Five players headline the Mercyhurst University men’s hockey team’s recruiting class for the 2012-13 season.
Rick Gotkin, who enters his 25th season as coach, has brought in three defensemen – Anthony Mastrodicasa from Woodbridge, Ontario, Mychal Monteith (Toledo, Ohio) and Justin Stevens (Brantford, Ontario). Mastrodicasa (6-foot 1-inch, 195 pounds), a two-time captain with the Vaughan Vipers of the Ontario Junior Hockey League, had 25 goals and 85 points in 69 games the past two seasons.
Monteith (5-9, 180) led the Texas Tornado to the North American Hockey League’s Robertson Cup finals this past season. Stevens (5-11, 205) had four goals and 24 points in 43 games with the Pembroke Lumber Kings of the Central Canadian Hockey League in 2011-12.
Gotkin also added forward Kyle Cook (6-4, 215) from Middleburg Heights, Ohio, and Moon Township native Alec Shields (5-9, 180). Cook finished sixth in the NAHL this past season with 70 points (31 goals, 39 assists) in 59 games for the Springfield Jr. Blues. Shields had five points in eight games for the NAHL’s Traverse City North Stars before a torn tendon in his hand ended his season. Cook, whose expected to be ready for the start of the 2012-13 season, had 21 goals and 51 points in 50 games with Traverse City two seasons ago.
Mercyhurst begins the season Oct. 6 with a 7:05 p.m. exhibition game against Wilfrid Laurier, from Waterloo, Ontario, at Mercyhurst Ice Center. The regular season opens Oct. 13 with an Atlantic Hockey Association game at Niagara.
Shootout
Staff writer Victor Fernandes has ice in his veins. Hockey – he plays it, coaches it and provides the region's best coverage of it. Read more about this blog.
Posts tagged ‘north american hockey league’
Posted: July 24th, 2012
Posted in: Mercyhurst College, Uncategorized
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Posted: August 30th, 2011
Kevin Zugec regrets not attending Erie Otters training camp last summer.
Perhaps his future in hockey would appear brighter than it does this week.
If Zugec doesn’t earn a roster spot with the Otters, the Pittsburgh native said, “this could be my last big thing” in a hockey career that began at the age of 4. He currently has no other viable options for the 2011-12 season.
Zugec, 18, a 6 foot 5 inch, 200-pound defenseman, hasn’t received interest from the New Mexico Mustangs, the North American Hockey League expansion team he played for this past season. He had two goals, four points and a minus-24 rating in 47 games for the Mustangs, which finished with the NAHL’s second-worst record at 19-35-4.
He doesn’t believe playing for a team in Pittsburgh would help his development.
“I’ve got to make a big impact” in camp, said Zugec, a 2009 ninth-round pick who saw another potential spot on defense vanish Tuesday. The Otters announced the signing of 2010 pick Liam Maaskant. The club also signed 2008 pick Tyler McCarthy earlier this month.
Club officials are “definitely happy to see me back,” Zugec said. “They were bummed that I didn’t come last year.”
At the time, Zugec didn’t think he was ready. But now, he said, “I wished I would have gone last year.”
Zugec would like to continue playing at the highest level as much for his parents as for himself. “They’ve sacrificed a lot. The options just there aren’t right now,” said Zugec, who would consider enrolling in college if his career ends.
*No surprises: The 3-mile run Monday was grueling. Other off-ice conditioning was equally challenging. The shots on the ice were definitely much harder. “It’s exactly what I expected it to be,” Millcreek Township native and McDowell sophomore Nate Miller, 16, said of his first day at Otters camp Tuesday. “But if you make the team, it’s worth it.”
As a goaltender, Miller figures he wouldn’t earn a roster spot with the Otters until he’s at least 17 or 18 years old. But that’s fine. He still hasn’t chosen between the OHL and NCAA. “I’ll wait a bit. I want to see where I go with college options,” said Miller, who has received interest from NCAA Division I schools such as Ohio State and Western Michigan.
Choosing the NCAA route would be simpler if he hadn’t been picked by the Otters in the 2011 OHL Priority Selection.
“I’d love to play for the hometown team,” he said.
