Commitment Profile: Pics’ Tisdell Moving On to Franklin Pierce University
By Joshua Boyd / USPHLPremier.com
Josh Tisdell is moving on from the United States Premier Hockey League to NCAA hockey as one of the league’s longest-serving players, with a USPHL career dating back to 2016. He committed to Franklin Pierce University this spring and is looking forward to taking his game to The Northeast-10, the NCAA’s only Division II hockey conference. The 2003-born defenseman from Chicopee, Mass., is truly excited for his college hockey future to begin at FPU’s campus in Rindge, N.H.
“I chose Franklin Pierce for a few different reasons. The university appealed to me because of its size. I was interested in attending a small school with a tight knit school community and that is what I found at FPU,” said Tisdell. “I also have the opportunity to pursue a major in education. I decided to commit for hockey, too, because I am excited to play under their new coach and also because of the dynamics of the team.”
Tisdell first played in USPHL games as a 15-year-old in the former USPHL 16U Futures division, equivalent to today’s Tier 1 Hockey Federation 15U division. When he finished 2023-24 with 14 points in 44 games (plus one point in three playoff games), he closed the book on eight seasons in the USPHL, including an 18U National Division championship with the Skipjacks Hockey Club in 2021-22. Along with his 91 combined regular season and playoff games with the Pics Premier team since the start of the 2022-23, he has played in 202 USPHL regular season and playoff games.
“The USPHL was a great place to play midget hockey when I first started out. I was able to stay close to home and develop my game at the U16 level, which allowed me to move to Pennsylvania two years later and billet while playing for the Skipjacks. In my U18 season with the Skipjacks, we were fortunate enough to win the 18U National Division championship,” Tisdell added.
“My time at the Springfield Pics was a great experience,” Tisdell added. “I developed close friendships with teammates. We were able to bond as a team even more with the passing of our assistant coach, Brian Collins. I worked hard all season to live up to his expectations both on and off the ice. Our head coach, Rob Bonneau, also helped tremendously to prepare me mentally for the transition to college hockey.”
It’s always a big transition from junior to college hockey, but Tisdell is confident that he’ll be able to contribute to the Ravens from the start as long as he continues to work hard this summer.
“The parts of my game I will be focusing on this off-season are my lateral speed as well as my overall strength,” added Tisdell.
The USPHL congratulates Josh Tisdell, his family, the Springfield Pics and Franklin Pierce University for his commitment.
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