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Upstate Native Leibold Could be Top Player for 2018-19 Jr. Senators

By Joshua Boyd, 06/10/18, 12:00AM EDT

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BINGHAMTON, NY -- The Binghamton Jr. Senators’ new owner Anthony Langevinis a true DIY’er. 

He takes the “do it yourself” theme to heart, hitting the road to scout his upcoming team – after all, he’s also going to be the head coach when the Jr. Senators return to the ice for camp in August. 

He also oversaw the NA3HL Draft in April in conjunction with general manager Ray Welsh(his predecessor as team owner). 

“I thought it was a great experience. I don’t know any other Tier-3 leagues that do a draft, but we drafted and signed our top pick, and I couldn’t be more excited about him,” said Langevin. 

Thomas Leiboldjoins the Senators after a decorated high school career with Bethlehem High School. He was named the Capital District High School Hockey League’s Player of the Year as a sophomore this past winter. 

Two years earlier, he became the first-ever eighth-grader to play varsity for Bethlehem. He wasn’t just playing a few minutes here and there – he was the team’s leading scorer that year, and became a team captain by his freshman season. 

“He is a two-way player who puts the puck in the net. Any time he’s around the net, he is lethal,” Langevin added. “He has already had a lot of interest from North American Hockey League teams, so I don’t know how long we will have him. But for the amount of time we do have him, he will make an immediate impact.” 

The Jr. Senators also held an open tryout camp at the end of April and Langevin reported around 65 players showed up. 

“With somewhat limited openings, we’ve been able to be really selective. It was a great camp to get the word out, since we’ll also have a U16 and a U18 team next year,” added Langevin. 

He said the team went out to the CCM Showcase in Colorado in May with “around eight openings” on the NA3HL squad for 2018-19. 

“We could have possibly filled those already in Colorado,” Langevin added. “The team is moving forward. We’ve moved on a number of players, especially defensemen, to NCAA colleges, so we’re looking to regroup. I couldn’t be more excited about our returning players, and many of those guys are close to committing to college hockey.” 

Langevin, new to the Jr. Senators, said Welsh’s assistance has been invaluable thus far. 

“The biggest thing is the incredible help from Ray. He ran the team beautifully,” Langevin said.