Elite Conference, Florida Division, News, Players Of The Week: Elite, Southeast Division

USPHL Elite Players Of The Week: South Region

by Joshua Boyd

December 19, 2024December 19, 2024

Week of Dec. 19, 2024

Games of Dec. 10-16, 2024

Southeast Division

Forward: Kayden Suy, Potomac Patriots

Suy (‘05/Gainesville, Va.) put up six assists in two games with the Potomac Patriots last week, adding to his career tally of 39 and cementing himself as the second-highest scoring player for the franchise this season. Suy has played 53 games over two Elite league seasons.

Defense: Ashton Lesher, Charlotte Rush

Lesher (‘05/Penn.) posted two assists in two games this week with the Charlotte Rush. The blueliner is in his second season in the Elite league. He’s played 65 career games and has 21 career points.

Goaltender: Owen Nasholds, Carolina Jr. Hurricanes

Nasholds (‘07/Raleigh, N.C.) made a big impact on Dec. 14, taking a shutout win against the Atlanta Mad Hatters. Making 23 saves on 23 shots, it was his third shutout in his rookie season. He is currently 8-4-0-0 with a .934 save percentage and the sixth best-performing goalie in the Elite league so far this season.

Florida Division

Forward: Rene Krytinar, Tampa Bay Juniors

Krytinar (‘05/Prague, Czech Republic) scored three goals and posted on assist over two games this week to help the Tampa Bay Juniors continue a five-game win streak in December. The rookie has 25 points across 18 games this season, making him the ninth-best rookie in the Elite league for 2024-25 thus far.

Defense: Ari Chernobelsky, Palm Beach Typhoon

Chernobelsky (‘06/Wellington, Fla.) crossed the 60-game threshold this week, playing his 61st game for the Palm Beach Typhoon and capturing one goal and one assist over the week. He has 32 career points over two seasons in the Elite league.

Goaltender: Shane Passaro, Tampa Bay Juniors

Passaro (‘04/Palm Springs, Calif.) made 36 saves on 39 shots for a .923 save percentage against the Florida Junior Blades on Dec. 13. The goalie has a .936 save percentage in his second season with the Tampa Bay Juniors. He is 21-5-0-0 over two seasons with two shutouts to his name.

Selection Process: Divisional statistical leaders are presented to coaches, who are able to vote on the leaders, or nominate and vote on alternate candidates.

Summaries by Taylor Dean

USPHL Elite Power Rankings: Jan. 23, 2025

USPHL Elite Players of the Week: South Region

USPHL Elite Players of the Week: Northeast and Midwest Regions

USPHL Elite Players Of The Week: Northeast and Midwest Regions

Read About How The United States Premier Hockey League Utilizes Ken's Ratings For American College Hockey ("KRACH") to determine its Power Rankings.

These rankings are used by the USPHL only to determine Divisional seeding for Premier Nationals; for selecting the Elite wild card team to fill out the 6-team Elite Nationals field; and for seeding the Elite six-team field.

Power Movers: The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights have reclaimed the top spot after two weeks at No. 2. The Northern Cyclones and Islanders Hockey Club moved up within the Top 10 to No. 5 and 6, respectively.

See this week's full rankings below!

Week of Jan. 23, 2025
Games of Jan. 14-20, 2025

Southeast Division
Forward: Taryk Filipuzzi, Hampton Roads Whalers
Filipuzzi (‘05/Spruce Grove, Alb.) registered a goal and added three assists for four points as the Whalers faced the Jr. Hurricanes on the weekend. He now has 55 points in 84 career USPHL regular season games.

Defense: Moosa Dessouky, Carolina Jr. Hurricanes
Dessouky (‘08/Cary, N.C.) is a product of the Jr. Hurricanes youth organization and has become a solid junior defender for the Elite squad as a 2008-born player. He assisted on the Jr. Canes’ big overtime winner on Jan. 19, which helped put them into a tie for first place in the Southeast Division.

