They competed successfully in the Pro-Am Pre-Draft tournament and also sent two teams to the Skaters Edge tournament.

Players such as Chris Ramondelli and Joe Ramondelli, Nick Gross, Matt Williams, Lukas Harb, Trey Ferguson, Ted Bellis, Sam Powers, Nick Guberti, Sal Giacomo, Zack Fornaciari, Kyle Connolly and Neil Jacobsen led the charge for the junior team.

Ferguson picked up three goals and an assist for four points in three games at the Pre-Draft. Jack Amodeo scored three points in that tournament, and Harb appeared in all three games.

Ferguson will play a post-grad year at Kent next season while the others mentioned are either preparing for their first or second years of American College Hockey Association club hockey.

They will represent schools like Lehigh, Scranton, University of New Hampshire, Fordham, Boston College, Neumann, George Washington and Cornell next season.

Standout players on the Dragons 16U team include Brian Sohr, Jake Carnavalla, Matt Doherty, Jeff Cool, Dan Bugniazet, Jake Dufresne, Nick Ramondelli, Paul Wilson, Brendan Barger and Matt McNamara to name a few.

The Gatorade AAA Summer Challenge is next and will take place June 28-30. The Dragons will have a junior and midget team entered at the tournament.

The tournament gives those players interested in staying sharp and improving their skills a great opportunity. Players skate weekly during the summer and will be given off ice workouts to carry out in addition.

Future tournaments include the Chowder Cup (July 17-20), Rockz Invitiational (July 19-20), Boston Challenge Cup (Aug. 2-4) and the Prudential Center Tournament of Champions (Aug. 9-11).

The Dragons have a few spots open on their summer tournament and fall teams for 1993-to 1998-born high level players.

Teams looking to schedule an exhibition game should contact us also.

Interested families should contact Rich Guberti at Dragonsjuniorhockey@gmail.com. Visit our website: www.dragonsjuniorhockey.com.

Read past Dragons stories in our archives:

Winter Classic a fine showcase for Dragons’ talents

Super Elite, Elite teams enjoying new life in new International Hockey Prospects League

Team excited for opportunity in new league

This Saturday’s QMJHL Draft brought back to the forefront a key issue facing college hockey.

College hockey programs and coaches vigorously try to protect against players choosing Canadian major junior over the NCAA route. Rensselaer coach Seth Appert and Quinnipiac assistant coach Bill Riga took to twitter to defend college hockey.

@sethappert @mikemcmahonchn ..and of those two, one played in college first and one was committed and didn’t clear. #justsaying

— Bill Riga (@BillRiga) June 9, 2013

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League held its draft Saturday in Chicoutimi, Quebec.

There were a number of Americans selected in the draft, many of whom will play college. However, there were some players drafted who will inevitably reject the education they would receive while playing college hockey for the major junior route.

Boston University recruit Cam Askew was the first American selected in the QMJHL Draft. The South Boston native was selected 11th overall by Drummondville. It is being reported that he will skip out on his commitment to the Terriers to lace them up in Drummondville.

College hockey programs and its coaches have long fought the battle to keep players away from major junior.

There continues to be the misguided opinion by many in Canada that major junior is the best route to the NHL, but the sentiment is changing. College hockey has made a ton of inroads in the past decade or so.

As Bill Riga indicated, only two New England born players who played in the QMJHL are currently playing in the NHL. Charlie Coyle played at Boston University before heading to major junior and Keith Yandle was committed to UNH before he couldn’t pass the NCAA clearinghouse.

The last three winners of the Conn Smythe Trophy, given to the Stanley Cup Finals MVP, have been college hockey alums. Former North Dakota star Jonathan Toews won the award when his Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2010.

Former Vermont goaltender Tim Thomas won it a year later with the Boston Bruins and former UMass-Amherst netminder Jonathan Quick took home the trophy last June with the Los Angeles Kings.

College Hockey News writer Mike McHahon tweeted “A Q source didn’t mince words last night: “today could be a bad day for the NCAA,lots of kids telling teams they’ll sign. One team taking 5.”

Appert was quick with a response to this statement.

@sethappert 1,000,000% agree. Just quoting what was told to me but you’re absolutely right!

