By Joshua Boyd / USPHLPremier.com
The United States Premier Hockey League is previewing each Premier division ahead of their start dates in the 2024-25 season. Check back on Tuesday, Sept. 3, to see which Premier division will be up next!
Order is 2023-24 regular season finish, followed by new division members
Connecticut Jr. Rangers
Season Opener: Oct. 3 at Jersey Hitmen
What’s next for the defending National Champions? They have some time to prepare for their defense campaign as one of the later-starting teams in the USPHL Premier Conference, and with that, Head Coach Mike Stanaway is working to build a roster that he expects could very well do it again.
“Our expectations are to build on our foundation that was established last season. We had a special group last year. Their lasting legacy will be the culture that they put in place for this organization,” said Stanaway. “We intend to build upon that. This is a new group with veteran leadership. They will pick up right where we left off.”
There is still time until the team congregates well ahead of their Oct. 3 opener, so Stanaway steers clear of specific names for the 2024-25 Rangers, but he’s excited anyways about the new year.
“We have a tremendous group of returners coming back this season. These guys have been dialed in this off-season and are ready to get back to work. They are too good as a unit to single out one or two players,” he added.
“We will have a veteran team. We are bringing in quite a few players that have made big impacts around the Premier Conference,” Stanaway said. “We are also bringing in some tremendous players from around the world that are going to make a major impact in this league. This will be an experienced team that will pick up right where we left off.”
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights
Season Opener: Sept. 20 vs. Elmira Impact
Three years of existence have equaled three straight trips to the USPHL National Championships for the Knights. They’d certainly like to continue that honor, though the National Champion Jr. Rangers (and nine other teams) will be standing in their way.
“Our mission is to simply compete and develop to the best of our abilities and hopefully have various players get the ‘call-ups’ to our NCDC team like we have done this past season,” said Head Coach Eric Brule.
The WBS Knights were able to advance several of their players on to college and higher-level junior hockey teams, but they do have some veteran players coming back to provide leadership.
Forward Koi Matsudaira (’06) and Peter Toth (’05) are back in the Premier lineup and will be counted on to push their newer teammates.
“We also have solid players that played on our Elite team last year and who should be impact players for this year,” added Brule. This group includes ’04 forwards Blake Francione and Chris Diller and fourth-year Knight Jeremy Simonson, as well as ’07 defenseman Owen Stewart.
Several newcomers to the team include ’06 Anthony Tallant, a forward who “showed good things at the Main Camp,” as well as forwards Jeremy Lamothe and Adam Wizmuller, both solid players with good potential. Additionally, ’06 goalie Gusts Valantis joins the team in net. Another exciting rookie is ’07 Canadian defenseman Oliver Lapierre.
Hershey Cubs
Season Opener: Sept. 21 at P.A.L. Jr. Islanders
In 2023-24, the Cubs not only had their best season of their first three since starting out in 2021-22. They had more wins last year than in their first two years combined. The Cubs have fully arrived and are now looking to progress into the top echelon of both the Atlantic Division and the league as a whole.
“I expect this season to be the toughest season in team history based on our division,” said Cubs Co-Owner and Director of Hockey Operations Brady Boudreau. “Two of the last three National Champions have come from our division, so it is a grind. Add in three new teams and only one team advancing from our division to Nationals instead of two, and our hard task has become immensely harder.”
The Cubs are largely a new group for the 2024-25 season, and it’s not just limited to those pulling on the jersey.
“We have a lot of new players and some new coaches in our program. Last year was our best season to date, but our playoffs were disappointing. Our schedule will be a lot tougher, but I know the coaching staff and players are up to the challenge,” said Boudreau. “I’m excited for this season and can’t wait to start playing.”
While a number of junior-eligible Cubs veterans are still seeking Tier 2 opportunities (such as William Michetti, who successfully made the Thunder Hockey Club NCDC team), the Premier squad does have some intriguing junior-experienced players coming in.
