By Joshua Boyd / NCDCHockey.com
The NCDC will be previewing each of the 21 teams set to hit the ice during the 2024-25 season in a continuing series up to the Sept. 19 start of the new campaign.
Worcester Railers Junior hockey Club
New England Division
Home Arena: Worcester Ice Center
Head Coach: Sean Bertoni
The Worcester Railers Junior Hockey Club are set to change over to a whole new track, one that they hope will lead them to greater glories in terms of on-ice success as well as advancement to college hockey.
The Railers are newcomers to the National Collegiate Development Conference, joining the higher tier league after a strong first five years in the Eastern Hockey League. General Manager/Head Coach Sean Bertoni said that it’s been a very busy two months since the announcement was made of the change in June, but it’s also sent a burst of energy into the Railers organization to make it a great first year.
“The Worcester Railers coaching staff and ownership are excited for this challenge. The most difficult piece of building the roster was finding players that weren’t already protected, and making the change to the NCDC in the middle of the summer made recruiting difficult, but not impossible,” Bertoni added.
“The coaching staff worked extremely hard to find the players we think fit best for the program like we have done in the past,” Bertoni added. “We recruit players of high character and the type of style of play that hasn’t changed. Obviously we haven’t stepped on the ice yet, but the players here know the baseline starts with your competitive spirit and your relentlessness in your skating. We want to continue to develop young men so they can live their dream of playing NCAA hockey and graduate with a degree. We had 15 guys move on to college so we had to fill a lot of spots. We are looking forward to getting started.”
The Railers play in the very first game of the NCDC season on Sept. 19, taking on the Boston Jr. Rangers, with whom they share the Worcester Ice Center. Even if it’s just short of a month away, every minute counts towards being ready to make a big first impression in this new tier of junior hockey. And boy, were there ever minutes, and hours, and days of very little rest.
“The caliber of player and what we look for in a player doesn’t change. Recruiting isn’t easy no matter what league you play in, and coaches are battling against one another daily,” Bertoni added. “There are so many showcases and tournaments in the summer that are filled with coaches trying to win the recruiting battle. The camp we held this year was a great experience for all. We will continue to learn and grow, but we were impressed with the quality of our camp.”
Bertoni has been with the Railers since they first took the ice in the 2019-20 season, co-coaching the EHL Premier team in Year 1 and working up to GM and Head Coach in 2020-21. A former UMass-Boston NCAA player, Bertoni began coaching with Oliver Ames High School in Massachusetts, before joining the Railers.
John Fine-Lease and Tyson Araujo enter their third season each with the team. Fine-Lease is a former Northern Cyclone who later moved on to NCAA college hockey with Assumption College before joining the Railers in 2022-23. Araujo played for Wilkes University prior to joining the Railers, also in 2022-23.
Third-year goalie Coach Adam Mercer joined after an NCAA career at Southern New Hampshire University, and previous junior experience in the USPHL Premier and NCDC with the Boston Junior Bruins and South Shore Kings.
“We have a tremendous ownership group that follows in the spirit of my mentor, the late, great Coach Mike Addesa II and that allows us to do what we love, but their mindset is all about the player and families,” said Bertoni. “They truly think of the family and player experience first and want us to provide a high end service for them.”
The Railers will enter the season preparing to simply give every ounce of energy, effort and determination to both win and show every players’ best skill set towards advancement.
“We don’t put a premium or really anything into expectations. We will set team goals, but wins and losses will not define our success,” said Bertoni. “I will be honest, I have always focused so hard on everything we have to do to prepare with our staff and players. I have to familiarize myself with the division, but I want to try to perfect what we do and dictate the play. We want teams to adjust to us and what we are doing on the ice. From what I have seen and heard, the level of play is very high. The Kings have had a lot of success and history shows the high level program they have always had. It’s going to be a challenge for sure.”
There are several players who are rejoining the Railers and fully dialed in to playing at this higher level.
“Austin Jerzak is our Captain. Austin came on strong at the end of last season, leading the EHL playoffs in goals (seven). We are looking forward to Austin leading the team on and off the ice. He is a guy with tremendous quickness and speed. Austin made his decision last month to commit to Elmira College, which makes us proud,” added Bertoni. “Matt Schirm is coming back for his fourth season with the Railers. He started with our EHL Premier team. Matt understands everything we are doing from an intellectual on-ice and how we do things off the ice. He is a physical defender with very good skating abilities.”
These two veterans are only the tip of the iceberg for the great experience that the Railers are bringing back.
“We also have Jack Dalto, a power forward that can play center and wing; Will Stephens brings quickness, and he’s a tenacious skater; Luke Kurdziolek has a hard-working, lead by example, do whatever is needed mentality,” Bertoni added. “Riley VanSon is a big power forward that plays a physical aggressive style; and Colin Tunnera is an aggressive defender with great range that always puts the team first. They all bring their experience back to Worcester. They will provide leadership to the new guys and we look forward to having them for their second year.”
In addition to this group, Bertoni added that “We have players with junior experience coming to Worcester and also several rookies making the jump from U18 AAA and prep school.”
It’s not long before every Railers NCDC player will be putting in the on-and off-ice hours towards that Sept. 19 opener. Bertoni and his staff are busy designing practice plans and stressing to these players to come in ready and in great shape to work hard from Day 1.
“We are really looking forward to the first practice. We stress preparation and I can’t wait to start teaching. There is a high level of learning the players will receive,” he added. “The players will know that we care for them more than we care for ourselves and we want high mountain climbers entering the building, something that my mentor the late Coach Mike Addesa II would remind me of.”