— Mike McMahon (@MikeMcMahonCHN) June 8, 2013

Appert is referencing the fact that players who chose the NCAA route can play college hockey while getting a terrific education and learning many life skills that one learns in college. The CHL reportedly offers educational packages to players who don’t make it to the next level, but the number of major junior players who choose to do that are minimal.

Several players will be back for the Oilers and a handful of newcomers are expected to make an impact as well during the 2013-14 inaugural Eastern Hockey League campaign.

“We are very excited about the team we will have in place for next season,” Oilers assistant head coach Chris Gragnano said. “We have some very talented players and we feel like we are going to be a much improved team.”

One of the key additions will be Mike Bunn from North Carolina. He has experience in the USHL and is expected to be a key contributor.

“He will get a lot of attention from scouts this year. He is a very talented scorer and he’ll play a big role in our success,” said Gragnano.

What will also be a huge help for the Oilers is that they will have experience on their side. Among the key returnees will be Jared Chinn, Tommy Nolan and Jake Rosen.

Chinn scored 11 goals and tallied 13 assists last season while Nolan punched 11 goals into the net and dished out nine assists. Rosen finished the season with eight goals and eight assists. As a team, the Oilers scored 120 goals.

“All three will be impact players,” Gragnano said. “They are older players and will provide great leadership for us, in addition to making their marks on offense. It’s huge for us to have players like that coming back because we didn’t have experience like that as a first-year team last season.”

The defense will get a boost as well. Dan McMullan will be back after tallying two goals and nine assists as a defenseman last season and McKay Flanagan, drafted by Cedar Rapids of the USHL. He had one goal and five assists as a defenseman last season.

Chad Krys, who played for the Oilers’ Empire League team last season, will be coming aboard as well and has already attracted a great deal of attention from scouts.

The Oilers still have a few roster spots to fill and are closing in on making preparations for the upcoming season.

“We’re looking toward the start of the season,” Gragnano said. “We’ll start planning out training camp and preseason games and just do what we can to be ready to go. We’re looking forward to having a great season.”

- By Brian Lester

Read past Oilers stories in our archives:

Eastern Junior League squad starts year with tear through Showcase

Junior teams a ‘work in progress’ in first year

Team inches closer to making EJHL debut at Junior Bruins Shootout

The new members are the New Hampshire Monarchs, the Philadelphia Revolution, Apple Core Junior Hockey, Boston Bandits, Valley Junior Warriors, Connecticut Oilers, Brewster Bulldogs, Jersey Wildcats and the Frederick Freeze.  The additions to the MJHL give the league 27 teams, making it the largest junior hockey organization in the United States.

“A vote was held via conference call and it was a unanimous decision to move forward with the USA Hockey-led agreement,” commented AMHL President Gene Palecco.  “It is an exciting time for junior hockey in the Northeast and everyone is looking forward to working with the new members in making the MET League the best league that it can be.”

“We (the AMHL) are excited to announce the nine new additions to the MET League,” said AMHL Director of Hockey Operations and Officials Paul Maciejewski.  “As we continue to grow as a league, we have some great plans in store for all 27 teams and will continue the driving force of player development and movement.  We welcome each of the new members.  A unanimous 19-0 vote to accept all nine goes to show the strength and commitment our members have in the continuing growth and success of our league.”

“On behalf of the new franchises, I would like to thank the AMHL and the MJHL for showing confidence in the ‘new nine’ and welcoming us in as new members,” said Apple Core General Manager and Director of Operations Henry Lazar.  “We look forward to a great relationship and will give 100 percent to make the league the best it can be.”

MJHL officials are feverishly working on new division alignments and getting scheduling completed for the 2013-2014 season.  An official announcement of the new divisions and schedule is expected shortly.

The USPHL will maintain its current nine-team Premier Junior Division and its 16U and 18U Midget Levels and add USPHL Elite and USPHL Empire Divisions to bring the total USPHL League count to five divisions.  Upon completion of this process, the USPHL membership will consist of approximately 30 members fielding over 70 teams with a geographic reach that spans the complete Eastern Seaboard.

The merger with the Eastern Elite provides an expansion of the USPHL junior hockey footprint to the Southeastern United States, from Virginia to Florida.

