Posts by Colleen Lynch
TPH CoE student-athlete Lane Hutson commits to Boston University
Total Package Hockey is proud to congratulate Lane Hutson on his commitment to Boston University.
Hutson, a 2004 birth-year defenseman, is a student-athlete at the TPH Center of Excellence in Bloomfield, Mich.
“Playing Division I college hockey has been a goal of mine since I started to play,” Hutson said in a MiHockey.com article. “I picked BU because of the combination of outstanding academics, tradition and the long history of developing excellent hockey players and moving them on to the next level; players like Charlie McAvoy, Clayton Keller, Brady Tkachuk and Jack Eichel to name a few. Go Terriers!”
Hutson is in the midst of his first school year with the Center of Excellence; he moved to West Bloomfield this year to attend the CoE and play for the Honeybaked ’04 team coached by TPH’s Jimmy McGroarty.
“Training at TPH and going to CoE for school these past few months has played a huge part in my development,” Hutson said. “Getting to train with some of my teammates and some opponents on a daily basis keeps me challenged on the ice. The coaching staff at TPH is some of the best I have worked with. The school part is great because I don’t have to worry about missing school due to travel for hockey and can work at my own pace.”
He is the third TPH CoE student-athlete in the 2004 class to commit to a NCAA D1 school this season, joining classmates and Honeybaked teammates Hunter Brzustewicz (committed to Michigan) and Rutger McGroarty (committed to Notre Dame).
Nine TPH players win International Silver Stick Finals bantam title
Total Package Hockey is proud to congratulate the nine #TPHTrained players and two coaches who won an International Silver Stick Finals championship in the bantam age group this past weekend with their Honeybaked ’04 team.
TPH’s Chazz Ursini, Dario Sacino, Lane Hutson, Rocco Stolz, PJ Forgione, Rutger McGroarty, Brandon Wolfenbarger, Hunter Brzustewicz and Samuel Haid all earned gold medals as Honeybaked beat the Buffalo Jr. Sabres in the Silver Stick championship game Sunday evening in Port Huron.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQkc0uQBI6I[/embedyt]
McGroarty was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player after posting 17 goals and 15 assists in six games; he recorded six goals and two assists in the 8-2 victory in the final contest. Hutson joined him on the All-Tournament Team list, as well.
Two TPH coaches were behind the bench, as well – the Honeybaked squad is led by TPH Center of Excellence coach/mentors Jimmy McGroarty and Matt Larke.
Hutson family thriving at TPH Detroit Center of Excellence
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP – There’s a new hockey family at the Total Package Hockey Center of Excellence in Metro Detroit, and they are certainly enjoying their stay.
The Hutson family moved from the Chicago area to West Bloomfield, Mich., so three of their four sons could start the 2018-19 hockey season and school year at the CoE in neighboring Bloomfield Township.
According to the Hutson family patriarch, it’s been worth re-locating Lane (2004 birth-year), Coale (’06) and Lars (’08) to Hockeytown.
“It was a no-brainer for our family to come and not only train with the best but also for the educational aspect of it and everything else,” Rob Hutson said.
“It was a pretty easy decision.”
Hutson, himself a former college hockey player at the University of Illinois-Chicago and professional for the Muskegon Fury of the old UHL, said his four sons are enjoying all the things the TPH CoE has to offer for growing student-athletes.
“They love it,” he said. “They love coming to school every day, they love getting on the ice every day, they love the kids that they are surrounded by. Overall, it’s a home run.”
That sentiment is backed up by Lane Hutson, oldest of the Hutson boys attending the hockey academy. Lane, fresh off of a Silver Stick title with his Honeybaked ’04 squad, says he’s been thoroughly enjoying his time at the CoE.
“It’s really fun,” Lane said. “Everyone here wants the same thing – they all want to play at a high level in hockey, and everyone works really hard here.”
The recent Boston University verbal commit said he appreciates the flexibility that the Edmentum online education program provides for a student-athlete juggling the demands of a AAA hockey schedule.
“It’s hard, but it’s a lot better than a brick-and-mortar school because you can go at your own pace,” Lane said. “That helps a lot. I get to choose when I do my school work and how much to do at certain times, so that makes it easier to manage things when I’m playing in tournaments or going to practice.”
Rob, reflecting on his own experiences, says the CoE compares to life at a NCAA Division 1 institution – he likes that the TPH structure provides tutors and resources, but also makes the student-athletes take responsibility in their own education.
“The online structure is preparing them for college, preparing them for things down the road. There is more than enough help if they run into a logjam, but overall, the academics are lights-out.
“It’s good, because you have to learn how to balance and manage your own schedule. When you’re on the online platform, you can rest when needed, but you also know that the work has to be done. As long as you stay on top of the work, you’re doing just fine in school.”