- Victor Fernandes
Posted in: Erie Otters
Posted: June 10th, 2011
Harborcreek Township native Billy Wager, 16, has committed to play for the Honeybaked Hockey Club’s midget major AAA team in the 2011-12 season, his father, Bill, said Friday.
The club, based in Oak Park, Mich., will play in the new High Performance Hockey League, which features six former Tier I Elite Hockey League clubs – Honeybaked, Little Caesars (Detroit), Compuware (Plymouth, Mich.), Chicago Mission, Chicago Young Americans and Team Illinois.
Yet Wager, a goaltender, could earn a spot in the North American Hockey League, the largest Junior A league in the United States, next season. He will attend a tryout camp for the Jamestown (N.Y.) Ironmen, the NAHL’s newest team, next weekend at Jamestown Savings Bank Ice Arena. The league recently approved the move of the Motor City Metal Jackets from suburban Detroit.
Wager also will attend main camp with the NAHL’s St. Louis Bandits in mid-July. He played for Victory Honda’s minor midget AAA team in Plymouth, Mich., this past season. Last weekend, Wager added Canisius to his list of unofficial visits to NCAA Division I schools. The list also includes Boston College, Boston University, Northeastern and Ohio State.
Posted in: Mercyhurst College, Uncategorized
Posted: November 19th, 2010
The Erie Otters have released rookie forward Tim Tankeev, their top pick in the 2010 CHL Import Draft. He will play for the St. Louis Bandits in the North American Hockey League. But the Otters will retain his rights. He had no points and two penalty minutes in three games with the Otters.
Posted in: Erie Otters, Uncategorized
Posted: July 21st, 2010
Rick Gotkin (Contributed/USCHO.com)
Nine student-athletes have agreed to continue their playing careers with the Mercyhurst College men’s hockey team this fall, head coach Rick Gotkin announced today. The class of 2014, consisting of six forwards and three defensemen, will join 17 players returning from a team that finished 15-20-3 in 2009-10.
“We’re very excited about this year’s recruiting class,” Gotkin said. “We felt we really addressed our team’s needs for both the short term and long term. We feel a lot of these players will make an immediate impact this season.”
The class of 2014 brings together student-athletes from five different junior hockey leagues ranging across the United States and Canada. Geographically, three of the incoming freshmen hail from the state of New York, while two others come to Erie, Pa., from Minnesota. Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, California and Ontario each supply Gotkin with one player.
Freshmen Randy Cure (Bloomington, Minn. / Springfield Jr. Blues – North American Hockey League), Trent Frey (River Falls, Wisc. / Springfield Jr. Blues – NAHL), Taylor Holstrom (Yorba Linda, Calif. / Youngstown Phantoms – United States Hockey League), Nate Jensen (Shorewood, Minn. / Tri-City Storm – USHL), Nick Jones (Cranberry Township, Pa. / Jersey Hitmen – Eastern Junior Hockey League), Kyle Just (Arnprior, Ontario / Pembroke Lumberkings – Central Junior Hockey League), John Mousso (Greece, N.Y. / Bridgewater Bandits – EJHL), Dan O’Donaghue (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y. / Des Moines Buccaneers – USHL) and Rudy Sulmonte (Woodhaven, N.Y. / New Jersey Rockets – Atlantic Junior Hockey League) all come to Mercyhurst after accomplishing a great deal at the junior level.
Cure, a 6-foot 3 inch, 200-pound defenseman, joins the Lakers after spending two seasons with the Springfield Jr. Blues. In 41 games last season, he netted three goals and nine assists for 12 points while maintaining a –9 plus / minus rating.
Frey, a 6 foot, 190-pound forward, reunites with Cure as Blues teammate on the Mercyhurst roster this fall. During the 2008-09 season, Frey led the league with 35 goals and ranked third on his team with 52 points, earning himself a spot in the NAHL All-Star Game. His final season saw his production slip due to injuries, scoring 11 goals and accumulating 21 points through 42 games.
Holstrom, a 5 foot 9 inch, 170-pound forward, comes to Mercyhurst via the Youngstown Phantoms. In 2009-10, Holstrom found the back of the net 11 times and dished out 22 assists for 33 points. For his efforts he was named an all-star, joining Team CCM at the 2010 USHL All-Star Game.
