USPHL Elite 2023-24 Florida Division Players Of The Month: December 2023

by Joshua Boyd

January 2, 2024January 2, 2024

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 […]

2024 USPHL NCDC Combine Dates Announced for Detroit, Chicago, Boston

by Joshua Boyd

December 30, 2023December 30, 2023

By USPHL Staff The United States Premier Hockey League, and its tuition-free National Collegiate Development Conference, are proud to announce their 2024 USPHL NCDC Combine Series, set to take place in Detroit, Mich. (April 12-13) and in Chicago, Ill. (May 11-12). A third and new event will be held in Boston (May 18-19). Between […]

USPHL Elite 2023-24 South Region Players Of The Week

by Joshua Boyd

December 22, 2023December 22, 2023

Week of Dec. 22, 2023 Games of Dec. 13-18, 2023 Southeast Division Forward: Ilya Biesiedin, Potomac Patriots Two hat tricks and and an additional game-winning goal made Biesiedin the biggest individual threat at the USPHL Florida College Showcase last weekend. He put up a total of seven goals and added three assists for 10 […]

USPHL Elite 2023-24 North Region Players Of The Week

by Joshua Boyd

December 22, 2023December 22, 2023

Week of Dec. 22, 2023 Games of Dec. 13-18, 2023 Summaries by Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com Atlantic Division Forward: Jace Lombardo, Rockets Hockey Club Lombardo (‘04/Staten Island, N.Y.) did not want to wait until after Christmas to pass the career 100-point mark. Instead, he put up a 10-pointer over two games, including seven goals […]

USPHL Elite 2023-24 Midwest Division Players Of The Week

by Joshua Boyd

December 21, 2023

Games of Dec. 13-18, 2023 Week of Dec. 21, 2023 Summaries by Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com Forward: Lukas Kurowski, Chicago Cougars A local product of the Northwest Chargers program, this ‘05 from Elk Grove Village, Ill., has been doing particularly well as a rookie junior player. In his most recent game, he […]

USPHL Elite 2023-24 North Region Players Of The Week

by Joshua Boyd

December 16, 2023

Week of Dec. 16, 2023 Games of Dec. 6-12, 2023 Atlantic Division Forward: Justin Morrissey, P.A.L. Jr. Islanders Morrissey (‘06/Patchogue, N.Y.) came up with four goals and added two assists for the P.A.L. Jr. Islanders in a pair of victories against Connecticut, giving him another six points. He currently stands with 53 points […]

USPHL Elite 2023-24 Midwest Division Players Of The Week

by Joshua Boyd

December 16, 2023December 16, 2023

Week of Dec. 16, 2023 Games of Dec. 6-12, 2023 Forward: Jaden Yuknis, Chicago Crush In a weekend series against the rival Chicago Cougars, Yuknis (‘04/Lake Villa, Ill.) put up three goals and one assist for four points, over which the Crush swept the Cougars. In his second year with the Crush, he […]

USPHL Elite 2023-24 South Region Players Of The Week

by Joshua Boyd

December 14, 2023December 16, 2023

Week of Dec. 14, 2023 Games of Dec. 6-12, 2023 Southeast Division Forward: Noah Ribeiro, Potomac Patriots Ribeiro (‘05/Montreal, Que.) put up a goal and six assists for seven points when the Patriots defeated the Charlotte Rush twice over the weekend. This gave him 46 points in 23 games in his first junior […]

Florida Jr. Blades Set To Host USPHL Florida College Showcase Dec. 14-18 In Estero

by Joshua Boyd

December 12, 2023December 12, 2023

By Joshua Boyd / USPHLPremier.com The United States Premier Hockey League and the Florida Jr. Blades are happy to announce that the USPHL Florida College Showcase is ready to enter its third year at Hertz Arena in Estero, Fla., also home of the ECHL’s Florida Everblades. The showcase will feature all of the USPHL […]

NCDC, USPHL Talent Goes Worldwide For IIHF World Junior Championship Tournaments

by Joshua Boyd

December 11, 2023December 11, 2023

By Joshua Boyd / NCDCHockey.com The World Junior Championships have begun in different International Ice Hockey Federation divisions across the globe, and in nearly every current and upcoming World Juniors event, you will find USPHL and NCDC players lining the rosters, proud to represent their home countries. We’ll take a look at each […]

Week of Jan. 20, 2024

Games of Jan. 10-17, 2024

Atlantic Division

Forward: Chris O’Hea, P.A.L. Jr. Islanders

O’Hea (‘06/Holtsville, N.Y.) is having a great second season with the Jr. Islanders, and his recent two goals and one assist effort against the Connecticut Jr. Rangers. He currently has 26 points in 29 games, a great improvement on the 18 points he registered last season.

