USPHL Elite Players Of The Week: South Region

by Joshua Boyd

October 1, 2022

Florida Division Forward: Sean Boltin, Palm Beach Typhoon The ‘05 out of Chicago, Ill., was absolutely menacing to opposition defenses, putting up nine points in the four games at the Southeast Showcase. Now with 11 points, he has pushed himself into the top 10 of Elite scoring out of nowhere. His overall line for the […]

USPHL Elite Players Of The Week: North Region

by Joshua Boyd

September 29, 2022

Mid-Atlantic Division Forward: John Crowdell, Rockets Hockey Club The ‘03 from Staten Island had a fantastic start to the year, when he sank four goals and one assist in a game against the Jersey Hitmen. He added one goal and one assist in his second game against the P.A.L. Jr. Islanders for a 5-2-7 weekend. […]

USPHL Elite Players Of The Week: South Region

by Joshua Boyd

September 22, 2022September 23, 2022

Week of Sept. 22, 2022 Southeast Division Forward: Zarand Varga, Potomac Patriots Varga (‘04/Hungary) has enjoyed his new life in North America, scoring eight points already in his first two games off three goals and five assists. Defense: Ian Dracoulis, Richmond Generals The Generals’ ice time leader against Hampton Roads, the third-year General Dracoulis […]

USPHL Elite Players Of The Week: Sept. 15, 2022

by Joshua Boyd

September 15, 2022September 15, 2022

USPHL Elite Players Of The Week: Sept. 15, 2022 By USPHL Staff The USPHL congratulates its first group of Players Of The Week, for this week only representing all of the league as only six teams competed last week. Going forward, Players Of The Week will be awarded by Division. Forward: Jake […]

USPHL Elite 2023-24 Midwest Division Players Of The Week

Forward: Peter Spiridonakos, Metro Jets

Spiridonakos (‘05/Laval, Que.) has been a golden find for the first-year Jets Elite team, along with his twin brother John. Peter’s 62 points lead the Jets currently and he and his brother have put up 107 points this year for their new team. The Jets put up three goals and four assists for seven points in four games at the USPHL Tampa Showcase.

Defense: Timothy Boyd, Chicago Cougars

Boyd (‘06/Aurora, Ill.) registered a goal and two assists for three points in the Cougars’ three games and helped the Cougars to an important victory against a Chicago Crush team they’re pushing against in the standings to try to improve their current positioning amid the playoff push. He has five points during his 10 games with the Cougars this season.

Goaltender: Kyle Tyszkiewicz, Chicago Crush

A local product, Tyszkiewicz registered a 28-save shutout on Jan. 7 against the rival Chicago Cougars. He has two starts and two wins for a .987 save percentage, and he also has a .916 save percentage in three games.

By Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com

Week of Jan. 13, 2024

Games of Jan. 1-9, 2024

Forward: Bogdan Guntypov, Islanders Hockey Club

Guntypov (‘06/Astan, Kazakhstan) put up a pair of goals and three assists for five points in his first two games of 2024, and has not stopped scoring since the Islanders Hockey Club Showcase in November. He has 11 goals and eight assists for 19 points in eight contests, and for the season, he has registered a 15-18-33 line in 27 games.

Defense: C.J. Barrett, Islanders Hockey Club

Barrett (‘04/Bethesda, Md.) put up a pair of goals and two assists for four points in his first couple games since the holiday break. In the 17 games he’s played with the IHC this year, he has put up three goals and seven assists for 10 points. He also helped his team to an 8-0 shutout victory to start the year.

Goaltender: Dylan Cash Haines, Springfield Pics

Haines (‘06/Omaha, Neb.) stopped 34 out of the 36 shots he faced against the Connecticut Jr. Rangers on Jan. 6, giving him his fourth victory of the season in eight starts for a 4-1-0-0 record and a .919 save percentage.

Atlantic Division

Forward: Thomas Harrow, Connecticut Jr. Rangers

The ‘06 out of Australia registered three goals and added one assist for four points in two games. One of his three goals was the game-winner in a game against the P.A.L. Jr. Islanders on Jan. 7. He has 21 points in 30 games.

Defense: Matt Burns, Jersey Hitmen

Burns (‘05/Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac, Que.) had a big three games to start this portion of the season, registering two goals and one assist for three points at the USPHL Tampa Showcase. He has also played in 25 USPHL Premier games, putting up five points.

Goaltender: Jonah Stern, Connecticut Jr. Rangers

Stern (‘04/West Bloomfield, Mich.) had a fantastic 40-save performance in facing 42 shots against the P.A.L. Jr. Islanders on Jan. 7. He captured his fifth victory of the season, including four wins in his last six starts.

