Congratulations to our Southeast Division All-Stars, who were selected from votes made by the coaches with support from the League Media Director.
Forwards
Rhett Evjen, Charlotte Rush
Committed to Stevenson University
Evjen (‘02/Swift Current, Sask.) came out of the regular season tied for third in goals with 26. He also dished out 22 assists over his 37 games for 48 points, an average of 1.3 per game. The second-year USPHL player with prior NCDC experience helped the Rush make the National Championship game (wherein he also scored the Rush’s only goal off a turnover). Evjen is bound for NCAA Division III Stevenson University next year.
Livio Azevedo, Charlotte Rush
Azevedo (‘03/Switzerland) made a heck of a North American debut by leading the Rush in both assists and points – and he was also the top assist-getter in the entire Southeast Division with 40. That was also the second highest assist count in the Rush’s USPHL Premier history. He also scored 13 goals for 53 points in 42 games, an average of 1.26 game. He impressed coaches across the division and earned votes from beyond the Rush. Never one to shy from the physical game, Azevedo put up 48 hits this season, ranking in the top 10 for the division in that category.
Bryce Battaglia, Charlotte Rush
Committed to Arcadia University
Battaglia returned to the USPHL Premier after a couple seasons at the Tier II level – and both of his USPHL Premier seasons had a great ending in common, as he reached the Nationals in both seasons. He reached there in 2021 with the former Charleston Colonials, and again this year as a major cog in the Rush’s machine. The ‘02 from Gretna, Neb., put up 16 goals and 16 assists for 32 points in just 25 games (1.28 points per game), before also posting a 5-2-7 line in eight postseason games. Battaglia is bound for NCAA Division III Arcadia University.
Jakob Johannesson, Potomac Patriots
The United Nations of the United States Premier Hockey League, the Patriots featured an ‘02 Swede playing in his first North American season. Johanneson certainly left an impression, tying forthird in goals with 26 (along with Charlotte’s Evjen). He also posted 35 assists for 61 points, which was third best in the Southeast. He and his teammates also helped the Patriots to their first-ever playoff berth, and they made it one game short of earning a Nationals berth.
Valerii Kneib, Potomac Patriots
Kneib (‘02/Bratsk, Russia) made it a second straight 40-point season for the Patriots, posting a 14-27-41 line in just 28 games played this year. He has enjoyed a meteoric rise from Elite player to start the 2021-22 season to Premier All-Star. With 81 points in 67 career regular season games, he is the Patriots’ all-time USPHL Premier leading scorer. His 46 career assists are also the best in the Pats’ Premier history.
Ethyn Hopp, Carolina Jr. Hurricanes
Hopp (‘02/Edmonton, Alb.) walks away from his junior career as the Jr. Canes’ all-time leading scorer – and by a lot, namely 43 points. He posted 134 points in 119 games going back to 2020-21, when he helped the Jr. Canes make the National semifinals. This year, Hopp had the division’s second best points per game average at 1.47 as well as the second best points total, with a line of 27-36-63. He improved his points each year from 29 to 43 to 63.
Max Maziarchuk, Hampton Roads Whalers
Maziarchuk (‘03/Minsk, Belarus) was the clear leader in scoring for the Whalers in his second USPHL Premier season but first in Chesapeake, Va. He received votes from multiple teams, showing just how much of an impact he had for his new team. He put up a line of 19 goals and 25 assists for 44 points in 42 games. The only thing that kept him from playing the full Premier season was a three-game call-up to the NCDC’s Twin City Thunder. There, he posted two points in his three contests, showing he can certainly hang at the Tier II level. He currently has 77 points in 75 career Premier games.
Niko Schoner, Nashville Spartans
Committed to SUNY-Canton
Schoner (‘02/Bloomingdale, Ill.) finished the season at the lofty position of third overall int he USPHL Premier goal-scoring race, having posted 48 goals in his 36 games played. He also added 21 assists to rank as the Southeast Division’s leading scorer with 69 points, good also for an average of 1.92 points per game. Schoner brought a near-full season of NCDC hockey from 2021-22 to the benefit of the first-year Spartans program.
Defense
Zachary Correia, Richmond Generals
Committed to SUNY-Morrisville
A fourth-year General, Correia (‘02/Brampton, Ont.) finished his career up right. First of all, and most importantly, he earned his NCAA college commitment to SUNY-Morrisville. He also saw his first NCDC games, playing 14 with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights and registering four points. In his 27 games with the Generals, he was extremely productive with a line of 3-16-19 – and then he even ratcheted that production up in the postseason as the Gens drove all the way to the National semifinals. He put up eight points in eight games. The third-time USPHL Premier All-Star (also in 2020 and 2021) was also a USPHL Elite National Champion with the Generals in 2019. He is the Generals Premier all-time leader in games played with 157 and he has scored 90 points, making him the Gens’ leading defenseman scorer in the USPHL Premier.
Jonathan Beiber, Richmond Generals
An All-Star member of the 2021-22 USPHL Elite National Champion Generals, Beiber obviously made a perfect transition to the Premier game, making a second straight All-Star appearance and at the higher Premier level. The ‘02 from Pittsburgh, Pa., put up a line of 4-18-22, and he also blocked 65 shots as he pushed the Generals into the Premier Nationals. During their deep run, he put up five points in eight games.
C.J. Stucky, Carolina Jr. Hurricanes
The leading scorer among Southeast defensemen, he put up a line of three goals and 35 assists for 38 points in 39 games, an average of .97 points per game. An ‘02 from Everett, Wash., Stucky more than doubled his points output from his first season in 2021-22, moving from 16 to 39 this year. In power play time on the Jr. Canes, he was second only to fellow All-Star Ethyn Hopp.
Joshua Kingsburry, Potomac Patriots
The second-year Premier blueliner from Porcupine, Ont., Kingsburry was a big part of the Patriots rise to becoming a playoff team – and one that very nearly made their first Nationals, playing a close three-game series with Richmond. Kingsburry put up one goal and 34 assists for 35 points in 43 games, a very strong 0.81 points per game, one of many aspects of his game that brought votes from beyond his own team. With 61 points in 86 games, Kingsburry is the Patriots’ all-time leading scorer among defensemen. He also had three points in their three playoff games.
Jeremy Dewar, Hampton Roads Whalers
Dewar (‘02/Belmont, Alb.) was one of the Whalers’ top performers throughout this season, one who brought valuable junior experience – three prior seasons worth in fact. He was the Whalers’ ice time leader this year, with 24:48 per game and his +15 rating, and he also led their blueliners offensively with a line of 7-19-26 in 41 games.
Goaltenders
Jadon Lee, Richmond Generals
Committed to Lebanon Valley College
Like Jonathan Beiber, Lee came into this season as an Elite National Champion with the 2022 Generas at that level – and he was also an Elite All-Star last year. Now he’s a Premier All-Star and also he is bound for NCAA hockey with Lebanon Valley College. Lee earned multiple votes, thanks to putting up a .933 save percentage, good for Top 10 in that category. He also put up a 16-6-0-0 record and a 2.22 GAA. In the postseason, he again upped his game to a .956 save percentage and a 1.50 goals against average.
Nick Anderson, Charlotte Rush
Also receiving multiple votes at the goalie position was the ‘03 out of Rochester, N.Y., a second-year Rush backstop who put up a huge 19-5-1-1 record and a .926 save percentage. Anderson, who helped lead his team to the National Championship game, finished with 30 career wins and a .929 career save percentage. Like his fellow All-Star Lee, Anderson put up a .956 save percentage in the postseason, going 5-2-0-0.