The purpose of this merger is to extend the USPHL player development model to the rapidly growing southern hockey marketplace through eight extremely successful organizations.

Members of the Eastern Elite Division will participate in USPHL Showcases and play the northern USPHL Elite clubs in league play.  This format will allow the USPHL southern franchises extensive exposure to NCAA and NHL scouts currently enjoyed by the USPHL.  The USPHL Elite Division will also stage a divisional All-Star Game in conjunction with the USPHL Premier Division All-Star Classic.

The merger with the Empire Junior Hockey League consolidates the Empire League into a structure which will provide clarity and efficiency in the Eastern Seaboard Junior market.   The Empire merger is a natural extension of the USPHL/Eastern Elite merger and will provide all existing Empire Junior League teams their best opportunity to showcase their talents to NCAA hockey programs in the East.

The USPHL members have each developed a complete player development model where, at present, more than 2,000 boys and girls train, compete and enjoy the sport of ice hockey. These programs go beyond the on-ice experience to include education, leadership and community service components to help foster a complete student-athlete. The member organizations believe the USPHL will provide the next step in high performance training and competition and will provide unmatched exposure to NCAA hockey programs for young aspiring hockey players.

The USPHL will commence competition in September of 2013.  Please visit the USPHL website at www.usphl.com or the member organizations for specific information regarding team registration and tryout process.

The new top junior league on the east coast is the Eastern Hockey League (EHL), which is comprised of 18 top-level organizations dedicated to the goal of college advancement.  EHL teams are fully committing to the USAH Hockey Junior Model and all EHL organizations have a rich history of producing tomorrow’s NCAA and NHL stars.

The EHL operating standards will mirror many USA Hockey Tier II standards and will guarantee that each player is given the best opportunity to receive maximum exposure to NCAA and NHL scouts. The strategic location of each organization will allow the EHL teams to keep player tuition down, minimize travel and allow scouts to attend regular season games in addition to the league showcase games.

Former NHLer and U.S. Olympian Mark Kumpel, who spent the past five years coaching and managing a successful Junior hockey team, will serve as the EHL’s Director of Hockey Operations.

“This group of coaches and owners are the best in Junior hockey,” said Kumpel. “The coaching staff of the EHL rivals that of any junior league in the country.”

Current EHL head coaches include former college and professional players (see team web sites for individual bios).

For players and parents looking for clarity and solid information about the Junior hockey experience, these 18 East Coast organizations are excited to form the EHL with the intention of producing college-bound hockey players and providing high standards of operation to assure a quality player environment.  Simply put – a better league with higher standards and a player-focused environment.

The EHL has implemented league-wide standards including player contracts that mandate numerous player experience criteria at no extra cost above the player tuition.  Additionally, EHL member organizations have created a league-wide education service that will help players and parents find quality ways to continue their education, as well as helping them navigate their way through the process of becoming a NCAA varsity student-athlete.

The 18 EHL organizations combined for more than 140 NCAA commitments during the 2012-13 season and have a proven track record of preparing young hockey players for college hockey and beyond. All of the EHL member organizations are dedicated to increasing the number of college commitments each year as the league strives to achieve its stated purpose to advancing players to their ultimate goal of higher level hockey.

The EHL aims to improve the college advancement process by fully committing to the USA Hockey Junior model as originally outlined by USA Hockey. The EHL will utilize the USA Hockey Junior Rulebook in its entirety, including equipment rules and playing rules.

The USA Hockey Annual Guide states that the goals of Junior hockey are skill development, quality coaching, social maturity, educational advancement, recruiting exposure, advanced competition and the protection of amateur status.  By following the national governing body’s plan the EHL will be bringing some clarity to the Junior hockey landscape by executing USAH’s methods of operating college developmental programs.

Check EasternHockeyLeauge.org follow @EasternHockey on twitter for news and updates on the newest and best junior league on the East Coast.

General manager/head coach R.J. Zeigler has done his due diligence in looking for players to raise the team’s profile – and he didn’t have to go very far.

Zeigler believes he had some very strong talent at the Empire Junior League level last season that are making a push to play on the Patriots’ top team this season.