Defense: Luca Infusino, Jersey Hitmen

Infusino (‘06/North Caldwell, N.J.) is a former Hitmen youth player who has returned to the Ice Vault now as a junior player. He recently put home a goal and two assists for three points in two wins against the Elmira Impact. In his three games with the Elite squad since joining in December, he has four goals and three assists for seven points in three games. He’s also played a USPHL Premier game for the Hitmen as well.

Goaltender: Luke Pavone, P.A.L. Jr. Islanders
Pavone (‘06/Smithtown, N.Y.) earned a big 32-save victory against the Connecticut Jr. Rangers on Jan. 13, which helped towards the Jr. Islanders ranking in first place in the Atlantic Division. He is currently 2-2 with a .928 save percentage.

New England Division

Forward: Josh Bruno, Northern Cyclones

Bruno (‘04/Glendora, Calif.) was up to his old tricks as he registered five goals and four assists for nine points in just three games. He has 100 career points now in 60 games. He now is just five points away from the all-time Cyclones Elite lead.

Defense: Matthew Taylor, Northern Cyclones

Taylor (‘05/Wake Forest, N.C.) has been the answer for the Cyclones on defense all season long. Recently, he put up five assists over three games as the Cyclones are on a 4-0 run. He currently has 37 points in 27 games on this season.

Goaltender: Shane McKone, Springfield Pics

McKone (‘05/Scotia-Glenville, N.Y.) improved to 6-5-1-1 after going 1-1 this past weekend, and he made 103 saves on 109 shots for a .945 save percentage. That closely matches his impressive full season mark of .942.

Week of Jan. 19, 2024

Games of Jan. 10-17, 2024

Summaries by Joshua Boyd / USPHLPremier.com

Forward: Robbie Rajnys, Hampton Roads Whalers

Rajnys (‘06/Virginia Beach, Va.) is a player who came up in the Whalers youth organization and has only recently begun to take off after also playing this year in the Tier 1 Hockey Federation at the Midget level for Team Maryland AAA. He recently put up three goals and an assist in the Whalers’ two-game series vs. Columbia. He has improved to 10 points in 12 games this season.

Defense: Kirill Golubev, Potomac Patriots

The ‘07 from Kostroma, Russia, not only had another great performance in a weekend series (two assists against Carolina), but was also part of the NCDC Young Guns Game at Boston University. He scored the first goal of that game and got the chance to show what he can do in front of several NCAA Division 1 and 3 and also USHL scouts. Standing with a +28 rating on the season, his star remains on the rise.

Goaltender: Jean Berthaudin, Hampton Roads Whalers

Berthaudin (‘03/St-Rose-du-Lac, Man.) registered his league-leading seventh shutout of the season with 30 saves on 30 shots against Columbia, and his sixth win in a row. Berthaudin also leads the league in save percentage at .955.

Florida Division

Forward: Will McLaughlin, Atlanta MadHatters

McLaughlin (‘04/Yorktown, Va.) has certainly found his fortune with his second team this season, as the MadHatters forward – a second-year Elite veteran – recently posted three two-goal games in a row against Bold City. He also added two assists on the weekend series and now has 28 points in 30 games this year, including 16 points in 12 games with Atlanta.

Defense: Jacob Munkwitz, Tampa Bay Juniors

The fourth-year USPHL veteran was at it again last weekend, earning his second straight Defenseman of the Week nod. He registered a 2-2-4 line in their single game against the Florida Eels, an 8-3 victory. Munkwitz now has 27 points in 27 games. He is a +17 for the season.

Goaltender: Giordan Gulati, Florida Jr. Blades

Gulati (‘04/East Greenwich, R.I.) was huge in lifting the Jr. Blades to a 4-1 victory over the Palm Beach Typhoon on Jan. 13, making 29 saves on 30 shots.

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.