Category Archives: Junior
Fort Collins native, RoughRiders, Thunderbirds alum Thompson taken by Blackhawks in 2022 NHL Draft
August 8th, 2022Aidan Thompson waited for a call that never came. The Fort Collins native anticipated his phone would buzz at some point during the second day of the 2022 NHL Draft. He had fielded plenty of interest in the past year, talking to over half the teams in the league. But as Thompson, watching the draft…
EHL, EHLP announce regular-season schedules for upcoming 2022-23 season
August 3rd, 2022The Eastern Hockey League (EHL) and Eastern Hockey League Premier (EHLP) have released the regular-season schedules for the upcoming 2022-23 season. The 10th year of the EHL will kick off on Thursday, September 15 when the Connecticut Chiefs play host to the Connecticut RoughRiders in Newington, Conn. As for the EHLP, the eighth season in league history will…
Colorado Springs native, Tigers product Gutschick commits to NCAA D-III Nichols
August 1st, 2022The NA3HL’s Helena Bighorns have announced that defenseman Taber Gutschick has committed to play NCAA Division III hockey for Nichols College. Nichols is a school located in Dudley, Mass., that plays in the Commonwealth Coast Conference. “The ability to go get a great degree at a great school was hard not to turn down, as…
Eagles goalie Smith uses USPHL as springboard to NCAA Division III Finlandia
July 28th, 2022“It’s been a very long journey to get to college hockey, from adversity through different injuries my first two years of juniors, and a great playoff run with the Northern Colorado Eagles,” reminisced Brendan Smith. The goaltender will get to finally realize his dream of playing college hockey, inking a commitment to NCAA Division III…
Evolution alum Smekhnov uses strong 2021-22 season with NAHL’s Jets to make NCAA D-III commitment to Wisconsin-River Falls
July 27th, 2022The NAHL’s Janesville Jets have announced that forward Arsenii Smekhnov has committed to play NCAA Division III hockey for the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. Smekhnov, 21, just completed his third season of junior hockey and second season in the NAHL with the Jets. The native of Kirov, Russia, appeared in 57 regular-season games during the…
Englewood native, Thunderbirds, LHA, Kent Denver alum Zimmerman commits to NCAA D-III Hamilton
July 25th, 2022The NAHL’s Lone Star Brahmas have announced that forward Ben Zimmerman has committed to play NCAA Division III hockey for Hamilton College. The 20-year-old Zimmerman just completed his first season of junior hockey in the NAHL. The Englewood native appeared in 12 regular-season games during the 2021-22 season and recorded six points (one goal, five…
Rampage graduate Rapalje makes history with NCAA Division I commitment to Stonehill
July 18th, 2022After a three-year junior hockey career, Colorado Rampage alum Carter Rapalje is off to play NCAA Division I hockey this fall at Stonehill College. Stonehill will compete as an NCAA Division I independent program in 2022-23, their first at the Division I level. “There are a lot of things about Stonehill that have me excited…
Wrapping up pair of seasons with USPHL’s Jets, Thunderbirds grad Grongstad moving up to NCAA D-III Worcester State
July 7th, 2022Anders Grongstad came to the Metro Jets during the 2020-21 season and quickly found a spot on the top forward lines. He returned for the 2021-22 season and after averaging about a point and a half per game, had NCAA schools itching to get him on to their roster for 2022-23. Earlier this offseason, Grongstad…
After pair of USPHL seasons with Chicago, Lakewood’s Young off to Trine for college hockey
June 28th, 2022Ian Young moved to Chicago prior to the 2020-21 season to play for the USPHL’s Chicago Cougars. Two years later, the Lakewood native is on the move again, heading to Angola, Ind., to play college hockey for Trine University. Young, a goaltender, said it was all about connections and word of mouth in getting acclimated…
USPHL’s NCDC expands west in 2023-24 with creation of new Western Division
June 28th, 2022The United States Premier Hockey League is pleased to announce that the National Collegiate Development Conference, its Tuition-Free Tier-II Junior Division, will welcome six new members for the 2023-24 season, expanding to a national footprint by adding the Utah Outliers, Ogden Mustangs, Pueblo Bulls, Provo Predators (formerly the Provo Riverblades), Northern Colorado Eagles and Idaho…