Jack Strycharz, a ’95-born Woodbridge, Va., resident, scored 16 goals last season to lead the Empire Patriots in that category.

“He is a skilled forward with good height, but needs more muscle,” said Zeigler. “He’s not afraid to shoot the puck.”

Strycharz stands 6-feet and weighs in at 160 pounds. On the defense, Riley Wanat “has a similar body type – tall but needs muscle.”

Wanat stands 6-2 and is 165. He is a ’96 who is also from Woodbridge, where the Patriots’ home ice of the Prince William Ice Center is located.

“He sees the ice very well,” said Zeigler. “He’s not afraid to play physical. He is a very good skater, as well.”

Michael Santiago is also a ’96, one whose 2012-13 season was halted by a broken collarbone.

“That set him back. This year, he looks to continue his advancement,” said Zeigler. “He is another young, skilled forward with size and strength. He is a hard-nosed player willing to grind it out and adds a good amount of skill.”

Steven Frankel, a ’95 forward, does bring the size (6-2, 200) and Zeigler hopes he can increase his offense even with a jump to a higher level.

“He is a huge power forward with the size and strength to play at any level,” said Zeigler. “If he consistently plays to his strengths and uses his size to his advantage, he’d be looked at closely for the top team.”

Micah Dabao (’94) “is a playmaking forward that has had a year longer to develop at the junior level,” Zeigler added. He scored 22 points in 40 games last year.

Perhaps Zeigler is most excited about bringing up the Empire League Patriots’ top scorer, ’93 Tyler Nolan for the Pats’ top squad.

An All-Star game selection last year, the Manassas, Va., resident scored 15 goals and 36 points in 39 Empire League games.

“He started juniors late, but quickly adapted to the higher level of play last season,” said Zeigler. “He is a complete player bringing great hands, vision and hockey sense to any team he plays on.”

Read past Patriots stories in our archives:

Organization sets summer plans as season ends

EJHL South team prepares for playoff push

Young prospects developing nicely at midseason

By Joshua Boyd

One rink is just not going to do it when it comes to the New Jersey Junior Titans accomplishing their goals.
Along with their longtime home the Howell Ice World, the Titans have acquired the Middletown (N.J.) Swim Club. They have taken out the previous tennis courts and built a 1,700-seat full- service hockey arena.

That new arena, officially named Middletown Ice World, will be home to the Titans’ team in the Atlantic Junior Hockey League. Yes, it’s an exciting time to be in the Titans’ organization, especially from the point of view of those who run the show.

 “It’s a great opportunity in a great location,” said George Haviland, owner and Director of Hockey of the Junior Titans’ organization. “When we had the opportunity to purchase the property and put an ice rink there, the motivation was more about being able to provide our membership with more ice time.

“We were previously limited in ice time and, thus, limited in terms of the amount of teams we could have,” Haviland added.

The Titans just re-entered the Atlantic Junior Hockey League in 2012-13 after five years away. It wasn’t a hugely successful season in terms of wins and losses, as the Titans went 14-27-3-0 in their return, but Rome wasn’t built in a day. Nor was Middletown Ice World – the Titans took their time and wanted to make sure they got it right.

“We’re really excited to play our AJHL games there next year,” said Titans head coach Dustin DePalma. “It’s a little farther north than Howell, so it expands our footprint.”

The arena – set to open later this summer – will include six locker rooms, six skyboxes, a full restaurant and bar, a pro shop, meeting rooms, a mezzanine level, snack bar, offices, a large conference room, and a gym and workout area.

Nearly half of the 1,700 seats in the arena are already spoken for, as Haviland announced that the team sold 700 season tickets through June 1.

Haviland added that any billet that plays for the Titans will be able to work at the Middletown Swim Club and the arena. The Titans will continue to operate the club’s four pools and more than 60 cabanas. Titans hockey players will receive free swimming at the club as part of their tuition.

Middletown, home to more than 66,000 souls, holds an emotional connection for Haviland, as his father was instrumental in youth hockey, starting both a roller hockey and ice hockey program in town.

“We grew up in Middletown playing ice and roller hockey, so it is extra special to provide the youth of Middletown with an ice rink,” said Haviland. “There are a lot of people who play hockey in Middletown, and they’re dying to come out and see us play.”

