Posts Tagged ‘TPH Trained’
Cameron Morrissey Commits to D1 NCAA Vermont
Tri State Spartans and TPH are extremely proud to announce that one of our family members just verbally committed to play D1 NCAA women’s hockey at one of top hockey programs in the country for both men and women.
A huge congrats from your Spartans/TPH family to Cameron Morrissey on her acceptance to play hockey at the University of Vermont. Great day for you and your family. Congrats you deserve it as much as anyone.
Cameron has been training with TPH for several years and also with the great Coach Kelly Perrault and the Dayton area Spartans since our inception 2 1/2 yrs ago. She plays her winter hockey for a top ranked Little Caesars. Very very proud of you, best of luck, you will do awesome!
Renars Krastenbergs Commits to Generals
JULY 28, 2016
OSHAWA, ON – The Oshawa Generals announced today that Latvian forward Renars Krastenbergs has committed to the club.
Krastenbergs was selected by the Generals during second round (77th overall) of the 2016 CHL Import Draft. Kratsenbergs represented Latvia last year at the 2016 Under-18 World Championship. He led the team in points during the tournament scoring twice while adding six assists in eight games. He spent last season with the TPH Thunder AAA where he scored nine goals and nine assists in 30 games.
“This is another exciting addition to the Generals from this draft class,” said Vice President and General Manager Roger Hunt. “After watching Renars at the Under-18 World Championship we know he will bring added skill to our line-up and compliment the current players we have in our locker room.”
Kratsenbergs will look to impress scouts next season as he is eligible for the 2017 NHL Draft.
For more information, please visit oshawagenerals.com.
18 TPH-trained players selected in 2017 OHL Priority Selection
NINE ARE STUDENT-ATHLETES AT THE TPH CENTER OF EXCELLENCE PROGRAMS IN CANTON AND HAZEL PARK.
The 2017 Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection took place on April 8, with a new crop of hockey players hearing their names called by OHL franchises. Eighteen Total Package Hockey-trained players were selected during the 15-round selection process. Of that number, nine are student-athletes at the TPH Center of Excellence programs in Canton and Hazel Park.
“It has been 10 short years since I have been a part of the TPH Family, and the COE has made unbelievable strides in developing elite players. Not only are they dedicated on ice, but what I think separates COE players is their off-ice work ethic, whether it’s in the classroom or weight room. TPH COE gives players all the tools they need to prepare for their journey to play at the highest level, ” said OHL Director of Player Recruitment Daniel Broussard.
“The credit goes to the kids,” said TPH Detroit director Brandon Naurato. “They are the ones sacrificing and doing the work daily to put themselves in this position.”
Over the past two seasons, 20 TPH Center of Excellence players have been selected by OHL franchises.
“We couldn’t be more proud of our players and how they are representing the Center of Excellence Program,” said TPH Detroit director Brandon Naurato. “It’s not a secret that every player that attends our school will see a huge impact in their game when it comes to on-ice skill development, but that is not what the school is all about. It’s not just a hockey school and we don’t want that label. It’s the players that take advantage of all of the other resources that have the opportunity to become special. Our players go on school visits, they give back to a family in need during the holidays, and the older players serve as mentors to the younger students at TPH. Those are the daily choices that lead to high character young men who are helping us build that distinct culture.”
Total Package Hockey would like to congratulate the following players on being selected by Ontario Hockey League franchises Saturday in the league’s annual Priority Selection.