Goaltender: Benicio Castellucci, Potomac Patriots
Castellucci (‘07/Springfield, Va.) put up a strong 45-save shutout in 65 minutes of what was eventually a 1-0 shootout loss to the Charlotte Rush, giving him his first shutout. Castellucci is a product of the THF’s Team Virginia as well as the Capital Hockey Academy.

Florida Division
Forward: Frankie Murano, Palm Beach Typhoon
Murano (‘06/West Palm Beach, Fla.) registered three goals and two assists for five points to lead the division with 2.5 points per game last week. He put up a 2-1-3 line against the Florida Jr. Blades including the GWG on Jan. 18 and he now has 12 points over each of his last five games. He has 26 points in 26 games this season.

Defense: Ari Chernobelsky, Palm Beach Typhoon
Chernobelsky (‘06/Wellington, Fla.) put up a line of 2-1-3 during the team’s two-game sweep of the Florida Jr. Blades. The second-year Typhoon has 19 points this season and 39 points in his 74 games.

Goaltender: Filipp Vitanov, Florida Eels
Vitanov (‘07/Sofia, Bulgaria) stopped 39 of 41 shots as he posted his second straight victory against the No. 1 ranked team in Elite Power Rankings, the Tampa Bay Juniors. With the two straight wins (Jan. 12 and 19), he improves to 11-5-1-0 on the season.

Week of Jan. 23, 2025

Games played Jan. Jan. 14-22, 2025

New England
Forward: Vincent Leclerc, Islanders Hockey Club

Leclerc (’06/Grand Falls, New Brunswick) averaged a massive 3.33 points per game, putting up six goals and four assists over three games for the Islanders last week. The Elite rookie has 21 points in his inaugural season, with 12 games played so far. He’s scored points in all but three of those games.

Defense: Gavin O’Keefe, Islanders Hockey Club

O’Keefe (’05/Reading, Mass.) scored three goals last week, bringing his rookie season total to 20. The Islanders blueliner has played 30 games so far this season and has one game-winning goal and two powerplay goals to his name.

Goaltender: Mateo Lachance, Springfield Pics

Lachance (’06/Haddem, Conn.) conceded only one goal out of 38 shots for a .974 save percentage in his win on Jan. 19. In his second Elite season, he has a .905 save percentage.

Atlantic
Forward: Gunnar McLellan, Elmira Impact

McLellan (’05/Ogdensburg, N.Y.) averaged 3.5 points per game, putting up three goals and seven points across two Elmira Impact games. He is on an astonishing 15-game points streak, scoring in every game since Nov. 9. In his third Elite season, McLellan has played 103 career games and has 58 career points.

Defense: Yaroslav Chelbayevsky, Wilkes-Barre Scranton Knights

Chelbayevsky (’08/Astana, Kazakhstan) posted three assists for the WBS Knights on Jan. 17, his first appearance in 2025. In his rookie season, the blueliner has 11 points (three goals; eight assists) across 19 games played so far.

Goaltender: Kyle Antonucci, P.A.L. Jr Islanders

Antonucci (’09/Manorville, N.Y.) garnered a .958 save percentage on Jan. 18, conceding only one goal before a shootout loss for a 1.43 goals against average. He is 4-0-0-1 in his inaugural Elite season, with a .899 save percentage.

Midwest Division
Forward: Jarrett LaGrow, Metro Jets Elite

LaGrow (’05/Kalamazoo, Mich.) averaged two points per game last week, scoring one goal and posting five assists over three games for the Metro Jets Elite and continuing an eight-game points streak that began on Dec. 13. He has 36 points across 43 career games played over two Elite seasons.

Defense: Ryder Tracy, Metro Jets Elite

Tracy (’06/Tecumseh, Ont.) posted three goals and three assists for the Metro Jets Elite last week, bringing his season points total to 21. He has scored eight goals and 13 assists in his rookie Elite season, with 31 games played and counting.

Goaltender: Nate Maurin, Chicago Cougars

Maurin (’05/Harrison Township, Mich.) captured a 20-save shutout alongside a one GAA win, garnering a .50 goals against average across the two games. This was the rookie goaltender’s first shutout win. He is 7-6-0-0 this season with a .894 save percentage.