The new arena is about a 15-to 20- minute drive from Howell, so it’ll be convenient for the different teams in the organization to keep in touch.

“It’ll be a fun place to play,” said DePalma. “Howell was already a good place to play. That’s a really good training facility, but this is more of an arena in Middletown.”

The Titans generally do a 9/11 Memorial Tournament, and Haviland is excited to be able to expand that event between Middletown and Howell.

That tournament will take place Sept. 13-15 and will include AJHL teams such as the New Jersey Rockets, New York Bobcats, Central Penn Panthers and the
Philadelphia Junior Flyers.

 “Our new rink is within 20-25 minutes of several AJHL and Met League teams, so they’ll like our new arena better as well,” said Haviland.

Great Start for Advancement

The first year in the AJHL has already paid off for 12 players in terms of college commitments. That number only figures to increase annually with time and visibility in arguably America’s toughest and most competitive Tier-3 junior league.

Out of the 12 committed, five are going to the NCAA Division 3 level. Chris Pantaleo is off to Becker College, Cam Bregenzer will go to Johnson and Wales, Marcus Ortiz is bound for SUNY- Fredonia, Anthony Stempin will go to Northland College and Brendan Conroy has committed to Bowdoin College.

Seven other players have chosen to continue their career in the American College Hockey Association at the club level. These include Nick Zellmer and Caleb Neal (both to the University of Rhode Island), Robert Wood (Arizona State), Kevin Fitch (Rutgers), Casey Litwack (UMass-Amherst) and Matt Schnoes (Adrian).

“Some Titans will go from Mites to Juniors to the NCAA,” said DePalma.

“I’m proud of the guys for going through the process, talking to the coaches this year. This [coming] year, we have some really smart kids on the team, and some of the better academic schools will want to look at our team.”

The word will get around, Haviland said, that the Junior Titans are a first- class organization to play for.

“We treat our guys like the pros. We’re really an up-and-coming junior team,” he said. “Getting back into the AJHL was really big for our program last year. We are continuing to work to make it a place where guys really want to play.

“We got a late start last year. We didn’t know we’d be in the AJHL until February of 2012,” Haviland added. “Now, we can provide the venue to put the best team on the ice every day.”

The new arena and being in the AJHL have been boons to recruiting for DePalma’s efforts.

“We’ve committed some good players already, including a couple kids from areas we didn’t get players from before,” said DePalma. “We have some other guys trying out at North American Hockey League and United States League camps.

We’ve got some good character guys coming in and really good academic guys, so hopefully we’ll get some earlier commitments.”

DePalma said the recruited players also like the fact the Titans will hold their practices in the early morning/dawn hours.

“Players will have the rest of the day to work out, take care of school or a job and their personal lives,” he said. “We have good, character guys with good goals and they want to get on to college.”

DePalma was the first to admit the Titans struggled to make the transition out of having its top team in the Metropolitan Junior League to its top team in the Atlantic Junior League. The Titans still kept their developmental team in the Met League.

“It was a bit of a learning curve this first year back in the league,” said DePalma. “When you’re in the Met League for eight years, you get used to everyone’s systems. We had to relearn some of that stuff, but now we know what to expect.”

Several players who were on the squad in 2012-13 will return for another run with the Titans in 2013-14. Will Norris and Ross Brauer provide a solid defense pair that have already played together for 15 games last season.

“They’re ‘93’s and are working to have a good off-season and get off on the right foot,” added DePalma. Justin Kirk, another ’93, is hoping to be the goalie they regularly work in front of, though he’ll be competing with “a few other guys” for the bulk of starts in net. Jordan Dempster, Sean Brown, Matt Meredith, Mark Tomaschek, Tony Jorgenson and Alex Ruppa are all set to return up front.

“Last year, we had one guy [Pantaleo] who had played in the AJHL before,” said DePalma. “Now, we have a core group of guys that played in the league before, and we’re looking to those guys for leadership.”

As for the new recruit list, DePalma said he’s “excited about the group we have coming in. We’re a lot farther along than we were at this time last year.”

Excellence from Top to Bottom

The New Jersey Junior Titans are not one team, not two teams, but they instead field nearly 30 boys and girls teams in total.

