By Joshua Boyd / NCDCHockey.com
Casper Warbirds
Mountain Division
Home Arena: Casper Ice Arena
Head Coach: Jacob Smulevitch
Welcome to Cowboy Country, NCDC hockey fans. Casper has been very active in building something new and exciting in the eastern Wyoming city, and this Saturday, Sept. 21, they will be able to see it all come together.
That night, the Warbirds will host the Rock Springs Grizzlies in the first Battle of Wyoming game in NCDC history, as well as of course the Warbirds debut.
“Pretty much since we found out we were getting the team, the summer has been a whirlwind of travel trying to gather the right pieces,” said Head Coach Jacob Smulevitch. “We really used the NCDC Draft to try to acquire pieces for the future, while using tenders and camps to find the players who made our final roster. Aidan Calhoun, for instance, is one of our defensemen who came to our Michigan Prospect camp and then earned a tender out of it, before making it past final cuts this past weekend!
“I am very excited about the roster we have been able to put together,” Smulevitch added, of the first-ever Warbirds squad. “I think we have a very solid mix of NCDC veterans, rookies making the jump from 18AAA, and kids who earned their stripes moving up through the Tier 3 levels of the USPHL, truly showcasing the league’s ladder of development.”
Smulevitch himself is an example of USPHL Advancement In Action, as he was a former USPHL Elite and later a USPHL Premier Head Coach for the former Charleston Colonials and Columbia Infantry.
Ryan Freeman was Smulevitch’s assistant in Columbia the past two years.
“He has come with me to Casper. He is as loyal and hard-working as they come and will be invaluable to our organization as he continues learning this year,” Smulevitch said.
Darren McCormick, a former SUNY-Cortland NCAA Division III player, also played several years in the SPHL and ECHL before turning to coaching in Hungary first before joining the Casper staff.
“I met him over the Summer and immediately clicked with him. His knowledge of the game and his energy are a great match. He will also operate as our goalie coach,” added Smulevitch. “Although he did not play goalie, he has studied the position extensively and worked for over 10 years at a goaltending academy as an instructor training high level goalies.”
Among the NCDC veterans who have come to the Warbirds is Anton Petrovskiy. Another great example of USPHL Advancement In Action, the ‘04 forward Petrovskiy played on the Charleston Colonials Elite team that went to Nationals in Chesapeake, Va., in 2021. He then played for the Columbus Mavericks in the Premier in 2021-22. After a season outside of the USPHL, he returned to the league with the NCDC’s Rock Springs Grizzlies in 2023-24.
Xavier Brooks, an ‘04 defenseman, first started playing junior hockey in the NA3HL in 2021-22, moving to the Premier’s Charlotte Rush. He also got time with the P.A.L. Jr. Islanders NCDC team in 2023-24.
Cannon Lentz is the most experienced player in terms of the NCDC level of hockey.
“He has over 50 games in the NAHL and more than 40 in the NCDC,” Smulevitch said. The ‘04 blueliner played for the Rock Springs Grizzlies and Idaho Falls Spud Kings last year.
There are four players who competed with the former Provo Predators NCDC team who are joining the Warbirds this year. This includes Ryan Henry (‘04 goalie), Will Rotar (‘05 forward), Gavin Black (‘06 forward) and Ryan Coots (‘05 defenseman).
“Ryan Coots also played for me in Columbia and Ryan was just named Captain in Casper. Will was named an Alternate Captain, and Ryan Henry is expected to be a big piece for us in net,” said Smulevitch.
Yet more USPHL junior alumni are joining the Warbirds, continuing that theme of USPHL Advancement In Action.
Sean Boltin was a USPHL Elite All-Star with the Palm Beach Typhoon in 2022-23, and moved up to the Columbia Infantry’s USPHL Premier squad last year.
“He was one of my best players in Columbia and he is a kid who put the work in on and off the ice for this opportunity,” said Smulevitch.
The Warbirds also bring on two former Charlotte Rush players from last year, in forward Owen Cross and goaltender Peter Baldwin. Cross put up 38 points in 40 games with Charlotte and helped them to the Rush’s seventh straight Nationals qualification. Additionally, goaltender Peter Baldwin put up a .935 with the Rush and then also saw time with the NCDC’s former Boston Junior Bruins, earning a pair of late season wins in his first action at this level.
“Owen was a Captain for Charlotte and his game has only gotten better,” said Smulevitch. “Peter is one of the most athletic goaltenders I have seen at any level.”
Among the newest and most exciting players to the team is 2005-born defenseman Aidan Calhoun, a tender by the team out of the Belle Tire AAA program in Michigan.
“He is a great kid and a phenomenal skater who we see being a big part of our defense corps,” added Smulevitch.
The team is formed, the Warbirds are out and active in the Casper community and drumming up support, and they couldn’t be more ready or psyched for Saturday night.
“We are very excited to be part of this league and division. We know it will be extremely competitive but we truly hope to make an impact on and off the ice as a Year 1 program,” added Smulevitch.
“My expectation is for this to be a very competitive league. It truly resembles the NHL in that any team can win on any given night,” he added. “In the Mountain Division, I think the atmosphere is so contagious and electric that for myself and anybody who has never played in it, it will definitely be an adjustment. I expect the division to be extremely competitive and for there not to be an easy game.”
