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#USPHLPlayoffs – The Watch List: February 11, 2023

by Joshua Boyd

February 11, 2023February 11, 2023

An update to yesterday’s #USPHLPlayoffs Watch List:

It’s Saturday, and we have a full slate today with four NCDC, eight USPHL Elite and 23 USPHL Premier games!

Three teams have clinched spots since Thursday: South Shore Kings, Hershey Cubs and the Dells Ducks.

NCDC

North Division

Boston Advantage (No. 4) hosts South Shore (No. 3). Neither team will gain or lose ground today. Any North team can still finish first or last arithmetically.

South Division

A P.A.L. Jr. Islanders (second place) win over the Jersey Hitmen (first) will tie both teams for first.

Should Mercer (third place) beat the Rockets (in fourth), they would tie P.A.L. for second with a P.A.L. loss.

In that scenario, a Connecticut (fifth place) win over Utica would leapfrog them over the Rockets and into fourth place.

Utica is one point behind the WBS Knights, but have three games in hand.

Premier Conference

Florida Division

We have a first place lock (Eels) and four teams in the middle fighting for second through fifth.

Third-place Tampa hosts the Florida Jr. Blades (fifth). Second place Atlanta hosts the Infantry.

An Atlanta win keeps them in second. A loss, coupled with a Tampa win, drops them to third. A Jr. Blades win will springboard them into fourth over the idle Palm Beach.

Great Lakes Division

Toledo (first) hosts Columbus (third) and the Jets (second) host Cincinnati (fourth). Toledo needs a three-point swing to lock up the first seed, which could happen today with a Cincinnati upset.

Mid-Atlantic Division

The top five teams can finish no worse than fifth. Hershey and Elmira battle for sixth and seventh.

Three teams are fighting for the eighth and final spot.

Four games today:

A P.A.L. (eighth place) win will eliminate the Jersey Hitmen, and leave P.A.L. to fight with Buffalo (ninth) for the last seat on the bus. Buffalo hosts sixth-place Elmira today.

Utica (No. 4) hosts Connecticut (fifth) and the WBS Knights (second) host the Rockets Hockey Club (third). A Connecticut win would put them in a tie with Utica, who will still have four games in hand.

First through third cannot change today.

Midwest East Division

Ft. Wayne (first) hosts MJDP (second).

The battle for Chicago sees the Cougars (fourth) host the Crush (fifth)

Decatur Blaze (seventh) hosts Battle Creek (sixth)

None of these games will change the standings.

Midwest West Division

Isanti Outlaws (sixth) host the Minnesota Moose (third)

Wisconsin Rapids Riverkings (fourth) host the Hudson Havoc (first).

The Minnesota Squatch (second) host the Minnesota Blue Ox (seventh).

– Hudson can clinch first with a win.
– The Squatch can clinch second with a win and a Moose loss.
– The Moose can clinch third with a win and a Wisconsin Rapids loss.
– A Wisconsin win would put them permanently ahead of Isanti or the Ox if either of them lose.

Mountain Division

Provo (fifth) is still vying for fourth place. A loss against Northern Colorado (third) would relegate them to fifth.

New England Division

The Northern Cyclones (first) host the fourth-place Springfield Pics in the only action. The outcome won’t change the standings

Northwest Division

Vernal Oilers (first) host the Rock Springs Prospectors (third)
Seattle Totems (second) host Rogue Valley Royals (fourth)

A win by Rock Springs or a loss by Rogue Valley will clinch the third seed for Rock Springs and a playoff trip to Seattle.

Rogue Valley will be left to battle Bellingham (fifth) to visit Vernal in the first round.

Pacific Division

We have four teams in and three teams out.

Ontario (fourth) could leapfrog idle Las Vegas (third) with a win over Bakersfield (fifth).

The other games will not affect the standings.

Southeast Division

Nashville (fourth) host Carolina (fifth)

Nashville has two games remaining, both this weekend, both vs. Carolina

Nashville can’t fall out of fourth this weekend, but they will be done tomorrow and will sit and wait for Carolina to play their last five games. They have to bank four points this weekend and cheer for Richmond next weekend and Charlotte at the end.

Elite Conference

Florida Division

Tampa (second) host the Blades (sixth). Tampa are chasing the idle Eels for first place. The next Eels win or Tampa loss will clinch first for the Eels.

Atlanta (fourth) are chasing idle Palm Beach (third). A win over the Infantry will put them in third by two points, but the Typhoon will have three games in hand.