“Zach Ruffenach, Luc Barnett, and Jameson Flint are all forwards who play a good 200-foot game,” Boudreau said. “Colin Lokitis is a player we thought we were losing to college but is coming back. He was our No. 1 shutdown defenseman last year. Emile Urbain is a defenseman who finished strong last year, and we hope he can continue that growth. I feel like our returning goalies are very strong. Eric West was injured for much of last year but played great when he was healthy. Luke Schaub has grown by leaps and bounds from last year and is impressing everyone with his game now.”
The team also signed two other USPHL Premier-experienced veterans including Ethan Gray and Connor Nowicki, and Jonah Burd joins out of the EHL’s Walpole Express. The team also welcomes, from overseas, Switzerland natives forward Simon Langenegger and defenseman Tommaso Konig, and Russia natives Ivan Voitenko and Pavel Ivanov.
“They are the tip of the iceberg for some of the new blood in the Cubs program,” said Boudreau.
The Cubs also have a new USPHL Elite team this year, which will allow them to develop future Premier players in-house.
“The Elite team has been something we have wanted to add since Year 1. We wanted to make sure the Premier team was set on a good foundation before adding the Elite team, and this is the perfect time to add an Elite team,” said Boudreau. “It gives more players the opportunity to play the great sport of hockey. With an Elite team, we can take more chances on players who need more development and training. One of the reasons we started the Cubs also is to give players from the Hershey area an option to play at a high level without having to move away from home.”
P.A.L. Jr. Islanders
Season Opener: Sept. 15 vs. Rockets Hockey Club
The Jr. Islanders had their best season in their first six years at the USPHL Premier level, winning 25 games – more than their prior two seasons combined – under the watchful eye of first-year Head Coach Frank DiChiara, who was previously an assistant with the 2022-23 NCDC Dineen Cup Champion Jr. Islanders.
DiChiara expects the Jr. Islanders to remain a driving force in the Premier yet again this season, and he and the entire Jr. Isles staff have put in the work to try to make that happen.
“I expect the team to be extremely competitive this season. Last season, we were fortunate enough to be towards the top end of the division in the standings which is a great accomplishment,” added DiChiara. “Now, we have to continue to take the next step this season and build on all the success we had.”
The Jr. Islanders are excited to welcome back 2023-24 Premier All-Star James Clifford, a product of the P.A.L. youth and Midget system who scored 58 points last year. Additionally, Joe Sousa – another longtime Jr. Islander – and Tommy Miller are back for another run at a division title with P.A.L.
The team also adds longtime Premier veteran Brett LoGelfo, who has scored more than 100 points already in the league. Bennett Pieters is another USPHL Premier veteran joining the lineup.
The Jr. Islanders, as seen above, have the utmost belief in their organization’s developmental pipeline, so it’s no surprise to see many players coming up from the Elite side. This will include 2023-24 Elite Atlantic Division All-Stars Justin Morrissey and Lucas Lewin.
“I look for them to have big years. Both were amongst the Elite league leaders and I’m hoping they will continue that success at the Premier level,” added DiChiara.
Their teammates Sean Walsh, Chris O’Hea and Richie Boivich are also making the in-house jump to Premier.
Billy Prange and Anthony Galtieri are two additional USPHL Elite veterans coming to the P.A.L. Premier from other organizations.
Elmira Impact
Season Opener: Sept. 20 at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights
The Impact had a fantastic 2023-24 season, finishing with 23 wins in their most successful season since the inaugural 2020-21 campaign that saw a trip to Nationals. The only thing really missing was a strong playoff performance in 2024. Head Coach Glen Patterson and his staff have the Impact keyed in on the right goals in terms of overall development towards college hockey advancement and in-game performance.
“As a staff, we are very excited about what we have built this off-season. We’ve had an aggressive off-season as we left last year with a bad taste in our mouths. The expectation for our veteran group is Nationals, and we understand there is a lot of work ahead of us,” said Patterson. “Especially in our extremely competitive division, we look forward to the challenge ahead. We’re no longer content with just being a part of this league, and our veteran group feels the same way.”
Three ’04’s returning include new Captain Tyler Detreaux, fourth-year Impact Alex Belcher and James McReynolds, and ’05 Assistant Captain Thomas Garron is also back for more.