Round 1
Tag Bertuzzi – OHL Cup participant – Guelph Storm
Grayson Ladd – World Select Invite participant – Kitchener Rangers
Nicholas Robertson – World Select Invite participant – Peterborough Petes
Round 2
Marcus Gretz – TPH Center of Excellence – Flint
Arthur Kaliyev – TPH Center of Excellence – Hamilton
Mack Guzda – TPH Center of Excellence – Owen Sound
Andrew Perrott – TPH Center of Excellence – London
Round 4
Mitchell Miller – TPH Center of Excellence – Sarnia Sting
Round 5
Johnny Beecher – OHL Cup participant – Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
Dylan Wendt – TPH Center of Excellence – Owen Sound Attack
Hunter Skinner – TPH Center of Excellence – London Knights
Round 6
Egor Afanasyev – OHL Cup participant – Ottawa 67’s
Brendan Kischnick – TPH Center of Excellence – Erie Otters
Round 7
Cameron Rowe – OHL Cup participant – London Knights
Round 8
Jayden Jensen – OHL Cup participant – Hamilton Bulldogs
Round 10
Jordan Smith – World Select Invite participant – Peterborough Petes
Round 12
Michael Mancinelli – TPH Center of Excellence – Hamilton Bulldogs
Davis Pennington – OHL Cup participant – Peterborough Petes
21 TPH Trained Players Selected in USHL Draft
THE 2017 USHL DRAFT TOOK PLACE ON MAY 1-2, AND A NEW GROUP OF TOTAL PACKAGE HOCKEY-TRAINED PLAYERS HEARD THEIR NAMES CALLED DURING THE PHASE I AND PHASE II DRAFTS.
Twenty-one of the players selected by USHL franchises are TPH-trained players through the Center of Excellence, the eight-week summer progressional program, Michigan Hockey Advancement or the TPH OHL Cup tournament team. Thirteen of those are student-athletes currently or previously enrolled in the TPH CoE in Canton and Hazel Park.
CLICK HERE to apply to the Center of Excellence
CLICK HERE to view info or register for the 8-Week Progressional program
Over the course of the last two USHL Drafts, 27 TPH Center of Excellence student-athletes have been claimed by USHL teams. The TPH Detroit staff has seen 67 players in the 1996-2001 birth-years enter the CoE program since 2014, and 43 of them have either been drafted or already rostered on a junior league team. That’s 64 percent of the total count, with many more players expected to get their chance soon, too.
“The TPH Detroit staff is incredibly proud of the student-athletes selected in this week’s USHL Draft,” said TPH Detroit director Brandon Naurato. “These players work tremendously hard to create these opportunities for themselves, and we’re just here to help them along the way. They have earned this recognition and these chances to take their careers to the next level – we can’t wait to see what they do when they get there.”
Name – USHL franchise – Round selected – TPH Training
Phase I Draft
Mitchell Miller – Cedar Rapids RoughRiders – Round 2 – CoE
Michael Mancinelli – Madison Capitols – Round 2 – CoE
Carson Riddle – Sioux City Musketeers – Round 2 – CoE
Andrew Perrott – Madison Capitols – Round 3 – CoE
Dylan Wendt – Green Bay Gamblers – Round 3 – CoE
Jacob Badal – Dubuque Fighting Saints – Round 3 – Eight-week program
Davis Pennington – Dubuque Fighting Saints – Round 6 – Eight-week program/OHL Cup
Sam Antenucci – Green Bay Gamblers – Round 7 – Eight-week program
Brenden Kischnick – Muskegon Lumberjacks – Round 7 – CoE
Cullen Ward – Lincoln Stars – Round 10 – OHL Cup
Phase II Draft
Will MacKinnon – Des Moines Buccaneers – Round 1 – CoE
Zach Faremouth – Muskegon Lumberjacks – Round 6 – CoE
Jack Clement – Chicago Steel – Round 7 – Eight-week program/MHA
Ryan Burnett – Bloomington Thunder – Round 10 – Eight-week program/MHA
Connor McGinnis – Lincoln Stars – Round 12 – Eight-week program/MHA
Grant Rinke – Des Moines Buccaneers – Round 17 – CoE
Jake Transit – Dubuque Fighting Saints – Round 18 – CoE
Max Sasson – Muskegon Lumberjacks – Round 19 – CoE
Brock Morganroth – Muskegon Lumberjacks – Round 21 – CoE
Center of Excellence Student Wins Two National Championships in Two Months
What defenseman Xan Gurney accomplished during the 2016-17 campaign was certainly one of the rarer feats seen in the youth hockey world.
The Grosse Ile native started the 2016-17 season skating for Compuware 16U. By the end of it, Gurney became a national champion in not one, but two leagues.
