By Joshua Boyd / USPHLPremier.com
The United States Premier Hockey League is previewing each Premier Division ahead of their start dates in the 2024-25 season. Check back each weekday to see which Premier division is up next!
Order is 2023-24 Regular Season Finish
Fresno Monsters
Season Opener: Oct. 3 at Long Beach Bombers
The Monsters definitely set the bar for the Pacific Division, which is now in its fifth season, by winning each of the first four regular season titles and qualifying for Nationals as the Pacific Division’s first representatives in their first two years (2021 and 2022).
Daylon Mannon is back behind the bench and is certainly hoping for a repeat of the 345 goals scored last year, which ranked second in the USPHL Premier, but overall for a successful season in the standings and for college advancement of their players.
“For the 2024-25 season, my expectations for our team are set high based on our current roster and the competitive landscape of the Pacific Division. With a solid mix of seasoned veterans and emerging talent, we have the foundation to excel. The experience of our veterans provides stability, while our younger players bring energy and fresh perspectives,” said Mannon, entering his third year as the Monsters’ Head Coach. “Early signs of strong team chemistry are encouraging, and if we continue to build on that, it will be crucial for our performance in key moments.”
The Monsters have three returning players and, while Mannon was unable to provide details as of this publication, he was excited and believed that Monsters fans would also be thrilled with their return.
“Our strongest returning Monsters players are a cornerstone of our strategy for the 2024-25 season. While I can’t go into specific details, it’s clear that these three returners have been pivotal in our past successes. We are looking to them not only to lead the team on the ice but also to pass on our team culture to the newer members,” Mannon said. “Their experience and leadership will be essential as we build on our previous achievements and navigate the competitive Pacific Division. Their ability to embody and reinforce our core values will help solidify our team’s identity and drive our success throughout the season.”
From outside the Monsters, the team is welcoming in two-year Premier forward Mason White.
“Mason is a proven points-getter and a valuable asset to the team. His ability to consistently contribute on the scoreboard and his leadership qualities make him a key player we’re excited to have on board. We’re confident in the example he will set, both on and off the ice, as we look forward to a successful season,” added Mannon.
He is also excited about several talented European players joining the team, as well as other players from around the globe, including Canadian Matteo Tavares.
“He has been training all summer with our alum Chris Miraldo. We’re excited to see how he performs on the team, especially with the strong preparation he’s had,” added Mannon.
The Monsters will be focusing on strong game plans, conditioning and a relentless drive for on-ice success. All of this is necessary in the Pacific Division.
“We expect Ontario to be one of the strongest teams this season, especially considering our past encounters with them. They are definitely an opponent to watch out for. Additionally, the Ventura Vikings, as a brand new team, are an exciting addition to the league, and we’re eager to see what they bring to the table. Several teams have also taken steps up from prior seasons, and it will be interesting to see how the competition shapes up,” Mannon added.
Ontario Jr. Reign
Season Opener: Sept. 21 vs. San Diego Sabers
The Ontario Jr. Reign made history last spring as they reached the USPHL Nationals for the first time, becoming the third representative of the Pacific Division at Nationals in four years. It’s a tough circuit and they know it will be once again, but Head Coach Jeremy Blumes sees his new team as more than ready for the challenge.
“The Ontario Jr. Reign play humble, hard hockey. Our objective each season is that our players develop both on and off the ice. As a group we adhere to our three rules: the team comes first; we get better every day; and have fun,” said Blumes. “We have a young group of players coming in that I believe fit the mold of what has made our club successful the past few seasons. As a coach, I am looking forward to working with this group of young, hungry players who are all looking to improve.”
Helping to lead this group of young, hungry players will be a hunger, experienced veteran in ‘04 Chris Lai, a former San Jose Jr. Sharks player who put up 38 points in 44 games last year.
“He will be relied upon as he understands our systems, expectations and culture,” added Blumes.
The Jr. Reign also signed a healthy number of veteran junior players to help the Jr. Reign keep their performance bar set high every year.
“Denver Craig possesses a giant frame and silky, smooth hands. Charles Johnstone is a reliable, two-way veteran defenseman. Kayden Buffalo and Darian Sinclair both consistently get on the scoresheet and are coming off championship seasons in their leagues,” said Blumes. “Ethan Fraser led the Vulcan Rampage in scoring last season, and Ethan Sellwood-Fernald is a dynamic and athletic goalie that makes timely saves.”
All are 2004-born players, with the exception of the ‘05 goalie Sellwood-Fernald.
The team also has a number of rookie junior players, joining the defense especially.