By USPHL Staff

USPHL Premier

A single Minnesota Squatch point acquired vs. the Minnesota Mullets or a Minnesota Blue Ox win vs. the Dells Ducks or a Minnesota Moose win over the Isanti Outlaws are all playoff berth-clinching scenarios for the Squatch tonight.

Wisconsin Rapids Riverkings also have a chance to clinch tonight if they earn a win vs. the Chicago Crush and a loss by the Dells Ducks or an Isanti Outlaws loss in regulation.

Hampton Roads Whalers need one regulation win against Columbia to clinch the fourth and final playoff berth available in the Southeast Division.

USPHL Elite
Updating yesterday’s information, the Atlanta MadHatters needed four points out of the available six in their three-game series vs. the Bold City Battalion and they attained that with a second win today and have thus clinched a Florida Division playoff berth.

Week of Jan. 12, 2024

Games of Jan. 1-9, 2024

Summaries by Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com

Florida Division

Forward: Fynn O’Neill, Florida Eels

The Eels went 3-0-1 last week at the USPHL Tampa Showcase, and O’Neill was their leader in so many ways, from offense – he led with three goals and three assists for six points – to defense, as he co-led the team with a +10. He also blocked a shot along the way. O’Neill helped the Eels clinch a playoff spot. The ‘03 from Calgary has 32 points in 31 games.

Defense: Jacob Munkwitz, Tampa Bay Juniors

Munkwitz (‘04/Smithtown, N.Y.) certainly felt right at home during the showcase last week, as shown by his standup performances to help his team go 3-1 and earn the first playoff berth in the Elite’s Florida Division. He held a +2 rating to go with his goal and three assists, all of which were scored in a win against the Metro Jets, the leading team in the Midwest Division. He now has 23 points in 26 games. Munkwitz is in his third season with the Juniors.

Goaltender: Christian Amato, Atlanta MadHatters

Amato (‘05/Cape May Courthouse, N.J.) first showed up during the USPHL Tampa Showcase in a relief effort, stopping all 10 shots he faced in 20:46. Later that day, Amato stopped all 32 shots he faced against the Metro Jets for his third shutout of the season. Overall, he is 7-5-00-0 with a 1.96 goals against average of .937 save percentage.

Southeast Division

Forward: Spencer Barrow, Charlotte Rush

Barrow (‘04/Massapequa, N.Y.) was everywhere at once for the Rush, who went 4-0 at the Showcase and are just four points out of second place in the Southeast Division. He had five goals and seven assists for 12 points in Tampa. He had four straight multi-point games, including three goals and one assist for four points against the Bold City Battalion as his showcase high. He has 38 points in 20 games this year, and 86 points in 59 career Elite games.

Defense: Chris Cuddy, Carolina Jr. Hurricanes

Cuddy, an ‘05 from Cameron, N.C., has essentially played his whole career for the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes organization. He is in his second season with the Elite team and has already pushed well past the nine points he put up last year, with 15 points currently this year. He scored three goals at the showcase, including two in a big match-up between the defending National Champion Jr. Canes and fellow Nationals competitors the Tampa Bay Juniors. He also scored against the Atlantic Division-leading Rockets Hockey Club, and helped the Jr. Canes get a shutout in that game.

Goaltender: Nicholas Grosso, Charlotte Rush

Grosso (‘05/Alverne, N.Y.) slammed the door shut against the Bold City Battalion when he stopped all 42 shots in that second game for the Rush on Jan. 4. It was a huge performance in Grosso’s third game since October, and helped push his record to 8-2-1-1.

By USPHL Staff

In The Playoff Push, we will take a look at the busiest game days’ most integral games as regards to teams clinching playoffs or clinching specific playoff berths, as we head down the stretch toward the end of the regular season in early March.

USPHL Premier

Minnesota Squatch

The Minnesota Squatch can clinch with a win against the Minnesota Mullets on Saturday. If the Squatch lose in OT, they can clinch tomorrow if the Minnesota Blue Ox defeat the Dells Ducks. If they lose in regulation, they will need to wait to see what happens on Sunday.

Hampton Roads Whalers

The Whalers need just one regulation win in their weekend series against the Columbia Infantry to clinch the fourth and final playoff berth for the Southeast Division.

USPHL Elite

Atlanta MadHatters

The MadHatters can clinch a playoff berth if they earn four points over their three-game series hosting the Bold City Battalion this weekend. Atlanta can also clinch with two points if the Florida Jr. Blades defeat the Palm Beach Typhoon on Saturday.