Jensen, a 6 foot, 180-pound defenseman, makes his move to Erie after playing for the Tri-City Storm last season. An offensive defenseman, Jensen scored seven goals and added 20 assists for 27 points to rank first in defensemen scoring on the Storm and top-10 in the league.
Jones, a 6 foot 3 inch, 200-pound defenseman, played in 95 games over the past two seasons with the EJHL’s Jersey Hitmen. He made 50 appearances during the 2008-09 season when the Hitmen won the Dineen Championship and, most recently, contributed five goals and 20 assists in 45 games this past season.
Just, a 5 foot 11 inch, 190-pound forward, recorded 33 goals and 54 assists through 55 regular-season games with the Pembroke Lumber Kings in 2009-10. At the end of the 2008-09 campaign he exploded with 14 goals and eight assists in 18 playoff games, earning the league playoff MVP award. A two-time all-star selection, Just also led Team Canada East in scoring at the World Junior A Challenge in 2010.
Mousso, a 5 foot 11 inch, 190-pound forward, led the Bridgewater Bandits in scoring, tallying a team-leading 17 goals and 30 assists for 47 points through 43 games. An EJHL All-Star, he also competed with his high school team his junior season at the Bowman Cup, a New York State all-star game held at the HSBC Arena between the best players from Rochester and Buffalo.
O’Donaghue, a 6 foot 5 inch, 200-pound forward, scored six goals and added two assists for the Des Moines Buccaneers in 2009-10. A season earlier, he played for the New York Bobcats of the AJHL and became one of the team’s top players, showcasing his talents with the MVP award of the 2009 AJHL All-Star Game.
Sulmonte, a 5 foot 9 inch, 180-pound forward, was the fourth leading scorer in the AJHL last season, tallying 32 goals and 70 points through 40 games with the New Jersey Rockets. A true freshman to be at Mercyhurst, Sulmonte was ranked in the National Hockey League Central Scouting’s watch list and was invited to the New York Islanders’ developmental camp earlier this month.
With the additions, Mercyhurst will have 26 players – 16 forwards, eight defensemen and two goaltenders – at for the 2010-11 season.
- From Mercyhurst College news release
Erik Kaminski
Assistant Director of Athletic Communications
Mercyhurst College
501 E. 38th Street
Erie, Pa. 16546
Phone: (814) 824-3338
Mobile: (412) 302-1278
Fax: (814) 824-2591
Website: www.hurstathletics.com
Posted: July 20th, 2010
John Rosso (Contributed/Mercyhurst College)
Mercyhurst College Director of Athletics Joe Kimball announced Monday the hiring of John Rosso as a men’s hockey assistant coach. Rosso, who joins the head coach Rick Gotkin and the Lakers after serving in the same capacity with the Sioux Falls Stampede of the United States Hockey League, replaces Brian Burke, who resigned in June to take over as head coach of Victory Honda in Michigan.
“We’re really excited to welcome John Rosso to the Laker family,” said Gotkin. “With his coaching and recruiting background, we know he will make an immediate impact on our players and the program, and continue to attract the kind of student-athletes that we like to recruit here at Mercyhurst.”
Rosso, a native of Hopkins, Minn., brings an extensive hockey background to the men’s hockey program, serving as an assistant coach and recruiting scout in the USHL, the North American Hockey League, Central Collegiate Hockey Association and Western Hockey League.
Most recently, Rosso helped Sioux Falls to a 27-24-9 record and a fifth-place finish in the Western Division this past season, falling just one point shy of clinching a playoff berth. He also served as the team’s top scout, recruiting and coaching 29 players that received NCAA Division I scholarships.
Prior to joining the Stampede in 2008, Rosso spent three seasons with the Alexandria Blizzard (NAHL), working under head coach and general manager Brad Willner. In his final season, the Blizzard compiled a 29-25-4 regular season record, won the Central Division playoffs and earned a spot in the Robertson Cup Finals.
Rosso got his start in coaching at his alma mater, the University of Nebraska-Omaha, in 2004, serving as a volunteer assistant coach. The Mavericks excelled with him on staff, building a 19-16-4 record and reaching the CCHA Super Six for the first time in four years.