“Our D corps is very exciting. We have a number of intelligent, mobile, physical defensemen that will be encouraged to join the rush as we attack as a five-man unit,” said Blumes.
Several teams will be tough to contend with in the Pacific Division, but Blumes sees one in particular as an up-and-coming contender.
“Being a part of the San Diego Sabers management, I expect that team to take a step forward. There is so much turnover every season, that it is difficult for me to say which teams will improve or falter as I don’t have any knowledge of those teams until we play them at the start of the year,” said Blumes. “However, what I can say with great confidence is that each of the three seasons I have coached in the Pacific Division, the level of play across the board has improved and I expect every game each night to be a battle.”
Henderson Force
Season Opener: Sept. 27 at Lake Tahoe Lakers
The name and jerseys might be different, but the Las Vegas valley sunshine will still pour down over Henderson Force (the former Las Vegas Thunderbirds) players as they enter their new home, the America First Center. Another thing that won’t change is the Force’s determination to be one of the top Pacific Division teams. The former T-Birds made their Nationals debut in 2023 and the Force would love to make a return trip to the Nationals in Wayne, N.J., next March.
“Our expectation is to be amongst the top of the Pacific Division. As we continue to finalize our roster, we continue to add the right pieces to the Henderson Force puzzle,” said Head Coach Matt Johnson.
Goaltender Mike Burgos and forward Antony Chateauvert are back from last year’s Vegas team. Burgos, a former Vegas Jr. Golden Knights 18U AAA player, put up a .915 save percentage last year, and Chateauvert scored 18 points as an ‘05 forward.
Additionally, Johnson is excited about the addition of ‘04 forward Shane Dean from the NA3HL’s Willmar Warhawks, and Landon Hindman is an ‘06 who saw time in both the NA3HL and the NCDC, with the Idaho Falls Spud Kings, last year.
Exciting junior rookies that Johnson sees the Force fans watching closely will be defensemen ‘04 Colton Gorsuch and forwards Ryan Pavlinsky (an ‘05 from the Vegas Jr. Golden Knights 18U AAA team) and ‘06 Zaden Hnidy (son of former NHL player and current Golden Knights TV color analyst Shane Hnidy).
All of these new players, and everyone the other teams are bringing to the table, make for an exciting 2024-25 season ahead.
“I think this season there will be a lot of parity in the Pacific Division. We have a new team and new ownership groups in the division, so it’s exciting,” added Johnson.
Bakersfield Roughnecks
Season Opener: Sept. 20 at Ventura Vikings
The Roughnecks have been a team on the rise since joining the USPHL in 2022, and the upcoming campaign provides yet another opportunity to show just how much they can shake up such a quick, physical and high-scoring division.
“The Pacific has always been ruled by three teams – Fresno, Ontario and Vegas [now Henderson], all great programs. Bakersfield and Tahoe made some positive strides in the right direction last year,” said Owner, and General Manager Christian Gregory. “I believe the bottom of the division will be stronger this year than years past with new ownership, coaching staffs and expansion. Therefore any given night we could see plenty of upsets and surprises.”
Along with the Roughnecks going on a mission to push their way to the front, Gregory sees another team that’ll shake things up.
“I think Tahoe will be better this year than last and could push the top half of the division,” said Gregory. “The ownership/staff have done a great job the past year getting back on track.”
The Roughnecks, while being largely new, will nonetheless have strong veteran leadership back on board. It starts with the “energy and physicality” of three returning forwards in ‘04 Julian Onaindia, ‘05 Derrick Henson and ‘06 Alex Hufnagel.
On the back end, watch for ‘05 Gavin Mears and ‘06 Tyler Moser, whose youth belies their junior experience, which will be more than that of many ’04’s in the league.
“Our two returners on the back end will be logging a lot of minutes this year. Both are three-year junior players and their experience will be a huge asset for us,” added Gregory.
In goal, ‘06 Max Sutton is ready to push for starter status in his third season with the team.
“Max has worked himself from a practice goalie two years ago to a position on the team this year, where he will be competing for a starting job,” said Gregory. “His hard work and dedication the past few years have set himself up for success.”
The Roughnecks are also bringing aboard five junior-experienced veterans who are new to the team. This includes USPHL veterans ‘04 Louis Allen (“a big body with a ton of skill”); ‘05 Josh Roman (“a point per game player in the Elite last year”) and ‘06 Mark Shibalov (also a point per game player in the Elite, whose “skating and playmaking ability will be welcomed by all of his team mates this year.”)
Additionally, ‘04 Ty Gyori was an offensive standout in the VIJHL last year, while ‘04 Connor Claughton won two championships in the Heritage Junior Hockey League.