“Tyler is a complete 200-foot player taking pride in the small details. Each season, Alex has continued to grow as an excellent defensive player,” said Patterson. “James is a feisty, fast menace who plays with an edge, which we love as a staff. Thomas is a great two-way defenseman who plays the game the right way.”
The veteran makeup of the Impact extends well beyond returning players, though. USPHL Premier ‘05 veteran Karson Grainey – an Atlantic Division All-Star last year, Evan Singer, Nick Zane, Kaeden Wood, Brandon Jung and Charlie Nelson.
Riley Gorman, an ‘04 goaltender, comes in with two prior years of experience in the NA3HL. Also among the newcomers are Liam Coutu and Eloi Robert, both ’06’s and teammates last year in the Quebec Junior Hockey League. Forwards Michael Bottrell (PIJHL) and Reece Furtado (GMHL) are also 2004-born junior-experienced additions.
Rockets Hockey Club
Season Opener: Sept. 15 at P.A.L. Jr. Islanders
The Rockets are always a force in the Atlantic, and it wasn’t very long ago they were the last team standing with the Premier Championship trophy (won in 2022). The Rockets Hockey Club always adheres to a standard of excellence and, with new Head Coach Alec Marsh stepping behind the bench, he is excited to continue that culture.
“As a staff, our goal is to get better everyday and build off of what we started last year. After finishing really strong last season, we have high expectations for this group,” said Marsh. “The Atlantic Division is super tight and competitive. Every game is a close one.”
The Rockets have some strong veterans from last year’s Premier squad, including forwards Dylan Helmueller (’07) and Sammy DiGaetano (’06), while Noah Dandaneau (’04) and Mattias Dorey (’07) return to the defense.
Additional players are coming in with junior or prep experience, including Jack Cristiano, John Bradley Heintz, Spencer Kahler and Ronan Moore. All were part of the Crystal Beach Academy team that played against USPHL Elite teams out of the North American Prep Hockey League.
“With how many new players we have incoming, I’m excited to see them all,” said Marsh.
Elliott Turgeon, an ‘07 from Canada, and Marcello Santiago, an ‘08 out of the Tier 1 Hockey Federation, are exciting newcomers, as well as some former Rockets organizational players. Goaltender Eric Rosati jumps to the Premier from the Rockets Elite program, while former Rockets 18U players Maxim Pastukh, Matt Kymer and Adam Zeremba are joining the Premier.
“It’s great to see these players develop and move up in the organization,” added Marsh.
Jersey Hitmen
Season Opener: Sept. 26 vs. Hershey Cubs
In 2023-24, the Hitmen enjoyed a jump up from the prior year, and that is essentially the order of the day – just keep getting better, player by player, and all for one as a team. The Hitmen enjoyed positive college advancement last year, and earned some resounding wins in the division.
“Over the past two years, Coach Chris Barling and I have worked to restore the Hitmen brand at the Premier level,” added Co-Head Coach Jim Raymond. “We saw a big improvement from Year 1 to Year 2 and we expect that trend to continue into Year 3.”
Helping the Hitmen in their mission to just keep getting better are returning defensemen Mikhail Anikin (’04) and Sheldon Rothfleisch (’06).
“These two veterans will provide experience and leadership to our team,” added Raymond.
Alexander Gorbushin, an ’05 forward, is joining the Hitmen Premier from their Elite program, which is also coached by Raymond.
“He saw some Premier action during the season last year with a good bit of success, so we expect him to contribute immediately,” Raymond said. “Additionally, Sam Morganti [from the EHL] and Tristah Ehrie [USPHL Elite] come with junior experience and should be a big piece of our core.”
In addition to Anikin and Rothfleisch, on defense, the Hitmen like what they see from ’06 Montgomery Wood, out of Tahoe Prep Academy.
“He will be an exciting prospect to watch this season,” added Raymond. “He is a big body on our back end that we expect to make a major jump this season.”
