USPHL Elite 2023-24 North Region Players Of The Week

by Joshua Boyd

September 29, 2023September 29, 2023

Week of Sept. 29, 2023 Games of Sept. 17-24 Forward: John Crowdell, Rockets Hockey Club Your 2023-24 USPHL Elite leading scorer is the same guy that ended the 2022-23 season as the leading scorer. Crowdell (‘03/Staten Island, N.Y.) has racked up five goals and seven assists for 12 points to lead both in […]

USPHL Elite 2023-24 Division Preview Series: Midwest

by Joshua Boyd

September 23, 2023September 23, 2023

By Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com The 2023-24 season is one of not just some new teams in a couple of the USPHL junior leagues, but the story is one of entire divisions. In the NCDC, the Mountain Division has made its Tier II debut, and now the spotlight will also be on six teams […]

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton NCDC Goalie Ty Levy Gets Season Start Call-Up To USHL’s Tri-City

by Joshua Boyd

September 20, 2023September 20, 2023

Ty Levy, a 2006-born goalie signed by the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights NCDC team, was called up by the Tri-City Storm for the duration of the USHL Fall Classic. Ty Levy was an add by Tri-City last fall and is an affiliate player of the Storm. He is in his first season with the Knights. “The Knights […]

USPHL Elite 2023-24 Division Preview Series: New England

by Joshua Boyd

September 19, 2023September 19, 2023

By Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com The New England Division has seen some of the USPHL Elite’s best teams over the course of its history, especially looking at the division’s representatives at the last three Nationals – the Northern Cyclones and Islanders Hockey Club. The Cyclones, for instance, have the Elite’s best overall winning percentage […]

USPHL Elite 2023-24 Division Preview Series: Atlantic

by Joshua Boyd

September 14, 2023September 14, 2023

By Joshua Boyd / USPHLPremier.com In just their second year of existence, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights made it to the USPHL Elite National Championship game, and did so after setting some history with a 25-game regulation unbeaten streak to end the season (24-0-1-0). The Knights have only ever been at the top of the division […]

USPHL Elite 2023-24 Division Preview Series: Florida

by Joshua Boyd

September 12, 2023September 12, 2023

By Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com The Florida Elite Division gets down to its first business this coming weekend. The league’s southernmost division features one of the new teams for this season, as the Bold City Battalion kick off their inaugural season Sept. 22 with a three-game run against the Florida Jr. Blades. Last year, […]

Carolina Hurricanes Head Coach Rod Brind’Amour Drops First Puck at Jr. Canes Elite Banner Raising, Opener

by Joshua Boyd

September 10, 2023September 10, 2023

All photos by Katelyn Alumbaugh / Carolina Jr. Hurricanes By Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com The Carolina Jr. Hurricanes welcomed a very special guest for their 2023-24 Home Opener on Sept. 9, as the Elite Jr. Canes raised their 2023 National Championship banner ahead of puck drop. The Ceremonial Puck Drop was taken by […]

USPHL Elite 2023-24 Division Preview Series: Southeast

by Joshua Boyd

September 6, 2023September 6, 2023

By Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com Official puck drops begin this very Friday in the Southeast Division, which has been home to all five USPHL Elite National Champions since the formation of the current Elite conference in 2017. Most recently, it was the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes who took home the hardware after also winning the […]

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights’ Revo Ice Hockey Academy Opens Doors For 2023-24

by Joshua Boyd

August 29, 2023August 29, 2023

By Joshua Boyd / NCDCHockey.com Wilkes-Barre/Scranton NCDC and other junior players will have a much easier time getting integrated into the WBS region, thanks to a brand new massive sports academy opened by the organization by the name of Revo Ice Academy. The Revo Ice Academy Sports is a full-service residential facility with post-sport recovery […]