A 2001 graduate of UNO, Rosso earned a degree in history while playing four years of hockey under head coach Mike Kemp. Rosso’s first season as a Maverick in 1997 was a memorable one, as the school reinstated hockey after a 21-year hiatus. Three years into his career the Mavericks made the move to the CCHA and, that same year, reached the conference final after a stunning 7-4 upset of Michigan in the CCHA Final Four. During his career, Rosso was honored with several awards including the UNO Student Achievement and Most Improved Player Awards.
After graduation, Rosso spent three years working as a recruiting scout with the Waterloo Blackhawks (USHL) in 2002, Portland Winterhawks (WHL) in 2003 and Green Bay Gamblers (USHL) in 2004 before returning to Omaha.
- From Mercyhurst College news release
Posted: June 13th, 2010
Vince Scott
The Erie Otters will retire the late Vince Scott’s No. 18 sweater before the OHL club’s home opener this coming fall. Scott, who played for the Otters from 2003-07, died in an automobile accident on April 28.
Scott’s banner will hang in the rafters with Brad Boyes’ No. 16, the first number retired in the 14-year-old franchise’s history. Sherry Bassin, Otters managing partner and general manager, made the announcement during the team’s 15th annual Summer Awards Banquet at Sheraton Erie Bayfront Hotel on Sunday.
“That’s only the right thing to do,” Bassin said of Scott, one of the Otters’ most popular players. “I want to look up in the rafters all the time and look at that number and remember what he meant to us.” Left wing Brett Appio wore No. 18 this past season.
In other news, OHL commissioner David Branch, the banquet’s keynote speaker, emphasized the need for respect among players, as he did in November after suspending former Otter Michael Liambas for the rest of his final junior season for a hit that seriously injured Kitchener rookie Ben Fanelli. “No boos?” Branch jokingly asked the crowd after being introduced. Liambas wasn’t in attendance.
Right wings Anthony Luciani and Shawn Szydlowski will attend Chicago Blackhawks rookie camp later this summer. … The Otters introduced their 2010 OHL draft picks and 2009 prospects, including forward Mac McDonnell, 17, an Allen Park, Mich., native who had five goals, eight points and 18 penalty minutes in 23 games this past season with the North American Hockey League’s Motor City Metal Jackets.
Posted: May 26th, 2010
Harborcreek Township native Billy Wager, 15, wasn’t selected in the North American Hockey League‘s Entry Draft.
The NAHL, a Tier II Junior A league with 28 teams across North America, conducted its 16-round draft on Wednesday. Wager, a goaltender, also was bypassed in the Ontario Hockey League and United States Hockey League drafts earlier this month.
Posted in: Erie Otters, Uncategorized
Posted: May 18th, 2010
Harborcreek Township native Billy Wager wasn’t selected in the United States Hockey League’s Futures Draft on Tuesday – nearly three weeks after being bypassed in the OHL Priority Selection.
Wager, 15, a sophomore at Harbor Creek High School, attended the inaugural USHL Combine last weekend in Orland Park, Ill. An Indiana Ice official contacted the family on Sunday about Wager’s interest in the USHL, the nation’s top junior league that features 16 teams located mainly in the Midwest.
Wager expressed his interest, his father, Bill, said, even though he likely would spend the next year or two developing his goaltending skills at the Under-18 or North American Hockey League level.
But every team passed on Wager in the Futures Draft, which consisted of prospects born in 1994. The USHL Entry Draft, which features players born between 1990 and 1993, is set for today.
Wager could be selected in the NAHL Entry Draft on May 26. He also has received offers from a few U-16 clubs. For now, Wager will focus on earning a spot with a U-18 AAA club.
A coach from Victory Honda, an AAA organization based in Plymouth Township, Mich., drove to Toronto a week ago to watch Wager play with the East Coast Selects in the Toronto Prospects Tournament. Victory Honda officials haven’t finalized their goaltending situation, Bill Wager said.
The Cleveland Barons invited Wager to participate in the team’s mini-camp this weekend. But he already committed to attend a tryout with the Ohio Jr. Blue Jackets this weekend.
- Victor Fernandes
– Victor Fernandes
Posted in: Uncategorized
Posted: April 20th, 2010
Pittsburgh – The North American Prospects Hockey League (NAPHL), an affiliate of the North American Hockey League (NAHL), has announced that the Pittsburgh Viper Stars AAA Tier I amateur hockey club is one of the 20 programs (46 total teams) from across the United States that will participate in NAPHL play for the 2010-2011 season.
