This is the East Edition of the USPHL Premier This Week. The West Edition will be published on Friday. The East Edition focuses on the New England, Canada, Atlantic, Southeast and Florida Divisions.
Summaries by Joshua Boyd / USPHLPremier.com
Games of Sept. 25-Oct. 3
With our first two USPHL Showcase Series events in the books, there are definitely some trends forming and early leaders emerging. The USPHL Southeast Showcase and BJB Shootout both saw lots of teams picking up victories, and the standings getting shaken up a bit in different spots. We have a long way to go as October has just awoken, but the excitement has definitely preceded the new month.
Below, we’ll look closely at the teams that finished with at least as many points as games played over the past week of action.
New England Division
South Shore Kings Begin Season At 4-0-0-1
The Kings swept through the BJB Shootout, which served as the kickoff for their 2024-25 season. This included a season-opening shutout, 3-0 over Somang L-L Hockey, and then a decisive victory against the Kingston Wranglers. Both those teams are new members of the league from the new Canada Division. They’d faced Canada Division member College Universel Gatineau last year, and this time it was a 2-1 Gatineau shootout victory. Another new team they faced for the first time was the Mercer Chiefs, whom the Kings narrowly beat 3-2. A few days after the showcase ended, the Kings defeated the Worcester Railers Junior Hockey Club – another first-year Premier team, this one playing in the New England Division, by a 3-2 score. A busy and productive week!
- This marks the best start by the team in seven years, as they started the 2018-19 season with a 5-0 record through their first five games.
- Returning King Anthony Prioli (‘05/Weymouth, Mass.) has been massively productive for the team, with a 4-3-7 line in the first five games. He is just four points shy of the 11 points he registered in 34 games last year.
Boston Jr. Rangers Go 4-0 In First-Ever USPHL Showcase Series Event
The Jr. Rangers have enjoyed a great start to their first USPHL season, going 4-0 at the BJB Shootout and they are 6-0 overall. At the Shootout, they defeated the Kingston Wranglers, 8-0, before also beating the Montreal Black Vees (4-3) nd Universel Sherbrooke (2-1) both in overtime. They finished by defeating one of the top point-earning teams at the time, the Hawkesbury Knights, 5-2.
- The last time a brand new team to the Premier went 6-0 was when the first-year Vernal Oilers did so in 2022-23, as they were barreling towards an eventual 19-0 record – and a record it still is for a new team (not from the inaugural season) from the start of a season.
- Angel Spinelli (‘05/San Antonio, Texas) has been spectacular out of the gate, joining this year from the Atlantic Hockey Federation’s Long Island Rebels. He is 3-0 and he ranks fifth in goals against average at 0.99.
Islanders Hockey Club Sweep Four Games At BJB Shootout
The Islanders were on fire to start the season, and they are one of a crowd of five teams in the New England Division without a regulation loss through a minimum of three games. The Islanders started out on Sept. 27, defeating the Montreal Black Vees, 6-1, before defeating former New England Division (now Canada Division) members College Universel Gatineau, 6-3. They enjoyed a decisive Saturday evening victory against the Kingston Wranglers, and then beat the Mercer Chiefs, 5-2, on Sept. 29.
- The 4-0 start is great for IHC, but a high bar was set by the 2019-20 Islanders, who were 20-0 heading into mid-December. The Islanders did match their single-game goals record of 12 (in the Kingston game). They had previously scored 12 on Nov. 17, 2023, and on Jan. 19, 2021.
- Dylan Reynolds, who now has 82 games under the belt with the IHC, leads the team offensively with a line of 4-6-10.
Springfield Pics Come Out Of BJB Shootout With 3-0-0-1 Record
The Pics were one of many teams that started their overall 2024-25 season at the BJB Shootout, and a good start it was. They finished with three wins and one shootout loss, the latter coming against the Hawkesbury Knights, who won 4-3 on Sept. 28. Other than that, the Pics defeated Universel Sherbrooke, 6-1; the Mercer Chiefs, 7-2; and Somang L-L Hockey, 6-5, in OT.
- This 3-0-0-1 start is Springfield’s best in four years, after they went 3-0-1-0 to start the 2020-21 season, and the seven points out of the gate for each of those seasons are tied for their best start through four games.
- With a 2-7-9 line through four games, veteran Pics defenseman Nick Zanin (‘04/W. Stockbridge, Mass.) sits at second in points per game by a blueliner at 2.25. Seattle’s Felix Palla is first at 3.00 (12 points in four games).
Worcester Railers JHC Enjoy 3-1-0-0 Run At Their First USPHL Showcase
The Railers enjoyed a strong 3-1-0-0 showing at the BJB Shootout, which was their inaugural entry into the USPHL Showcase Series. They followed that up with a close loss Wednesday against South Shore. In the showcase, they defeated Mercer, 4-3. On Sept. 28, they fell to Somang L-L Hockey, 6-3, followed by a 5-2 win against College Universel Gatineau. They closed their three-day, four-game run by beating the Black Vees, 3-1. South Shore defeated the Railers, 3-2 on Oct. 2.