Check back each Friday, Saturday, Sunday (and other busy game days) for more up-to-date information!

Summaries by Joshua Boyd

Forward: Josh Bruno, Northern Cyclones

Bruno (‘04/Glendora, Calif.) just rejoined the Cyclones in November and already has 23 points in 15 games. He put up a nine-game point streak that bridged November and December and contributed to a 10-point month with a 2-8-10 line in December. He now has 91 points in 57 Elite games.

Forward: Bogdan Guntypov, Islanders Hockey Club

Guntypov (‘06/Astana, Kazakhstan) put up five goals and added four assists for nine points in the four games the Islanders played during December. He ended the month with a natural hat trick against the Boston Junior Bruins on Dec. 17, his second hat trick in five games. In this, his first North American season, Guntypov has 28 points in 25 games.

Forward: Adam Hadi, Islanders Hockey Club

Hadi (‘05/Coppell, Texas) registered three goals and six assists for nine points in just four games, scoring in each contest. He started with a 2-2-4 line against the rival Northern Cyclones. A first-year junior out of the Texas Tigers Midget program, Hadi currently has 25 points in 26 games.

Defense: Matthew Taylor, Northern Cyclones

Taylor (‘05/Raleigh, N.C.) returns to this honor after another huge month for the longtime Nationals staples out of Hudson, N.H., also the hosts of the 2022 USPHL Nationals and finalists that year. Taylor put up a 3-6-9 line in seven December games to bring his season total to 10 goals and 22 assists for 32 points in 24 games after a strong season last year with the Cyclones 18U AAA squad.

Defense: Nikolaos Spaniotis, Springfield Pics

Spaniotis (‘04/Cromwell, Conn.) moved a little closer to home with a trade from the Islanders to the Pics and certainly hit a home run in his first five games with his new team in December. He registered a 1-3-4 line as the Pics earned points in four of their five games last month. He now has seven points in 17 Elite games.

Goaltender: Nick Cowles, Northern Cyclones

Cowles (‘05/Irvine, Calif.) came to the Cyclones this year out of the much-renowned Anaheim Jr. Ducks program and won his first three games of December, including a huge victory against another Nationals staple in the Florida Eels. He stopped all 20 shots for a shutout of the Eels, and took his only loss of the month to another Nationals regular in Charlotte, stopping 29 of 32 in that game. Overall, he stopped 74 out of 78 shots for a .949 save percentage, a 1.01 goals against average and two shutouts.

Summaries by Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com

Forward: Jaden Yuknis, Chicago Crush

Yuknis (‘04/Lake Villa, Ill.) was clicking at nearly a two-point-per-game pace during December’s seven games, over which he put up six goals and added seven assists for 13 points. He scored all of these points actually in his final six games of the month, keeping that 6-7-13 scoring streak active heading into his first 2024 games. The third-year junior veteran has 25 points in 23 games this season for the first-year Crush Elite squad.

Forward: Blake Botterill, Metro Jets

Botterill (‘05/Clarkston, Mich.) was a great addition to the Jets organization from Clarkston High School, especially when he has stretches such as December’s five games that included a 4-6-10 line. He already has more goals this season than games played, with 22 in 20 games. That has helped him to a 56-point rookie junior season out of the gate. It’s also helped earn him five games with the USPHL Premier’s MJDP team, with whom he’s registered two assists.

Forward: Peter Spiridonakos, Metro Jets

Spiridonakos (‘05/Laval, Que.) has been a huge find, along with his twin brother John, coming out of the Viking VC Hockey Academy, who are now affiliate members of the USPHL Elite. He has a 4-5-9 line for the five games he played in December. He has 22 goals and 56 points in 22 games – and he had three assists in four games with the MJDP during their run at the USPHL Las Vegas Showcase.

Defense: Tyler Rentner, Chicago Crush

Rentner (‘05/Skokie, Ill.) put up a point per game pace during the month of December to help them go 6-1 for the month. He registered two goals and added five assists for seven points. A second-year member of the Crush organization, he has improved to 17 points in 23 games on the season.

Defense: Jack Squire, Motor City Gamblers

Squire (‘06/Livonia, Mich.) has been one of the Gamblers’ top offensive weapons this season even from the blue line. As part of his 26 points in 25 games for the season, he registered a 1-5-6 line during a busy December of nine games, which included a trip to the USPHL Florida College Showcase.

