Happenings on the East Coast

SCBlueLiner · Post by **SCBlueLiner** » Tue Jan 19, 2016 10:36 am

I struggled with what to title this. I know this is an East Coast thing and you may think it doesn't affect us here but I have come to the conclusion that anything that happens in youth hockey in this country will have ripple effects and eventually be at our borders. I came across the article linked at the bottom (don't know what the forum rules are about linking, just know that most don't like copy/paste) and my stomach just kind of dropped as I read it. This youth hockey development model just seems like it flies in the face of the community model we use here. It just feels like the express train to Juniors has now dipped down as far as Squirts.

Why do I get the feeling it is going to be more about wins and losses for teams in this league than it is about playing the game, learning the game, having fun, and getting really, really good at it in the process? The pressure to excel just starts younger and younger. The next step for junior leagues will be an affiliations with a Mite cross-ice jamboree league. Can never identify prospects too early.

http://www.usphl.com/news_article/show/ ... id=1576352

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goldy313 · Post by **goldy313** » Tue Jan 19, 2016 4:47 pm

This is the league that picked up the now defunct MnJHL, a lower tier 3 league. Even the top MnJHL teams would have been beaten by run of the mill Minnesota high school teams. I wouldn't worry too much.

SCBlueLiner · Post by **SCBlueLiner** » Wed Jan 20, 2016 2:39 am

I was speaking more to the vertical integration of this league. A league structure that houses everything from Squirts to Juniors and that stretches from the upper Northeast to Florida. Taking a flight for a Squirt game doesn't exactly scream "low cost" and exacerbates the image that youth hockey is too expensive.

JSR · Post by **JSR** » Wed Jan 20, 2016 2:57 am

goldy313 wrote:This is the league that picked up the now defunct MnJHL, a lower tier 3 league. Even the top MnJHL teams would have been beaten by run of the mill Minnesota high school teams. I wouldn't worry too much.

Saying stuff like this is just beyond ridiculous. It's mind boggling that you would even think this was true. Tier 3 juniors is not exactly an "elite" division of junior hockey but to believe average high school teams could beat their top teams is beyond ignorant. These teams are populated mostly by MEN, very strong, very driven men who've been playing their whole lives and most of whom were all conference or all state in their high schools or played Tier 1 AAA hockey at the highest level etc... at one time. I am not pretending the league is chuck full of top end skill as it is not but do not kid yourself, these men can play hockey and would pound run of the mill MN high school teams into the ground pure and simple.

zambonidriver · Post by **zambonidriver** » Wed Jan 20, 2016 4:16 am

JSR wrote:
goldy313 wrote:This is the league that picked up the now defunct MnJHL, a lower tier 3 league. Even the top MnJHL teams would have been beaten by run of the mill Minnesota high school teams. I wouldn't worry too much.

Saying stuff like this is just beyond ridiculous. It's mind boggling that you would even think this was true. Tier 3 juniors is not exactly an "elite" division of junior hockey but to believe average high school teams could beat their top teams is beyond ignorant. These teams are populated mostly by MEN, very strong, very driven men who've been playing their whole lives and most of whom were all conference or all state in their high schools or played Tier 1 AAA hockey at the highest level etc... at one time. I am not pretending the league is chuck full of top end skill as it is not but do not kid yourself, these men can play hockey and would pound run of the mill MN high school teams into the ground pure and simple.

Damn Obama!

NotMinnesotan · Post by **NotMinnesotan** » Fri Jan 22, 2016 4:17 am

the USPHL Premier division 1 commits (Just this years players that have committs)

CT Junior Rangers

Player Hometown Division School Year
Mark Bowen West Caldwell, NJ Premier Merceyhurst University 2016

Adam Samuelsson Rye, NY U16 Boston College 2018

Hampton Roads Whalers

Player Hometown Division School Year

Jacob Gerson Colorado Springs, CO Elite Utica College 2016

Islanders Hockey Club

Player Hometown Division School Year
Owen Powers Cheshire, CT Premier Holy Cross 2016
Brendan vanRiemsdyk Middletown, NJ Premier New Hampshire 2016
Max Daigle Montreal, PQ Premier Vermont 2016
Brent Beaudoin Londonderry, NH Premier Brown University 2016
Ace Cowans Beverly, MA Premier Vermont 2016
Brendan Soucie South Dennis, MA Premier Army 2016
Liam Darcy South Berwick, ME Premier, 18U New Hampshire 2016
Will Brophy Fairfield, CT Premier Holy Cross 2016
Dominic Blad Suffield, CT Premier, Elite UMASS-Boston 2016
Zach Mirageas Newburyport, MA Premier Air Force 2017
Austin Goldstein Saugus, MA Premier Northeastern 2017
Jack Moran North Reading, MA Premier Maine 2017

