By Joshua Boyd / USPHLPremier.com
Order is 2023-24 regular season finish, followed by new division members
Utica Jr. Comets
Season Opener: Sept. 20 at Northern Cyclones
The Jr. Comets were able to enjoy the prestige of playing in a National Championship tournament in their own home rink in 2023-24. While they would have to hit the road if they qualify again, they’re happy to pack those bags and go to Wayne, N.J., home of the 2025 Nationals, running March 20-24.
“Considering the Utica Jr. Comets made an incredible run to Nationals last season, we expect to be there once again,” said Jr. Comets Hockey Operations Jason Shaya. “Our division is highly competitive, but we believe we will have a great mix of returning players and new signings that should take our team to even more success.”
The Jr. Comets sent a lot of players on to the college hockey game or to higher levels of junior hockey, and with that accomplishment in their cap, they do have to build another new and exciting roster.
Cameron Gardiner, a 2004-born third-year Premier player this season, is the Jr. Comets’ Captain.
“Cameron is the embodiment of the heart and soul of our entire team. He is fearless, a true leader and one of the toughest competitors that has ever donned the Utica Jr. Comets sweater. We are truly blessed to have him back this season,” said Shaya.
Trevin Ehrie (’04) registered 46 points in 37 games last year, and “has the capacity to be one of the most skilled players in the entire USPHL.”
The Jr. Comets are excited to be bringing in Tier 2 veteran Derek Sparks from Grande Prairie, Alb.
“This year, he is expected to eat up lots of time in the crease for the Jr. Comets while making an impression on the coaching staff for an opportunity to move up the ladder [to the NCDC],” said Shaya.
Gavin Benjamin joins the team as an ’06 forward, the younger brother of NCDC returning veteran Niko Benjamin.
“Gavin comes from a wonderful family in Surprise, Ariz., where he played for the Sun Devils 18U team last season putting up fantastic numbers,” said Shaya. “Denis Kostolanyi, another ’06, joins from Slovakia and the Ontario Hockey Academy squad. A 6-foot-3-inch defenseman, he will also make a genuine push for an NCDC spot.”
Additional newcomers to the Premier Jr. Comets are not strangers, as they’ve played for the Jr. Comets’ deep youth organization.
“Andrew Davis, Garrett Eisenhut and Jake Hill are all players who came up through the system in Utica and will be making their junior hockey debuts with the Premier team this season,” Shaya added.
Northern Cyclones
Season Opener: Sept. 20 vs. Utica Jr. Comets
The Cyclones put together a terrific season in 2023-24 following their capturing of the National Championship in 2023. While they didn’t quite come out with a repeat performance, they still showed their continued strength throughout the season, and organizationally, as the Cyclones Elite team hoisted the championship trophy at that level.
The Northern crew has some strong returning players to build around, as well as several coming up from the championship Elite squad.
“We are expecting to have a good season this year. We are expecting to get our age outs committed to college hockey, and for the team to get back to Nationals in March,” said General Manager/Head Coach Bill Weiand.
Not only are Justin Scarbrough, Trevor Belak, Rory Hammersmith and Cameron Prodin back, they were also all part of the 2023 Premier National Championship team. Together, they have more than 204 regular season games under their blades, and dozens more postseason contests to draw upon for experience.
The Cyclones have also welcomed in newcomers who are not at all new to the USPHL Premier, such as veterans Ethan Jourden, an ’04 goaltender and ‘04 forward Hunter Gentz are both entering their third Premier campaign, and Landon Werner comes in as an ’05 also with two years in the Premier.
Andrew White, an ’04 forward, joins from two years in the VIJHL with past USHL midget experience, and Klas Jonsson is an ’04 EHL veteran center.
Perhaps the group of Premier newcomers most exciting are former Elite champions Owen Kneeland, Matthew Taylor, Shane Parent and Tyler Duncan. All were instrumental in the title win last year at that level. Parent and Duncan are ’04 forwards, while Kneeland and Taylor are ’05 blueliners.
“The group of players moving up from Elite were key guys for the Championship team last year. Kneeland and Taylor both were in on multiple goals in the Championship game and Kneeland scored the game-winner,” said Weiand. “All of the guys moving up were leaders on and off the ice for Elite last year and will be great additions to help the current Premier returners lead this year’s team!”