Brooklyn Aviators
Season Opener: Sept. 27 vs. West Chester Wolves
The Aviators have been seeking the right recipe for success following a down year, but that’s well in the rear view mirror now. Head Coach Mike Cosentino and the rest of the Aviators staff feel they have done all the right work for a big turnaround for an Aviators brand that qualified for Nationals four times between 2019 and 2023.
“Our roster for this season is very promising and exciting. We have a great mix of young talent and veteran presence, size, speed and skill,” said second-year Head Coach Mike Cosentino. “Despite the Atlantic Division being extremely strong and competitive, I expect us to do very well this year both in the standings and commitment-and advancement-wise.”
Five Aviators from last year are returning, including ’05 forwards co-leading scorer Joseph Namyotov, Josiah Castaneda and Drake Westcott, ‘04 defenseman (and fifth-year USPHL veteran) Steven Goridovsky plus ’05 goalie Greg Fite.
“All 5 of these young men did a fantastic job for us last year and we are extremely excited to have them back for this coming season. They endured the challenges and adversity that we faced as a group and I firmly believe they are all stronger for this,” said Cosentino.
The team is welcoming in a large group of experienced additional junior players like Anthony Rizzi, Jevonte Freeman, Kaden Froese, Hugo Aulestiac, Chris Giglio, Kierin Tran, Hassan Abdul-Mutakabbir, Ryan Debro and Tanner Kowalkowski, all of whom bring “a fantastic mix of size, speed, skill and leadership abilities.”
The team has several newcomers that will help define a new era for the Aviators, especially a new core of goalies that will join Fite in the crease. Brandon Hachey and Logan Robitaille are newcomers along with the aforementioned Giglio.
“These young and promising goalies will complete what I believe is our strongest asset as a team this year, our goaltending,” said Cosentino. “Giglio, Fite, Robitaille and Hachey will be the backbone of our team in net.”
“This is a very important year for us as a group and as an organization. We are extremely confident that the team Coach Frankie Gerbasi and I have built this year is one that is fit to win games and compete against everyone,” Cosentino added. “Our number one goal this year is and always will be to develop, improve and advance our players to the levels that they hope to reach.”
Mercer Chiefs
Season Opener: Sept. 27 vs. Worcester Railers JHC
The Chiefs, members at the NCDC level the past two seasons, earned winning campaigns both years. They will be adding to that squad, as well as a very deep youth organization, by fielding a USPHL Premier squad for the first time in 2024-25. This will provide their new Premier players with an opportunity to progress in house to the NCDC.
“Overall, we will be a hard-working skilled team with speed that will work for 60-plus minutes,” said Head Coach Kevin St. Jacques, a former 15-year pro player who has been coaching in the USPHL since 2014.
The Premier Chiefs have certainly done their homework and footwork, already signing eight players with a lot of junior experience. Kole McCune (’06) and Abraham Sanchez Palma (’04) both come in with two years of Premier experience. Thomas LeClair is another ’06 with Premier experience, while Matiss Bars (’04) also joins with a year in the Premier under his blades. Connor Wilkerson (’04) and Gavin Meador (’05) are coming to the Premier from the Elite, while two EHL alumni in Tino Cristella (’04) and Nolan Lyford (’05) are jumping aboard.
“These are players with junior experience, and a wealth of young players with speed, size and skill,” added St. Jacques.
Mercer is also bringing in some first-year junior players that St. Jacques expects will have a great impact for the Chiefs as they make their names known in the Premier Conference. Forwards Sam Strand and Lucas Collins are a pair of ’05’s from top programs the New Jersey Jr. Titans and Belle Tire, respectively. Defensemen new to the junior realm with Mercer include Paul Clavner (’05, Igloo Jaguars), Zion Thornhill (’06, Okanagan Hockey Academy Ontario) and Tommy Laffaye (’07, North Shore Academy).
Red Bank Generals
Season Opener: Sept. 27 vs. Rockets Hockey Club
The Red Bank Generals, long known as a top youth hockey organization, are ready to join the junior hockey world as they make their USPHL Premier debut in 2023-24 in the tough-as-nails Atlantic Division, home to two of the last three National Champions.