Gurney, a Total Package Hockey Center of Excellence student, brought home a USA Hockey national title with Compuware on April 10 in Pittsburgh after his squad took down Shattuck St. Mary’s.
A month later, Gurney helped the Chicago Steel capture the USHL’s Clark Cup in five games over the Sioux City Musketeers. The Steel captured the junior league’s title on May 23.
“It was an unbelievable ride with both teams really and it was just a great experience for both of them,” Gurney said. “It’s definitely been a year to remember.”
Gurney, a Western Michigan commit, was a late-season call up for the Steel, skating in one regular season game – in which he recorded an assist – and ten postseason games en route to the championship.
“It was an unbelievable experience winning it,” Gurney said of the Clark Cup run. “The guys here took me in and made me a part of the team. It was awesome seeing everyone come together.”
The TPH student-athlete credited his experience with the program helping him reach the next level of hockey.
“TPH really has helped me make the step up to the next level,” Gurney said. “It’s an unbelievable school that I believe is the reason I’ve had such a great year.”
Written by Stefan Kubus
30 TPH Detroit-trained Players Claimed by NAHL franchises
Total Package Hockey Detroit is proud to announce that 30 TPH-trained players have been claimed by North American Hockey League franchises, either by signing players to an NAHL tender or by selecting them in the 2017 NAHL Draft on June 6.
Of those 30 players claimed, five tenders and four draft picks were used on TPH Center of Excellence student-athletes. Eight tenders and six draft choices were used on players who took part in the Michigan Hockey Advancement high school program, while the remaining players selected came from TPH’s eight-week summer training program.
“We’re extremely proud of this latest group of players earning spots with NAHL franchises,” said Total Package Hockey Detroit hockey director Brandon Naurato. “They have put in the time and the effort necessary to take another step in their hockey career, and the NAHL provides excellent opportunities for players looking to move through the ranks and progress into college hockey.”
In the last two years, TPH has helped 64 players earn tenders or draft selections by NAHL franchises.
TPH-trained tenders:
Chase Pletzke – Lone Star Brahamas – TPH CoE/Eight-week program/OHL Cup
Cannon Green – Shreveport Mudbugs – CoE/Eight-week program
Jake Transit – Shreveport Mudbugs – CoE/Eight-week program
Max Sasson – Brookings Blizzard – CoE
Valentino Passarelli – Aston Rebels – CoE
Zach Sprys-Tellner – Aberdeen Rebels – MHA/Eight-week program
Jack Clement – Shreveport Mudbugs – MHA/Eight-week program
Connor McGinnis – Shreveport Mudbugs – MHA/Eight-week program
Jason Brancheau – Amarillo Bulls – MHA
Mike McInerney – Amarillo Bulls – MHA/Eight-week program
CJ Regula – Corpus Christi IceRays – MHA
Logan Neaton – Fairbanks Ice Dogs – MHA/Eight-week program
Andrew Kormos – New Jersey Titans – MHA/Eight-week program
TPH-trained draft picks:
Evan Rochowiak – Odessa Jackalopes – MHA/Eight-week program
Hunter Carrick – Johnstown Tomahawks – OHL Cup
Declan Carlile – Fairbanks Ice Dogs – Eight-week program
Drew Cooper – Minnesota Magicians – Eight-week program
Matt Staudacher – Minnesota Magicians – Eight-week program
Christian Stoever – Wilkes-Barre Knights – CoE/Eight-week program
Zach Faremouth – Shreveport Mudbugs – CoE
Austin Roell – Lone Star Brahamas – MHA/Eight-week program
Michael Montambault – Lone Star Brahamas – Eight-week program
Jed Pietila – Aberdeen Wings – MHA
Nick Azarovitz – Johnstown Tomahawks – CoE/Eight-week program
Griffen Sanom – Brookings Blizzard – MHA/Eight-week program
Jack Tucker – Corpus Christi – OHL Cup
Alex Lycett – Kenai River – MHA
Spencer Kimball – Minot Minotauros – MHA/Eight-week program
Matt Stoia – Odessa Jackalopes – Eight Week Program/OHL Cup/CoE
Winnipeg nabs Mudbugs defenseman in NHL draft
Croix Evingson made Mudbugs history Saturday.