The Hutson family has also been impressed by the facilities at both the Detroit Skating Club and the Bloomfield Tennis and Fitness building that holds the TPH classrooms and 2SP, the CoE’s official training partner.
“The facility here at DSC is great, and the classroom being so close, it’s campus-like,” Rob said. “It’s college-like. It’s really convenient for the student-athletes, and they are first-class facilities both here at the rink and across the street at the classrooms and at 2SP.”
Noah Henry tendered by Aberdeen Wings of NAHL
Once Noah Henry wraps up high school, he’s off to the NAHL’s Aberdeen Wings in 2019-2020.
The longtime member of the Thunder hockey program and well-versed #TPHTrained player from Milton, Ga., has had a slew of hockey successes, and TPH is proud of how he has grown on and off the ice.
“I can’t thank Coaches Bowen, Rowe, Fairbanks, Kaminski and Marakovski and the entire Thunder organization enough for the training and support that I received the from the organization from 2012-2016, Henry said. “TPH and Thunder’s training and professionalism is outstanding. They gave me a solid foundation in skating, game play, and mental approach to the game that I am still using every day and will use as long as I play hockey.”
Check out Henry’s hockey accomplishments as we celebrate another success story from the TPH family.
- Played on Thunder Pee Wee and Bantam teams from 2012-2016
- In 2015-2016 was assistant captain on Thunder Bantam Major team with Coach Rowe
- Played with Thunder Bantam Major in U15 National Championship tournament in Anchorage, AK
- Selected for U14 and U15 USA National Camp
- Played in All-Star Game on TPH Selects team at 2016 World Selects Invitational
- Played on TPH Showdown in Motown teams for 5 years
- Officiated over 50 games as a Georgia Ice Official from 2011-2015
Jay Feiwell commits to Miami
Total Package Hockey is proud to congratulate former Thunder AAA player Jay Feiwell on his commitment to the Miami RedHawks.
Feiwell, currently in the midst of his third season with the Shreveport Mudbugs, is wearing the ‘C’ for his NAHL squad in Louisiana.
The Thunder product and left winger has recorded 28 points in 32 games for the Mudbugs this season, already surpassing last year’s career-best 17.
He’s not afraid of mixing things up, either – Feiwell has 103 penalty minutes on the season.
Feiwell skated in 13 playoff games for the Mudbugs in last year’s run to the NAHL championship; TPH wishes him and the rest of the Mudbugs luck in their title defense for the rest of 2018-19.
A native of Carmel, Ind., Feiwell is slated to suit up for head coach Enrico Blasi and the RedHawks next fall.
Seventeen TPH Detroit CoE student-athletes win HPHL titles
Total Package Hockey is proud to congratulate the 17 Center of Excellence student-athletes in Detroit who won High Performance Hockey League playoff championships in their respective age groups this past weekend.
Congrats to the following players who helped their teams to titles at the Onyx Ice Arena in Rochester Sunday morning and/or afternoon:
16U – Compuware – Jack Stolicker, Jackson Truchan, Nicholas Sofikitis, Tyler Duke
14U – Honeybaked – Chazz Ursini, Dario Sacino, Lane Hutson, Rocco Stolz, PJ Forgione, Rutger McGroarty, Brandon Wolfenbarger, Hunter Brzustewicz, Samuel Haid, Nicholas Burke, Nathan Lewis
13U – Honeybaked – Connor Gengle
11U – Honeybaked – Henry Brzustewicz
For more on the HPHL playoffs, you can visit the HPHL official site.
TRI-STATE SPARTANS RETURN TO QCHA
The Queen City Hockey Association (QCHA) is proud to announce the return of the Tri-State Spartans hockey program for the 2019-2020 season. Last week, QCHA applied for the reinstatement of the Tier I Tri-State Spartans multi-city model program. Furthermore, QCHA will contract with Total Package Hockey (TPH) to run the day to day operations as they previously did for four seasons starting in 2014-2015 when the program first started.
“We are thrilled to once again work side-by-side with Total Package Hockey in bringing back the Spartans program,” Todd Adrien, President of QCHA said. “In working alongside TPH, we have a hockey-operations partner committed to the process of developing players and advancing them to the next level. We look forward to working together to grow the brands of QCHA and the Spartans program.”
In announcing the return of the Spartans, QCHA is proud to continue its “Multi-City” approach to building competitive ‘AAA’ hockey teams, supporting players and their families from Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Dayton, Evansville, Lexington, Louisville and Butler County. This approach will ensure playing opportunities at the Tier I level for individual families in the area, while assembling teams that can compete at the Tier I level.
“This model is about creating high level playing opportunities for dedicated, driven, goal-oriented student-athletes who possess the character, work ethic and skill set to play at the ‘AAA’ level,” stated Chris Lipsett, who occupies many leadership positions for TPH, and will be the Director of Hockey Operations for the Tri-State Spartans. “Our goal is to build a competitive program that readies our players for success at the next level. Our belief is that if we focus on the individual and team development process, results, including player advancement will take care of itself.”