#CommittedLeaders Spotlight: Former Eel Gage Dill Headed Back To Curry After CCC Rookie Of the Year Campaign

by Joshua Boyd

August 22, 2023August 22, 2023

By Joshua Boyd / USPHLPremier.com On August 21, Gage Dill was in a car out of Fort Myers, Fla., and bound for Milton, Massachusetts, which will be his home for most of the next nine months. “We’re on our way up. We check in Thursday and classes start on Monday [Aug. 28],” said Dill. […]

Week of Oct. 13, 2023

Games of Oct. 3-9, 2023

Florida Division

Forward: Xavier Solomon, Palm Beach Typhoon

Solomon (‘05/Harrison City, Pa.) was on fire for the Typhoon at his very first showcase, the USPHL Southeast Showcase, putting up four goals and two assists for six points in his four games in Morrisville, N.C. He had goals in three straight games, including his top performance, a 2-1-3 line against Potomac. He has eight goals and 10 points in 10 games so far this season, his rookie junior campaign.

Defense: Carter Trussler, Tampa Bay Juniors

Trussler averaged a point (and assist) per game with four helpers – including three against the Columbia Infantry – as the Tampa Bay Juniors went 2-2 at the USPHL Southeast Showcase and are able to maintain first place in the Florida Division with a 6-2-0-0 record overall.

Goaltender: Chase O’Dea, Florida Jr. Blades

O’Dea (‘06/Orange County, Calif.) put together an outstanding performance by stopping 30 of 31 Columbia Infantry shots for the Florida Jr. Blades’ only win at the USPHL Southeast Showcase. A former Jr. Everblades 16U goalie, O’Dea holds a .914 save percentage in his two appearances so far.

Southeast Division

Forward: Liam Hanna, Potomac Patriots

The second-leading scorer in the league, with 24 points (tied with teammate Domynikas Jurjevas), Hanna was lights-out at the USPHL Southeast Showcase. He posted half of his 24 points in the four showcase games, giving him a 5-7-12 line. He finished the event with two straight 2-2-4 performances against Palm Beach and Bold City. For his Elite career, he has 127 points in 124 career regular season games. He is the Elite’s sixth-leading scorer of all time with that number.

Defense: Kirill Golubev, Potomac Patriots

Golubev (‘07/Kostroma, Russia) leads all Elite defensemen in scoring by a mile, 10 points to be exact. Thanks to a 3-3-6 line in his four USPHL Southeast Showcase games, he now has 23 points on the young season. His 1-3-4 performance against Palm Beach on Monday gave him his second four-point game of the year.

Goaltender: Janic Kennedy, Hampton Roads Whalers

Kennedy (‘04/San Diego, Calif.) joins Kirill Golubev in repeating as a Player Of The Week thanks to his domination of a second straight showcase. After going 2-0 at the BJB Shootout one week earlier, he then went 2-0 again – but this time with zero goals against – at the USPHL Southeast Showcase. He enjoyed a 22-save shutout vs. Atlanta and a 20-save blanking of the Florida Jr. Blades in his trip to North Carolina. He stands at 4-1-0-0 with a .941 save percentage and a 1.39 GAA on the season.

Week of Oct. 13, 2023

Games of Oct. 3-9, 2023

Atlantic Division

Forward: Jace Lombardo, Rockets Hockey Club

The second-year ‘04 from Staten Island, N.Y., busted open the Hitmen Classic with five goals and four assists for nine points in his four games there. His highlight in Wayne, N.J., was a 2-2-4 performance against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights. He currently has 23 points in nine games this year, placing him fourth in Elite scoring.

Defense: Christopher Kobayashi, Jersey Hitmen

Kobayashi (‘05/Hillsdale, N.J.) has been an immense contributor to the Hitmen cause already, especially after starting the Hitmen Classic with a 3-2-5 performance against the Boston Junior Bruins. The second-year Hitman currently has a 5-5-10 line in 10 games played this year.

