Atlantic Junior Hockey League (AJHL)

AJHL'ers Are Now NHL Prospects for 2008 NHL Entry Draft
May 1, 2008

John Carlson (left) and Jordan Samuels-Thomas (right) of New Jersey Rockets and Hartford Jr. Wolfpack, respectively, are now National Hockey League prospects looking to be drafted in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

The Central Scouting Branch of the NHL has announced the final ranking for the Entry Draft and 25 USHL players born in North America have made the list. Two of those players, Carlson and Samuels-Thomas have come from within the AJHL.

John Carlson is projected to be the top-rated prospect and will most likely be picked in the first round. Carlson played for the New Jersey Rockets Jr. A team in 06-07, and was the top defenseman in the league at only 16 years old. He played two games with the Jr. B team and was moved right up to play Jr. A. “It was a tough move,” said Carlson, “playing against 20-year-olds at the age of 15 seemed hard, but it was the right move.”

This season John Carlson played for the Indiana Ice of the USHL and led his team in goals, power play goals and shots from the defensive position. Carlson in expected to go 17th in the draft. He has committed to UMASS Amherst where he will further develop before you see him in the NHL.

Carlson’s former coach Bob Thornton of the New Jersey Rockets is very excited for John. “This is what our program is all about, prospects like John are what we build the junior program around,” Thornton stated. You can look for John to make a big impact in the NHL in the near future.

Jordan Samuels-Thomas also made the NHL Draft prospect list. Jordan came from the Hartford Jr. Wolf Pack organization where he developed his skills and speed. Wolf Pack president Bob Crawford, who has known Jordan since the age of six, added that he is a great player, a good kid and is constantly progressing.

Jordan is currently playing with the Waterloo Black Hawks in the USHL and will spend another season there before he starts his college career at Bowling Green University. (Waterloo has made the Finals and Jordan will get the chance to play for the Clark Cup starting this weekend) The 6’4” power forward with have the chance to develop and improve his game before making his pro debut.

On behalf of the AJHL we congratulate both players on their success and look forward to hearing their names called come draft day.

Parker Commits to UMASS – Amherst
April 4, 2008

John Parker

Sixteen-year-old John Parker has verbally committed to UMASS Amherst for the 2010-11 season to play Division I college hockey. Parker was one of the youngest players in the Atlantic Junior Hockey League this past season. He was only fifteen at the beginning of the season and turned sixteen half way through.

Parker was one of the top players in the league. He averaged almost one point per game, played in all 44 regulars season games and played a key role in the New Jersey Rockets success this season. The Rockets won the Regular Season Title with 66 points and received an automatic bid to the Junior A Tier III National Tournament.

Parker contributed greatly on the Rockets power play and penalty kill and will fit well in the UMASS – Amherst program. He was also selected to participate in the 2008 AJHL All Star game. Parker will have two more years of junior hockey to prepare himself for Division I college hockey.

Three Little Flyers Commit to UMASS - Boston
April 4, 2008

Three Philadelphia Little Flyers will join former forward Eric Tuffman at UMASS – Boston next season. Anthony Fitti, Andrew Burke and Wayne Sands will all make the jump to Division III hockey to continue their playing careers. The Little Flyers lost in the league championship series this season but had a very successful playoff run coming from the 3rd seed in the South Division.

Fitti had a hat trick in the last game of the season giving him 19 goals and 30 assists on the year. Burke was one of the Little Flyers top forwards. He was always matched up against the opponent’s top line and had a great sense for the game. He finished the season with 13 goals and 26 assists. Sands was the top d-man for Philly. He led the team with 10 goals and 35 assists from the point. His 45 points put him third overall in the league among defenseman. All three players were selected to the AJHL All Star game this season and will add plenty of chemistry to the UMASS line up.

>> Click here for promotions available to all AMHL families.
>> Click here to find out about your best lease deal.

#12 – Ryan Holley - Forward - Washington Jr. Nationals - St. Anselm College - ECAC Northeast Division II

Ryan Holley has committed to play the 2008-09 hockey season at St. Anselm College. Holley is a two-time AJHL All Star and was a leading force that helped bring his team to the AJHL Semi-Finals this past season.

