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 each weekday to see which Premier division is up next!
Order is 2023-24 Regular Season Finish
Bold City Battalion
Season Opener: Sept. 20 at Florida Jr. Blades
The first-year Battalion blew anyone’s expectations out of the water by not just being incredibly competitive in a tough Florida Division, but by winning the regular season title and advancing to the National Championships. Head Coach Rett Vossler is out to prove that the Battalion are here to stay – and stay at a lofty perch, including potentially another run at a National title.
“Our aspirations for this group are ambitious. Our aim is to prove Bold City’s success last season is not a temporary phenomenon, but rather that we are an emerging force within this league,” said Vossler. “Competing in a division that consistently ranks among the best at this level presents significant challenges, but our focus extends beyond divisional achievements this year.”
The Battalion have an impressive group of returning players, led by returning Florida Division All-Star Kelton Bradshaw, who scored 42 points in 34 games in his second USPHL Premier season. Additionally, Sebastian Elrod (48 points) and Bryson Walz (45 points) are back to give the Battalion an experienced offensive attack right off the bat.
“Last year, we witnessed significant progress and development from those individuals, and I am excited to see what they can accomplish with another season wearing Blue and Yellow,” said Vossler.
Even with such great returning players, the Battalion still needed to reload with a lot of new talent, and they didn’t approach the task likely.
“This off-season, our strategy was focused and deliberate,” added Vossler. “We specifically sought out individuals who could enhance the areas we identified as needing improvement.”
The Battalion welcome Easton Harrison and Justus Harrison, two Calgary-born individuals with several years of USPHL experience and who “fit our culture and play style extremely well.”
The same theme continues with NA3HL veteran Mitch Berens and third-year Premier goaltender Evan Stringer.
“Berens is a tough, 6-foot-3-inch mobile defenseman that is going to be a problem for a lot of teams in this league,” Vossler said. “Evan is going to turn a lot of heads this year with his reads and athleticism.”
The Battalion, like all Florida Division teams, will also utilize last year’s Elite team to help players continue their development as they move to to Premier.
“Last year’s Elite group experienced a lot of growing pains. However, we had some players that took major steps in their development paths and are now ready to play at the Premier level,” Vossler added. “Hunter Kifer and Brody Szostak are two players that are very young in their careers, but have shown a lot of potential. These two young men have put the work in over the summer, and are coming into camp ready to prove themselves.”
Florida Eels
Season Opener: Sept. 14 vs. Atlanta MadHatters
The Eels certainly welcomed the new competition presented by the Bold City Battalion and were locked for much of the season in a fight for first in the regular season with their new rivals in Jacksonville and the Tampa Bay Juniors as well.
The Eels, with a long history of development and advancement to their name, are ready to come back for another go-round with the above teams and all other opponents in their multi-pronged mission of on-ice and advancement success.
“Our expectations for our group remain the same as they’ve been for years: get our way of working established when it comes to our practice and day to day and focus on getting better,” said Head Coach Frank Scarpaci III. “We want to win a lot of games and push for a Florida Division and National title, but that all starts with our Monday through Friday. There are a lot of new players, a lot of room for growth, and we just want steady progression to make a push at the end of the season.”
The Eels may have a number of new players, but they will be led on the ice by forward Anthony Zebley, entering his fourth Premier season and fifth overall Eels campaign. Fellow veterans include ‘04 defensemen Brendan Dohan and Jack Daher, as well as ‘05 forward Teddy Feng. All the returning veterans “have taken a significant step in their game,” said Coach Scarpaci.
From around the USPHL, the Eels have also welcomed in veterans Seth Morris, Owen Peters, Robin Kuusik and Ian Dracoulis.
“They all have quality junior experience within our league and we expect them to grab a hold of big roles this upcoming season,” added Scarpaci. “We’re also lucky enough to have some experienced goaltenders Russ Decoste (from the NOJHL) and Noah van Herik (NA3HL), both coming from other leagues, as well.”
The Premier team is also excited to be bringing up forward Alex Cochran and Reid Wilson from the Eels’ USPHL Elite squad.
“They know the organization and structure so far and have adjusted to the pace through practice so far,” added Scarpaci.
The Eels always spend a ton of hours, days and really months doing the work of recruiting and scouting, so don’t be surprised to see newcomers playing a big part in the Eels’ fortunes this year.