Mid-Atlantic Division

We have a first place lock (WBS Knights), and four teams in the middle fighting for second through fifth.

The Hitmen (second) host P.A.L. (third) and the results of this game won’t change standings, unless P.A.L. loses and the Rockets (fourth) beat WBS on the road and shift into second.

New England Division

Northern Cyclones (first) host Springfield (fourth).

Junior Bruins (fifth) host Islanders Hockey Club (second)

Both underdogs need a win to postpone elimination. The Cyclones could clinch the No. 1 seed and the Islanders the No. 2seed today.

Southeast Division

Four teams are in, and two teams are out. Eight points separate first from fourth.

These four teams all meet at Pineville on March 10. We’re just trying to see who they each play.

A Carolina Jr. Hurricanes (first place) win over Nashville will help them retain first. It would also eliminate Richmond (fourth) from being able to clinch first.

A Potomac (third place) win over Hampton Roads Whalers won’t change their position.

The Rush (second) are idle.

USPHL Names New Commissioner And Deputy Commissioner

USPHL Elite 2023-24 Atlantic Division All-Stars

Former Junior Bruin Graf Makes NHL Debut, Registers First NHL Point With Assist

Arizona Coyotes Sign Rockets Hockey Club, Quinnipiac Alum Sam Lipkin

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The United States Premier Hockey League (“USPHL”) hereby announces that Commissioner Bob Turow has decided to move on to other opportunities and, effective immediately, is no longer Commissioner of the USPHL.

Executive Committee Member Murry N. Gunty, Founder and CEO of Black Bear Sports Group, has been named Interim Commissioner of the league. Tony Zasowski, Director of Leagues and Tournaments for Black Bear, has been named Deputy Commissioner of the USPHL.

“We wish Bob well in the next phase of his career,” said Murry N. Gunty, Interim Commissioner. “I am looking forward to building on all the great work that many people before me did to create the largest and best junior hockey league in the country.”

“I would like to thank the many Owners, General Managers and Coaches as well as the dedicated league office for their tireless efforts,” said Bob Turow. “The opportunity to fuse the USPHL’s national brand at the junior level with Black Bear’s youth leagues and other programming offers endless opportunities for everyone involved.”

“Murry is the right person to help take our league to the next level,” said Bobby Reiss, Founder of the USPHL and Executive Committee member. “We are looking forward to the next phase in the future of our league.”

“The future of the USPHL is very bright,” said Jim Ford, Executive Committee Member and owner of the Islanders Hockey Club. “The focus going forward will be to strengthen our partners and provide the best possible experience for our players to achieve their hockey goals.”

About The USPHL
Founded in 2012, the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL) is comprised of over 150 teams, fielding more than 20,000 players in more than 100 organizations, with player ages ranging from 6 to 21.

Our teams are geographically diverse, ranging from North and South to the Midwest, West Coast and also in Canada. The USPHL fields teams in a variety of divisions from Junior to youth (in partnership with the Tier 1 Hockey Federation). Our Junior Divisions consist of the National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC), a tuition-free, Tier 2 Junior hockey division and our Premier and Elite Divisions, all geared toward college placement and beyond.

Our midget and youth divisions (operated through the Tier 1 Hockey Federation and Atlantic Hockey Federation) consist of Full-Season 8U thru 18U age levels. The USPHL has sent more than 8,000 players to all levels of college hockey, and more than 3,300 into the NCAA college hockey, since its 2012 founding.

The NCDC has put more than 250 players into NCAA Division I hockey and has seen seven players drafted by NHL teams directly from the NCDC.

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

John Crowdell, Rockets Hockey Club

He has served well – very well! The ‘03 from Staten Island leaves the USPHL Elite as the league’s all-time leader in scoring with 191 points in 87 games. Not surprisingly, his 86 career goals and 105 career assists are also tops in the league. In taking on the league’s career record, he also set a league record in single season goals (57) and he has the second-most points in an Elite season with 108. He also put up 10 points in eight playoff games, including seven points in six games this year that saw the Rockets make the USPHL Nationals. Additionally, Crowdell was called up for seven Premier Rockets games and scored eight points in that process.

Jace Lombardo, Rockets Hockey Club

While his teammate – and fellow Staten Islander – set the all-time career record, Lombardo currently holds the single season points record with 113 after this year, after putting up 44 goals and a league single season record of 69 assists. Lombardo was a second-year Rocket along with Crowdell, and is ranked fifth all-time with 147 points.

