USPHL Elite 2023-24 Florida Division Players Of the Month: October 2023

All games of September and October taken into statistical account

Forward: William Blair, Atlanta MadHatters

The three-year USPHL veteran Blair (‘03/Toronto, Ont.) was a menacing presence for essentially two months as he put together seven goals and 14 assists for 21 points in just 10 games. He has been explosive as well, posting two three-point games, two four-point outings and he also hit five points on Oct. 28 in a 1-4-5 performance against Palm Beach. 

Forward: Xavier Solomon, Palm Beach Typhoon 

The ‘05 out of Pittsburgh is one of those Elite players we may not see much of anymore – at this level. After putting up 13 goals and adding four assists for 17 points in 12 Elite games (averaging 1.42 points per game), he has been a big help already in earning a point for the Premier Typhoon. He posted his first two Premier goals to push the Typhoon to a shootout against Atlanta on Oct. 28. 

Forward: Kevin Rosello, Tampa Bay Juniors 

Coming out of nearby New Port Richey, Fla., Rosello (’03) has been a big boost for the Juniors’ offense, averaging a goal per game through seven games played. He started out by scoring game-winners in his first two games out of the gate and one of those was part of a hat trick in his second game ever. He also earned a five-game call-up to the Premier Juniors and registered one assist there. 

Defense: Lucas Gonzalez, Tampa Bay Juniors 

A second-year USPHL veteran, Gonzalez (‘04/Superior, Colo.) has certainly found the perfect home in Wesley Chapel, Fla. He is the ice time leader for Tampa Bay, averaging 22:48 per game, and he is second in plus-minus at +15. He’s helped himself out in that respect by posting four goals and seven assists for 11 points in his 13 games so far. 

Defense: Carter Trussler, Tampa Bay Juniors 

Another local product like Kevin Rosello, Trussler came to the Juniors from nearby Land O’ Lakes, Fla., and he previously played with Rosello at Mitchell Mustangs high school. A Florida Elite All-Star last year and multiple Player Of The Month recipient, Trussler has never slowed down and only seems to be getting better. Along with his eight assists in 10 games, Trussler is close behind Gonzalez in average ice time (22:37). And he’s still with the Mitchell Mustangs, for whom he is the Team Captain and the reigning recipient of the Hobey Baker High School Character Award for Mitchell.  

Goaltender: Jackson Bernier, Atlanta MadHatters 

Bernier (‘03/Belfast, Maine) is another second-year USPHL veteran off to a great start, utilizing his experience to push to a 3-1-1-0 record out of the gate. That pairs well with a .968 save percentage and he also has a shutout (21 saves). His first pair of games of the season were an example of just how well he performs under pressure. In Game 1, he stopped 44 of 46 in a close loss to the Florida Eels, before stopping 44 of 45 two days later to beat the same Eels team. Like others on this list, he has also seen a Premier call-up already this year. 

Method of selection: The USPHL Media Team shares a first set of nominees from among statistical leaders with division coaches and accepts alternate nominations from coaches, where applicable. From these, the USPHL Media Team selects the final “starting lineup.” 

Top Performers Of The Week (Oct. 24-31)

Forward: William Blair, Atlanta MadHatters – Blair was huge in the team’s three-game sweep of Palm Beach, posting two goals and seven assists for nine points. 

Defense: Hayden Spencer, Atlanta MadHatters – Spencer put up six assists over the course of the three games against the Typhoon. 

Goaltender: Chase McCullum, Bold City Battalion – McCullum stopped 40 of 41 shots against the visiting Columbia Infantry on Oct. 28.