Two TPH Alumni Nominated for Hobey Baker Award

The 2021 Hobey Baker Nominees were announced Monday and TPH is excited to see both Declan Carlile and Zach Solow as two of the 50 nominees.

Named after Hobart Amory Hare Baker, the Hobey Baker Award is considered the top award in all of college hockey. The honor is bestowed on the student-athlete who exhibits strength and character, both on and off the ice; while additionally contributing to the integrity of the program, displaying outstanding skills in all phases of the game and shows great scholastic achievement, and sportsmanship.

Just understanding the type of character and drive it takes to be considered for this award, it is an honor to be nominated. Now factor in that there over 4,300 NCAA Division I hockey players, which statistically puts these players in the top one percent.

In his second season at Merrimack, Carlile has displayed his ability on the ice leading Hockey East and second in the nation in blocked shots while also leading his team in plus/minus. Coming off a season where he was named to to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team, the Business Administration major looks to help his team move up the Hockey East standings. Carlile is a TPH Detroit Summer Progression Program alumni.

As a senior at Northeastern, Solow was named captain this season and leads the team in scoring (11gp, 6g, 7a, 13p). Last season was memorable for Solow who was awarded the Beanpot MVP helping Northeastern win their third consecutive Beanpot title. Solow looks to continue helping the #14 Northeastern Huskies climb in the rankings. Solow is a Nashville Jr Predators alumni.

The Hobey Baker Award winner will be selected via a voting process. Anyone can submit their vote online. Click here to place your vote.

Posted in #TPHTrained, News

TPH alums set to represent Team USA at World Juniors

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryQ0Pp810bk[/embedyt]

 

The 2021 IIHF World Junior is set to kick off December 25 in Edmonton, Alberta, and representing Team USA will be three Total Package Hockey (TPH) alumni. Goaltender Logan Stein, defenseman Hunter Skinner and forward Arthur Kaliyev will wear the red, white and blue at World Juniors.

Logan Stein

Logan Stein – Source: Twitter @loganstein29

Stein, a native of Suwanee, Georgia, spent three seasons with the Nashville Jr Predators program before moving to Michigan and playing for the Oakland Jr Grizzlies. He went on to play in the USHL for the Waterloo Black Hawks and is awaiting to begin his freshman year at Ferris State. He’s the first player from Ferris State to make the World Juniors roster.

“It’s an honor representing your country,” said Stein. “It’s the biggest honor in hockey, and I’m proud to represent Ferris State as well.”

Stein credits much of his success in being able to reach the next level to TPH.

“TPH did a great job in Atlanta, Nashville and Huntsville,” said Stein. “They really helped my development playing on those teams. They did a great job developing me, and I wouldn’t be where I am without them. Then I moved up to Detroit and played up there. Then I made a jump to the USHL. TPH deserves all the credit for that. The development I received from them when I was young made me who I am, and I can’t thank them enough.”

As hockey continues to grow in previously non-tradition areas, it’s wonderful to see players from the south receiving recognition and going on to play at high levels.

“I’m huge on hockey in the south,” said Stein. “Anytime you can promote it, it’s always a great cause. I hope this opens eyes for many other kids from my area in that they can make it to where I am.”

Stein joins Spencer Knight and Dustin Wolf as the guardians of the crease for this year’s tournament.

Embed from Getty Images

Hunter Skinner

In round four of the 2019 NHL Draft, defenseman Hunter Skinner was selected 112th overall by the New York Rangers. His junior career consists of playing for Little Caesars, Belle Tire and Honeybaked before going on to play in the USHL for the Muskegon Lumberjacks and Lincoln Stars. Most recently, he made the big jump to the Ontario Hockey League and joined the London Knights where he posted 32 points in 62 games in 2019-20. Now, he’ll join Team USA and step into the spotlight of the hockey world.

“It was a big jump and I’m super honored to be a part of this team,” said Skinner on being selected to Team USA. “There’s a lot of talent and a lot of skill here.”

While training to get to this point in his career, Skinner credits TPH with their immense amount of off-ice training, specifically utilizing video work.

“They work on skillset stuff and watching video so much,” said Skinner. “It helped me make the adjustment from 15 years old to 16 and playing in the USHL with a lot of video. They helped me get to where I am today. They have more video than anyone will. They have every video and clip of whatever you want. It’s a great resource to be able to use.”