The Viper Stars will field teams in each of the league’s three divisions of play: Midget Major U18 (players born between 1992 – 1995), Midget Minor U16 (players born between 1994 – 1995) and Bantam U14 (players born between 1996 – 1997).
The NAPHL, which will begin its second season in 2010-11, has established itself as the premier amateur league in North America. With junior, college and professional scouting presence at all of its events, coupled with a first-class organizational staff, the NAPHL offers unparalleled exposure and opportunity for every participating program.
“We are very excited to have been accepted to participate in the NAPHL,” offered 18U AAA Pittsburgh Viper Stars head coach Dave Kosick. “This is a great opportunity for the top players from the tri-state area to increase their exposure to junior, collegiate and professional opportunities tenfold.”
The NAHL, which hosts a NAPHL Top Prospects Tournament at its Robertson Cup Championship Tournament, also uses its extensive marketing and media reach to promote the NAPHL, its programs and players through the league’s official Web site (www.nahl.com), equipment supplier programs and award sponsors.
The NAPHL will open the 2010-2011 season with the North American Hockey League Future Prospects Tournament, held in conjunction with the NAHL Showcase Tournament, Sept. 16 – 19, at the Schwan Super Rink in Blaine, MN.
The NAHL office, which oversees, operates and manages the NAPHL, guarantees a coach or scout from each of its 24 teams to be in attendance at every NAPHL event and uses an exclusive tendering system for NAPHL players only.
Other member teams of the NAPHL for the 2010-2011 season include:
Midget Major (U18) – Boston (MA) Jr. Rangers; California Titans; Detroit (MI) Falcons; Indiana (IN) Jr. Ice; Lansing (MI) Capitals; Milwaukee (WI) Jr. Admirals; Motor City (MI) Metal Jackets; Omaha (NE) AAA; Pikes Peak (CO) Miners; Pittsburgh Vipers Stars; San Jose (CA) Jr. Sharks; St Louis (MO) Selects; Team Rocky Mountain (CO); Texas Tornado; TPH (TN) Thunder; DC Capitals; Green Bay (WI) Jr. Gamblers; and Wenatchee (WA) Wild.
Midget Minor (U16) – Boston (MA) Jr. Rangers; California Titans; Detroit (MI) Falcons; Indiana Jr. Ice; Lansing (MI) Capitals; Milwaukee (WI) Jr. Admirals; Motor City (MI) Metal Jackets; Omaha (NE) AAA; Pikes Peak (CO) Miners; Pittsburgh Vipers Stars; San Jose (CA) Jr. Sharks; St Louis (MO) Selects; Team Rocky Mountain (CO); Texas Tornado; TPH (TN) Thunder; and Nevada Stars.
Bantam (U14) – California Titans; Detroit (MI) Falcons; Indiana Jr. Ice; Lansing (MI) Capitals; Milwaukee (WI) Jr. Admirals; Motor City (MI) Metal Jackets; Pikes Peak (CO) Miners; Pittsburgh Vipers Stars; San Jose (CA) Jr. Sharks; St Louis (MO) Selects; Team Rocky Mountain (CO); and Texas Tornado.
The 19-member North American Hockey League, expanding to 26 teams in 2010-2011, is the only USA Hickey sanctioned Tier II Junior A league. The NAHL prides itself on the social maturity and skill development of student-athletes with aspirations of advancing to collegiate and/or professional hockey.
The Pittsburgh Viper Stars AAA program has offered the tri-state region’s top amateur ice hockey players an opportunity to showcase their skills on a national and international level over the past 26 years. Drawing players primarily from western Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia and eastern Ohio, the Pittsburgh Viper Stars showcase players for junior, collegiate and other opportunities.
Included among the highlights from the 2009-10 season, the Viper Stars 18U AAA team’s final season record (42 – 27 – 7 – 1) placed them tied for sixth in the nation with wins; and the ranking of center Matt White at #106 on the final rankings of the National Hockey League’s Central Scouting draft report.
For more information on the Pittsburgh Vipers or tryout information, call the Viper hot-line at (724) 335-9005 or visit www.pittsburghvipers.com.
- From Pittsburgh Viper Stars news release