Goaltender: Zachary Robert, Metro Jets

Robert (‘04/Utica, Mich.) put together a strong month as part of a very talented Jets goaltending corps. He stopped 59 of 63 shots for a .937 save percentage and went 2-0, while registering a 2.00 goals against average. This included a 37-save performance on 39 shots against the Motor City Gamblers. Robert additionally earned a Premier win by stopping 25 of 26 shots against the Battle Creek Kernels while with the Metro Jets Development Program. For his Elite season, he is 7-1-1-0 with a 2.57 GAA and a .919 save percentage.

Selection Process: The league media office sends top candidates to divisional coaches for review and coaches either approve or challenge the nominations.

Summaries by Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com

Forward: Ilya Biesiedin, Potomac Patriots

The ‘05 from Kharkov, Ukraine, continues to push the goal-scoring pace in the Elite Conference, recently putting up 15 goals in just eight December games. He added seven assists to that for a 22-point month. That helped to give him 20 goals and 34 points in 20 games. He also has four points in 11 Premier games for a similarly loaded Patriots team at that level. He is strong in all areas, including his two-way game (+12 led team) and in the faceoff circle (85 faceoff wins out of 132 faceoffs for a 64 percent success rate).

Forward: Noah Ribeiro, Potomac Patriots

Ribeiro (‘05/Montreal, Que.), the son of longtime NHLer Mike Ribeiro, was right on fire with Biesiedin for the Patriots, putting up 18 assists and adding three goals for a 21-point month of eight games. He improved to 54 points on the season through 27 games. He also leads the entire Elite in assists with 43.

Forward: Nathan Rhodes, Carolina Jr. Hurricanes

Rhodes (‘04/Corona, Calif.) averaged 1.67 points per game for his team as they posted 10 points – all from assists – during the month of December, playing six games over that stretch. His +8 was second best among Jr. Canes forwards as the defending National Champions went undefeated on the month and stand on a nine-game winning streak. That’s only bettered by the Patriots’ 10-game winning streak and the Jr. Canes are fighting to overcome their two-point gap behind Potomac for the league lead.

Defense: Kirill Golubev, Potomac Patriots

The ‘07 out of Russia has been one of the most exciting new USPHL Elite players this year and surely has a bright future ahead, given his young age. Recently, he put up four goals and 11 assists for 15 points in eight games from the Patriots blue line. His +9 was tied for best among the Patriots defensive corps and his 20:40 of ice time led the team. Coming out of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 16U program, Golubev now has 41 points in 23 games.

Defense: Colby Markham, Carolina Jr. Hurricanes

A major cog in the Jr. Canes’ championship run in 2023, Markham (‘05/Raleigh, N.C.) has helped the Jr. Canes enter 2024 – and this week’s USPHL Tampa Showcase – on a 10-game winning streak. He put up a 3-4-7 line in December’s six games, and his 19:20 of ice time was second on the team and his 25 shots on goal led all Jr. Canes defensemen. Markham now has 29 points in 22 Elite games this year and has been called up for three Premier games, as well.

Goaltender: Jean Berthaudin, Hampton Roads Whalers

Berthaudin (‘03/St-Rose-du-Lac, Man.) was absolutely on fire in net during the month of December, turning away 157 of 163 shots in 380 minutes of action, while also registering no less than three shutouts, twice against the Columbia Infantry and a third time in a row against the Bold City Battalion in his USPHL Florida College Showcase kickoff game. For the month, he came away with a .963 save percentage and a 0.95 goals against average, while posting a 5-1-0-0 record. For the season, he is 11-4-0-0 with a .952 save percentage.

Summaries by Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com

Forward: John Crowdell, Rockets Hockey Club

The 2003-born native of Staten Island, N.Y., just keeps dropping jaws around the Elite Conference with his offensive prowess, one that should see him take the top spot in points all time in the league in short order. After posting 10 goals and eight assists for 18 points in six games in December, he is now second all-time in USPHL Elite scoring with 159 points, behind only former Rocket Deven Ralph (176 points). He has another active challenger in Potomac’s Liam Hanna, holding 158 points. Crowdell’s 2.27 points per game is No. 1 all-time among players with more than 50 career games.

Forward: Jace Lombardo, Rockets Hockey Club

Crowdell and Lombardo (‘05/Staten Island, N.Y.) are both products of Monsignor Farrell High School and have provided multiple seasons worth of shots in the arm to the Rockets. He matched exactly the points per game that Crowdell put up in December at 3.00, thanks to eight goals and 10 assists for 18 points in six games. Lombardo has never missed scoring in a game this season, in which he has 70 points in 26 games, and put in a 5-2-7 performance on Dec. 17 against Elmira to close his 2023 production.

