Summaries by Joshua Boyd / USPHLPremier.com
Selection Process: Voting took part in two phases. In the first phase, the division’s coaches voted for three of their own players and three players from other teams in the division. Once these results were compiled, the division’s coaches voted on the final team.
Forward
Spencer Barrow, Charlotte Rush
Barrow (‘04/Massapequa, N.Y.) grew up seeing the success that his older brother Tyler Barrow enjoyed while with the Rush, en route to a highly-decorated college career at Wilkes University, and current pro career. So, it made perfect sense that Spencer should sign on with the proven Charlotte squad. This season, he put up nearly two points per game this year, his second with Charlotte, with 51 points in 28 games. His 1.82 points per game was good for eighth overall in the USPHL Elite. His 99 points, scored over 67 Elite games, is third in Elite Rush history.
Yianni Tsatsoulis, Charlotte Rush
Tsatsoulis (‘04/San Clemente, Calif.) was the top playmaker for the Rush, as he pushed himself to 33 assists and ultimately 48 points on the season in just 27 Elite games. Tsatsoulis also earned 15 games up with the Premier Rush and was also productive at that level, scoring 13 points in 15 games. His 20:10 per game of ice time also led Rush forwards this year. Tsatsoulis is right behind Barrow in all-time Rush scoring with 91 points.
Charles Norris, Charlotte Rush
Norris (‘06/Weddington, N.C.) ended the season as Charlotte’s goal-scoring leader with 25 tallies on the year. He also had 21 assists for 46 points in 27 games for this year, in addition to the three points he registered in 14 Premier games. He holds the record for best goals per game average in a season in Elite Rush history. He also finished secondi n plus-minus with a +26.
Noah Ribeiro, Potomac Patriots
Ribeiro (‘05/Montreal, Que.) finished second in assists this year in the USPHL Elite, dishing out 57 helpers and adding 15 goals for 72 points in 37 games. He also was a point-per-game postseason player with five points in five games as the Patriots made their USPHL Nationals debut. His 57 assists and 72 points were also No. 1 all-time in a single season in Patriots Elite history. He finished the regular season on a nine-game assist streak, putting up 14 assists during that time. Noah is the son of former NHL player Mike Ribeiro.
Liam Hanna, Potomac Patriots
Hanna (‘03/Fredericksburg, Va.) began playing with the Patriots Elite team in 2020, and he had a two-year USPHL midgets career prior to that dating back to 2018. With 27 goals and 37 assists for 64 points, he had his best of his four Elite seasons. He is the team’s No. 1 all-time leading scorer with 67 goals and 100 assists for 167 points in 152 regular season games. That also stands for third in Elite history. He takes this big game on to George Mason University (ACHA) next season.
Ilya Biesiedin, Potomac Patriots
Biesiedin (‘05/Kharkov, Ukraine) has improved over the past three seasons from 20 to 32 to 47 points. And with 99 points in 98 games, he is right behind Hanna in all-time Patriots Elite scoring. He also continues to be in the plans for the Patriots Premier team, who also made their USPHL Nationals debut this year. He played 11 games this year with the Premier team, scoring four points and he’s played 31 games at that level in his career. His five shorthanded goals and six shorthanded points were both good for third in the league.
Luke Moses, Carolina Jr. Hurricanes
Moses (‘03/Fort Bragg, N.C.) came across the season’s finish line with 51 points in 37 games and became the Elite Jr. Canes program’s all-time leading scorer with 107 points. The 2023 National Champion, who first began playing for Carolina in 2021-22, was second for his team in this year’s playoffs – which marked a return trip to Nationals – with 10 points in seven games. He also earned call-ups to two Premier games.
Brayden Taylor, Hampton Roads Whalers
Taylor (‘03/Virginia Beach, Va.) closed his career as a lifelong Whaler with 13 goals and 21 points in 36 Elite games. The four-year Elite standout finished third in career scoring in the current USPHL Elite (going back to 2017) with his 80 career points going back to his junior debut in 2020-21. Brayden is the son of former USPHL Premier National Champion head coach Rod Taylor, who led the Whalers to back-to-back Premier titles in 2018 and 2019.
Defense
Kirill Golubev, Potomac Patriots
The 2007-born native of Kostroma, Russia, had quite the year for the Patriots and certainly put himself on a lot of high-level scouting lists. He led all Elite defensemen this year in scoring with 56 points in 34 games (as well as in points per game, at 1.65). That was the most ever by a Patriots Elite defenseman and tied for third most in a Patriots season. Additionally, he was the only USPHL Elite representative to play in the NCDC Young Guns All-Star Game at Boston University on Jan. 15 – and he scored the game’s opening goal!
Hudson Hinich, Hampton Roads Whalers
Hinich (‘03/Ancaster, Ont.) ended the season as the only blueliner to lead his team in scoring this year in the USPHL Elite. The Oakland University (ACHA) recruit put up 26 points in 39 games. Additionally, he led the team in hits with 40, never shy about throwing his 6-foot, 170-pound frame around for his team. His 22:38 in average ice time was second on the team, and among Whalers defensemen, his average shorthanded time (3:34) and power play time (3:29) per game ranked second.
Max Sullivan, Carolina Jr. Hurricanes
Another returning member from the 2023 National Champions, Sullivan (‘05/Cary, N.C.) put up 39 points in 41 games this year, improving from 21 points last season as he was one of many key players for the title team. This year, Sullivan was also heavily counted upon (and delivered) – along with tying for the team lead in scoring among defenseman with fellow returnee Colby Markham, he led the team in hits with 39 and was second in average ice time at 24:07. His +36 was third best on the team. A Virginia Tech (ACHA) recruit, he played his third straight season with the veteran group of Markham, Carter Radosta and Christopher Cuddy, after they also played in 2021-22 on the Jr. Canes’ 16U AAA team.
Goaltender
Ryan Kalina, Carolina Jr. Hurricanes
Another career Jr. Canes player, Kalina is an ‘05 from Raleigh, N.C., who made his USPHL debut this year and was huge for his team. He finished in a tie for the league’s lowest goals against average at 1.48 and finished sixth in save percentage at .934. He also finished with a 13-2-0-0 record and five shutouts for the season, the latter category seeing a tie for second in doughnuts with creasemate Anthony Trantas.
Jean Berthaudin, Hampton Roads Whalers
Berthaudin (‘03/St-Rose-du-Lac, Man.) ended up at the very top of that shutout leaderboard, with eight. That many blankings tied him for the all-time career lead, with former Whaler Ty Morton. Berthaudin, however, is the only Elite player to have ever earned eight shutouts in one season! The Aquinas College (ACHA) commit was truly the straw that stirred the drink in Chesapeake, Va., as he went 14-7-1-1 on a team that went 20-19-1-2 for the season. His .948 save percentage ranked second in the league, and his 1.74 GAA was good for sixth.