Advancement is something Total Package Hockey takes great pride in. Though just 17 years old, 45 #TPHTrained student-athletes have been selected in the NHL draft. 280 have committed to the NCAA level, 189 of which are Division I. In addition, 99 players have been selected in the OHL draft and 353 have signed tenders or been drafted in the USHL and NAHL.
Spartans Assistant Director of Hockey Operations Iain Fraser says the Spartans program will pick up where they left off by offering an elite schedule of Tier I Elite League events, along with scheduling relationships with top teams in the country. All of this in an effort to allow players to live at or close to home and still have consistent access to top competition.
“While nothing trumps culture, coaching and the environment we foster with our Spartans teams, the competition we go up against can play an important role in the rate at which development occurs,” Fraser said. “We will continue to build highly competitive schedules, utilizing our relationship with the Tier I Elite League, for our Spartans teams to take advantage of and develop. Competition fuels development.”
The Spartans will be releasing more information about the return of the program over the next several weeks, including team and tryout announcements, coaching assignments and exciting program offerings.
Joel Kwiatkowski Named Director of Hockey for Grand Rapids CoE
Total Package Hockey is proud to announce that Joel Kwiatkowski has joined the staff of the new Center of Excellence in Grand Rapids, Mich., as the program’s first Director of Hockey.
Kwiatkowski brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the new staff for the GR CoE as an 18-year professional hockey player, a coach and a hockey parent.
“What drew me to TPH was thinking about how great this would have been for me when I was growing up,” Kwiatkowski said. “To have a situation where you can work on your education and your hockey skills each and every day, with people right there alongside you to help you both on and off the ice, it’s a tremendous opportunity for kids in West Michigan. We have such a great community here, and I’m incredibly excited to start this new chapter at Southside Ice Arena as a coach and a mentor for our future CoE student-athletes.”
Kwiatkowski, a native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, was a draft pick of the Dallas Stars in 1996. He appeared in 282 National Hockey League games over the course of seven seasons with the Ottawa Senators, Washington Capitals, Florida Panthers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Atlanta Thrashers. Kwiatkowski competed in the Western Hockey League, the American Hockey League, the International Hockey League and the highest professional leagues in Switzerland and Sweden. He played in more than 1,000 professional hockey games over the course of his career.
Two of those seasons took place in Grand Rapids, as he played for the Griffins during their last season with the IHL in 2000-01 and their first season with the AHL in 2001-02.
During that time, he built ties to West Michigan, and a relationship with Southside Ice Arena co-owner and TPH GR partner Travis Richards.
“Joel was a tremendous teammate during our time together in Grand Rapids,” said Richards, still the only player to have his number retired by the Griffins. “He has a great knowledge of the game and a passion for teaching and helping players. We couldn’t be more excited to have him joining us as we begin the Center of Excellence for the next school year.
“We are very excited to officially add him to our TPH GR team- he will be a great leader and role model for our kids.”
Following his retirement from professional hockey, Kwiatkowski and his family returned to West Michigan. He accepted an assistant coach position with the Kalamazoo Wings of the ECHL while also joining the Fox Motors Hockey Club as an assistant coach.
“I’ve gotten to know Joel over the last few seasons through our Fox Motors Hockey Club, and I’ve been impressed by how he conducts himself at the rink as a coach and a parent,” said Mike Slobodnik,” Southside Ice Arena co-owner and TPH GR partner alongside Richards. “The TPH CoE model is here to help young student-athletes develop into good people, not just hockey players. With Joel, we know that these students will not only be improving crucial hockey skills on a day-in, day-out basis, but that they will be learning how to be leaders and students and good teammates and friends at the same time.”
TPH Grand Rapids invites all interested families to meet Joel Kwiatkowski and other members of the team at our upcoming open house on Tuesday, March 19 at 7 PM at Southside Ice Arena. To RSVP and secure your spot for the open house, please click here.
If you’re ready to apply to the Grand Rapids CoE, we invite you to click here and start the registration process.
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.
TPH-Ricci Hockey Partner to Launch 7th Center of Excellence in Colorado
Total Package Hockey is pleased to announce that it will be bringing its hallmark Center of Excellence model to the thriving state of Colorado for the 2019-2020 school year. TPH will launch its seventh CoE in the south suburbs of Denver and will partner alongside Angelo Ricci, a name synonymous with player development and advancement in both the state of Colorado and beyond.