Islanders Hockey Club
Season Opener: Sept. 27 vs. Montreal Black Vees
The Islanders are always a top competitor throughout the league, but after a third place finish in the New England Division, they were a bit of a surprise to make the Championship final – but not to anyone within the team.
“Our division is highly competitive, and every game presents a challenge,” said Head Coach Jay Punsky. “Our goal each year is to maximize our players’ development and prepare them for higher levels of play. The high level of competition in our division assists us in that process. We believe we had a very strong recruiting season and we look forward to seeing how we stack up within the division.”
The Islanders have a strong and numerous crew of 2004-born returning players who took the eventual champion Connecticut Jr. Rangers to overtime.
“We’re thrilled that many key players from last year’s team have returned. Forwards Ken Bagley, Dylan Reynolds, Jack Roberts, Nico Rooney, and David Ros have all proven themselves as scorers at this level,” said Punsky. “On defense, Owen Check and Noah Proulx have shown that they can effectively shut down the opposing team’s offense.”
For Reynolds, Roberts and Rooney, this will be their third season with the Islanders.
The Islanders also have a wealth of junior experience among their newcomers, all entering their third year of Premier hockey in 2022-23 All-Star goalie Kai Rivas, as well as Mitch Jongmans and Stanley Johnston.
“We’re excited to integrate them into our team culture. Kai, Mitch and Stanley are exceptional veterans who will play significant roles for us,” said Punsky.
There are several rookie junior players also coming aboard for their first taste at this level. The IHC likes their entire incoming group, and while they can’t name them all, Punsky is expecting big things from NCDC Islanders draft pick Ethan Brochu, an ’06 forward from North Yarmouth Academy, and ’05 goaltender Jake Henry from the Williston Northampton School.
Of course, the Islanders don’t have to go far for a feeder system for their junior teams. Out of the strong Elite team last year, which also went to Nationals, you have 2023-24 All-Stars Bogdan Guntypov and Adam Hadi making the jump, as well as Robert Gross.
“All three were instrumental in the Elite team’s run at Nationals last season,” said Punsky. “Additionally, Ethan Fradkin moves up from our 18U squad, and is another rookie from whom we expect big things.”
Springfield Pics
Season Opener: Sept. 27 vs. Universel Sherbrooke
Springfield has always brought tough teams to the ice, and their organizational depth is such that they are always packed with multi-year veterans of not just the Premier organization, but their prestigious Midget program and alumni of their youth program. Players keep coming back because they know of the Pics’ strong advancement record plus their tenacious on-ice performance.
“The Springfield Pics have high expectations just like every year, with the main focus of placing players at the best fit for our players to have success in college hockey. We will focus on getting better each day of the season and trying to play our best hockey going into the playoffs,” said Bonneau. “The New England Division is always a physical grind where you must always bring your A game. There are no easy games in this division so we will be ready to play every team hard.”
As a point of reference for the Pics’ continued dedication to being as strong a team as possible, they have won more than 20 games in each of their first seven Premier seasons.
In terms of veterans, Troy Huber returns in net after battling all season for No. 1 last year, and Bonneau is also excited with the return of defensemen Nick Zanin, Max Christiansen and Frederic D’Amours.
“After being important players last season, we will lean on their experience and leadership,” Bonneau added. Zanin and Christiansen are both longtime Pics, with Zanin’s history stretching well back into youth and Midget hockey.
Chris Foster and Levi Adcock are returning as forwards, and both were in the top six of scoring last season. Foster, a former Elite All-Star with the Pics, shares Zanin’s long history with the organization and both won USPHL 16U (now THF 16U) championships with the Pics in 2020. Adcock and Christansen are both entering their third season of Premier hockey, all with Springfield.
They welcome in Justin Hooper and Joe Bison, who are junior veterans from the EHL, while Travis Raisensen and Zach Hawley join from the VIJHL and Adam Palenik joins with prior USPHL Premier experience.
Just as Foster did in the past, a number of Pics will join the Premier side from the Elite team, including 2023-24 Elite All-Stars Cole Davis and James Delaney, as well as Joe Roselli.
“We are also expecting great things from young guys Adam Botlo, Jack Christina and Maverick Labonte,” Bonneau added.
South Shore Kings
Season Opener: Sept. 27 vs. Somang L-L Hockey
The South Shore Kings have always remained competitive in a tough New England Division, and now they’re hoping to take the next step with what they hope will be their first Nationals berth – with plenty of college advancement to match, of course. That said, this will likely be a younger Kings team than recent seasons, as the Premier squad also has the mission of developing players for futures with the Kings’ Dineen Cup-defending NCDC team.
