right direction in terms of advancement.
“We have an excellent class of incoming rookies that will be sure to make a name for themselves. We anticipate that several of the guys will log some minutes in Premier games,” said Head Coach Jim Raymond. “Once again the Hitmen Elite team will be young, hungry, and determined to grind, and with a little puck luck, find themselves at Nationals in March.”
The Hitmen advanced several players from last year’s team, including to the Premier squad, so the Wayne, N.J.-based team has a largely new roster for 2024-25.
“We are returning three players in goaltender Jonathon Hagar, forward Alex Mizak and defenseman Michael Breslin. I expect all three to guide our incoming rookie class on what it takes to make playoffs and beyond,” Raymond said. “We will be leaning heavily on Jonathon Hagar to lock down some wins for us in net.”
A pair of teammates from Bergen Catholic High School in ’07’s Cam Jaffe and Jack Malara are on board with the Hitmen this year, while former Ramapo Saints AAA player Liam Malara (’08) joins his brother Jack on the team. Anders Jenkins (’07) is joining from Montclair High School and Dante Gallucci (’08) is on board from West Essex High School.
“The Atlantic Division is very competitive, and we expect our guys to stand up to the challenge,” added Raymond.
Elmira Impact
Season Opener: Sept. 20 at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights
The Impact are another team that improved to its best season (of their first two in the league), and they are looking to improve exponentially from this point forward.
“We will be a hard working competitive team with skill and structure that will play a complete 60-minute game. Last season we were just short of playoffs and we were unsatisfied,” added Head Coach Cameron Yarwood. “We are coming into this season hungry and determined to be a competitive and top team in our division.”
Eian Robinson and Dominic Spencer will be two team leaders this year, both of whom went out and more than doubled their prior year points totals.
“Eian will be leading charge and will be the Captain of our team. He brings leadership and offense to our young and hungry group this season,” said Yarwood. “Dominic will be holding down the Blue. He is a steady and strong two defensemen who’s been in the program for two years.”
The Impact looked pretty much everywhere for the right players to enter their program and work their way up to the USPHL Premier and beyond. This includes Prince Albert, Sask., 2008-born twins Max Murphy and Smith Murphy.
“Max is a skilled, two-way defenseman, and Smith is a skilled center with a great scoring touch,” said Yarwood. “They will be very exciting to watch this season.”
Connecticut Jr. Rangers
Season Opener: Oct. 3 at Jersey Hitmen
The entire Jr. Rangers organization is energized after seeing their 2023-24 USPHL Premier team push through the USPHL Nationals and remain the last team standing with the trophy. Bobby Pauls, the Jr. Rangers’ USPHL Elite Head Coach (and NCDC Assistant Coach) certainly has the fever and he wants to see his players do their best to win on the ice, and advance to their best possible next destination after this year, as well.
“The expectations for the Elite team are to secure a spot in playoffs, and make our way to Nationals for the first time for our Elite program. We’re entering our second year, but the standard is set high. We want to compete well, play with a lot of energy and be one of the top teams in the Atlantic Division,” said Pauls. “Last year, the division was pretty tight for the most part. It really came down to a couple points for the last spot in the playoffs last year. We’re looking for a strong start so we’re not in a position to be chasing points at the end of the season.”
In terms of advancement, Pauls is proud that several Elite players from last year are pushing for a spot on the defending champion Premier team’s roster.
“Some of our biggest core players from last year’s team are making the move up the CJR ladder. Joaquin Del Core, Mike Troiano, Braden Ondrus and Evan Werth are looking to become impact players for the Premier team,” Pauls added. “This year, we have a few returners coming back that are looking to make a big step forward this season. But overall, we have a group of excited players coming to Connecticut this year and I’m looking forward to seeing what this group can do.”
He’s really encouraged with the players who are set to show up for the Rangers’ camp. “I’m just ready to get to work, and start teaching and developing these players,” he added.
The Rangers are on a mission to be the best team they can be, and all hands across the organization are on deck to work towards the best internal advancement model in the league.
“Going into Year 2 at the Elite level, I’m just looking to build of the successes of last year and keep making CJR a destination for players looking to start their junior hockey path,” Pauls said. “I want them to see that our program is one of the best in the county and that there’s an opportunity to come in the door, climb the ladder and be a home grown player in CJR since we have teams in the Elite, Premier and NCDC levels.”
Hershey Cubs
Season Opener: Sept. 21 at P.A.L. Jr. Islanders
Upon their establishment in 2021, the Cubs – in entering the USPHL Premier Conference – always intended to have an Elite feeder team. Now, after putting the Cubs Premier team on solid ground as a competitive force, it’s go time for the Cubs Elite.
“We’re looking forward to this new era for the Hershey Cubs. We’ve always wanted to add an Elite team to our program, and I’m happy that we’ve achieved this goal in Year 4,” said General Manager Brady Boudreau. “Our new goal now is to have both teams be the best in the league. It’s a long journey, but we’re committed to excellence at the Premier and Elite level.
“I’m hoping that our team can be competitive in the first year. We have strong competition in our division so our job won’t be easy,” Boudreau said. “We have a new group of players we are excited to be working with, and our goal is to keep growing to be a dangerous team come playoff time.”
The Cubs have a solid base of junior experience from which to build around, including Connor Nowicki, an ’08 defenseman who has Premier experience.
“He is getting better every day. He is making our job hard, but if he keeps playing the way he has been, he’ll be up with Premier in no time,” added Boudreau.
The team also brings in former EHL Premier players in Tallen Forrey and Gunnar Wolfe.
“We expect them to be a big part of our offensive punch this year,” Boudreau said.
Newcomers to the junior ranks include forwards Keaton Flint and Alex Charbonneau, and goaltenders Alex Rachel and Yegor Chernyshov.
“Alex Charbonneau and Keaton are two young players that have stood out to us during training camp,” said Boudreau. “Alex Rachael and Yegor are two international goalies in whom we feel incredibly confident going into the season.”