In the seventh round of the NHL Draft, the Winnipeg Jets selected the Shreveport Mudbugs defenseman with the 211th overall selection.
Shreveport Mudbugs defenseman Croix Evingson was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets.(Photo: Henrietta Wildsmith/The Times)
The 6-foot-5, 209-pound Alaska native captured Defenseman of the Year honors in the North American Hockey League for the 2016-17 season. He led all blue-liners with 52 points (12 goals, 40 assists).
Evingson is committed to play college hockey at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell.
The Mudbugs recently completed their first season in the NAHL, a Tier-II junior league. Evingson is the player in the history of the franchise to be drafted after playing in Shreveport.
Twitter: @RoyLangIII
Original Article:
TPH Alum Attends Red Wings Development Camp
MITCH ELIOT TRYING TO “BE A SPONGE” AT RED WINGS’ DEVELOPMENT CAMP
Photo by Michael Caples/MiHockey
Mitch Eliot’s first Red Wings’ development camp has come with a few bumps and bruises.
It’s summer hockey, sure, but it doesn’t mean the guys aren’t competing. Hard not to when the likes of Ken Holland, Jeff Blashill, Todd Nelson and the rest of the Red Wings’ management team are all watching.
Eliot took a stick to the face from Mattias Elfstrom near the end of the first day of training, but it didn’t stop him from raving about the start of the camp.
“It was good, it was a cool first skate,” Eliot said. “It’s good to get on the ice today and get the nerves out of you. It’s my first camp, so it was enjoyable and cool to be out here and put this gear on.”
The Grosse Pointe native is one of three Michigan natives at the camp in Traverse City, along with Adam Larkin and Tommy Marchin, Eliot’s former teammate with the Muskegon Lumberjacks in 2014-15. Fellow free-agent invite Michael Pastujov was Eliot’s teammate at Honeybaked, as well.
Photo by Michael Caples/MiHockey
Eliot, entering his sophomore season at Michigan State, said he wants to take in everything from the week-long camp.
“I think just to learn, be a sponge and soak it all in,” he said. “For me, it’s my first camp, so I’m watching everything, kind of out here to just have fun and enjoy it, but most of all just learn as much as I can.”
He’s trying to focus on playing and learning, rather than being distracted by who’s sitting in the stands watching.
“Not so much,” he said when asked if it was nerve-wracking to skate in front of Holland. “That kind of concept has helped me throughout the last few years of my career. You’re not really thinking about that, just trying to learn as much as you can, watch as much as you can and enjoy it.”
Photo by Michael Caples/MiHockey
The son of former Red Wings goaltender and Fox Sports Detroit analyst Darren Eliot said he headed to Traverse City with simple advice from his dad.
“Just to enjoy it, learn as much as you can,” Eliot said. “Just take everything with a grain of salt and keep learning, really.”
The 19-year-old blueliner will be trying to take his development camp experience back to East Lansing, where he will be playing for a new coaching staff in 2017-18. The Spartans are set to start a new era under former USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program head coach and MSU product Danton Cole.
“I think the new staff will be fantastic,” Eliot said. “I’m looking forward to learning from them and playing under them next year. For me, as a sophomore, I’m trying to have a bigger role than I did last year. Hopefully we’ll have a little more success than we did last year.”
Original article from mihockeynow.com
TPH Alum has Sights Set for the NHL
CAN PAUL MCAVOY BECOME KENTUCKY’S FIRST NHL PLAYER?
Kentucky has been home to minor-league ice hockey teams, and the sport has a growing club presence around the Bluegrass State.
Still, it’s one of 10 states including Arkansas, Hawaii, Kansas, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, South Dakota, Tennessee and Wyoming believed not to have ever produced an NHL player.
Photo: Surrey Eagles
Paul McAvoy, an incoming freshman for the Division I Colgate University hockey team in Hamilton, NY, would love to be the player to end the drought in his home state.