Embed from Getty Images

Arthur Kaliyev

This year will be Arthur Kaliyev’s second time joining Team USA for the IIHF World Junior Championship. Kaliyev was selected 33rd overall in the 2019 NHL Draft by the Los Angeles Kings. Prior to joining the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs, where he most recently put up 98 points in 57 games in 2019-20, Kaliyev played for Little Caesars and Compuware where he also trained with TPH. This will be his second time donning the Team USA jersey, but he’s represented them on multiple occasions, including the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in 2018-19.

“It’s always an honor to wear the USA jersey at every event I’ve been to,” said Kaliyev. “It’s always really exciting and a big honor to play for them.”

Kaliyev has obviously had a very successful junior career and is preparing himself for the next step very soon. For him, training with TPH with he was with Compuware was pivotal to his development.

“TPH helped me big time when I was playing at Compuware,” said Kaliyev. “To do those morning skates every weekday helped me prepare for my games in minor hockey before going to the OHL in doing a lot of skills and video. You just see the things you could fix and get better at and make sure the next game you do things the right way.”

TPH wishes Logan, Hunter, Arthur and the rest of Team USA the best as they represent their country at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship. View the Team USA schedule here. All games will be broadcast exclusively on the NHL Network.

To learn more about training at TPH click here.

Posted in #TPHTrained, News

Two Michigan Hockey Advancement Teams win NAPHL Fall League

(DETROIT, MICHIGAN – October 23, 2020) – Last weekend was a tremendous one for the Michigan Hockey Advancement (MHA) program at Total Package Hockey (TPH). At the North American Prospects Hockey League (NAPHL) Fall League championships in Blaine, Minnesota, both the 18U and 16U MHA teams were crowned champions.

For those unfamiliar, MHA is a pre-season program for Michigan high school players. The main goal and objective is exposure for players by using resources like The Prospect Exchange, a network of coaches and more. It’s a fantastic fall playing opportunity for dedicated, driven high-school level hockey players to prepare for their club seasons and gain exposure to coaches and scouts at the junior, collegiate and professional levels, while competing in a structured, team environment.

“It was our first year in the inaugural NAPHL fall league, and The NAHL and NAPHL have done a phenomenal job with marketing, broadcasting games on HockeyTV and utilizing social media for content about players,” said Rick Gadwa, MHA Program Director. “That, coupled with what we do for our players, was a great marriage this year. On the other side of exposure is preparation for their high school seasons. It does prepare them to play at a high level to get them ready for their seasons. We feel all of our players are leaders for their high school teams. Getting them ready to go is something that MHA takes a lot of pride in, and I think we’ve done a phenomenal job at it.”

MHA takes elite high school hockey players from around Michigan, places them together, trains them for competition and then takes them to tournaments. While it may be a challenge, it’s a worthwhile one.

“The special part about it all is that a lot of these players are rivals during the high school hockey season,” said Gadwa. “The challenge that we have is limited practice and a lot of travel and events. It’s unique how our groups are able to come together as one and play at such a high level with such limited time together. That’s testament to our MHA coaches and players, and their ability to adapt to the situation and perform at a high level. The players have great hockey IQ and professionalism in preparation. We grow quickly and fast together as a group. It’s pretty impressive.”

For teenagers to come together so quickly, it shows a great level of leadership amongst themselves. They may compete against each other during the regular high school season, but for a few months, they have to quickly come together to win.

“The guys that they pick for the team are superior,” said Lucas Krol of the 18U team. “There’s not a person I wouldn’t want on my team. It’s really key to be staying on the ice, and you can definitely see a difference when you come to your high school season and the shape you’re in. It elevates your game. It allows you to create key learning skills in leadership and allows it to grow. You mingle with one group of kids in high school and another group come fall. It builds your character as a person both inside and outside the rink.”

During the season, Krol, a forward, plays for Detroit Country Day School. This past fall was his third competing with MHA, but his first with the 18U team. This year was certainly the most successful for him and the team as he notched seven goals and one assist in eight games. This was a big year to make an impact as he hopes to play junior hockey after high school and then eventually on to Division I hockey, maybe even the pros.

“Throughout my three years, we hadn’t been very successful, so to cap off the final tournament of my career at TPH with a win was the icing on top of the cake to go into my senior season at Country Day,” said Krol. “It’s been great to be able to go out to Minnesota as many times as we did. It allows us to go to top tier tournaments to know where we’re at in the outside world and how we compare. It allows us to get exposure to teams we hopefully get to play for in the future.”

