Archive for May 2019
Twenty #TPHTrained players selected in 2019 USHL Draft
otal Package Hockey is proud to congratulate the 20 #TPHTrained players who were selected during the two-day USHL Draft.
Four TPH names were selected during the Phase 1 Draft Monday evening, the portion of the draft that focused solely on the 2003 birth-year class.
On Tuesday, 13 TPH names followed suit, as the USHL clubs filled their rosters with a selection process of all the players eligible to play junior hockey next fall.
Seven TPH Detroit Center of Excellence student-athletes – four current enrollees and three alums – were selected, while a collection of players who have participated in the Eight Week Summer Progression Program or competed with TPH at the World Selects Invite or the OHL Cup. Three players are Thunder AAA alums, as well.
“The TPH family is tremendously proud of these players for this latest achievement,” said TPH CEO Nathan Bowen. “We are confident that due to their character and their work ethic that they’re up to the challenge, and they will continue to make us proud at the next level – wherever that may be.”
Phase 1 Draft
Finn Kilbride – Center of Excellence – Green Bay Gamblers
Ryan Humphrey – Center of Excellence, OHL Cup Team – Muskegon Lumberjacks
Nicholas Sofikitis – Center of Excellence – Tri-City Storm
Luke Buss – Center of Excellence – Tri-City Storm
Sutter Muzzatti – OHL Cup Team – Muskegon Lumberjacks
Riley Rosenthal – OHL Cup Team – Dubuque Fighting Saints
Phase 2 Draft
Davis Pennington – Center of Excellence – Madison Capitols
Dalton Norris – Center of Excellence – Lincoln Stars
Tyler Williams – Center of Excellence – Muskegon Lumberjacks
Sam Antenucci – Eight Week Program – Sioux City Musketeers
Drew Cooper – Eight Week Program – Omaha Lancers
Thomas Middleton – Eight Week Program – Dubuque Fighting Saints
Jacob Willets – Eight Week Program – Green Bay Gamblers
Michael Woll – World Selects Invite – Madison Capitols
Conor Ronayne – OHL Cup Team – Muskegon Lumberjacks
Cameron Rowe – OHL Cup Team – Des Moines Buccaneers
Joseph Blackley – OHL Cup Team – Sioux Falls Stampede
Ben Schultheis – Thunder alum, Eight Week Program – Dubuque Fighting Saints
Cooper Fensterstock – Thunder alum – Des Moines Buccaneers
Therien Thiesing – Thunder alum – Green Bay Gamblers
About Total Package Hockey: Founded in 2001, it is TPH’s vision to become the world leader in positively impacting the lives of student-athletes through the game of hockey. Through academics, mentorship and athletics, TPH prides itself on operating at a standard that exceeds expectations of student-athletes, families, coaches, advisors and all other entities of the hockey world. With platforms that include association management, elite prospects programs, tournaments and showcases, camps and clinics and its hallmark Center of Excellence academy model, Total Package Hockey has assisted in the academic, athletic and hockey development of over 600 players who have advanced to junior, collegiate and professional hockey. Since inception, 45 #TPHTrained student-athletes have been selected in the NHL Draft, while 280 have committed to the NCAA level – 189 of which are Division I. In addition, 99 players have been selected in the OHL Priority Selection and 353 have signed tenders or been drafted in the USHL and NAHL. While TPH is proud of its student-athletes who have achieved success on-the ice, it is the process of developing young men and women as people, first and foremost, that our world-class team of coaches and mentors take the most amount of pride in. While it is our responsibility to prepare each individual for success on the ice, it is our mission to prepare each and every individual for success in the ultimate game – the game of life! To learn more about TPH, visit www.totalpackagehockey.com.
Eight #TPHTrained players featured in ‘Michigan names to know’ list for USHL draft
In addition to their annual OHL Draft preview, for the 2019 calendar year, MiHockey has produced a ‘Michigan names to know’ list for the 2019 USHL Phase 1 Draft with the assistance of league scouts.
Eight of the players on the list are of the #TPHTrained variety.
Seven attend the TPH Center of Excellence in Bloomfield, while one competed with TPH team at the recent OHL Cup.
TPH wishes these players, and the rest of the ’03 class, the best of luck heading into Monday and Tuesday’s USHL Draft.