Goaltender: Joseph Auletti, Rockets Hockey Club

Auletti (‘05/Staten Island, N.Y.) has had just as huge an impact on the Rockets over the last week as his former Monsignor Farrell High School teammate Jace Lombardo. In net, Auletti made 104 saves on 107 shots in three games. He went 2-1 and earned a 39-save shutout victory against last year’s Nationals runner-up Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

New England Division

Forward: Simon Higgins, Springfield Pics

The Pics only played one game between Oct. 3-9, but the second-year Pic Higgins made the most of it, scoring three goals and an assist in a win against the Boston Junior Bruins Elite team on the eve of their trip to New Jersey. Higgins (‘03/Longmeadow, Mass.) is in his second year with the Pics after scoring 42 points in 44 games in 2022-23.

Defense: Zachary Demyk, Islanders Hockey Club

Demyk (‘05/Montreal, Que.) scored his first two goals of his junior career at the Hitmen Classic, including the game-winner for his first against the host Jersey Hitmen. His other goal tied their game against P.A.L. 3-3 in the third period, just before two late P.A.L. goals gave the opponents the win.

Goaltender: Jason Conlan, Boston Junior Bruins

Conlan (‘05/Garrett Park, Md.) did everything he could for his team at the Hitmen Classic, stopping 153 out of 161 shots in 231 minutes of action for the Junior Bruins. He helped them earn a point against the WBS Knights in a shootout loss. He stopped all 41 shots he faced in 65 minutes of action in that game, and he also stopped 42 of 45 shots against the Rockets Hockey Club. Conlan’s first appearance was in relief and he stopped 10 of 11 shots after the Jersey Hitmen started out with a 4-1 lead by the middle of the game.

Week of Oct. 12, 2023

Games of Oct. 3-9, 2023

Forward: Blake Botterill, Metro Jets

The ‘05 out of Clarkston, Mich., had a huge offensive weekend against the Decatur Blaze Elite squad, posting seven goals (including a 4-3-7 line in the first game) and four assists for 11 points in just two games. Botterill has also played in three games for the USPHL Premier’s MJDP squad this year.

Defense: Jack Squire, Motor City Gamblers

Squire, an ‘06, helped the Gamblers to a three-point weekend against the Chicago Cougars, as he registered five assists, with one coming on the game-tying goal in the eventual shootout loss on Saturday and in a last-minute goal in an eventual 3-2 defeat as the Gamblers clawed back in an attempt to tie the game. He also had an assist in the Gamblers’ 6-5 victory over the Metro Jets on Oct. 4.

Goaltender: Tyler Houle, Motor City Gamblers

Houle (‘07/Warren, Mich.) had an outstanding junior debut game as he stopped 38 out of 40 Chicago Cougars shots in the team’s Oct. 6 4-2 victory. Houle is a product of the Biggby Coffee AAA program and once represented Belle Tire at the prestigious Quebec International Peewee Tourament.

North American Prep Hockey League Spotlight Players

The College St-Jean-Vianney Black Vees were the only “NAPrep” League team in action over the past weekend, and a few CSJV players stood out at the Hitmen Classic in Wayne, N.J. The CSJV Black Vees return to USPHL action in November at the Islanders Hockey Club Showcase and in February at the Northern Cyclones Showcase.

Rocco Petreccia, Forward: The 2007-born forward posted three goals and four assists for seven points in four Hitmen Classic games.

Anthony Dupuis, Forward: A 2006-born native of L’Assomption, Que., was good for a goal-per-game average in New Jersey, posting four goals and adding two assists for six points in four games.

Noah Landry, Goaltender: The 2006-born native of Joliette, Que., ended up with a 0.33 goals against average and a .986 save percentage from his three appearances at the Hitmen Classic. He stopped 70 of 71 shots, giving up just one in three starts. Against the Jersey Hitmen, he made 25 saves on 26 shots. He stopped all 18 faced from the Elmira Impact and all 27 faced from the P.A.L. Jr. Islanders.

The 2023-24 second annual Florida Cup Ice Hockey Showcase is designed to create a playoff atmosphere in the early part of the season for the local Florida teams: The Florida Eels, the Florida Jr. Blades, the Tampa Bay Juniors and the Palm Beach Typhoon.