Newer junior players that have the Roughnecks excited are ‘06 Christopher LaRochelle and ‘07 Arsiyan Van de Brande.
“Christopher comes from Quebec and is an absolute weapon up front and will see the stat sheet often. He will be a joy to watch,” said Gregory. “We saw Arsiyan early this summer and knew e had to have him. We were very impressed with his size, skating ability and hockey sense.”
The Roughnecks have a clear vision for what they are looking for out of the 2024-25 season.
“Obviously, every season our goal is the postseason. This year is no different. We want to continue to build off our successful season last year,” said Gregory. “We are short on returners, so we have had to work extremely hard this off-season to bring the quality players and individuals that are 100 percent on board with the Roughneck way of doing things.”
Lake Tahoe Lakers
Season Opener: Sept. 20 vs. Long Beach Bombers
The Lake Tahoe Lakers are putting in the work to make Year 4 for their organization the best yet – and an historic one to boot.
“We are expecting to be able to compete for a playoff spot, and our overall goal is to make it to division finals and then Nationals,” said Lakers General Manager Chad Olson, who certainly sees his experience-rich team being among the iron of the Pacific Division in 2024-25. “I think Fresno, Ontario and Lake Tahoe are going to be the strongest. I think Long Beach will be able to have a better season than last year.”
As mentioned, the Lakers bring back a wealth of players who’ve been through the USPHL Premier wringer for at least one season. These players should see the Lakers making life tough for everyone from California to Nevada.
“We have 10 returning players and are looking for each of them to continue our culture we built last season,” said Olson. “We are looking for ’04 Forwards Captain Rory Gunn, Cecil Beld, Taylor Sloan and Reece Hart to all have hard-working and effort-fueled seasons, and we are excited to see what the fruits of their labors bring them.”
Also among this group are returning ’05’s Carter Lehmann and Carver Alford, who will be also looked upon to be leaders in every meaning of the word.
The Lakers also bring in Tyler Gudjonson, who has Tier 2 experience from the Saskatchewan Junior League, while Perry Jacobs has prior seasons in the USPHL Elite and Premier Conferences under his blades.
Another newcomer to keep an eye on is ‘06 Tyson Jacobs, a forward from Saline (Mich.) High School. “He will have a very good season,” added Olson.
San Diego Sabers
Season Opener: Sept. 21 at Ontario Jr. Reign
With an organizational history going back to 2001, the Sabers are hoping to keep improving every year. They hit a USPHL high of 33 wins in 2022-23, but then dropped back a bit last season. With a new head coach in James Spaargaren, new blood may result in better fortunes than ever before in the United States’ southwesternmost city.
“My expectations for the San Diego Sabers with our current roster are that we will win the Pacific Division. Our roster consists of high-quality veterans as well as eager-to-learn, talented rookies. San Diego is going to surprise a lot of people this year,” said Spaargaren, a local product and former San Diego Jr. Gulls player, before he went on to an NCAA career with Arcadia University. “Since taking over the Sabers this past off-season, I wanted to rebuild this group and I only have one returning player at this time in Aapo Jaakola. He is going to play a huge role on our team this year and set a good example for the younger guys.”
In addition to Jaakola, there are other players on the Sabers who bring junior experience, including ‘04 forwards and San Diego natives Liam Krupczynski, a two-year veteran of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, and Caleb Murray, coming in from two years in the NA3HL. Aidan Cosgrove, from Carlsbad, Calif., played two years in the EHL after previously playing youth hockey with Krupczynski for the San Diego Saints.
Spaargaren points to three strong incoming rookies from whom he is expecting big production. Briar Dickson is an ‘08 who played a high level of AAA hockey in Canada, Sammy Albano out of La Jolla Country Day School, and Jeremy Adkins is another San Diego Saints product.
“Briar plays with a ton of speed and finds a way to produce,” said Spaargaren. “Sammy is a local 16-year-old who has flown under the radar, and Jeremy has a high ceiling, a high compete level and an absolute bomb of a shot.”
Every game out will be a learning experience for Spaargaren and the new-look Sabers, and he’ll always have his team ready to give the opposition a great battle in hopes of turning last year’s L’s into W’s.
“I can only really prepare our team regardless of the competition. I believe San Diego will have taken the biggest step,” said Spaargaren. “The roster that we have, and that we are continuing to build, will be a special group.”
Long Beach Bombers
Season Opener: Sept. 13 vs. Ventura Vikings
Josh Fitzgerald and Curtis Fisher joined together and purchased the franchise of the former Long Beach Shredders and went to work building a contender on Day 1. The duo has worked tirelessly and continue to sign talented players for a whole new era in Long Beach, which would be a welcome change after a very challenging 2023-24 campaign from their predecessors.