Week of Jan. 17, 2025

Games of Jan. 7-13, 2025

New England

Forward: Chase Darcey, South Shore Kings

Darcey (‘06/Billerica, Mass.) put up five goals and added one assist during a busy week of moving frequently between the Elite and Premier Kings. With the Premier squad, he also had a goal and an assist over the past week.

Defense: Daniel Mordas, Springfield Pics

Mordas (‘07/Lithuania) registered two goals and two assists for four points recently, giving him 26 points in 24 games. He has seen a huge improvement, offensively, from the seven points he registered in 31 games last season.

Goaltender: Nick Cowles, Northern Cyclones

Cowles (‘05/Irvine, Calif.) took a shootout loss, but he was fantastic during the Jan. 10 game against the rival Islanders Hockey Club, stopping 53 of 55 shots in 65 minutes. He stands at 9-2-0-1 overall.

Atlantic Division

Forward: Tobias Tokos, Connecticut Jr. Rangers

Tokos (‘05/Bratislava, Slovakia) just recently joined the Jr. Rangers, and he’s already made a huge impact with three goals and five points in his first two games with Connecticut.

Defense: Jake Strong, P.A.L. Jr Islanders

Strong (‘07/Shirley, N.Y.) joined up to the Elite Islanders this year from the Atlantic Hockey Federation P.A.L. 16U squad. He put in three assists during the team’s recent pair of games against Connecticut and the Rockets Hockey Club. He has 22 points in 29 games.

Goaltender: Brody Teitelbaum, Rockets Hockey Club

Teitelbaum (‘07/Livingston, N.J.) stopped all 42 shots he faced against P.A.L., giving him his first shutout and fourth win in seven games played with the Rockets this year.

Midwest Division

Tyler Dix, Metro Jets

The second-year Jet and homegrown talent Dix (‘05/Mount Clemens, Mich.) scored a hat trick, the first of his two-year career, to improve to a career-best 28 points in 31 games.

Defense: Logan Landmeier, Chicago Crush

Landmeier (‘05/South Elgin, Ill.) had his first point streak of the season and registered a 1-3-4 line for the Crush in a three-game series with the Decatur Blaze. He now has 10 points in 28 games after joining the Crush out of the Fox Valley High School team.

Goaltender: Johnny Augusta, Chicago Crush

Augusta (‘04/Medinah, Ill.) stopped all 31 shots he faced on Jan. 11, giving him his third shutout of the season and a 9-3-1-0 record for this season, which matches his wins total from his full 2023-24 season.

Selection Process: Divisional statistical leaders are presented to coaches, who are able to vote on the leaders, or nominate and vote on alternate candidates.

Summaries by Joshua Boyd

Jan. 17, 2025

Games of Jan. 7-13, 2025

Southeast Division

Forward: Viktor Pettersson, Charlotte Rush

In his last two games, Pettersson (‘05/Sundsvall, Sweden) scored one goal and contributed three assists in the Rush’s two-game series against Hampton Roads. He now has 38 points in 29 games for this, his second season in the league.

Defense: Ashton Lesher, Charlotte Rush

Lesher (‘05/Hamburg, Pa.) had a great weekend against the Whalers, putting up a goal and an assist for two points over his pair of games, and he now has points in each of his last five games. He now has 12 points, just shy of the full-season total of 14 points of last year.

Goaltender: Nicholas Grosso, Charlotte Rush

Grosso (‘05/Malverne, N.Y.) gave up just one goal in each of the past two games. For the full weekend, he had 34 saves on 36 shots for a .944 save percentage. His 12th win on Jan. 12 was a career best in his two seasons.

Florida Division

Forward: Matthieu Leblanc, Bold City Battalion

Leblanc (‘07/Austin, Texas) had his best performance so far on the season, putting up two goals and two assists for four points against Palm Beach. He has improved to 24 points in 26 games, joining this year from Oakmoor Academy in the THF.