TPH Detroit CoE student-athletes
Jackson Truchan – Compuware 16U
Jack Stolicker – Compuware 16U
Nicholas Sofikitis – Compuware 16U
Finn Kilbride – Honeybaked 15O
Alec Stewart – Honeybaked 15O
Eddie Shepler – Honeybaked 16U
Ryan Humphrey – Honeybaked 16U
OHL Cup
Sutter Muzzatti – Meijer 15O
About Total Package Hockey: Founded in 2001, it is TPH’s vision to become the world leader in positively impacting the lives of student-athletes through the game of hockey. Through academics, mentorship and athletics, TPH prides itself on operating at a standard that exceeds expectations of student-athletes, families, coaches, advisors and all other entities of the hockey world. With platforms that include association management, elite prospects programs, tournaments and showcases, camps and clinics and its hallmark Center of Excellence academy model, Total Package Hockey has assisted in the academic, athletic and hockey development of over 600 players who have advanced to junior, collegiate and professional hockey. Since inception, 45 #TPHTrained student-athletes have been selected in the NHL Draft, while 280 have committed to the NCAA level – 189 of which are Division I. In addition, 99 players have been selected in the OHL Priority Selection and 353 have signed tenders or been drafted in the USHL and NAHL. While TPH is proud of its student-athletes who have achieved success on-the ice, it is the process of developing young men and women as people, first and foremost, that our world-class team of coaches and mentors take the most amount of pride in. While it is our responsibility to prepare each individual for success on the ice, it is our mission to prepare each and every individual for success in the ultimate game – the game of life! To learn more about TPH, visit www.totalpackagehockey.com.
Jordan Pietrus to Lead TPH-Colorado CoE
Total Package Hockey is pleased to announce that Jordan Pietrus will serve as the Director of Hockey-Operations for its Colorado Center of Excellence. A graduate of Brown University with an MBA in International Business from Coventry University, Pietrus brings a unique combination of hockey playing and instruction experience as well as academic and business-related experience to TPH’s 7th Center of Excellence location.
“Jordan is the perfect person to lead us in Colorado,” TPH-Colorado Partner Angelo Ricci said. “He played Division I college hockey and spent nine years in the minor pro circuit in both North America and Europe. During that time, Jordan took initiative and bettered himself as a hockey player, as a hockey teacher and also as a leader. His track record inside and outside of the game of hockey is very impressive. We were drawn to Jordan’s passion, intellect, and strategic approach to bettering our student-athletes. I’m looking forward to working with Jordan to make the Colorado CoE the ultimate destination for the aspiring elite hockey player, athlete, student and person.”
In April, Pietrus wrapped up a nine-year professional playing career that included stops in the ECHL with South Carolina, Trenton and Elmira, as well as overseas in England, Poland and most recently Denmark, where Pietrus’ SonderjyskE club reached the league finals.
Prior to turning pro, Pietrus spent four years at Brown University. During that time, the 33-year-old was named to the ECAC All-Academic team, was voted a finalist for the Ivy League Student-Athlete of the Year award and was an NCAA Hockey Humanitarian Finalist. Pietrus’ impressive list of collegiate accolades is topped off with the NCAA Derek Hines Unsung Hero Award, which he earned in 2010.
Perhaps what’s most impressive about Pietrus’ playing resume is that in thirteen combined seasons as a collegiate and professional player, the Vermillion, Alberta native served as captain of his team on eight occasions.
“Jordan oozes with leadership,” Ricci went on to say. “His resume illustrates exactly what we want to teach young players to do- pursue your hockey dreams, but better yourself and others along the way. Jordan has used hockey as his vehicle to achieve so much on and off the ice. He will set a great example for the youngsters in our CoE.”
From 2015-2018, while competing for Coventry in the EIHL and pursuing his MBA, Pietrus served as a lecturer in Undergraduate and Masters levels courses at Coventry University. He has run his own hockey skills development business and also has a background in off-ice training and sports marketing. He and his wife Shannon have been married for six years and are the proud parents of two daughters, Maeve (2) and Vivian (2.5 months).
“I am absolutely thrilled about the opportunity to join the Total Package Hockey team in Denver,” Pietrus said. “TPH has an impressive history of developing student-athletes to help them achieve their goals across the country. The game of hockey has been very good to me, but education has always been number one for me and my family, and now it’s my turn to give back. I could not be more excited to combine my two passions in education and hockey, to help guide Denver’s next generation of aspiring young athletes in the pursuit of their dreams at the Center of Excellence.
If you wish to join Angelo Ricci in welcoming Jordan to Colorado, he can be reached via e-mail at Jordan.Pietrus@gmail.com.