Tyler Hamlin, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights

Hamlin (‘05/Binghamton, N.Y.) put forth a great showing all season for the Knights, who made their third straight trip in three years of existence to the USPHL Elite Nationals. Hamlin scored 29 goals and 42 points in 42 games as a first-year junior player. In the playoffs, he registered seven points in five games. From Jan. 13 to the end of the season, Hamlin was red-hot with 17 goals and eight assists for 25 points in a 12-game scoring streak to close out 2023-24.

Patrick Devaney, Jersey Hitmen

Devaney (‘06/West Caldwell, N.J.) was an immense find for the Hitmen – and they didn’t have to look far. Devaney came up with the youth hockey New Jersey Bandits at the Ice Vault in Wayne, the same home ice as for the Hitmen. Devaney, a star player for nearby West Essex High School, his rookie junior season was a resounding success, as he put up 28 goals and 30 assists for 58 points. His average of 1.38 points per game is third best in Elite Hitmen history.

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

Morrissey (‘06/Patchogue, N.Y.) was a great local addition for the Jr. Islanders, coming out of the Long Island Mustangs, Gulls and – most recently – Royals programs before he made his debut with the Jr. Islanders this year. He scored 38 goals and 44 assists for 82 points in 42 games. This ranks in the top 15 all-time for a single season in the Elite, and certainly is the best-ever for a P.A.L. player. Morrissey played for the Premier Jr. Islanders in November, and registered an assist in his only Premier appearance this year.

Lucas Lewin, P.A.L. Jr. Islanders

Lewin (‘06/Hewlett, N.Y.) is another former Long Island Gull who jumped over to the P.A.L. Jr. Islanders at the 15O level in 2021-22. He brought every ounce of his 6-foot, 165-pound frame to the ice every shift for P.A.L., registering 34 goals and 65 points in 43 games. Lewin made his Premier debut in the same Nov. 8 game as Morrissey, and then also played on Nov. 19, registering three points in his first two games at that level. Lewin was the Jr. Isles’ leading scorer in the postseason with five points in their three-game series against the Rockets Hockey Club.

Bobby Trites, P.A.L. Jr. Islanders

A former Long Island Royals teammate of Justin Morrissey and former 15O P.A.L. teammate of Lewin, Trites (‘06/Smithtown, N.Y.) managed to both put up 47 points in 32 games for the Elite Jr. Islanders and also a combined 50 points in 26 games for the local Smithtown-Hauppauge high school team. Trites was also a strong contributor in the postseason with four points in three playoff games.

Defense

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

All year, the big blueliner has been the rock for P.A.L., not only keeping P.A.L. at or near the top of the division all season long, but also helping them in the end to a +42 goal differential. A fourth-year Jr. Islander, Allen is in his second Elite season and is currently fifth all-time in P.A.L. scoring with his 55 points in 78 games, which also makes him the Elite Jr. Isles’ top scoring blueliner of all time, as well.

Justin Modzelewski, Rockets Hockey Club

Our third Staten Islander, Modzelewski (‘03) returned for a second season with the Rockets this year and improved in every aspect of his already solid game from when he started in 2022-23. This past 2023-24 season, Modzelewski improved his point total by 20 points from 14 to 34 points, off of a line of eight goals and 26 assists. The Rockets, who advanced to Nationals, ended up with the division’s best goal differential of +45. In the playoffs and at Nationals, Modzelewski – a four-year teammate of Crowdell and three-year teammate of Lombardo – supplied a very important goal during the Rockets’ knock-down drag-out three-game series with P.A.L.

Christopher Kobayashi, Jersey Hitmen

Kobayashi (‘05/Hillsdale, N.J.) completed Year 2 with the Hitmen and, like Modzelewski and Allen, he saw a significant jump in his offensive contribution to the team. He put up 28 points this year in 40 games after registering a pair of points in 38 games last year. He’s done all of this while also regularly playing with nearby Paramus Catholic High School the last four years. Kobayashi also earned seven games up with the Premier Hitmen this year, between October and January.

Goaltenders

Joseph Auletti, Rockets Hockey Club

Staten Islander No. 4, Auletti (‘05) is coming off his first year with the Rockets, but he’s hit the ice for high school hockey in the past with Jace Lombardo at Monsignor Farrell High School. This year, Auletti finished with a .940 save percentage in his 16 appearances, taking third place overall in the league. He went 12-3-0-0 on the year to help the Rockets make their return to the USPHL Elite Nationals. In the postseason, he went 1-1-0-0 with a .913 save percentage.