Defense: Gino Saele, Palm Beach Typhoon

Saele (‘07/Palm Beach, Fla.) is a local product from the Spanish River/Boca Raton High School team. With the Typhoon this year, he registered four assists in two games, including a three-assist output against the Florida Jr. Blades.

Goaltender: Marcus Benzrihem, Tampa Bay Juniors

Benzrihem (‘06/Odessa, Fla.) put up his ninth win of the season, and it was a career best. Benzrihem stopped 26 of the 28 shots he faced from the Florida Eels on Jan. 11, and he improved to 9-0-1-0.

Selection Process: Divisional statistical leaders are presented to coaches, who are able to vote on the leaders, or nominate and vote on alternate candidates.

Summaries by Joshua Boyd

10 teams to play in inaugural 2025-26 season

Jan. 17, 2024 – Nashua, N.H. – The Tier I Hockey Federation is excited to announce the creation of the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL) 18U Division for the 2025-26 season. This division will serve independent Tier I / AAA / Academy teams in North America and, as with the rest of the USPHL, will not be a part of USA Hockey. Nine organizations have committed to assembling 10 teams for the USPHL 18U inaugural season, with more coming in a later announcement. The USPHL 18U Division will be administrated by the Tier 1 Hockey Federation (“THF”). The THF serves as a direct pathway for junior and college hockey with over 50 organizations and almost 300 teams from 9U-18U. The new USPHL 18U Division will play 40 games in a competitive mix of intra-division games along with attending USPHL Showcases playing in a junior hockey atmosphere.

Founding members of the USPHL 18U Division include the Thunder Hockey Club, Rocky Mountain Moose, Somang Hockey Academy, Hawkesbury Knights, Le Sommet Faucons, NPU Rebels (two teams), Universel Gatineau, Universel Sherbrooke, and the Kingston Wranglers.

“This league creates a direct pipeline from youth hockey to junior & college hockey, helping players develop the skills needed to thrive at the next level and catch the attention of scouts,” said USPHL Senior Advisor Kevin Abrams. “We look forward to expanding this division, and other youth divisions, across North America as well as helping develop players for our USPHL junior teams.”

“USA Hockey serves as the ultimate barrier to youth hockey development. The THF is looking for ways to serve independent teams in the US and Canada that are looking to provide top level AAA hockey but are being blocked by USA Hockey Affiliates,” said USPHL Deputy Commissioner and THF Commissioner Tony Zasowski. “This division is a great opportunity to provide competitive hockey with premier advancement opportunities with ties to the USPHL and THF.”

For more information about the USPHL 18U division e-mail info@tier1hockeyfederation.com.

About The United States Premier Hockey League

Founded in 2012, the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL) is comprised of over 150 teams, fielding more than 20,000 players aged 8-21 in more than 100 organizations across the North, South, Midwest, West, and Canada. Our Junior Divisions consist of the National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC), a tuition-free junior hockey division and our Premier and Elite Divisions, all geared toward college and pro placement. Our youth and midget divisions (operated through the Tier 1 Hockey Federation) field full season 8U through 18U teams. The USPHL has sent over 8,000 players to all levels of college hockey all-time including over 4,200 into NCAA college hockey, with more than 550 advancing to NCAA Division I hockey. The USPHL has also had 18 players who played in the NCDC drafted by NHL teams.

For more information visit usphl.com.

About The Tier 1 Hockey Federation

The Tier 1 Hockey Federation is a USA Hockey Sanctioned Tier-I Youth Hockey League that offers a highly competitive environment for Tier 1 and elite clubs nationwide, with an unbalanced schedule that ensures top-level play. A team of dedicated professionals manages the THF with over 200 AAA teams, ranging from 9U-18U age levels. The THF is the only organization whose members operate franchises in the top junior hockey leagues in the US for NCAA Division I commitments, including the USHL, NAHL, NCDC, and the top two junior hockey leagues for NCAA Division III commitments, the USPHL Premier Division and Elite Division. This unique structure ensures that THF players can access various opportunities to further their hockey careers at the college level and beyond.

Read About How The United States Premier Hockey League Utilizes Ken's Ratings For American College Hockey ("KRACH") to determine its Power Rankings.