Space is limited for the 2019-2020 school year. To apply for the Center of Excellence, which is the first step in the registration process, please click here.
Six TPH Detroit CoE student-athletes win prestigious World Selects Invitational title
he seventh annual World Selects Invitational took place in Philadelphia last week, and some TPH Center of Excellence student-athletes returned to Detroit with some hardware.
Making up a significant portion of the DraftDay Black roster, the TPH boys captured the Under-15 championship at the tournament, which featured more than 600 of the best ’04 birth-year players in the world.
Congrats to the CoE student-athletes:
Nick Burke
Hunter Brzustewicz
Zach Filak
Lane Hutson
Nathan Lewis
Rutger McGroarty
The WSI tournament featured 27 players from the ’04 birth-year who have Division 1 verbal commitments, as well as 49 WHL Bantam Draft selections. Since its inception, WSI-Philadelphia has welcomed 88 NHL Draft picks, 400 college committed players and more than 1,000 CHL Draft picks while hosting players from 15 different countries.
Outside of one loss to Western Canada Selects on May 6, the DraftDay Black squad recorded eight wins on the road to the title. They topped the East Coast Selects 5-3 in the championship game.
Draftday Black out-scored the opposition 40-29 over the course of the nine games.
“WSI Philly is one of the best tournaments these young men will ever have a chance to play in as a youth hockey player,” said head coach Jimmy McGroarty, a TPH Detroit player development coach and mentor. “In a tournament such as this, with a ton of great players and teams, it becomes a grind. Each game is as competitive as the next, so if you are not ready it could be an early exit. We had one blip against Western Canada, which I believe it woke us up as a team and made the boys realize we need everyone contributing in different ways.
“I’m proud of this team in their ability to get better and better with each game. We had a mix of players from Canada and the United States – it was fun to see them grow as a family throughout the week. We had six players from TPH, as well as a couple of other players that played in the Michigan area in Brando Di’Antonio, Cam VanSickle, as well. I would also like to thank all the players and families for an awesome week, as well as the our other coaches in Rob Hutson and Dave D’amizzio.”
Rutger McGroarty matched a WSI-Philadelphia record with 19 points in the five-day event, as the Notre Dame commit registered 10 goals and nine assists en route to being named tournament MVP.
Classmate and teammate Lane Hutson was named the tournament’s best defenseman, after the Boston University commit logged one goal and 15 assists for 16 points over the nine games played.
About Total Package Hockey: Founded in 2001, it is TPH’s vision to become the world leader in positively impacting the lives of student-athletes through the game of hockey. Through academics, mentorship and athletics, TPH prides itself on operating at a standard that exceeds expectations of student-athletes, families, coaches, advisors and all other entities of the hockey world. With platforms that include association management, elite prospects programs, tournaments and showcases, camps and clinics and its hallmark Center of Excellence academy model, Total Package Hockey has assisted in the academic, athletic and hockey development of over 600 players who have advanced to junior, collegiate and professional hockey. Since inception, 45 #TPHTrained student-athletes have been selected in the NHL Draft, while 280 have committed to the NCAA level – 189 of which are Division I. In addition, 99 players have been selected in the OHL Priority Selection and 353 have signed tenders or been drafted in the USHL and NAHL. While TPH is proud of its student-athletes who have achieved success on-the ice, it is the process of developing young men and women as people, first and foremost, that our world-class team of coaches and mentors take the most amount of pride in. While it is our responsibility to prepare each individual for success on the ice, it is our mission to prepare each and every individual for success in the ultimate game – the game of life! To learn more about TPH, visit www.totalpackagehockey.com.
Celebrating our #TPHTrained captains
Total Package Hockey takes pride in helping our student-athletes develop more than just their hockey skills.
Whether they have attended our TPH Centers of Excellence, played for our teams or attended our wide array of training programs, our #TPHTrained players learn about what it takes to be a leader for their team.
That’s why we keep track of how many of our players wear letters on the fronts of their jerseys. Serving as a captain for your team is both a responsibility and an honor, and we are proud of the #TPHTrained players who act as leaders for their teammates on and off the ice.
A total of 61 #TPHTrained players have served as captains for their respective professional, college or junior team. Twenty-seven of those have worn the ‘C’ as captain, while 34 more have worn an ‘A’ as assistant captains.