“This is an exciting year for our organization as we enter junior hockey after 23 very successful years at the youth level. The expectation for our team is that we will compete and play the game the right way in a very competitive division,” said Head Coach Jack Callahan. “Every player on our team has the opportunity to be part of something special and create the foundation for Generals players in years to come. It will be our job as a staff to help develop and advance players to where they want to be.”
The Generals began with some building blocks who are coming in with USPHL Premier experience, including ’04 goalie Braxton Singleton, ‘04 defenseman Braden Medved and ’05 forward Nicholas Arnold, who will play in his fourth USPHL season and third Premier campaign.
Additionally, the Generals turned their focus in house and were able to sign several players and alumni from their own organization that plays at the historic Red Bank (N.J.) Armory. This group of players includes Michael Reed – an ’05 forward with ACHA college hockey experience – as well as ’05 forward Drew Jarkowsky, ’06 defenseman Dion Gargagliano and ’05 defenseman Patrick Haines.
West Chester Wolves
Season Opener: Sept. 20 at P.A.L. Jr. Islanders
The West Chester Wolves are deeply saddened by the recent passing of Matt Gaudreau and his brother Johnny on Aug. 29. Matt was poised to join the team as the assistant coach of the Premier squad and was widely respected in the hockey community.
“His passion for the game was unmistakable to everyone who knew him,” said Head Coach Brian Leonard. “The organization will honor Matt’s memory throughout the season, and his influence will be felt by the team both on and off the ice.”
Moving forward with heavy hearts, the Wolves are looking to establish themselves quickly in the Atlantic Division. It will be a challenge, but one for which the new organization is more than ready.
“We are really excited to get the season started here soon. The Atlantic Division is going to be a really strong and competitive division this year and we feel as though we have a really strong group that is ready to compete right away in Year 1,” said Head Coach Brian Leonard. “Our staff has worked incredibly hard to put together a talented group with a great mix of veteran and young players.”
The Wolves have signed several junior-experienced players to give them a solid base from which to grow.
“Being a first-year program, we will be leaning on our veteran players heavily to help lead the way throughout the season,” said Leonard.
When they say veterans, they’re talking about a group that totals 17 combined USPHL seasons, and 12 of those in the Premier. Andrew Farley is entering his fifth season, Zachary Zammiello and Aidan Urie are going into their fourth, Nate Lavallee is entering his third USPHL season, and both Alex Couture and Brayden Webster are entering their second Premier season. Aaron Shanks joins the Wolves from the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League.
“Farley and Urie bring a strong physical presence, scoring touch and leadership. Lavallee balances our lineup with his steady defensive play as one of the best centers in the league,” said Leonard. “Zammiello has top-level scoring ability and looks to build on past seasons. Webster is a shifty defenseman that sees the ice well. Shanks is a heavy power forward with a heavy shot. Alex is a young defensemen who had a great Premier rookie season.”
The Wolves also have several strong newcomers to the organization who Leonard expects will have a great impact on the Premier team. Elijah Wiltshire (’05) is from the Philadelphia Jr. Flyers AAA squad, Titus Keyes is an ’06 from the Northstar Christian Academy AAA team, John Feeley and Finn McGolrick (’05) both join from the Twin City Ice Mavericks.
“Keyes is a really good skating forward that comes from a top level AAA program and we are looking forward to him making the next step. McGolrick is a steady defensemen that can play a lockdown role. I believe that both Feeley and Wiltshire are top goalies that have good size and will provide a great tandem,” added Leonard.
The Wolves never stopped working on building both their NCDC and Premier teams.
“The summer was incredibly busy as a lot goes into starting up a program. The biggest thing for us was we want to be a great place for development and getting better day in and day out. With that, he had to have a top notch facility and environment for our players to utilize,” said Leonard. “Our ownership and staff have spent countless hours on our facility to make sure we have everything that we need to be successful. We wanted to make sure that we laid a solid foundation for our inaugural season to build off of for years to come and we feel as though we did exactly that. We are excited to show everyone that we are a first rate program for players to develop both on and off the ice.”