- Brady Hubbard (‘05/Marcellus, N.Y.) – a newcomer from Albany Academy – has jumped out to a 4-4-8 line in eight games to lead the Railers.
- Goaltender Oliver Andel was 3-0 during his BJB Shootout run, and he currently stands at 3-2-0-0. With 302 minutes played already, he is sixth in the league in that category.
Florida Division
Atlanta MadHatters Put Up 3-1-0-0 Record at USPHL Southeast Showcase
The MadHatters enjoyed a strong showing in Hampton Roads, earning victories against the Potomac Patriots (4-1) and Hampton Roads Whalers (2-0) on Friday, followed by a 4-2 loss to the Red River Spartans on Saturday and a 3-2 victory against the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes on Sunday.
- This was the MadHatters’ best-ever showing at the Southeast Showcase. Their previous bests were 2-2 in both 2020-21 and 2018-19.
- Sebastian Kaminsky (‘06/Atlanta, Ga.) is leading the team with six points. He jumped up to Premier this year after playing parts of the last two seasons with the Elite team.
Bold City Battalion Close Out Southeast Showcase Without Regulation Loss
Bold City put out some bold statements in Chesapeake, Va., starting first with a 1-0 overtime victory against the Hampton Roads Whalers on Saturday. In their two Sunday games, they fell in a close 4-3 overtime game to the Charlotte Rush, and then rebounded to shut out Potomac, 2-0. Their Monday game saw a 2-1 shootout loss, again to the Rush.
- That run gave them a 2-0-1-1 record and six points for their trip. They also took six points in their first trip to the Southeast Showcase in 2023-24, when they went 3-1.
- Raymond Thompson (‘06/Orange Park, Fla.) and Evan Stringer (‘05/Fort Collins, Colo.) put up shutouts of 31 and 32 saves, respectively. Those are the sixth and seventh most saves in a shutout this season, and the Battalion are the only team with two goalies in the top seven of that category.
Tampa Bay Juniors Finish With 3-1-0-0 Run In Virginia
The Juniors put up a strong 3-1-0-0 performance to give the Juniors a hold on first place in the Florida Division going into October. They stand at 5-1-0-0 overall currently. The Juniors started with two games on Friday, Sept. 27, defeating the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes, 3-2, in a shootout and the Red River Spartans, 5-4, also in a shootout. Make it three shootouts in a row when they also beat the Charlotte Rush, 4-3, on Sept. 28. They closed out with a regulation 2-1 loss to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights.
- No other team has had three shootouts yet this season (and certainly not three consecutive SO wins). They had previously had two shootouts in a row in 2021-22, but never before three. They went beyond regulation three games in a row only once before – Nov. 4, 11 and 16, winning a shootout and an overtime game on on either side of a shootout loss.
- Fourth-year Premier veteran goaltender Savva Serdiuk (‘04/Kyiv, Ukraine) is tied with College Universel Gatineau’s Marcus Gomes with two shootout wins apiece.
Southeast Division
Charlotte Rush Close Southeast Showcase With 2-0-1-1 Mark
The Rush played in two shootouts and two overtimes at the USPHL Southeast Showcase, so obviously they came out with points in every game, six in total. They started on Saturday with two games, falling to the Florida Jr. Blades (3-2 in OT) and then the Tampa Bay Juniors (4-3 in a shootout). They rebounded on Sunday with a 4-3 overtime win over the Bold City Battalion. They faced the Battalion again on Monday and won 2-1 in a shootout. The Rush remain in first place in the league as of the end of Oct. 2, standing at 6-0-1-1 for 14 points.
- The Rush have the most games played beyond regulation, with five, and the most points from these games, with eight. They are 2-1 in overtimes, and 1-1 in the shootout. This was the first time they’ve ever played four straight games beyond regulation.
- Ryan Bonfrancesco (‘05/Hellertown, Pa.) is co-leading the Premier league’s defensemen with two game-winning goals.
Hampton Roads Whalers Go 2-1-1-0 At Southeast Showcase
The Whalers evened out their record at .500 following a run of 2-1-1-0 at their home-hosted showcase in Chesapeake, Va. The Whalers played twice on Friday, defeating the Florida Jr. Blades, 3-1, before falling that evening to the Atlanta MadHatters, 2-0. Saturday’s game saw them fall in overtime, 1-0, to the Bold City Battalion. They closed on the right foot by shutting out the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights, 4-0.
- Robbie Rajnys (‘06/Virginia Beach, Va.) continues to be red-hot for the Whalers. He has seven goals – tied for third-most in the league – as well as two assists for nine points in eight games.
- Nate McAlpine (‘06/Sioux Falls, S.D.) has been clicking in net, putting up a 3-0 mark. His three wins are tied with several others for second-most victories in the Premier.
Potomac Patriots finish at .500 In Chesapeake
The Patriots won two and lost two at the Southeast Showcase. They took a loss to the Atlanta MadHatters out of the gate, 4-1, but then rebounded with a wins of 4-3 against Carolina and 5-4 against Red River. They closed on Sunday night with a 2-0 shutout loss to Bold City.
