HAWTHORNE, NJ – The Metropolitan Junior Hockey League is pleased to announce that 19 players spread across 8 organizations have been recognized for their outstanding efforts during the 2012-2013 by being named to the All-MJHL First, Second, Defensive and Prospects teams.
Named to the All-MJHL First Team were forwards Troy Conzo (’97 birth year/Nesconset, NY/NJ Rockets), Cody Williams (’92 birth year/Las Vegas, NV/NJ Renegades) and Steven Valva (’92 birth year/Henrico, VA/Richmond Generals), defensemen Charles McAvoy (’97 birth year/Long Beach, NY/NJ Rockets) and Michael Cartwright (’93 birth year/Coram, NY/LI Royals) and goaltender Jared Dauphinais (’92 birth year/Cranston, RI/Boston Junior Rangers).
Conzo, who was recently named the MJHL’s Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year, was a top forward for the Rockets. Conzo was the top point scorer on the league’s second most productive offense with 69 points (33G 36A) in 35 regular season contests, placing third on the MJHL scoring leaderboard, and added an additional 15 points (5G 10A) in the Keegan Cup playoffs, helping the Rockets to their second consecutive Keegan Cup Championship.
Williams, the top goal scorer in the MJHL with 40, led the Renegades to the Division Semifinal Round of the 2013 Keegan Cup Playoffs. The Las Vegas native also broke the Renegades single season scoring record, amassing 78 points (40G 38A) in 37 regular season games, and added an additional 7 points (3G 4A) in 3 playoff contests.
Valva, the MJHL regular season scoring champion with 83 points (37G 46A) was a mainstay in the MJHL’s highest scoring offense and added another 16 points (7G 9A) in 7 playoff contests. Under the direction of Head Coach R.C. Lyke, Valva produced over two points per game and carried the Richmond Generals to within one game of the Keegan Cup finals.
McAvoy, recently chosen for the USANTDP, was named the MJHL’s Most Offensive Defenseman, after leading all defensemen in scoring with 43 points (12G 31A) in 34 regular season contests and the Long Beach native added an additional 11 points (3G 8A) in the Rockets playoff run.
McAvoy’s partner on the First Team blueline is Cartwright, the MJHL’s Most Defensive Defenseman. The MJHL veteran was recognized for his steady presence on the ice and his leadership skills, as the Coram native wears the Captain’s C for the perennial contending Royals.
In goal on the first team was Boston’s Dauphinias. After having split the majority of the regular season with Dylan Knox (’93 birth year/Plantation, FL), it was in the playoffs where the Cranston native came to the forefront. Starting every playoff game for the Junior Rangers, Dauphinias piloted the team to a division title in their first year of MJHL existence and the Junior Rangers were one victory short of a league championship. Dauphinais allowed 19 goals over 8 playoff games for a GAA of 2.38 (after a regular season GAA of 1.83) and was named the MJHL’s Goaltender of the Year for his efforts.
Here are the rest of the All-MJHL teams:
All-MJHL Second Team
Nikita Samoylov (’94 birth year/Moscow, Russia/Jersey Junior Titans)
Eric Tien (’93 birth year/Midland, MI/Richmond Generals)
Michael Gillespie (’96 birth year/New City, NY/NJ Rockets)
Tom Brunski (’93 birth year/East Haven, CT/Connecticut Wolfpack)
Diego Wilson (’92 birth year/Saint Johns, MI/Richmond Generals)
Yoshihiro Kuroiwa (’93 birth year/Sapporo, Japan/Richmond Generals)
All-MJHL Defensive Team
Dana Arnold (’93 birth year/Yorktown, VA/Richmond Generals)
Derek Caruso (’95 birth year/Port Washington, NY/Metro Moose)
Tyler Hines (’94 birth year/North Haven, CT/Connecticut Wolfpack)
Michael Cartwright (’93 birth year/Coram, NY/LI Royals)
Will Wickersham (’93 birth year/Richmond, VA/Richmond Generals)
All-MJHL Prospects Team
Troy Conzo (’97 birth year/Nesconset, NY/NJ Rockets)
Michael Gillespie (’96 birth year/New City, NY/NJ Rockets)
Austin Albrecht (’96 birth year/Flemington, NJ/NJ Renegades)
Charles McAvoy (’97 birth year/Long Beach, NY/NJ Rockets)
Joseph Maguire (’96 birth year/Dix Hills, NY/LI Royals)
Joshua Sarlo (’97 birth year/Lynbrook, NY/NJ Rockets)
The MJHL regular season champion, Richmond Generals led the way with six players placed on an-MJHL team while the Keegan Cup Champion New Jersey Rockets placed four players (the Rockets had the highest number of slots, however, with their four players claiming seven spots). The New Jersey Renegades, Connecticut Wolfpack and Long Island Royals each placed two players and the Boston Junior Rangers, Jersey Junior Titans and Metro Moose each placed one.
“This is the first time that we have chosen any type of all-league team,” commented MJHL Director of Hockey Operations Andy Scott. “We have put together the top players in the league and recognized them for their outstanding efforts. Our first team contains many of our individual award winners and our prospect team recognizes our top-young talent. These are the players we expect to hear great things about down the road.
Founded by former New York Rangers General Manager Emile Francis and now celebrating its 46th year of existence, making it the oldest USA Hockey-sanctioned Junior hockey league in the United States, the Metropolitan Junior Hockey League (MET League or MJHL) has a membership of 18 teams across 9 state and prides itself on player development for athletes ages 16-20 who aspire to reach higher levels of junior, collegiate and professional hockey.