Chase Ebeyer, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights

Ebeyer (‘04/Scottsdale, Ariz.) came to the Knights with a prior season of USPHL Elite experience already under his blades, but blew past that in nearly every stat in looking at year-over-year development. Ebeyer improved from four wins last year to 10 years this year, as he put up a .917 save percentage in net as well.

Photos In This Post Courtesy Of San Jose Sharks

By Joshua Boyd / NCDCHockey.com

Former Boston Junior Bruins NCDC standout Collin Graf has already made his mark in the NHL. After making his pro and NHL debut with the San Jose Sharks on April 6, skating in 13:36 of ice time of a 3-2 overtime victory against the St. Louis Blues.

The next day, April 7, saw Graf skate in 16:37 of ice time and register his first assist when Luke Kunin tied the game for San Jose. Graf sent a textbook pass from behind the net to Kunin for the goal that made it 2-2, before Arizona went on to win 5-2.

#NCDCAlumni #NCDCInThePros: That didn’t take long. Collin Graf earned his first @NHL point in his second game, assisting on a this goal that temporarily tied the @SanJoseSharks‘ game against Arizona.

This was his second game, after making his #NHLDebut on Saturday vs. St. Louis https://t.co/4J5lpsRBaX

— NCDC Hockey (@NCDCJrHockey) April 8, 2024

A former Junior Bruins youth hockey player from nearby Lincoln, Mass., Graf first started playing with the Junior Bruins in the USPHL in 2016-17 as part of their USPHL16U season, starting the season at the age of 14. He played three seasons totaling 67 games and scored 59 points.

He spent the majority of his final year of 16U eligibility with the Junior Bruins 18U team, and the transition was flawless – he was named to the USPHL 16U All-Star Game in 2018 and the 18U All-Star Game in 2019.

The next year, 2019-20, Graf made his NCDC debut at the age of 17, and then captained the Junior Bruins as an 18-year-old in 2020-21. Over two NCDC seasons, he registered 109 points in 97 combined regular season and playoff games. He played in NCDC All-Star Games in both 2020 and 2021.

He played with Union College in 2021-22 (scoring 22 points in 37 games), earning ECAC All-Academic Honors as a freshman. He transferred after that season to Quinnipiac University and was immense in helping the Bobcats to their first-ever NCAA Division I National Championship.

After scoring 59 points, Graf was heavily decorated – Hobey Baker Finalist, First Team East All-American, All-ECAC First Team, and Frozen Four All-Tournament team, just to name a few laurels. He shared Hobey Baker Top 10 Finalist honors with fellow former Junior Bruin and Quinnipiac teammate Yaniv Perets.

This season, he put up 49 points and is once again a Hobey Baker Top 10 Finalist, one of two NCDC alumni in that category, along with former Jersey Hitmen forward and NCDC 2020-21 Player Of The Year Liam McLinskey with Holy Cross.

Sam Lipkin became the second former NCDC player and former Quinnipiac University player and National Champion to sign an NHL contract on April 4.

Lipkin, who played with the Rockets Hockey Club in 2020-21, signed with the Arizona Coyotes, who had selected him in 2021 NHL Entry Draft. That year, Lipkin was on of three players drafted directly out of the NCDC, which led all North American Tier II leagues for that year.

According to the NHL.com/Coyotes website, as per club policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed. Lipkin will report to the Tucson Roadrunners (AHL).

Photo Courtesy Quinnipiac University Athletics Dept.

“We are pleased to sign Sam Lipkin and have him join our organization,” said Armstrong. “Sam is a big, skilled, two-way forward who had a very successful college career. We look forward to continuing to watch his development.”

The 2003-born native of Philadelphia, Pa., joined the Rockets at Hub City Tampa, the six-week event in which all of the NCDC teams of that season played in Tampa, Fla., in a closed community system to diminish the risk and spread of COVID-19. In the 19 games he played that winter, he put up 25 points.

Lipkin came in with four games of USHL experience already under his belt and jumped over to the Chicago Steel at the end of that season and finished with 13 points in 38 combined USHL regular season and playoff games. The next year, he was dominant for the Steel, putting up 71 points in 59 games as the Team Captain.

In 2022-23, he joined the Quinnipiac University Bobcats, ultimately winning ECAC Hockey Rookie Of The Year honors and helping the Bobcats to their first National Championship. After also winning the Clark Cup with the Steel in 2022, that gave him two straight championships.

Lipkin was also member of Team USA at the 2023 World Junior Championships and earned a Bronze Medal.