The additional Florida Division teams – the Atlanta MadHatters and Bold City Battalion, along with the Southeast Division’s Columbia Infantry – will compete in a separate championship event called the Military Cup.

The Florida Cup is a two-day event consisting of Saturday and Sunday games. The seedings are based on the conclusion of last year’s regular season final standings. The first place team will face off against the lowest seed. The second seed will square off against the third seed. Last season, both Eels teams were the winners of both the Elite and Premier Florida Cups. The Premier being the Gold and the Elite the Silver making the Eels the defending Champions.

In this year’s contest, both Eels teams finished at the top of the standings as Regular Season champions. The Jr. Blades finished the lowest seed amongst the four organizations participating so they will square off against the Eels at both levels this upcoming weekend. The Tampa Juniors will face off against the Palm Beach Typhoon Premier and Elite teams on the initial day of games. On Sunday, the winners of each set of games will then compete for the Florida Cups on Sunday.

The spirit of these games is what throttles the competition. The games do count in the standings as part of their 44 regular season games. Each team plays the Florida teams eight times (four home and four away) for a total of 24 games, and they play the Mad Hatters in six games (three home and three away), for a subtotal of 30 games, and then the Florida Division teams compete in three showcases. Two are in Florida in December and January and the recently concluded USPHL Southeast Showcase for 12 showcase games and a subtotal of 42. The two Florida Cup games round out each team’s 44-game schedule.

There is no doubt the Florida Cup establishes preliminary bragging rights for the teams. They are well scouted on FloHockey and part of the regular recruiting process.

The USPHL and host Florida Eels hope to see you there live at the Fort Myers Skatium or join us on FloHockey.

All games at Fort Myers Skatium

Saturday Schedule:

Premier

Oct 14: Palm Beach Typhoon at Tampa Bay Juniors, 4:30 p.m.

Oct 14: Florida Jr. Blades at Florida Eels, 7:10 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 15 – 4:30 and 7:15 p.m.

Elite

Oct 14: Florida Jr. Blades at Florida Eels, 9 a.m.

Oct. 15: Palm Beach Typhoon at Tampa Bay Juniors, 11:40 a.m.

Sunday, Oct. 15: – 9 a.m. and 11:40 a.m.

Week of Oct. 6, 2023

Games of Sept. 25-Oct. 2, 2023

North American Prospects Hockey League

Forward: Justin Boivin, Le Sommet Faucons

Boivin (‘07/Quebec) registered a line of two goals and four assists for six points as Le Sommet won three games in their debut in USPHL Elite play. Boivin’s highlight was a 1-2-3 line against the Connecticut Jr. Rangers on Oct. 1.

Defense: Raphael Michaud, Le Sommet Faucons

Michaud (‘06/Quebec) enjoyed a goal and two assists for three points against the Islanders Hockey Club and two more assists against Connecticut, both on Oct. 1. He completed a 1-4-5 line for the weekend. Le Sommet will return to the USPHL for the Northern Cyclones Showcase in February.

Goaltender: Alexis Viel, Somang Prep

Viel (‘06/L’Epiphanie, Que.) came away from Somang’s only action until the Cyclones Showcase with a 2-0 record, coming from 54 saves on 57 shots, a 1.50 goals against average and a .947 save percentage. He was even named a Dan K Show Star Of The Game for their victory against the P.A.L. Jr. Islanders.

Midwest Division

Forward: Andrew Engstrom, Chicago Cougars

Engstrom (‘06/St. Charles, Ill.) put up four goals and two assists, including back-to-back two-goal games, for a six-point opening weekend for himself and the Cougars.

Defense: Trey Henderson, Chicago Cougars

Henderson (‘05/Scottsdale, Ariz.) posted three goals and one assist for four points in two of the three games against the Blaze. He was called up to the Premier for their Oct. 1 game, as well.