“As of right now, we have only three age-out players, but our younger guys are very talented and looking to make their mark in the New England Division. Our division is always a battle every night,” said veteran Head Coach David O’Donnell, now in his 15th season behind the bench. “Our guys need to understand there are no days off. Anyone can beat anyone. I look forward to seeing this team compete.”
Payton Kender, on defense, joins returning goaltender Matt Dore and newcomer forward Kelly Maksymiu as the sole 2004-born players on this year’s Kings roster.
“Payton is a plus skater, with very good skill, shot and physical play,” said O’Donnell. “He should be one of the top players in the league this season. Dore is another of our key returning Kings, along with forwards Daniel Sieto, Eison Nee, A.J. Prioli, Kayolan Stoyanov and Connor McGrath and defenseman Max Fleming. The Kings return a good core of players with junior hockey experience.”
Among their newcomers are two more players with USPHL Premier experience in Maksymiu and Jayveer Parmar.
The Kings are bringing up ’06 forward Connor Goranson and ’05 defenseman Patrick Prewitt from their own distinguished 18U program, while other rookie junior players include ’05 forward Willie Palmer and ’06 forwards Mason Maksymiu and Matt Poirier.
Boston Junior Bruins
Season Opener: Sept. 27 vs. Hawkesbury Knights
Changes to the Junior Bruins organization resulted in the USPHL Premier squad being the top team in the program, as well as the only junior team they will field in 2024-25.
“It will be a bit different, but the way we handle that level and the way we develop the guys on that team will be the same.
“Last year, we didn’t have a great start but we stuck with our players and kept working with them and before you knew it, they had all matured as hockey players and knocked off the defending Premier National Champions in the first round of the playoffs,” said Head Coach Nevin Hamilton. “This season, we would like to hit the ground running, but as always, we will put an emphasis on practice and getting better every day.”
The Junior Bruins bring back ’04 third-year USPHL veteran Liam McGinnis and fellow ’04 defenseman Graham Dalton.
“They both had strong seasons last year, they both logged a ton of minutes and they will be expected to do the same this year,” said Hamilton. “I expect Liam and Graham to be great leaders on and off the ice and hold the others to a standard that we need to be at to be competitive in the strong New England Division.”
Mathias Hlavac proved himself as an ’06 rookie forward last year, and he’s back to help lead the Junior Bruins up front.
“Mathias is returning after a season that showed him progressing every day and earning himself a good amount of playing time down the stretch when the games were more important,” Hamilton added. “Mathias is a smart, hard-working player who I expect to have a breakout season offensively.”
The Junior Bruins’ only other ’04 player is Paul Knapik, a goaltender joining the Premier team from their former USPHL Elite squad.
“We will be built from a solid core of 2005-07-born players,” Hamilton added. “One of the newcomers that we expect to have a great season is 05 Milo Daniles from Saint-Lambert, Que. He was at Lake Forrest Academy last season and put up some solid numbers and we are excited to have him in the program. Jordan Dumont, another newcomer from the EHL, has his chance to shine in goal.”
The team also advanced nine players from the Junior Bruins 18U as well as their Elite programs. This includes Alex Perrin, “a wall in net” at the 18U level last year and Hamilton is excited to see what results the internal goaltending competition will yield.
Forward Riley Greer and defenseman Nathaniel Venis are also joining from the 18U team. “Both will be key to our team’s success,” Hamilton added.
Boston Jr. Rangers
Season Opener: Sept. 19 vs. Worcester Railers JHC
The Boston Jr. Rangers made the move to the United States Premier Hockey League from the EHL, joining the NCDC with their top-tier team and also adding a Premier squad to serve as a feeder program for that higher level, as well as advancing players straight on to college hockey.
With these missions in mind, the Jr. Rangers will not be taken lightly on the ice when it comes to scores and standings.
“This upcoming season we as an organization have very big expectation’s for our USPHL team,” said Head Coach Danny Ferri. “Obviously, joining a new league is very exciting and new to us but we go into every season with the end goal of winning a championship.”
After all, the Jr. Rangers have been recent EHL champions, and they will be bringing back four players from their 2023-24 squad for this first USPHL Premier team in Ondrej Leska, Evan Smith, Brody Sloan and Cody Bailow. Sloan, with 33 points last season, was among the team’s top scorers.
