Summaries By Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com
Selection Process: Voting took part in two phases. In the first phase, the division’s coaches voted for three of their own players and three players from other teams in the division. Once these results were compiled, the division’s coaches voted on the final team.
Forwards
Peter Spiridonakos, Metro Jets
Spiridonakos (‘05/Laval, Que.) was one of a set of twins who put the Jets Elite team right on the map immediately, following the trend of their precedent Metro Jets and Metro Jets Development Program (MJDP) squads in the USPHL Premier. The Jets won the first-ever Midwest Elite regular season championship and earned one of their first two USPHL Nationals berths. Spiridonakos was a driving force of this success by scoring 31 goals, 52 assists and 83 points. He also saw nine games up with the MJDP and put up a 4-1-5 line. He put up five points in five playoff games.
John Spiridonakos, Metro Jets
John Spiridonakos (‘05/Laval, Que.) was the Jets’ goal-scoring leader, putting up 36 goals to rank fourth in the Elite Conference this year. He added 28 assists for 64 points in 39 games. Like his brother, he also played in five MJDP games and also played in one additional game for the Premier Jets team.
Mark Bonnay, Motor City Gamblers
Bonnay (‘05/Casco, Mich.) joined the Gamblers from Anchor Bay High School and was a big hit with his new junior team, scoring 19 goals and 27 assists for 46 points in 41 games. The Premier Gamblers also brought Bonnay up for six additional games.
Lukas Kurowski, Chicago Cougars
Kurowski (‘05/Elk Grove Village, Ill.) came up with the Northwest Chargers Midget program for several seasons before being picked up by the first-year Cougars Elite team. He played in 36 games, with 24 goals and 22 assists for 46 points. He was called up for the first Cougars Premier game on Jan. 31, and scored his first Premier goal right away. Kurowski also played in three more Premier games, as well.
Joe Richardson, Fort Wayne Spacemen
Richardson (‘03/Broomfield, Colo.) joined the Spacemen after an earlier Elite season with the former Richmond Generals in 2022-23. This second season, he provided the Spacemen with some great veteran experience, scoring 22 goals and 34 points in 27 games. He helped the Spacemen to a 22-16-3-3 record, registering three points in five games. Richardson also provided three assists in five games with the Premier Spacemen.
Trevor Touchton, Motor City Gamblers
Touchton (‘04/Utica, Mich.) is a local product who came to the Gamblers via the Metro Jets organization, after a strong career with the Utica-Ford Unified high school team. He scored 27 goals and 59 points in 41 games. Touchton got an eight-game call-up with two points.
Nick Allen, Motor City Gamblers
Allen joined his Utica-Ford Unified teammate Trevor Touchton in coming to the Gamblers Elite program and kicking up some junior offense right off the bat. He scored 19 goals and added an additional 22 assists for 41 points in 34 games. He had two points in two playoff games. He, too, had a call-up with the Premier Gamblers, earning an assist in three games.
Samuel Shaul, Motor City Gamblers
Shaul (‘04/Trenton, Mich.) is another in the long line of junior-experienced players that the first-year Gamblers brought on board, helping them to a 24-17-1-2 record in Year 1 of their Elite existence. The former Trenton High School defenseman scored 12 goals and 17 assists for 29 points in 25 games.
Austin Kessel, Chicago Crush
Kessel (‘05/Crown Point, Ind.) is a first-year junior player who pushed the Crush to a 27-14-0-3 record and a Nationals berth in the end for the second-year Crush organization in their first year with the Elite squad. Kessel scored 20 goals and 15 assists for 35 points in 42 games. He had four points in six postseason games, including two points in three Nationals games.
Andrew Engstrom, Chicago Cougars
Engstrom (‘06/St. Charles, Ill.) came to the Cougars Elite squad out of the Orland Park Vikings program. He scored 17 goals and 22 assists for 39 points in 38 games. Engstrom, Kurowski and fellow All-Star Jack Gardner were keys to the Cougars coming across the finish line with a winning record of 23-18-2-1 overall.
Defense
Jack Squire, Motor City Gamblers
The ‘06 native of Livonia, Mich., was especially impressive as a newcomer to junior hockey, bringing good size (6-feet-3-inches, 205 pounds) and an offensive edge to his game. He scored six goals and added 39 assists for 45 points, leading all Midwest Elite defenders in points. In addition to also registering two assists in two playoff games, he had a helper during a four-game USPHL Premier call-up.
Jack Gardner, Chicago Cougars
The ‘06 defender Gardner was a similarly energetic newcomer for the Cougars, putting up 31 points in 39 games as a junior rookie. He put in four additional points in three games as the Cougars pushed the Fort Wayne Spacemen in a three-game series. He is another who also brought size to his team’s young blue line, standing 6 feet and weighing 185 pounds.
Tyler Rentner, Chicago Crush
Renter (‘05/Skokie, Ill.) brought valuable junior experience from the Premier level as he helped guide the Elite Crush to the organization’s first USPHL Nationals berth. He put up an 8-20-28 line in 37 games, in addition an assist during a run of eight games at the USPHL Premier level for the Crush.
Goaltender
Johnny Augusta, Chicago Crush
Augusta (‘04/Medinah, Ill.) led the Elite Midwest Division in both goals against average, at 2.27, and save percentage, with a .924 mark. In 15 games played during the regular season, he went 9-3-0-1 in his full decisions, and he was aces in his relief spots. He held the high-powered offense of the Metro Jets to one goal in 40 minutes of action in November, and nearly shut down Fort Wayne, giving up just one goal in a period of relief duty in February.
Braedyn Sullivan, Motor City Gamblers
An impressive up-and-coming ‘07 goaltender, Sullivan – a native of Manchester, N.H. – joined Motor City out of the Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning 16U team and registered a .921 save percentage and 8-3-0-0 record as a 16-year-old, along with a 2.80 goals against average. With four years remaining of junior eligibility, he has a long runway to move up in the junior world.
Atlanta Mad Hatters
Bold City Battalion
Florida Eels
Florida Junior Blades
Palm Beach Typhoon
Tampa Bay Juniors
Connecticut Jr. Rangers
Elmira Impact
Jersey Hitmen
P.A.L. Jr Islanders
Rockets Hockey Club
Wilkes-Barre Scranton Knights
Islanders Hockey Club
Junior Bruins
Northern Cyclones
Springfield Pics
Chicago Cougars
Chicago Crush
Decatur Blaze
Fort Wayne Spacemen
Metro Jets Elite
Motor City Gamblers
Carolina Junior Hurricanes
Charlotte Rush
Columbia Infantry
Hampton Roads Whalers
Potomac Patriots
Richmond Generals