“I’m trying to show that my roots from Kentucky are not by accident or by chance, that Kentucky is what molded me into a hockey player,” said McAvoy, a 20-year-old Richmond, Kentucky., native. “That’s what I would want to get across to the country if I had a chance to play at a higher level than I am now.”
Though hockey has led him around North America, it was in Kentucky that he fell in love with the game.
“When I was around 5 years old we had the Kentucky Thoroughblades for like a year or two – the AHL team – and my dad took me to a game and I loved it,” McAvoy said. “It sparked my interest right away.”
So instead of a basketball, he opted for a stick and skates, carrying on his father’s love for hockey at the Lexington Ice and Recreation Center by playing for a local youth team called the Lexington Lightning.
It wasn’t long before McAvoy and his parents could see that he was talented on the ice. He played as much as he could at the rinks in Lexington and Louisville, however, limited practice time and lower-level competition prevented McAvoy from growing his game once he reached his teens.
After gaining attention from TPH Thunder AAA, an elite-level all-star team, during his last year playing for the Louisville Stallions, McAvoy left Richmond at age 13 to move to Huntsville, Alabama. It was the biggest commitment he had ever made because he had to leave behind his family and also embrace the lofty expectations of a program known for developing NCAA-caliber players. TPH Thunder boasts 51 NCAA commitments on its website.
“I missed my family a lot, that was No. 1,” McAvoy said. “It was a tough transition for me — being 13 and all. I ended up moving home halfway through the season because I was homesick, but it was a nice thing for that team to have players from all over the Southeast because I could still live (in Kentucky) and play for them.”
From there, his nomadic lifestyle would begin. Ever since, McAvoy has lived in Cleveland, Ohio; Dallas, Texas; Hamden, Conn.; Surrey, British Columbia; and now Hamilton, NY. At each stop, he stayed with a host family, known as a billet family.
Photo: Colgate Men’s Hockey Twitter (@Colgate_Hockey)
“After the first year in Alabama I got used to it,” McAvoy said. “The billet families are so important in that process of easing you into your new environment, and teammates help, but every year was a struggle at first to get acclimated to a new place and a new school. … After the first couple of weeks, it’s awesome because you get to see a new city and a new place that you wouldn’t get to see normally without hockey.”
The most noteworthy stops along his journey came after his junior hockey years. Hamden and Surrey are where McAvoy played for the Connecticut Oilers in the Eastern Hockey League and the Surrey Eagles in the British Columbia Hockey League. Those two leagues are widely known as developmental leagues for some of the most talented players in North America and have produced a long list of NHL players. It was there where he began to catch the eye of college hockey coaches.
“It’s interesting because my newly hired assistant coach (Juliano Pagliero) knew of Paul from a camp that he worked in Nashville when Paul was probably around 14, but then we lost track of him,” Colgate coach Don Vaughan said. “Then he resurfaced again when he was in the EHL in Connecticut. So we were once again aware of him when Pagliero joined our staff, but it wasn’t until he got to Surrey that we really zeroed in on him.”
McAvoy won the 2014-15 EHL Championship with Connecticut in his lone year with the Oilers. He followed that up with two years in Surrey, tallying 32 goals and 48 assists through 98 games. Along with his statistical contributions, he also served as the Eagles’ captain and was named the team’s 2015-16 MVP.
“He’s a leader,” Vaughan said. “He was the captain of Surrey for two years. When you see that in a player … that said a lot to me about the type of person that he is and the kind of kid we want in our program.”
There is no doubt his success at the previous levels has raised the expectations from his college coaches for his first season with the Raiders. However, nobody puts more pressure on McAvoy than himself.
“When I first noticed (McAvoy is from Kentucky) was on his recruiting visit with his father,” Vaughan said. “It is a fascinating story, and one that I wanted to hear more of. He has the drive to do it and an unbelievable support system at home based on what they had to do to keep Paul in the game. … He’s not coming from a traditional hockey area, so I’m sure every time he walked into a new organization people were looking at him funny out of the corner of their eye.”
With his NHL aspirations, McAvoy has now become one of Kentucky’s best chances to land a player at the highest level of the sport. Even if it takes him a few years after college, he won’t give up his dream until he’s content with time he’s spent around the game.
