RoughRiders send talented bunch to NAPHL, ECEL All-Star Games
Several Rocky Mountain RoughRiders players were recently recognized as league All-Stars in the North American Prospects Hockey League (PHL) and East Coast Elite League (ECEL).
The ECEL 16U and 18U All-Star Games were played on the campus of Yale University on Dec. 19, while the PHL’s 16U game was Dec. 5 in Blaine, Minn., and the 18U event took place Jan. 9 in Troy, Mich.
“We are very proud of all of our players and families in the RoughRiders Hockey Club,” said director of hockey operations Derek Robinson. “It is always great to see players get recognition for their hard work and commitment to the game they love.”
The 18U RoughRiders selected as ECEL All-Stars were forwards John Kiernan, Nicholas Kukuris, Vincent Mastrandrea, David Mitchell and Zach Schwenk, defensemen James Crossman, Christian Holton and John Wilson and goaltender Cody Christofferson. Doug Smail, the RoughRiders’ 18U coach, was behind the bench for the game as well.
At the 16U level, RoughRiders ECEL All-Stars included forwards Nathan Hodges, Nikita Krivokrasov, Jacob Marti, Kevin Ness and Matthew Radzihovsky, defensemen Adam Millar and Ethan Proutt and goaltender Cisco Clark-Silva, with RoughRiders’ 16U coach Sergey Krivokrasov coaching this group.
For the PHL’s third annual 16U All-Star Game, Marti, Radzihovsky, Hodges and Clark-Silva were honored, with Schwenk, Wilson and Crossman representing the 18U squad (pictured).
“We are proud of our players as they deserved to represent our organization,” said Smail. “They have proven they are amongst the elite in the leagues.”
“The group of players that we had participate in the ECEL and the PHL have been excellent for us all year long,” added Krivokrasov. “Not only have they been great on the ice, they are also great teammates and young men individually.”
— Matt Mackinder