Goaltender: Brendan Kusbel, Fort Wayne Spacemen

Kusbel (‘05/Mount Pleasant, Mich.) came away with a win stopping 30 of 31 shots in his Elite debut against the Chicago Crush on Sept. 29, good for a .968 save percentage and a 1.00 goals against average.

Week of Oct. 6, 2023

Games of Sept. 25-Oct. 2, 2023

New England Division

Forward: Luca Tartaglia, Islanders Hockey Club

Tartaglia (‘05/San Mateo, Calif.) is one of two repeat winners here as he just completely put up a mammoth weekend, scoring three goals and five assists for eight points in four games. He started the BJB Shootout with a 1-2-3 line against College Universel Gatineau.

Defense: James Delaney, Springfield Pics

Delaney (‘05/Palmer, Mass.) posted three assists as the Pics came back from being down 1-0 to win 6-3 against College Universel Gatineau. He currently has four assists in his three games so far this year.

Goaltender: Shane McKone, Springfield Pics

McKone continues to shine, repeating as a Player of the Week, as he put together a 1-0-0-1 record in the BJB Shootout. He stopped 90 out of 96 shots against for a .938 save percentage over the course of the event, also good for a 2.88 goals against average.

Atlantic Division

Forward: Patrick Devaney, Jersey Hitmen

Devaney pulled to within one point of the league lead by posting a 5-5-10 line in his four games at the BJB Shootout. The ‘06 from West Caldwell, N.J., helped the Hitmen go 4-0 through the BJB Shootout.

Defense: Aedan Proof, Jersey Hitmen

Proof (‘04/Riverside, Calif.) was a point-per-game performer with a goal and three assists during the Hitmen’s four-game undefeated run at the BJB Shootout.

Goaltender: Joseph Auletti, Rockets Hockey Club

The ‘05 from Staten Island, N.Y. is in his third USPHL season and is showing that comfort and familiarity with his surroundings, as he stopped 39 shots out of 40 total for a hard-fought victory against an always tough Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights team. Auletti’s .953 save percentage is good for fourth overall among goaltenders with multiple games played.

Week of Oct. 6, 2023

Games of Sept. 25-Oct. 2

Florida Division

Forward: Mookie Killen, Tampa Bay Juniors

Over two games against the visiting Florida Jr. Blades, Killen (‘06/Tampa, Fla.) put up a pair of goals and assists each for a four-point performance. Killen is also on the Steinbrenner High School team in nearby Lutz, Fla.

Defense: Sean Burke, Florida Eels

Burke (‘03/Wellesley, Mass.) posted a total of five assists during the team’s two wins against Palm Beach last Friday and Sunday, including one on Teddy Feng’s OT game-winner on Friday.

Goaltender: Logan Millar, Florida Jr. Blades

Despite taking a loss in Saturday’s game against the Tampa Bay Juniors, Millar (‘06/Fort Myers, Fla.) put together an outstanding performance of 39 saves on 41 shots to give his team a chance to win.

Southeast Division

Forward: Dominykas Jurjevas, Potomac Patriots

The ‘04 from Elektranai, Lithuania, was certainly electric at the BJB Shootout last weekend, putting together four assists and six points for 10 games to improve to 13 points on the young season.

Defense: Kirill Golubev, Potomac Patriots

The former Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 16U standout Golubev (‘07/Kostruma, Russia) has engineered the best points total for an Elite defenseman so far with 15 points, and 10 of those came from the Pats’ four games in Marlborough, Mass., at the BJB Shootout.

Goaltender: Janic Kennedy, Hampton Roads Whalers

Kennedy (‘04/San Diego, Calif.) is a second-year junior whose experience shone through with a performance of 2-0 with a 1.50 goals against average and .919 save percentage at the BJB Shootout, making 34 saves on 37 shots in his two wins.

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The United States Premier Hockey League cordially invites you to join us in person or catch all the action on FloHockey.tv for the 2023 USPHL Southeast Showcase, running Oct. 6-9, 2023.