“I think hockey is one of those things where you have to play until the fun wears out,” McAvoy said. “All sports are supposed to be fun, so once the fun stops treating me well, that’s the point that I will call it, but I think that’s a long time into the future. I’m trying to have fun with every day that I have here at Colgate, and if a professional opportunity comes along it should be even more fun.”
Whether he reaches the professional level or not, McAvoy hopes children in Kentucky with interest in hockey will notice his rise in the sport and continue to pursue their dream the same way.
“It’s been a long ride, but it’s been fun,” McAvoy said. “Anybody in Kentucky that’s thinking about hockey should know that it’s a sport that not only prepares you for high-level athletics, but it’s also about life. The lessons you learn growing up, from being mature, to being on your own, to teamwork, to work ethic are incredible.”
Avalanche Training Camp: Compher Stands Out!
Hello from Magness Arena, where a Zamboni is out there right now resurfacing the ice following the Colorado Avalanche annual Burgundy-White game. This, after J.T. Compher wiped the competition on the same ice Sunday.
Compher, no question about it, was the No. 1 star of the game. He scored two goals – one a hard-to-the-net rebound putback against a rusty-looking Semyon Varlamov, and the other a pinpoint slap shot to the top left corner from the right circle. He helped his White team to an easy 6-2 win.
Compher was his usual “I don’t want to talk about myself, just about my team” unsmiling self after the game. “Intense” is definitely the word to best describe the ginger-haired 22-year-old from Northbrook, Ill. Compher’s idea of fun this summer was to punish himself every day in the Michigan area under the auspices of a new trainer and skills coach, Brandon Naurato. Compher was never slow, but he looks noticeably quicker than during his first season split between San Antonio and the Avs.
“I skated with (Naurato) for about eight weeks, working on a lot of stuff to help create space for myself, and a lot of shooting. It definitely helped pay off today,” Compher said.
Compher skated on lines with several players, but started the day centering a line with A.J. Greer and Nail Yakupov.
“J.T. is skating noticeably well,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “He had two perfect shots today. He’s moving real well and that’s why he’s getting a few more chances.”
Yakupov, who is on a one-year “prove-it” contract with the Avs (for more on his thoughts of making the team, click here), was another shining star on the day. He finished with two assists, both of the high-skill variety. He slipped a nice little lead pass to Compher for his right-circle snipe and dished some sweet sauce to Travis Barron on a 2-on-1 that the prospect finished off.
Other news, notes and observations from the game:
- Andrei Mironov, the former KHL defender, did himself a lot of good Sunday. He scored a goal on a big slap shot and nearly scored on a similar shot, and generally looked steady in his own end. Bednar said Mironov seems to be slowing the game down a little better in his mind, not quite the scrambly, nervous-looking guy of the rookie showcase last weekend in San Jose.
- Bednar said Chris Bigras, vying for a depth spot on the Avs’ defensive group, was just “OK” in the game. Bigras had a couple of turnovers and mishandled the puck a couple of other times. Bednar seemed more upbeat about the play of fellow rookie hopeful Duncan Siemens, who was very physical and jumped into the play offensively at times too.
- Barron scored two goals, including an empty-netter, and has looked solid so far in camp and in the showcase. He won’t make the club out of camp, but he’s shown well as a big winger.
- D-man David Warsofsky had a good day, scoring one of Burgundy’s two goals and playing a fast game with the puck.
- Varlamov looked, well, not great. He allowed five goals on 28 shots and just seemed rusty. But he seemed to move well enough, and he was hung out to dry a couple of times by a Burgundy defense that struggled.
- Sven Andrighetto scored the other Burgundy goal and was slippery with the puck most of the day.
- Brady Shaw needed some help off the ice after taking a big hit. He seemed to have suffered a possible head injury, but there was no immediate word on this condition.
- Alex Kerfoot had a quiet day on the score sheet and nearly gave Burgundy a gift goal when a back pass in his own zone was intercepted for a mini-breakaway. He did make a couple of nice passes, but overall he probably won’t remember the day with great fondness.
Click here to view the article on BSNDenver.com.