Goaltender Dylan Eliason just completed his second year with MHA. He previously played with the 15U team, and this year backstopped the 16U team going 3-0-1 with a 1.46 GAA and .929 save percentage. During the season, he tends the crease for Northville High School. His dreams are similar to many in the program in that he wants to play junior and then college hockey following his high school career, but for now, he’s enjoyed his experience with MHA.

“It was hard at first because we didn’t have a lot of practices between each tournament, but we were able to get back into the swing of things quickly,” said Eliason. “Luckily enough, there are always a few guys from the same school, which helps. Everyone kind of knows each other because of the hockey world, too, so it’s not that hard to get going with the energy and take us to victory. It was just a great time. The team connected well and easily. I wouldn’t change a thing.”

The weekend was a success for the two teams, but how is success measured overall for the program?

“I think success speaks through a couple things,” said Gadwa. “We look at our records against teams that are together through the week unlike us. We beat a lot of those teams. Scouts and coaches take notice of that. The reputation of the program has really exceeded itself. My phone has been ringing off the hook all fall from multiple teams around the country wanting to play us as well as junior and college coaches interested in our players. This year, in a unique year where there’s been more focus on video, the amount of feedback I’ve received is second to none compared to past seasons.”

The program continues to grow, bringing elite high school talent from around Michigan together to compete against teams from across the country. Be on the lookout to see more players making waves in the future with their roots coming from the Michigan Hockey Advancement program.

Learn more about Michigan Hockey Advancement here.

 

Posted in #TPHTrained, News

Tri-State Spartans alum commits to SUNY-Oswego

(INDIANAPOLIS, IN – September 11, 2020) – Goaltender Richie Parent has become the first Tri-State Spartan alumnus to commit to play college hockey. Parent will play for the State University of New York (SUNY) at Oswego this upcoming season. He was one of the original goalies in the first year of the program.

In the 2017-18 season, Parent played for the Tri-State Spartans 18U AAA team. He then went on to guard the crease for the Shreveport Mudbugs in the NAHL where he set a franchise record for consecutive wins at eight. When he joined the Spartans, it was a first year program, but he knew that it would provide a tremendous opportunity to develop as a person and an athlete.

“After going to the tryout, I got to meet some of the players and coach Austin,” said Parent. “Everyone was so nice, and I liked the area. I knew it was a team that would help me develop and get better. It was great because it helped us balance our schoolwork while also getting on the ice. We had dedicated trainers and workout spaces along with tutors to help us study. That’s what I liked when I was there.”

Greg Austin, Director of Hockey-Operation as Total Package Hockey (TPH) in Indianapolis, was honest with Parent when coming to a first-year program. It was about development and ice time, not necessarily wins and losses.

“He recognized that coming to a first-year program was an opportunity for him to face a lot of shots,” said Austin on Parent. “Most first year teams, if you have to be strong, it’ll be between the pipes. It makes it easier to recruit like that. You can promise them that they’ll get lots of shots. When you’re a development guy, you want to be on the ice facing shots. I was honest with him when I recruited him. We had three goaltenders that year, and all three could play. He wasn’t big, but he’s very athletic, good laterally and read the puck well.”

Parent was only able to spend one season in Indianapolis as he aged out of the program, but that one year saw a huge improvement in his skills.

“Towards the end of the season, we really started to see him separate,” said Austin. “He went and trained with the Mudbugs as well and proved his worth. He matured immensely with the experiences he had here. It’s difficult to play on a losing team, but as a goaltender, he found ways to make positives out of negatives. He was a good teammate, and left with a skillset that I think was improved. It was a lot about him in that he worked hard and saw the opportunity.”

The Center of Excellence offers a good balance between academics and athletics. What stood out to Parent was the opportunity to be on the ice and improve.

“The biggest thing about that program is being on the ice all the time,” said Parent. “We’d have a skill skate in the morning and a practice in the afternoon. I had a lot of ice time to develop, and that was huge in helping me get to the next level.”

Austin recognized that the balance and ability to be on the ice twice a day is what opened more opportunities for Parent.

“We’re trying to be a program that implements study, train, play at the Center of Excellence level, which has a lot to do with why Richie got as good as he did,” said Austin. “He was on the ice twice a day. We focus on development, not wins and losses. We focus on individual player development, then it’s up to the student-athlete to embrace that with their own passion for the game. Richie has been one of those success stories, and we’re really proud of him.”

While the college hockey season is currently postponed, Parent is still thrilled at the opportunity to play. He’s enjoying the college life and just hopes that more student-athletes can have the experience that he’s had while developing. As for the future, once Parent has completed his time in college, he hopes to play the sport he loves professionally.