Holley is a very talented forward who has great play making abilities. He led his club in assists last season with 32 and was second in points, tailing 51. In his three years with the Jr. Nats, he accumulated an impressive 104 points. Ryan will be a great fit with St. Anselm where he will develop into a skilled NCAA student athlete.

Former Philadelphia Little Flyer Makes Pro Debut

Cyclones Win over Ice Hawks But Fall Short In Semi Finals

Cyclones Dominate Over Cleveland

Cyclones Start Off Strong by Defeating the Helena Bighorns 5-1

AJHL Alumni Making an Impression in ECAC East Hockey

Two New Faces Behind the Benches for 08-09 Season

Former AJHL Player John Carlson to be a First Round Draft Pick

Northern Cyclones and New Jersey Rockets Represent AJHL in 2008 Junior A Tier III National Championships

Cyclones Win!

Little Flyers Goalie Matt Tendler's Thoughts on Game Day

MVP - Ian Morrison Award
Tim Coffman – Laconia Leafs – Forward

Coffman had a great 2007-08 season leading the league in points with 82. (43 goals and 39 assists) Despite only winning five games this season, Coffman was the reason for keeping the Leafs close in many of their games throughout the season. Tim has been looked at by many Division I and III universities and has many options in the future when choosing where to play his college hockey career.

Rookie of the Year
Jarred Tinordi – Washington Jr. Nationals – Defenseman

The 6’2’’-160lb defenseman for the Washington Jr. Nationals helped lead his club deep into the playoffs. For his first year in the league, Tinordi played a very solid defensive role for the team along with recording 15 points on the offensive side. Tinordi was a force in front of his own net. Very rarely would you see teams scoring goals against Washington when #23 was on ice.

Goaltender of the Year
Nick Broadwater – Portland Jr. Pirates
Portland, ME native, Nick Broadwater was the backbone of the Portland Jr. Pirates this season. He recorded 598 saves in the regular season and was a key reason why the Jr. Pirates finished first in the North Division. Broadwater finished with a 2.74 GAA and a .910 save percentage in his 25 games that he started. He gave his team a chance to win every game that he was between the pipes.

Defenseman of the Year
Kevin Miller – Hartford Jr. Wolf Pack

Miller had a great year with the Jr. Wolf Pack on defense. He played extremely well in his own zone and faired pretty well in the offensive territory. He was tied for first in the league among defenseman with 10 goals. (Tied with 3 other defenseman) Miller also tallied 27 assists to put him in fourth in the league in scoring among defenseman.

OFFENSIVE
Defenseman of the Year
Chris Labella – Walpole Express

Labella could rush the puck with the best of them in the AJHL, the only difference was that his position was defense. Labella had a great season with the Express taking them all the way to the semi-finals against the Philadelphia Little Flyers. Labella recorded 6 goals and 24 assist for 30 points. He also only recorded 9 penalties all year long.

DEFENSIVE
Forward of the Year
Mike Ashley – Boston Bulldogs

Captain Mike Ashley of the Boston Bulldogs did it all this season. He killed penalties, played on the first power play unit and completed regular shifts. As a center he was great in his own defensive zone helping out his d-men in the corners and getting the puck up and out of the Bulldogs zone. Ashley recorded an impressive 45 points in 45 games this season.

Coaches of the Year
Jay Pecora – Portland Jr. Pirates and
Ed Galiani – New York Bobcats
Head coaches Jay Pecora (Portland) and Ed Galiani (New York) are both deserving of the Coach of the Year award. Pecora has led his club into the playoffs for yet another season and has kept his team focused on reaching one goal at a time. His first goal was to win the regular season. It was extremely close as they tied NJ with 66 points, however Portland’s winning percentage was .017 less than NJ, being that they played one more game than NJ. Jay was selected as the head coach for the North All Stars this season.

Ed Galiani was in his first year with the Bobcats as head coach and took the club to a second place finish in the South Division. Ed also made an appearance as an assistant coach for the South All Star team. Ed and his team had to deal with many injuries this season and a few bumps in the road, however Ed did a great job keeping his team close and competitive.