“We definitely have more youth this year, and that’s exciting for us,” said Scarpaci. “Some new, young energy is exciting for us so far. The ’06 trio of Xavier Charron, Kaler Ashton and EHL veteran Fernando Moreno have had an excellent camp and have added some depth to our group.”
Tampa Bay Juniors
Season Opener: Sept. 21 vs. Palm Beach Typhoon
The Juniors, like the Eels, are another organization with a long history stretching well back to 2008. That long track record has produced outstanding college hockey players, as well as several shots at national glory. Don’t expect anything less than the Juniors going for their best performance and continuing to attract college hockey scouts to their usual mix of veteran players and exciting newcomers.
“We are very excited about the group we have this season. We feel we have a good mix of veterans and new guys,” said Head Coach Garrett Strot. “As always, the Florida Division is going to be very competitive as witnessed in last year’s playoffs with both series going to three games.”
The Juniors always balance their lineup well in order to always have a strong group of returning veterans to help teach the culture to players new to the Blue, Black and White.
The team’s returning forwards are led by Augie Ashley, Liam Lynn, Gustav Petterssen and Joey Cullen. On defense, Oliwer Lundberg and Ricky Bonebrake are back.
Ashley is a third-year junior hockey veteran and second year Tampa Bay player who put up 37 points in 44 games for third on the 2023-24 team, and both Cullen and Bonebrake are entering their third year with the Juniors organization.
The Juniors are also bringing in brothers Austin and Dawson Osborn, both third-year Premier veterans, while Marcus Boronowski, Jakub Koudelny and Eppu Tervamaki enter with junior experience. All are forwards.
Back on the blue line, a trio of Europeans with top junior experience include Manne Sodervall, Jacob Ronnqvist, and Eemil Ketola.
The team will have two new goaltenders after former goalie Savva Serdiuk advanced to Tier 2 hockey. Peyton Anderson, of Minnesota, and Nate Galbraith, of Ontario, will be manning the crease this year. Additionally, the Juniors will utilize their in-house pipeline of prospects from the Elite team as they evaluate their options for the 2024-25 squad.
“There will be some players from last season’s Elite team competing for spots on Premier,” added Strot.
Atlanta MadHatters
Season Opener: Sept. 14 at Florida Eels
The MadHatters are back and have a new ownership group behind them dedicated to becoming a better franchise every time they gather together. Leading the charge at the Premier level is new Head Coach Matt Cruickshank, a former Liberty University head coach who is making his junior debut behind the bench this year.
“Playing in the Florida Division as well as scheduling ‘out of division’ series including Charlotte and Carolina, we certainly expect strong competition across the board. Our expectations for the 2024-25 season are the same as our expectations every single day – be our best selves and outwork every opponent,” said Cruickshank. “With only a handful of returners, we had a big off-season in terms of signings. We are a younger team with young men that are hungry and committed to get better every single day. Expect the MadHatter brotherhood to be a battle every single game and committed to being the fastest and hardest-working team. We have assembled a team of amazing young men that are great players. I expect every team in Florida to know their names by the end of the season.”
Kaleb Miller is the only returning player from last year’s Premier MadHatters squad, and he brings two previous Premier seasons to the fore.
“He is a grinder, on and off the ice. His experience in junior hockey will be essential with our young team and we expect great things from him,” said Cruickshank. “The only thing he loves more than battling for his brothers on and off the ice would be his love for his Mazda 6.”
The team has brought in three players from the former Columbia Infantry, including some of their top leaders in Dominic Dager, Ryan Hughes and Matthew Hunter. They’re joined by former NA3HL veterans Ben Larson and Matt Jost, who also bring their junior expertise to the MadHatters’ table.
Cruickshank is also excited about the addition of former NA3HL blueliner Ethan Fredericks.
“He’s a 6-foot defenseman that if people don’t know now, they will know him very soon,” the coach said. “He put in tons of work in the offseason up in Toronto and will be a key part to our success. Be on the lookout for this kid.”
Gaige Silby joins from the USPHL Elite, bringing two years of experience from that level, and has been another good veteran voice out of the junior battlefield.
Among the strong newcomers are local product Sebastien Kaminsky, Thibault Sapelkine and Nick Attilis.
“Sebastian brings all the talent and speed to thrive in this division after developing extremely well locally. Thibault, a force on the back end, is a big D-man from France with huge upside,” added Cruickshank. “Nick, who played AA last season, is very poised with the puck and a great leader off the ice, and one who could play a big role for our program.”