We are super excited to have these guys back this season. We will be leaning on these guys as leaders on and off the ice,” said Ferri. “It’s great for the younger guys to be able to follow their lead and look up to these guys. We expect to have these four lead the way and have a big year.”
There will be several junior newcomers to the Jr. Rangers roster, as well.
One such player is Alec Banossian, an ’06 forward out of the Watertown-Wayland high school team, highlighted by Ferri as a player “to keep an eye on.”
“We expect to have lots of high-end players that all bring different things to the lineup,” said Ferri. “This off-season was a busy one for the Rangers as we don’t have too many returners. We attended a lot of showcases around the country to recruit high end players, as well as players from other countries.”
Thunder Hockey Club
Season Opener: Sept. 27 vs. College Universel Gatineau
The Thunder Hockey Club, formerly the Twin City Thunder, will make their return to the Premier Division after last competing at that level in 2022-23. With a new name and new home in Exeter, N.H., the Thunder go into their season of renewal as one that carries great excitement – not just on the ice, but for the future of their players advancing to the NCDC or directly to the college hockey level.
“We are excited for our Premier group this season. I am looking forward to the development of the players and moving them on to the next level. I am counting on calling up players from our Premier team throughout the season and giving them opportunities in the NCDC,” said Thunder Owner and General Manager Dan Hodge.
There were still a lot of roster decisions to be made as August flipped over to the first couple days of September, but there were some definite early areas of strength that Hodge could identify from the team’s camps and overall recruiting this summer.
“We are certainly looking for contributions up and down the lineup from the goaltending out,” said Hodge. “Every player will be given the chance to play in every situation and look to earn ice time to make the team successful.”
Hodge has kept a keen eye on the highest levels of the USPHL Premier, studying and scouting to see what is the best approach and mix for a deep drive in the postseason in this league.
“I have watched the Premier Nationals for the past six years, and we are looking forward to our Premier team competing in the top division in the USPHL,” Hodge added.
Worcester Railers Jr. Hockey Club
Season Opener: Sept. 19 at Boston Jr. Rangers
The Worcester Railers Junior Hockey Club joined fellow former EHL teams the Boston Jr. Rangers and Seacoast Spartans in moving to the NCDC, with the Jr. Rangers and Railers also fielding USPHL Premier teams.
“A move of upward mobility with a now higher level of competition only seems fitting,
given our success in recent seasons,” said Head Coach John Fine-Lease. “This past year, we saw team accomplishments in both winning the regular season and the league championship, while boasting a record of only five losses. We will look to continue our success at the next level in the USPHL Premier. From our inaugural season, we have taken a family-first approach to how we run our Premier team and organization as a whole. This mindset can be wholly credited to the late Michael Adessa, Jr., who emphasized the development of players both physically and mentally. From the beginning, Coach A instilled how we are able to develop and advance our players to the collegiate level.”
The Railers focused a lot on local talent around Worcester, Mass. There are several high school, prep and junior teams within a short distance. Their affiliation with Hockey Night In Boston also helped the Railers build their first Premier team. Additionally, Fine-Lease and Assistant Coach Tyson Araujo did a tremendous job last year developing and keeping the team motivated throughout the season.
Zack Warner-Senee is a returning Railer coming back for his third season in the organization, having “led our EHL Premier team on and off the ice and finishing top three in overall league scoring.” He was also the Frozen Finals MVP for the EHL Premier. He will also compete for an NCDC spot this year.
Also returning are Pat Daley, Tristan Faulkner and Ethan Hoff, the latter of whom also has previous USPHL Premier experience.
“Pat is a forward who can be trusted in all situations and can be relied upon to make sound, dependable plays,” Fine-Lease said. “Tristan is a heavy, physical defenseman who showed tremendous growth and is trusted in all three zones. Ethan joined the Railers JHC halfway through last season. He is a skilled, crafty forward who can play center or wing, is good around the net and will be relied upon to help our offensive production.
“As we transition to the next tier in the USPHL Premier, our staff has not changed our recruiting
Methods,” Fine-Lease added. “We will consistently aim to recruit players with elite competitive spirit, relentlessness, and dog-like work ethic. We strive to play at a high pace, while taking pride in our transition game. Our coaching staff looks to get every ounce of effort from each player, in order to push them to the next level.”