The roll call includes, beyond the two junior teams, U18, U16 and Bantam AAA, U18 and U16 AA, Bantam A, Peewee AA, Peewee A, Peewee B, Squirt A and B, six Mite teams and multiple girls teams at the U16, U14 and U10 teams. The organization totaled 490 members last season. Tier-1 teams will have four ice slots per week and Tier-2 teams will have three slots per week.

“At the Tier-1 level, we feel like we have expanded into a national club from a regional club,” said Haviland.

“In particular with us joining the North American Prospects Hockey League, we have been able to receive national exposure.”

He points to four tenders to NAHL teams in just two years in the NAPHL, including Trevor Heuser and Ryan Burr both to Corpus Christi, Matthew Armenti (Fairbanks) and Anthony Cusanelli (Port Huron).

“We do it right in the PHL,” said Haviland, also the head coach of the NAPHL squad. “We fly everyone out together. Parents are allowed to make the trip with us but have no real contact with the players. The kids bunk four to a room, and they’re together at team dinners and team breakfasts. The guys grew up so much on those trips.”

“We can’t be happier,” he added. “Those five, six NAPHL events have been a real shot in the arm. Our guys at the Tier-2 level want to play for that PHL team and then play on our AJHL team.”

The Titans want to expand and improve their offerings for female players, as well.

“We have a big girls program that we are committed to by providing locker rooms dedicated to the girls, as well as providing multiple teams at the U10/
Developmental level all the way through the girls junior level, as we are looking to provide options for girls of all ages,” Haviland said. “We are also looking for a Women’s Hockey Director to add to our program which we feel will give our program unmatched stability at the girls level.”

The Titans saw record tryout numbers across the board.

“We try to pay attention to players from top to bottom,” said DePalma. “Our players want to come to the rink and spend a lot of time here. People have seen that you’ll get better if you come here.

>We want to work at the grass roots and treat players like they should be treated.”

And, of course, they want their players to be successful, too.

“All teams have the benefit of our relationships with Dynamic Skating Camps out of Boston, Mass., led by John McLean, Tom Ford, and Kim Brandvold, as well as Jules Jardine out of Toronto, who runs World Class Hockey,” Haviland said.

The Tier-1 program receives coaching by George’s brother Mike Haviland. He is a two-time winner of the ECHL’s Kelly Cup, a winner of the AHL’s Coach of the Year Award and (drum roll, please) a Stanley Cup champion as an assistant coach of the 2010 Chicago Blackhawks.

Success from this past season saw the U16 AAA team make the U16 District final against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights and reach the semifinals in the NAPHL; and the Squirt AA team finished second in New Jersey.

“With Middletown Ice World and Howell Ice World, the Titans will really be a place where a player can come over at any point in their development and
become better,” said DePalma.
Those players don’t have to be from New Jersey. In fact, the Titans junior team had a very extensive billet program – 17 of the 25 players last year were from out of state.

“More than half of our billets were with families that had a younger brother or sister in the Titans program,” said DePalma. “Those younger kids were proud to say ‘my billet brother has an AJHL game tonight.’

“For the billet parents, when they see the amount of commitment the junior kids have, it’s refreshing. They see how serious and mature the guys are,” DePalma added. “Hockey aside, in the interaction between the younger players and the junior players, they see our junior guys as role models.”

“[Billeting] is an integral part of our organization,” added George Haviland.

“We are proud of our alumni and the examples they have set for our younger players both on and off the ice.”

The New Jersey Titans see the big picture – playing hockey in a tight-knit community as a means of a better overall quality of life.

“It’s about getting kids to play hockey, and providing the experience of a lifetime,” Haviland added. “By owning our own rinks, it’s a great opportunity to grow the game of hockey.”

Founded in 2010, the Jr. Blades have quickly gained a reputation as one of the finest developmental programs in North America.

“I am really impressed with the Florida Jr. Blades program,” said Colin Birkas, head coach of the Kingston Voyageurs, of the Ontario Junior Hockey League. “In terms of structure, dedication and development, it’s as good as any development program I have seen on either side of the border.”

In three short seasons, the team from southwest Florida has promoted 17 players to the NCAA and countless more to higher leagues.