Jersey Hitmen

Player Hometown Division School Year
Alex Whelan Ramsey, NJ Premier, U18, U16 Quinnipiac 2016
Matthew O'Donnell Fountain Valley, CA Premier Vermont 2016
Ruslan Rahkmatov Brooklyn, NY Premier, USP3HL Sacred Heart 2016
Logan Coomes Northfield, MI Premier Merrimack 2016
Khristian Acosta Port Monmouth, NJ Premier, U18, U16 Quinnipiac 2017
Todd Goehring Middletown, NJ USP3HL, 18U Sacred Heart 2017
Robert Hampton Middletown, NJ U18 Northeastern 2017
Grant Jozefek Mendham, NJ U18 Northeastern 2017
James Callahan Gladstone, NJ U18 Quinnipiac 2017
Wade Novak Jefferson, NJ U16 Union College 2017

Junior Bruins

Player Hometown Division School Year
Charlie Kelleher Longmeadow, MA Premier, U18 New Hampshire 2016
John Picking Wellesley, MA Premier, Elite Northeastern 2016
Mike Robinson Bedford, NH Premier New Hampshire 2016
John DeRoche Lynnfield, MA Premier, U18, U16 Quinnipiac 2016
Pat O'Leary Wenham, MA Premier, U18 Holy Cross 2016
Corey Moriarty Estero, FL Premier Vermont 2016
Austin Dittenhafer Pequea, PA Premier Vermont 2016
Tim Doherty Portsmouth, RI Premier Maine 2016

Jacob Schmidt-Svejstrup Charlottenlund, DENMARK Premier Maine 2017

PAL Jr. Islanders

Player Hometown Division School Year
James Anderson Kings Park, NY Premier Mercyhurst 2016
Cameron Klein Alpine, NJ Premier Vermont 2016
William Vizzo Shelton, CT Premier American International 2016
Joe Duszak Franklin Square, NY Premier Mercyhurst 2017
Douglas Connor Bedford, NY 18U Princeton 2019

Philadelphia Flyers

Player Hometown Division School Year
Curtis Frye Northwood, NH Premier Northeastern 2016

Portland Jr. Pirates

Player Hometown Division School Year
Lukas Samuelsson Voorhees, NJ Premier Michigan 2016

Selects Academy at South Kent School

Player Hometown Division School Year
Alexis Binner Stocksund, SWEDEN U18 Maine 2017
Greg Printz Fairfax, VA U18, U16 Providence College 2017
Keith Petruzelli Wilbraham, MA U18 Quinnipiac 2017
Matt Jakubowski Lancaster, NY U18 Penn State 2017
Steven Ipri Broadview Heights, OH U18 Mercyhurst University 2017
Derek Hamelin Mercier, PQ U18 Canisius College 2018
Simon Boyko Mississauga, ON U18 Vermont 2018
Carter Long Yorktown, VA U16 Vermont 2018
Ben Pirko Arlington, VA U16 Union College 2018
Emilio Pettersen Oslo, NORWAY U16 Denver 2018
Joel Farabee Cicero, NY U16 Boston University 2019

Skipjacks Hockey Club

Player Hometown Division School Year
Patrick Giles Chevy Chase, MD 16U Boston College 2018
John Mulera Rockville, MD 16U Providence College 2019

South Shore Kings

Player Hometown Division School Year
Jake McCarthy Dedham, MA Premier UMASS 2016
Matt Burchill Boston, MA Premier Air Force 2016
Nick Olczyk Long Grove, IL Premier Colorado College 2016

Dominic Dockery Lockport, NY Premier Merrimack College

Clearly you have no clue what you are talking about. Old MnJHL is now part of USPHL Midwest. Not the same league. Even JSR, who was trying to defend Tier III is off base. Not all Tier III hockey is the same. The east coast kids play Tier III and go straight Division 1. They don't care about leagues like the USHL and NAHL. They have the money and get to play close to home. USPHL Premier has a website. I would suggest going to it, looking around and learning a bit more about hockey outside of your state for once. It could do a lot of people some good.

I don't know how much I would worry about the youth level stuff on the east coast. They already are playing this type of schedule in AAA hockey, it just seems like this league is trying to cash in on hockey that is already being played.

observer · Post by **observer** » Sun Jan 24, 2016 2:50 am

Very impressive. A lot less travel too. I think those numbers are much better than just a few years ago.