“We always strive to help our players grow more than just their hockey skill set,” said TPH CEO Nathan Bowen. “We push our coaches, mentors, teachers and trainers to help cultivate the leadership qualities we know we have in our #TPHTrained athletes, and we’re always proud when we see our players serving as a captain for their teams.”
Center of Excellence student-athlete Spencer Sova talks about his magical season
DETROIT – Spencer Sova’s still trying to catch his breath.
It was quite the hockey season for the TPH Detroit Center of Excellence student-athlete.
Sova captured both a state and national title with his Little Caesars ’04 squad in a magical 14U season.
The Southfield, Mich., resident credited the bonds formed with his teammates for all the success his team had this season.
“At the beginning, we had a lot of new faces in our room, but we all bonded pretty quick and became a really close team. That’s pretty much what won us nationals, just everyone being so close and listening to each other.”
On March 10, Sova and the Little Caesars squad captured the 2019 MAHA 14U Tier 1 state title with a sweep of Honeybaked in the best-of-three final round. That secured their spot at the 2019 USA Hockey Nationals in Pittsburgh, Pa.
The Little Caesars squad marched through the field in Penguins country, eventually beating Florida Alliance 4-0 in the 2019 USA Hockey 14U Tier 1 national championship game.
“It was great. Some of the games we had there, especially against Pittsburgh, was like a junior hockey game atmosphere. Our fans were nuts and it was just a lot of fun.”
Hearing the buzzer sound to officially declare LC as national champions was a surreal moment for the CoE student-athlete.
“Honestly, it was the best feeling I’ve had in hockey my whole career. Everyone was just happy for each other. The way we put in work this year, it was just amazing.”
Sova was one of the anchors on the blue line for the LC squad; they allowed only six goals over the course of six games at the national tournament.
It was Sova’s first experience at nationals, and he said he loved every minute of it. He also appreciated the flexibility offered by his online classes through Edmentum – Sova was able to get ahead in some classes before making the trek to Pennsylvania, then catch up on his studies after.
“When I was at nationals, I focused mainly on hockey,” Sova said. “Other kids had to work on homework and stuff. I was just focused on hockey the whole time… The flexibility we had was great.”
Sova thanked his TPH coaches for helping him build on his fundamental hockey skills and his understanding of the game throughout the season.
“A lot of my skills and stuff have improved a lot since I started attending the CoE. Just my mental game, too, on the ice – like where to be, when to make my moves and stuff.”
For more information about the TPH CoE, click here.
About Total Package Hockey: Founded in 2001, it is TPH’s vision to become the world leader in positively impacting the lives of student-athletes through the game of hockey. Through academics, mentorship and athletics, TPH prides itself on operating at a standard that exceeds expectations of student-athletes, families, coaches, advisors and all other entities of the hockey world. With platforms that include association management, elite prospects programs, tournaments and showcases, camps and clinics and its hallmark Center of Excellence academy model, Total Package Hockey has assisted in the academic, athletic and hockey development of over 600 players who have advanced to junior, collegiate and professional hockey. Since inception, 45 #TPHTrained student-athletes have been selected in the NHL Draft, while 280 have committed to the NCAA level – 189 of which are Division I. In addition, 99 players have been selected in the OHL Priority Selection and 353 have signed tenders or been drafted in the USHL and NAHL. While TPH is proud of its student-athletes who have achieved success on-the ice, it is the process of developing young men and women as people, first and foremost, that our world-class team of coaches and mentors take the most amount of pride in. While it is our responsibility to prepare each individual for success on the ice, it is our mission to prepare each and every individual for success in the ultimate game – the game of life! To learn more about TPH, visit www.totalpackagehockey.com.
Galaxy Next Generation
Total Package Hockey is proud to announce we are bringing the interactive learning technology solutions from Galaxy Next Generation, Inc. to 5 of its out hallmark Center of Excellence academies.
Gary LeCroy, Galaxy’s Chief Executive Officer, commented, “We are excited to have been selected by Total Package Hockey as this represents a growth opportunity for us outside of our typical K-12 education sector and demonstrates the need for interactive learning tools in all areas of learning. Total Package Hockey is always seeking the best solutions on and off the ice for its student-athletes and we are pleased to be working with them.”
Galaxy Next Generation is a provider of interactive learning technology solutions that allows the presenter and participant to engage in a fully collaborative instructional environment. Galaxy’s products include Galaxy’s own private-label interactive touch screen panel as well as numerous other national and international branded peripheral and communication devices.