Power Movers: Not a ton of movement since last weekend, but we did see a couple top 10 position swaps. Moving up were the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes - into No. 4 - and the Northern Cyclones - into No. 6.

See this week's full rankings below!

Former NCDC Rockets Hockey Club defenseman Anthony Allain-Samake has been ranked 75th among North American Skaters in the NHL Central Scouting Mid-Term rankings, released on Jan. 14. The United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL) proudly celebrates this achievement as another testament to its player development success.

Allain-Samake, a 2007-born native of Gatineau, Que., played in 47 games with the Rockets’ NCDC team in the 2023-24 season, during which he committed to the University of Connecticut, where he is currently set to play in 2025-26. Generally, players ranked in the third round of North American Skater Mid-Term rankings project as fourth-or fifth-round selections in the draft.

The 2025 NHL Entry Draft will be held in late June 2025, in Los Angeles, Calif. Allain-Samake is currently playing for the Sioux City Musketeers in the United States Hockey League, where he has registered 12 assists over 35 games. Allain-Samake was drafted into the USHL in the 2024 USHL Draft.

USPHL / NCDC at NHL Entry Draft

There have been a total of 58 former USPHL Junior and/or Midget players drafted by NHL teams since the USPHL’s 2013-14 inaugural season.

18 former NCDC players have been selected in the NHL Entry Draft since the USPHL’s highest tier junior league opened its first season in 2017-18.
Two USPHL Premier alumni have been selected in the NHL Entry Draft in the current format of the USPHL Premier since 2022. No other league of its kind has had any draft picks since 2019.
The NCDC saw an all-time high of three players selected directly from the NCDC in 2020-21, which was also the most of any league of its kind in 2021.

USPHL Alumni In National Hockey League

Drew O’Connor became the first NCDC alum to make the National Hockey League in 2020-21 and has remained a regular in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ lineup since that season, playing in 165 games to date (Oct. 24). O’Connor played in the NCDC for the Boston Junior Bruins.
There have been a total of 10 players from the USPHL junior leagues that have made the NHL, including four currently active players (Drew O’Connor, John Marino, Ryan Donato, Joey Daccord).
There were a total of 27 alumni advancements to the NHL from the former USPHL Midget Divisions (now operated by the Tier 1 Hockey Federation), including 12 active NHL players.
There were a total of 56 players with USPHL ties who attended 2024 NHL Development Camps.

About The United States Premier Hockey League

Founded in 2012, the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL) is comprised of over 150 teams, fielding more than 20,000 players aged 9-21 in more than 100 organizations across the North, South, Midwest, West, and Canada. Our Junior Divisions consist of the National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC) and our Premier and Elite Divisions, all geared toward college and pro placement.

Our youth and midget divisions (operated through the Tier 1 Hockey Federation) field full season 9U through 18U teams. The USPHL has sent over 8,000 players to all levels of college hockey all-time including over 3,700 into NCAA college hockey, with more than 550 advancing to NCAA Division I hockey. The USPHL has also had 18 players who played in the NCDC drafted by NHL teams.

Week of Jan. 10

Games of Jan. 1-6

Southeast Division

Forward: Gavin Mulcahy, Charlotte Rush

Mulcahy (‘05/South Lyon, Mich.) registered a hat trick and a total of five goals and two assists for seven points at the USPHL Tampa Showcase to open 2025. He has improved to 27 points in 35 games on the season.

Defense: Ben Kane, Charlotte Rush

Kane (‘05/La Plata, Md.) registered four goals and three assists for seven points during the Tampa Showcase, helping the Rush go 4-0 at the event. Kane bypassed the 16 points he scored last season during the event and now has a career-best 19 points in 28 games for 2024-25.

Goaltender: Cale Puzey, Charlotte Rush

Puzey (‘05/Calgary, Alb.) came away with 33 saves on 33 shots in a pair of shutouts in Tampa, defeating the Florida Eels and Florida Jr. Blades in succession. Puzey is third in the league in goals against average at 1.50 and fourth in save percentage at .939.