Canada Division
Somang L-L Hockey Earns First Two Showcase Series Victories
Somang enjoyed their time at the BJB Shootout in Marlborough, Mass., picking up a couple wins against mostly New England Division competition. After falling on Sept. 27 to the South Shore Kings (3-0), they came back to win their Saturday game, 6-3, against the Worcester Railers JHC, and then they beat the Boston Junior Bruins, 3-2, in their first Sunday game. They closed with a 6-5 overtime loss to the Springfield Pics. These were their first overtime game and shootout in their early Premier history.
- Chris Skotidakis (‘05/Laval, Que.) scored the first shootout GWG for Somang, ending an eight-round shootout.
- Janis Labinovskis (‘06/Riga, Latvia) improved to a line of 4-5-9 in seven games to lead Somang in scoring.
Universel Sherbrooke Also Wins First Two Showcase Games At BJB Shootout
Sherbrooke has improved to 4-2-1-0 to move into second in the Canada Division entering October. They went 2-1-1-0 in their first USPHL Showcase Series Event, the BJB Shootout. They started with a tough 6-1 loss to the Springfield Pics, followed on Saturday by a 3-2 overtime win against the Thunder Hockey Club. They defeated the Boston Junior Bruins, 4-2, on Saturday evening and then fell by a 2-1 score in overtime to the Boston Jr. Rangers on Sunday.
- Sherbrooke got its first-ever overtime game-winner from ‘08 forward Jason Maltais, who is currently at 3-1-4 to kick off his junior career.
- At 7-3-10, Victor Proulx (‘06/Trois-Rivieres, Que.) has been huge in his first seven junior games for Sherbrooke.
Hawkesbury Knights, College Universel Gatineau Finish .500 At BJB Shootout
The Knights and Gatineau both saw highs and lows on the weekend. Hawkesbury remains among the league leaders in points with 12 off of a 6-3-0-0 record. They defeated the Thunder Hockey Club and Springfield Pics, but fell to the Boston Junior Bruins and Boston Jr. Rangers. For Gatineau, they defeated the Thunder (5-2) and the South Shore Kings (2-1 in a shootout), but fell to the Islanders Hockey Club (6-3) and Worcester Railers JHC (5-2).
Atlantic Division
Jersey Hitmen Kick Off Season With 2-1-0-0 Record
The Hitmen split dead even with the Hershey Cubs – a team they’ll be playing twice again this weekend – with 5-1 scores in both of the Sept. 26 and 27 games. On Oct. 3, the Hitmen defeated the Connecticut Jr. Rangers by a 6-2 score.
- The Hitmen equaled their start of 2023-24 by jumping out to a 2-1-0-0 mark.
- Michal Nawrot (‘05/Gdansk, Poland) started out his first North American season by leading the Hitmen in scoring with a 2-2-4 line.
Red Bank Generals Open USPHL Premier Existence With 2-1-0-0 Record
The Generals have arrived, and then some. The Generals opened their USPHL Premier existence with a 3-1 win on Sept. 27 against the Rockets Hockey Club, a team that was part of the inaugural USPHL Premier season in 2017-18. The Rockets did come back and win 10-2 on Sept. 30, but the Generals rebounded nicely with another 3-1 victory against another first-year USPHL Premier team, the Mercer Chiefs.
- Red Bank firsts included the first goal (Brendan Walsh/’05/Poestenkill, N.Y.), first game-winner (Colin Garvey/’05/West Seneca, N.Y.) and first goaltender win (Braxton Singleton/’04/Edmonton, Alb.)
- Offensively, the Generals are led by a trio of players with three points apiece – Ilya Kornoushenko (‘05/Tomsk, Russia), Andrew Savona (‘05/Charlfont, Pa.) and Colton Weiss (‘05/Cherry Hill, N.J.)
Six Atlantic teams Go .500 Over Final Week of September
- Most of the rest of the Atlantic split their games, including the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights, who split four games at the USPHL Southeast Showcase. They fell to the Red River Spartans (3-1), defeated the Tampa Bay Juniors (2-1) and Florida Jr. Blades (3-2) and then lost to the Hampton Roads Whalers, 4-0. That kept the Knights’ record even at 3-3.
- The P.A.L. Jr. Islanders’ 1-1 run against the Elmira Impact was enough to keep them atop the Atlantic standings at 4-2-0-0 heading into this weekend. Elmira won 5-1, and the Jr. Islanders came back with a 6-3 victory on Sunday. Premier veteran Karson Grainey (‘05/Mount Union, Pa.) put up a hat trick in Saturday’s game.
- The Rockets Hockey Club took the aforementioned 3-1 loss to Red Bank and also won 10-2 against the new Generals. Scoring in double digits is nothing new to the Rockets, who did it three times last year.
- As aforementioned, the Hershey Cubs split a pair of 5-1 games with the Jersey Hitmen.