“Obviously, Josh and I are new to the league but based on our signings and our roster shaping up we are confident that we can finish in the top four in the division,” said Fisher, who once played for the former Long Beach Bombers in the now defunct Western States Hockey League. “Our goal is to finish in the last playoff spot or just under it. We know the stigma of the Shredders and their past seasons, but here we feel that Long Beach will be right there in the running until the last game of the season.”
The Bombers picked up a talented quartet of Bozeman Ice Dogs from the NA3HL, in forwards Magnus Lowham, Sam Ingram and Chris Porciuncla, who scored 35 points in 29 games last year. Jackson Litzinger comes in with two seasons of USPHL Premier experience, including 43 points in 49 regular season games. The team also welcomed ’06 forwards Brian Mantooth and Andrew Armas into the Bombers fold after they played with the Shredders last season.
The team is looking for some early sparks from incoming ‘06 forward Marcus Vargas, a longtime top performer with the California Wave youth organization, and ‘05 goalie Ethan Fitzgerald, who recently played with the Rose City Pats 18U AAA team.
The Bombers know they’ll need to get past the division’s regular leaders, including all of the organizations that have played at Nationals thus far.
“We are expecting Fresno and Ontario to be the top two again. Both their owners and coaches always put a strong team together every year,” added Fisher. “Josh and I feel Henderson will take another big step towards being a strong contender and a top team in the division now.”
Ventura Vikings
Season Opener: Sept. 13 at Long Beach Bombers
The Ventura Vikings, like their nickname’s namesake, are on a voyage of both discovery and to conquer new lands. The Vikings set out as a first-year team based out of Lakewood, Calif., and a warriors outlook on making their names known and feared from Year 1.
“Our expectations for the 2024-25 season are sky-high, especially as the newest team in the league. We know the Pacific Division is highly competitive, with some of the best teams and players in the league, but that excites us. Our players have the skill, grit, and determination to challenge the teams in the division, and we’re confident that we’ll be able to surprise many people,” said Co-Owner and General Manager Jeff Jarvis. “Our focus is on playing hard and smart and leaving it all on the ice every game. Beyond being competitive, we aim to be a team that others must reckon with as we strive to move our players to the next level and establish ourselves as a force in this league.”
The Vikings were able to build around some USPHL Premier-experienced veterans, including ‘04 goalie Zach Follo and ‘04 forward Cameron Cote, both Chandler, Ariz., veterans and former Arizona Bobcats teammates.
“We’re looking for Zach to make a significant impact not only with his performance on the ice but also as a leader in the locker room,” said Jarvis. “Cam is another returning player who we expect to put up some impressive numbers this season. He has a powerful shot, and we’re confident he’ll be a major offensive threat for us.”
Harbor City, Calif., native Reese Tittle, an ‘05 going into his third USPHL Premier season, is “a true leader both on and off the ice, known for his power and grit. His presence on the blue line will be crucial as we build a strong, competitive team.”
The Vikings feel like they will have some younger players who will be a great draw for college and higher level junior scouts all year. Joining Follo in the net will be ‘07 goalie Brasco Cirillo, a Canadian out of the Nichols School.
“Brasco brings a high level of skill and intensity to our goaltending position, and we’re confident he’ll be a game-changer for us,” Jarvis said.
Up front, Richard Navarro is an ‘05 from the San Jose Jr. Sharks and defenseman Gage Latimer, an ‘05 from Saskatchewan and the KIJHL.
“Richard’s presence on the ice is undeniable, and we expect him to quickly become a key player in our offensive lineup,” said Jarvis. “Gage is a heavy-hitting defenseman who brings toughness and physicality to our blue line. His ability to shut down opponents and lead our defensive efforts will be crucial as we aim to establish ourselves in the league.”
The Vikings will have their work cut out for themselves as a new team every night out, but with the above players, don’t try to predict any outcomes.
The Vikings are cautiously optimistic, but are also very excited about their prospects.
“Given that we’re the new team in the division, we anticipate that every matchup will be challenging. The Pacific Division is packed with strong teams, and we know we’ll have to bring our best every game,” Jarvis added. “Ontario is definitely a team to watch, especially since they won the division last year. They’ve set a high standard, and we expect them to be tough competitors once again. Fresno is another powerhouse, with a history of consistent performance and strong rosters year after year. Facing these teams will be a true test for us, but we’re excited for the challenge and ready to compete at the highest level.”