The San Jose Sharks officially reported the signing of former Boston Junior Bruins standout Collin Graf to a standard, entry level contract on April 4. The contract will begin immediately for the 2023-24 season.

“Graf has excelled at the collegiate level, finishing as a Hobey Baker Top-10 finalist for the last two seasons,” said Grier, in the posting on the NHL.com/Sharks official team website. “His on-ice awareness allows him to process the game at a high level, and is a unique player with a quality 200-foot game who excels in the offensive zone. We are excited to have him join the organization.”

Photo Courtesy Quinnipiac University Athletics Dept.

By Joshua Boyd / NCDCHockey.com

In connection with the prior announcement about the West Chester Wolves made on March 21, the Boston Junior Bruins have announced that they have sold their NCDC franchise to the West Chester Wolves effective in the 2024-25 season.

The Junior Bruins, charter members during the USPHL’s formation in 2012, and with teams at multiple Junior and Midget levels every year since the 2013-14 inaugural season, were also instrumental in the founding of the National Collegiate Development Conference ahead of its 2017-18 inaugural season. They won the second Dineen Cup title in the NCDC’s history, in 2019.

The Junior Bruins will remain members of the USPHL, competing at the USPHL Premier and USPHL Elite Tier III levels, while also continuing to field high performing Midget 18U and 16U teams in the Tier 1 Hockey Federation, through that league’s partnership with the USPHL.

The Boston Junior Bruins also lay claim to the first NCDC alum to reach the NHL, when Drew O’Connor (2017-18) reached the NHL with the Pittsburgh Penguins out of Dartmouth College in 2020-21. He has played this 2023-24 season exclusively with Pittsburgh in the NHL for the first time in his pro career. O’Connor was one of 60 eventual NCAA Division I players to have worn the Junior Bruins jersey during their time in the NCDC.

Former Junior Bruins Collin Graf and Yaniv Perets helped Quinnipiac University win the 2023 NCAA National Championship and have both been repeat Hobey Baker Award nominees. Graf is a Hobey Baker Award Top 10 Finalist this year.

As part of the overall transaction, Peter Masters has stepped down from the Executive Committee, and Murry Gunty has joined the Committee. We wish to thank Peter for his years of exceptional service to the USPHL.

About The NCDC
The National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC) was founded in 2017 as the Tuition-Free Tier II conference of the United States Premier Hockey League, itself founded in 2012. The NCDC consists of 18 teams in three divisions, two on the Eastern Seaboard and one in the Rocky Mountain states of Colorado, Utah and Idaho.

The NCDC has sent more than 250 alumni to play NCAA Division I hockey, and more than 900 overall into NCAA college hockey. There were also more than 250 alumni in pro hockey around the world during the 2023-24 season. Former NCDC player Drew O’Connor has become a regular with the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, and there have been seven players selected in the NHL Entry Draft from the NCDC.

The Northern Cyclones overcame deficits of 1-0 and 2-1 en route to an eventual 3-2 Cyclones victory over the defending 2023 National Champion Carolina Jr. Hurricanes to seal up the 2023-24 National Championship.

Luke Waterson started the scoring for the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes at 8:07 of the first period, and they kept that lead going into the second period.

Noah Malcolm was the first Cyclone to get his team on the board exactly 1:00 into the second period, with assists from Owen Kneeland and Matthew Taylor.

Luke Waterson struck at 5:48 of the second period, scoring his fifth goal in the last three games. That put the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes up 2-1, which was the last lead the Jr. Canes would see.

The Cyclones then tied the game at 2-2, off the Nick Nardone breakaway effort at the 16:43 mark

The Cyclones’ GWG, also the championship-winning goal, was scored by Owen Kneeland at the 4:41 mark, marking the first time a team scored back-to-back goals in the otherwise dead-even game.

The USPHL Elite National Championship will be decided between the Northern Cyclones and the defending National Champion Carolina Jr. Hurricanes at noon on Monday, March 25.

The Cyclones were able to reach the final off the strength of a 3-1 victory against the Tampa Bay Juniors. Noah Malcolm, Shane Parent (GWG) and Matthew Taylor scored the goals for the Cyclones, and Richard Moskala scored for Tampa Bay.

In the other semifinal, the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes were able to skate past the Islanders Hockey Club by a 6-0 score. Jakson Furlotte and Zachary Rich each scored twice, and Luke Moses and Carter Radosta each registered one goal. Anthony Trantas registered 22 saves on 22 shots.

The teams will clash at the Mastrovito Hyundai Rink at the Utica University Nexus Center.

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