What’s the Florida difference?

It starts at the top and works its way down. The Jr. Blades employ a full staff of coaches, trainers, managers, academic counselors and media professionals.

The coaching staff has 24 years of combined college hockey experience to provide the best outlet for player growth.

“Coach O’Had pushes you to the next level,” said forward Joshua Koerner. “He gives you a detailed analysis of what you can work on and the tools to get there.”

Housed at Germain Arena, a three-sheet facility in Estero, Fla., the Jr. Blades are on the ice five days a week.

“Some programs boast that the players are on the ice three days a week,” said O’Had. “Our players are on the ice over 250 hours a season, not including our 50-plus games.”

Players training doesn’t stop with on ice workouts. The team spends an additional 250-plus hours training off ice at Athletic Republic-Performance Sports Center. Players receive over 500 hours of training focused at developing them to the next level.

The training center features a hockey treadmill, plyometric floor, 3PQ measurement area, weight stations, Synthetic ice shooting room slide boards and recovery area.

“We’re able to provide a focused approach for the athletes,” said Todd Pococke, facilities coordinator. “Our trainers evaluate every player and develop plans for them to make gains in power, speed and explosiveness.”

The program includes nutrition counseling and proper recovery techniques.

“We develop whole athletes,” said O’Had. “Our focus is on helping our players reach their goals while being in a winning environment.”

The Jr. Blades have won the regular season league championship for two consecutive seasons, made national appearances and broke 15 league records in the 2011-12 season. There are many ingredients to the Jr. Blades development and one thing is for certain: it’s a winning formula.

- Chelsea Clyde

Read more Blades articles in our archives:

Another strong year for Blades in Empire League

Empire team celebrates reaching 100-win milestone

Top talent welcomed back for 2012-13

Defenseman Cameron Bregenzer has played in the Junior Titans organization since he was a youngster and was captain of his last three teams. He is headed to Johnson and Wales University, a NCAA Division 3 program based in Providence, R.I.

Goalie Caleb Neal is going to the University of Rhode Island, which plays in the Eastern Collegiate Hockey Association, a Division 1 conference of the American Collegiate Hockey Association.

Forward Anthony Stempin will play for Northland College, a NCAA Division 3 program in Ashland, Wis. Stempin was the Junior Titans’ second-leading scorer last season with 15 goals and 21 assists, good for 36 points, in 38 games.

Junior Titans assistant coach Randy Walker said Bregenzer was “all you want in a captain.”

“He’s undersized (5-feet-11-inches, 175 pounds), but tough as nails,” Walker said. “He’s a two-way player who can move the puck and will sacrifice his body to block shots.”

As for Bregenzer’s captain’s duties, “Cameron had control of the locker room and he was a positive, vocal guy,” Walker said. “He also led by example. He was the first guy on the ice and the last one off the ice at practice.”

Bregenzer had two goals and six assists in 43 games last season. His 61 penalty minutes was second on the team behind defenseman Chris Pantaleo, who had 62.

Walker said Bregenzer, from Hopewell, N.J., is the first ex-Junior Titan to play for Johnson and Wales.

Ben Hammock, who coaches the Junior Titans’ team in the Metropolitan Junior Hockey League team, was a captain at Rhode Island when he played there. He helped Neal, from Columbia, Mo., land a spot with the Rams.

“Caleb was a model billet player for us,” Walker said. “He provided a good veterans’ presence and took rookies under his wing. He’ll do well at Rhode Island.”

Neal was 4-9-1 in 19 games last season with a 3.34 goals-against average, .906 save percentage, and the team’s lone shutout.

The 6-feet, 180-pounder played in the Junior Titans organization for two years after coming from the Springfield Jr. Blues of the North American Hockey League.

Stempin was with the Junior Titans for one season. The Livonia, Mich., native’s previous stop was in Alaska with Kenai River of the NAHL.

“Anthony makes his living in front of the net. He scores a lot of goals in that tough area,” Walker said.

- by Steve Stein

Read past Titans stories in our archives:

Pantaleo, Fitch move on to college hockey

‘Pink-Out’ game Sunday to raise funds, awareness of breast cancer

Atlantic Junior League return set for Sept. 15