Florida Division

Caleb Rae, Florida Jr. Blades

Rae (‘07/Stouffville, Ont.) scored five goals during his four-game stint at the USPHL Tampa Showcase. With this showing, he improved to 18 goals on the season and ranks in the Top 10 overall in the USPHL Elite Conference. He stands with 34 points in 27 games.

Defense: Carter Trussler, Tampa Bay Juniors

The veteran blueliner and TBJ Captain Trussler (‘06/Land O Lakes, Fla.) continues to have an outstanding third USPHL season, as he put up a goal and three assists during Tampa’s four games at the showcase of which they were host. The former Mitchell High School standout now has 69 points in 109 USPHL contests.

Goaltender: Blake Moore, Florida Jr. Blades

Moore (‘06/Harker Heights, Texas) stopped 58 of 60 shots over two games, including just one in a 2-0 defeat against Charlotte in which he stopped 26 of 27. He also stopped 32 of 33 in helping the Jr. Blades defeat the league-leading WBS Knights on Jan. 4.

Selection Process: Divisional statistical leaders are presented to coaches, who are able to vote on the leaders, or nominate and vote on alternate candidates.

Week of Jan. 10

Games of Jan. 1-6

New England

Forward: Nicholas Posthumus, Islanders Hockey Club

Posthumus (‘05/Vancouver, Wash.) kicked off 2025 with two points on Jan. 4. The Elite rookie has 28 points so far this season with the Islanders and is the second-highest scoring player for the franchise. He has 26 Elite games under his belt.

Defense: Logan Carpenter, Springfield Pics

Carpenter (‘07/South Hadley, Mass.) added one assist to his scorecard and continues a three-game points streak he began on Dec. 15. The rookie blueliner has played 27 games with the Springfield Pics and posted eight assists.

Goaltender: Cole Kelly, Islanders Hockey Club

Kelly (‘05/Binghamton, N.Y.) made 38 saves on 40 shots on Jan. 4, garnering a .911 season save percentage. The Islanders rookie goaltender is 10-3-0-0 with a 2.48 goals against average.

Atlantic

Forward: Aiden Ortiz, P.A.L. Jr Islanders

Ortiz (‘08/College Point, N.Y.) added four points to kick off 2025, continuing a four-game points streak that started on Dec. 20. The P.A.L. Jr Islanders rookie has 39 points across 28 games in his first Elite season. He’s the third-highest-scoring rookie in the league.

Defense: Lukas Fine, P.A.L. Jr Islanders

Fine (‘07/Center Moriches, N.Y.) registered four points in his first two games of the new year. The P.A.L. Jr Islanders rookie blueliner has 14 points (five goals; nine assists) across 19 games played in his inaugural season.

Goaltender: Andrew Coston, Elmira Impact

Coston (‘07/Beaver Dams, N.Y.) captured a .977 save percentage, conceding only one goal of 43 shots on Jan. 5. The Elmira Impact rookie goaltender is 8-7-0-0 with a .922 save percentage.

Midwest

Forward: Jeffrey Schroeder, Chicago Cougars

Schroeder (‘07/Hoffman Estates, Ill.) added 12 points to his name, scoring four goals and eight assists over three games for the first week of January. In his second Elite season, He has 48 points across 60 career games. He has 34 points this season, making him the Chicago Cougars points leader.

Defense: Kennelly Clinton, Chicago Cougars

Clinton (‘07/Westmont, Ill.) scored five points over three games last week for the Chicago Cougars. The blueliner has 22 points this season and is the highest-scoring defenseman for his team. He has 41 career points across 59 games in two Elite seasons.

Goaltender: Kole Wendt, Chicago Cougars

Wendt (‘04/Loves Park, Ill.) made 21 saves on 23 shots on Jan. 4, garnering a .913 save percentage. He is 3-2-0-0 in his second season with the Chicago Cougars, with a .911 save percentage and 2.50 goals against average.

Selection Process: Divisional statistical leaders are presented to coaches, who are able to vote on the leaders, or nominate and vote on alternate candidates.

Summaries by Taylor Dean

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