The first entirely USPHL Premier and USPHL Elite event in the USPHL Showcase Series, the Southeast Showcase will be hosted by the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes and take place at Wake Competition Center in Morrisville, N.C.

All of the Southeast and Florida Division teams from both the USPHL Premier and Elite Conferences will be at the event, plus the USPHL Premier’s Cincinnati Jr. Cyclones and Nashville Spartans, both from the Great Lakes Division.

Full Premier Schedule

Full Elite Schedule

Games of Sept. 8-24

Florida Division

Forward: Kevin Rosello, Tampa Bay Juniors

The ‘03 native of nearby New Port Richey, Fla. produced five goals in just his first two games of the season and can certainly be counted on for more this year. He rang up his first two goals on Sept. 15 and the next day added a hat trick and an assist for a total of six points thus far.

Defense: Brinson White, Florida Jr. Blades

A returning ‘06 defenseman, White (Media, Pa.) scored three assists over a three-game series against the Bold City Battalion in which the Blades earned their first victory of the season.

Goaltender: Jackson Bernier, Atlanta MadHatters

The veteran Bernier (‘03/Belfast, Maine) had an outstanding first weekend of action against the Florida Eels, as he stopped 88 out of the 91 shots he faced. He came out of that weekend with a 1-1 record, a 1.50 goals against average and a .967 save percentage.

Southeast Division

Forward: Luke Vega, Charlotte Rush

Spread out over a couple of big winning weekends, Vega had four goals (two of which were game-winners and one of those was shorthanded). He also added three assists for an eight-point start.

Defense: Reilly Burke, Charlotte Rush

Burke (‘05/Lehighton, Pa.) was a great pickup for Charlotte in terms of playmaking as he has seven assists, coming off of three multi-point games.

Goaltender: Anthony Trantas, Carolina Jr. Hurricanes

The 2005-born Trantas is a homegrown product for the Jr. Canes, and he started out perfect with 34 saves on 34 shots covering three appearances, including zero given up in a relief effort.

Week of Sept. 29, 2023

Games of Sept. 17-24

Forward: John Crowdell, Rockets Hockey Club

Your 2023-24 USPHL Elite leading scorer is the same guy that ended the 2022-23 season as the leading scorer. Crowdell (‘03/Staten Island, N.Y.) has racked up five goals and seven assists for 12 points to lead both in the points race and rank No. 1 in points per game, at 4.00, after two weekends.

Defense: Anthony De Simone, Rockets Hockey Club

De Simone (‘04/Staten Island, N.Y.) is a second-year Elite Rocket, but he’s been in the organization since 2020-21, starting out as a Midget. He has been a teammate of Crowdell and five other Rockets for between three and six years. De Simone posted two goals in the season opener, and helped the team also earn another victory against the WBS Knights.

Goaltender: Andrew Zang, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights

Zang (‘04/Carrollton, Texas) certainly had a great start to his second Elite season and first with the Knights. In two games, he has just a 0.50 goals against average, thanks to stopping 33 saves in a shutout against Elmira and on Sept. 25, he posted 43 saves on 44 shots. One-fifth, or two, of his 10 Elite games played so far have resulted in shootout wins.

New England Division

Forward: Luca Tartaglia, Islanders Hockey Club

We’re just one game into the new season, and already Tartaglia is ranked among the league’s assist leaders with three helpers in his junior debut. The ‘05 with a bright future joins the Islanders out of San Mateo, Calif.

Defense: Brett Eggleston, Springfield Pics

Eggleston, a second-year Pic, rang up two assists in the Pics’ season-opnning game, and helped goaltender Shane McKonen register his first goaltending shutout. An ‘06 out of Agawam, Mass., is already a veteran, having played 17 Pics games last year.

Goaltending: Shane McKone, Springfield Pics

On Sept. 23, the ‘05 McKone earned his first junior career win and shutout when he stopped all 29 shots to defeat the Boston Junior Bruins on their home ice.