“We also had a handful of returning Elite players who have every shot to make the jump to Premier during camp, such as Kolten Miller [Kaleb’s brother],” added Cruickshank. “Every spot on this team is earned.”
“We have one of the toughest schedules, if not the toughest schedule, in this level of hockey,” added Cruickshank. “Red River, Metro, Potomac, Cyclones, Squatch, Charlotte, Carolina, and the Florida Division. We have lots of doubters with a new coaching staff and an entire rebuild, but that’s ammunition for our boys to prove everyone wrong and make their names known.”
Florida Jr. Blades
Season Opener: Sept. 20 vs. Bold City Battalion
The Florida Jr. Blades are a proud franchise that’s always ready to push their will on the Florida Division, including making Nationals in 2019 and 2022 at the Premier level. Rod Simmons returns with his team gearing up with a bit of a new-look roster, but with an ever-increasing determination to get the Blades to the top of a very tough Florida Division – as well as earning a future in college hockey.
“Our primary goal this year, as with every year prior, is the progression of our players both on an individual and team play level,” said General Manager Isaac Berg. “With that being said, we have also set our sights on getting back to Nationals this season after a year of missing the playoffs. We play in one of the most competitive Premier level divisions in the country, which makes the road to Nationals quite difficult, but we believe that we have the team to make it happen this season.”
With a number of college advancements from this past year’s Premier squad, there were ample opportunities for new players to begin to steer the culture. However, we also see some quality returning Jr. Blades there for leadership and helping the coaching staff bring the team together.
Forward Adrian Kovacik and defensemen Liam Corwen and Aidan Vella are all third-year Jr. Blades, while forward Axel Ruski-Jones and goaltender Gage Cercone are back for their second year in Estero, Fla.
Additional USPHL Premier-experienced players joining the Jr. Blades are Jonas Oesterle and Daniels Justovics. Both were able to see action at the USPHL Nationals in 2024.
Additional players with junior experience joining the Blades include Swedish forward Sander Korrell, Canadian forward Easton Hall, Slovakian defenseman Simon Petrik, and Austrian goaltender Valentino Harson.
“All are just a few examples of high level players coming from outside the United States,” said Berg.
The Jr. Blades will generally be an older team this season, but Berg did add that there are opportunities for younger players to get into Premier games and get their names in the minds of college scouts.
William Dyker is an ‘06 forward who’s already seen success at the NA3HL level, and is one player “whom we look to see make a difference at some point for our Premier team this season.”
Elite All-Star forward Vincent Faggioli-DeLong (‘06) along with his linemates Josh Mason (‘07) and Sebastian Mason (‘05) are expected to jump from last year’s Elite Jr. Blades to the Premier level on a full-time basis.
Additionally, Elite 2023-24 players Zach Barta, Greyson Betzold, Brinson White, and Maksim Paulikas may see additional time at Premier after earning games there last year.
“As we saw this past season, there are ample opportunities for players on our Elite team to make the jump and play with Premier,” added Berg. “Whether it be injuries, illness, or simply just a good stretch of practice we make it very clear to our players that their play dictates where they will be both on the lineup sheet and on the organizational chart.”
Palm Beach Typhoon
Season Opener: Sept. 21 at Tampa Bay Juniors
The Typhoon have a few more weeks as they prepare for their Sept. 21 opener, but they do expect some veteran leadership to give them an early push on an otherwise new squad.
Palm Beach is looking forward to seeing what the returning group of forwards Markus Ingdahl and Xavier Solomon and goaltender Kaden Hladunewich can provide for the 2024-25 Typhoon.
“These guys can come back and be leaders both on and off the ice, and be even more impactful players on a more consistent basis, having played in the division last year,” said Owner and Head Coach Joe Flanagan. “I expect they will all step up this year.”
The Typhoon are also excited about bringing aboard some veteran junior players such as defenseman Eli Bailey, who brings a season of Premier experience with him, as well as ‘05 defenseman Bastien Lagace, who’s played two years in Canada’s Greater Metro Hockey League.
Additionally, former Typhoon defenseman Mathis McNicoll-Belzile – who played on the team in 2022-23 – is also rejoining on the blue line.
“We look at that as another great pickup of a USPHL veteran for our team,” said Flanagan.