“I’m extremely grateful for every opportunity I’ve had,” said Parent. “It’s something I’ve wanted to do as a little kid. Being able to live the life and be able to play college hockey is just awesome. I hope that every kid that wants this experience gets it. As of right now, I just want to start my season whenever we can and take it year by year. I want to be the best I can be with where I’m at. My goal is to hopefully play pro hockey after my four years at Oswego.”

Learn more about the Tri-State Spartans here.

Interested in attending the Center of Excellence in Indianapolis? Click here.

Posted in #TPHTrained, News

USHL Draft Phase II

The United States Hockey League (USHL) Draft concluded Phase II yesterday, ending the selection process for this year’s draft. Phase II of the drafted amassed 282 players selected to the 16 USHL clubs (excludes US NTDP Team), adding to the 142 futures (2004 birth years) selected in Phase I, totaling out at 424 total players.

Total Package Hockey is proud to announce that 21 players who were selected over the course of the past two days are alumni of a TPH program. The breakdown of these players by program (some overlap multiple programs):

The distribution based on TPH Division is as follows:

We want to express our congrats to all of the athletes that were selected in the Draft over the past two days. TPH would like to thank the 21 drafted student-athletes for allowing us the opportunity to be a part of their development in hockey and life. Below is our #TPHTrained student-athletes that were selected in Phase II:

View players selected in USHL Draft Phase I.

Tanner Latsch – WSI Prospects Team

Round 1 – 4th Overall – Des Moines Buccaneers

 

Davis Pennington – TPH Center of Excellence – Detroit

Round 1 – 11th Overall – Muskegon Lumberjacks

 

Patrick Johnson – WSI Prospects Team

Round 3 – 34th Overall – Cedar Rapids Roughriders

 

Hunter Longhi – WSI Prospects Team

Round 7 – 93rd Overall – Madison Capitols

 

Owen Millward – TPH Center of Excellence – Grand Rapids

Round 7 – 97th Overall – Tri-City Storm

 

Owen Bartoszkiewicz – TPH Center of Excellence – Detroit

Round 7 – 104th Overall – Youngstown Phantoms

 

Daniel Nakhamiyev – TPH Center of Excellence – Detroit

Round 12 – 168th Overall – Madison Capitols

 

Jacob Badal – 8 Week Progression Program – Detroit

Round 13 – 183rd Overall – Madison Capitols

 

Owen Carlile– TPH Center of Excellence – Detroit

Round 13 – 187th Overall – Muskegon Lumberjacks

 

Owen West – TPH Center of Excellence Alum – Indianapolis & Tri-State Spartans Alum

Round 14 – 208th Overall – Omaha Lancers

 

PJ Forgione – TPH Center of Excellence – Detroit

Round 15 – 224th Overall – Fargo Force

 

Dominik Bartecko – TPH Center of Excellence – Nashville & Nashville Jr Predators

Round 15 – 221st Overall – Green Bay Gamblers

 

Braden Rourke – TPH Center of Excellence – Detroit

Round 16 – 231st Overall – Des Moines Buccaneers

 

Andrew Garby – Plymouth HS – Michigan Hockey Advancement

Round 18 – 260th Overall – Cedar Rapids Roughriders

 

Charles Larsen – TPH Center of Excellence – Colorado

Round 19 – 284th Overall – Fargo Force

 

Jacob Thomas – Detroit Country Day HS – Michigan Hockey Advancement

Round 21 – 309th Overall – Sioux Falls Stampede

 

Landry Schmuck – TPH Center of Excellence – Nashville & Nashville Jr Predators

Round 22 – 324th Overall – Sioux Falls Stampede

 

Posted in #TPHTrained, News

USHL Draft Watch Phase I

The 2020 USHL Draft takes place in two phases, the first of which took place Monday afternoon. Phase I of the draft is where teams select players exclusively from the 2004 birth year. In this ten round draft we are proud to announce that we had four of our current and former Center of Excellence Student-Athletes selected.

Camden Shasby – TPH Grand Rapids Student-Athlete

Round 2 – 27th overall – Fargo Force

Nathan Lewis – TPH Detroit Student-Athlete

Round 4 – 46th overall – Madison Capitols

Brett Baugh – TPH Colorado Student-Athlete

Round 4 – 50th overall – Lincoln Stars

Seth Constance – TPH Detroit Alum

Round 5 – 70th overall – Tri-City Storm

Phase II of the USHL Draft starts today at 2:00 p.m. EST.

Posted in #TPHTrained, News