“We are very grateful for the opportunity to partner with Angelo and his entire team,” TPH CEO Nathan Bowen said. “We met several years ago through the Tier I Elite League and his commitment to personal and athletic development with his players is how he has built one of the top programs in the country. He has strategically constructed and grown a performance-oriented club and the results have followed. He is extremely passionate about helping young people grow and consistently raising the standards for all involved in his programs. Colorado is an awesome hockey state and Denver is one of the healthiest metropolitan cities in all of the U.S. While excitement is high to bring a CoE to Denver, we are most looking forward to partnering with Angelo who serves as a positive role model for young aspiring student-athletes. His track record for developing next level hockey players, athletes and people speaks for itself.”
While TPH prides itself on its Study-Train-Play Center of Excellence model and what “it” can do for the aspiring elite student-athlete, Bowen says it is the leader, or “face” of the actual CoE that drives the model. In Ricci, TPH is teaming up with an individual who brings 20-plus years of true player development experience to the Denver area Center of Excellence. Angelo is the founder and head instructor for Ricci Hockey Consulting, a company he formed back in 1996. The Chicago native is also the Director of Hockey Operations for the prestigious Colorado Thunderbirds Hockey Club and has held leadership positions with the Arapahoe and Littleton Youth Hockey Associations.
Ricci is quick to point out that while he is excited about partnering with TPH to bring a Center of Excellence to an area he now calls home, TPH’s commitment to excellence in the areas of on and off-ice training, academic success and mentorship is what sold him on forming a partnership.
“The TPH mission is to exceed expectations of student-athletes, their families and all entities of the hockey world,” Ricci said. “That’s essentially what I have tried to do throughout my career. Being involved with this model is a perfect next step for me, and the model is a perfect next step for hockey in the Denver area. TPH’s methodical approach to the training of The Hockey Athlete, along with their academic partnership with Edmentum puts the needs of students-athletes first. Development is a delicate thing, especially in the classroom. TPH has the plan, and in the Denver area, I believe TPH now has the perfect place.”
While coaching in that “perfect place” Ricci references, the former University of Denver Pioneer has guided teams for 22 seasons, 16 of which have been at the Tier I level. To date, he has posted a Tier I coaching record of 803-192-53. Since 2005-2006, Ricci’s Colorado Thunderbirds 16U AAA squads have won 13 state championships and have made eight appearances in the National Tournament. His teams have finished no lower than 5th place at Nationals, and in 2009-2010, his group achieved a first-place finish.
In addition, Ricci’s leadership has led him to a successful coaching and on-ice instruction career at all levels. Since 2003, the 47-year-old has worked with numerous professional players as a skills coach. He has consulted and worked with big-name players such as Seth Jones, Caleb Jones, Nick Shore, Paul Stastny, Tyler Bozak, Drew Shore, Kyle Quincy, Gilbert Brule, Matt Donovan, Gustav Olofsson, Brandon Carlo, Scott Mayfield, Ben Holmstrom, Troy Terry, Dylan Gambrell, Dominic Turgeon and Jack Skille. For the past nine years, Ricci has been a skills consultant for the Assabet Valley Girls program, which has won 42 USA Hockey Tier I National Championships. Ricci was also the Head Skills Instructor at the NHL Fantasy Skills Camp during the NHL All-Star Games in Denver in 2001 and Los Angeles in 2002.
Since 2014, Angelo has been a part of the Buffalo Sabres organization, serving as a Skills Development Consultant for the NHL club. In addition, Ricci has worked directly with the Sabres’ prospects in the AHL, where he is a Skills Development Coach for the Rochester Americans.
In conjunction with his coaching, Angelo shares his passion, skill and knowledge as a USA Hockey Coaching Education Program presenter. He served as a USA Hockey District Festival Head Coach from 2004-2009 and has conducted multiple coaching seminars and clinics. In 2003, Ricci attained his certification with USA Hockey as a Master Level 5 Coach.
“History and track record are both proof that a partnership between TPH and Ricci Hockey will be successful,” Ricci added. “I am extremely proud of the number of players I have been able to work with who have advanced to the highest levels of hockey. TPH shares that same level of pride and passion. In five years, the CoE model alone has produced four NHL draft picks, 33 NCAA Division I commitments and has helped over 50 players reach the USHL and NAHL. The Denver CoE looks forward to putting our stamp on the growth of those very impressive numbers.”
TPH will be announcing more information in the coming weeks about its Denver Center of Excellence model, including location, open house dates and staffing. In the meantime, TPH invites all interested Denver Center of Excellence candidates to click here and visit the CoE webpage on totalpackagehockey.com, to learn more about the CoE model and the meaning of Study-Train-Play.
If you wish to receive updates on the Denver Center of Excellence, please click here and select “Colorado” for all the latest news and information on the CoE.
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.
Southern New Hampshire University Wins NE10 Conference Championship
Congratulations to four Thunder hockey alums Dylan Sobczyk (96), Jake Cox (97), Kyle Galloway (97) and Cole Stewart (97) on being a part of Southern New Hampshire’s NE10 Conference Championship team.