By Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com
The United States Premier Hockey League and the Hershey Cubs organization are excited to announce that the Cubs will be starting a USPHL Elite team to work in conjunction with their current USPHL Premier team, which began play during the 2021-22 season.
The Cubs are partly owned by Bruce Boudreau and Crystal Boudreau, and they are excited to bring in a developmental junior team for younger and first-year junior players to act as an introduction to junior hockey while focusing on skill and personal development, with an eye on player advancement to higher junior levels as well as college hockey. Bruce Boudreau has been a professional level hockey coach since 1992, working at leagues including the ECHL, AHL and the NHL (starting 2007-08). Boudreau has coached the Washington Capitals, Anaheim Ducks, Minnesota Wild and Vancouver Canucks.
“We are excited to expand the Hershey Cubs program. We look forward to being able to develop young talent, promote them to the USPHL Premier level, and then on to NCDC or college hockey,” said Bruce and Crystal Boudreau. “We have been wanting to have an Elite team since the beginning. However, we believe in starting slow and growing to keep the quality of our program at the highest level. After three years, and improving each year, the Hershey Cubs are ready for the next step: adding an Elite team. Our ownership group is amazing and we could not do this without their support. Let’s go Cubs!”
“The USPHL is lucky to have dedicated owners such as Bruce and Crystal Boudreau and their fellow Cubs owners, all of whom continue to work hard for their players and will now open up their offerings to younger players in Pennsylvania and beyond. These players will benefit from the hockey knowledge and coaching/management experience of Bruce and Crystal Boudreau have accrued over decades of dedicating their lives to the sport,” said USPHL Commissioner Bob Turow.
The Hershey Cubs started in the USPHL Premier three seasons ago and have advanced more than 20 players to college hockey, as well as one player to pro hockey (Lincoln Gingerich, FPHL) and another to the NCDC (Mason Moore, Connecticut Jr. Rangers). As Crystal Boudreau pointed out, the Cubs have improved every season, from 11 wins in 2022-23 to 14 last year and up to 22 this season with still more than a month of games to go in the regular season. The Cubs have proven they can build a strong program from the ground up.
Since its 2013-14 inaugural season, the USPHL – including all its tiers and conferences – has sent more than 8,000 players to college hockey of various levels, and more than 250 players to pro hockey leagues around the world. Several current NHL players cut their teeth in the USPHL, including Tage Thompson (P.A.L. Jr. Islanders), Jordan Harris (Islanders Hockey Club), John Marino and Ryan Donato (South Shore Kings) and Joey Daccord (Boston Junior Bruins).