Forward: Justin Morrissey, P.A.L. Jr. Islanders

In just one season, Morrissey (‘06/Patchogue, N.Y.) has already climbed to second all-time for the Premier Elite team in their record books and, with 57 points, already has their best single season points total. He is only 17 points back of the team’s all-time leader who had played 88 games – and Morrissey has collected his 57 points in just 28 contests. For December, he put up seven goals and four assists for 11 points in six games.

Defense: Peter Allen, P.A.L. Jr. Islanders

Allen (‘06/Oceanside, N.Y.) is just one spot behind Morrisey for third all-time on the P.A.L. scoring list, with 44 career points in 65 games. He continues to be an offensively-gifted blueliner for the Jr. Islanders as they turn the corner into 2024 one point behind the division-leading Rockets Hockey Club. He put up three goals and four assists for seven points during the month of December. He closed the month with a 1-2-3 line against the WBS Knights.

Defense: Eric Kois, Jersey Hitmen

The Hitmen are slowly climbing the Atlantic Division standings, thanks to a run of 6-4 in their last 10 games. During January, they played in eight contests, going 4-4. Kois (‘05/East Fishkill, N.Y.) put up a goal and four assists for five points in the six games he played in December. He also registered an assist in one of his three Premier games played with Jersey in December. Kois is a third-year Hitmen player with 71 games of Elite and 24 games of Premier experience going back to 2021-22.

Goaltender: Tony Macaluso, Rockets Hockey Club

Macaluso (‘03/Monmouth Beach, N.J.) was in net for three games during the month of December and never took a loss in regulation or overtime, going 2-0-0-1. During that time, he stopped 66 of 71 shots for a .930 save percentage and a 1.62 goals against average. He improved to 5-3-0-1 for the season with a .918 save percentage.

Selection Process: The league media office sends top candidates to divisional coaches for review and coaches either approve or challenge the nominations.

Summaries by Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com

Forward: Dylan Hineman, Tampa Bay Juniors

A locally born and trained player, Hineman (‘06/Tampa, Fla.) is currently playing for both the Juniors and George Steinbrenner High School. With the Juniors he had a huge December by putting up a pair of goals and 10 assists for 12 points, contributing to the 30 points he has scored through 26 games to lead Tampa Bay. His 16:28 per game average of ice time led all Tampa Bay Juniors forwards.

Forward: Kelan Jamison, Tampa Bay Juniors

Like his teammate Hineman, Jamison is another ‘06 splitting time between the Juniors and his local high school team, in this case Seminole High School. Originally from Flint, Mich., Jamison had a massive December with seven goals and three assists for 10 points in eight games as well as a +8 that led all Tampa Bay Juniors forwards.

Forward: Zayn Haddon-Harris, Florida Eels

Haddon-Harris (‘04/Boca Raton, N.J.) joined the Eels this year out of the Spanish River/West Boca High School program. The younger brother of former Eel Taurin Haddon-Harris (now at Curry College), Zayn has made a big name for himself with 27 points in 25 games to lead the Eels Elite squad here in 2023-24. He put up six goals and five assists for 11 points in seven December games and his +6 rating was good for second on the Fort Myers-based Eels team.

Defense: Sean Burke, Florida Eels

The ‘03 out of Wellesley, Mass., continues to click at above a point-per-game pace this season as he has put up 20 points in 18 games, and that trend was additionally illustrated by posting a 1-8-9 line in seven games during the month of December. He is the No. 1 choice for Coach Mitch Hill to send over the boards, as he has skated a team-leading average of 19:12 per game.

Defense: Aidan Neville, Florida Eels

Neville (‘05/New York, N.Y.) has established himself as a great all-around player for the Eels who are hoping to claim yet another spot in the Nationals over the rest of this 2023-24 season. Along with the 1-7-8 line he put up during December’s seven games, Neville also put up 18:54 per game in ice time and four hits (second on the Eels), and four blocked shots (second among Eels blueliners).

Goaltender: Jackson Bernier, Atlanta MadHatters

Bernier (‘03/Belfast, Maine) certainly put in the work during December, registering 96 saves on 103 shots, good for a .932 save percentage. In 185 minutes of hockey, he put up a 1-1-0-1 mark and the win came from a 21-save shutout of the Florida Jr. Blades at the very start of the month on Dec. 1. Overall, Bernier is 6-4-1-1 with a .954 save percentage, the best mark in all of the USPHL Elite.