Message from editor to start the season:
The best part of Charlotte Street Hockey is our community. It’s not something you can force, or just decide “we want to have a group like that”, it’s 10+ years of weekly hockey, building relationships and forming a bond with a small (well, started small) group of people who share at least one similar interest. This has grown to multiple leagues, travel teams, roller, and a youth program - but at the heart of all that are Sunday mornings at Waymer: Playing a little hockey, busting some balls, and drinking a few beers with friends who feel like family.
It’s been a somber month in the hockey community with the tragic loss of the Gaudreau brothers a couple of weeks ago. Today is also 9/11, the darkest day in American history, where we lost almost 3,000 people to a terrorist attack. Hug your loved ones and let’s appreciate everyone while we’re still lucky enough to have them. Maybe this newsletter (and its projected 38 minute read time) can take you away from the stresses of life for a few minutes, just like Waymer takes us away from the real world for a few hours each Sunday.
It’s great to see new faces, it sucks to lose some old ones, but that buzz you get pulling up to our little rink in Huntersville, North Carolina never changes. Let’s play some hockey.
It’s been awhile since you’ve heard from CSHL INSIDER, after a long, hot summer that saw the following:
Charlotte putting in three NBHL teams for the first time…and let a team from Virginia win the CAROLINA Division
The Mighty Waymer Power Rangers becoming the first undefeated CSHL team ever (per the Waymer Sports Bureau) in CSHL’s Summer ‘24 season
Kevin Helinki’s Pittsburgh Pissmissles winning our ‘24 Summer Slapper, making it his & Karson Steckler’s third straight tournament championship
The new Summer Slapper Championship Belt is SICK (thank you Cummings beer glass cheersing emojis)
CSHL Insider taking over the NBHL Carolina Division blog then immediately getting yelled at after giving the 12 year old girl timekeeper a D- rating for their week one performance
After an eventful summer, it feels good to be home. With a BMI only rivaled by my BAC on a cool fall Sunday, I for one am happy to be back at Waymer for CSHL’s Fall ‘24 season.
Editor's Note: All content (newsletters, YouTube, game videos) will be posted HERE
As always, if you care more about SPELLING than you do about CELLYING, this newsletter isn’t for you. Welcome to the CSHL INSIDER PRESEASON BONANZA NEWSLETTER.
Speaking of spelling, hopefully our newsletter’s will improve thanks to the the addition of new #INSIDER Deven Szlachetka as a correspondent. Deven will help with game logs, takes, and pretty much anything else we decide to talk about in CSHL INSIDER. Let's recap Winter '24 & Summer Rec with Deven:
After the conclusion of the Winter 2024 season, plenty has happened. He’s here to catch you up to speed all the way to the present and into the very near future.
First and foremost, W24 playoffs. Not the deepest of dives but the acknowledgement of all the hard work the players put in for their bid to win the coveted A and B league trophies for their teams.
WINTER ‘24 PLAYOFFS
Play-In Games
If you will recall, both our A and B divisions bolstered 5 teams in each division. That necessitates games between our teams finishing in 4th and 5th position in the regular season standings. Our A matchup consisted of the Hoolies/Rapids, and B shockingly the Fridge Raiders/Charlottans.
(4)Hoolies/(5)Rapids
This matchup saw both teams match scores through regulation. First period I can only assume the teams were feeling each other out, no score. Second, 2 on each side. Third period, they traded goals one apiece. The Hoolies came out on top in overtime for the opening game in our W24 playoffs. Rapids eliminated.
(4)Fridge Raiders/(5)Charlottans
If you told any god fearing individual in the CSHL that the Fridge Raiders and Charlottans played each other to even make it to the double elimination portion of the playoffs, you’d likely have them swiftly committed to a mental health facility. The Charlottans, backed by James “Brick Wall” Borruso and offensively dominated by captain Joe Petrellese scoring 2 goals and adding an assist, resulted in a 3-0 shutout to open our B division playoffs. Fridge Raiders eliminated.
Remaining Week 1 Playoffs
Now that we have the play-ins out of the way, time for the double elimination portion of the playoffs. Starting with our 2/3 seed in A, then to the 2/3 seed in B, that makes our matchups as follows: Bombers/Wieners and V’s/Cowbell
(2)Bombers/(3)Wieners
As soon as the Bombers took the lead, they never relinquished it. On paper, you’d think this wouldn’t be a 6-0 blowout in the playoffs, but it was. JJ’s Bombers controlled this one the entire way. Wieners pushed to the brink.
(2)Flying V’s/(3)Cowbell
An electric finish to the end of the regular season pushed the Cowbell out of the play-ins and directly into the double elimination portion, yet it didn’t matter much. The Cowbell could not stop the surge of the Flying V’s. 2 in the first, 2 in the second, and 2 more in the third allowed the Ducks V’s to soar over the Cowbell. Cowbell pushed to the brink.
The play-in teams now face the champions of the regular season. But they also had already played a game that day. Was there enough gas in the tank for both teams to outplay the titans? Our matchups were the following: Mighty Mullet Men/Hoolies and High Voltage/Charlottans
(1)Mighty Mullet Men/(5)Hoolies
Probably one of the closer games we had, as the lower seeded team was actually ahead at the end of the first. The Hoolies scored not one, but two on the regular season champs. 2-1 Hoolies at the conclusion of 1. The Mullets tied it in the second 2-2. The Mullets came out of the second intermission a brand new team. 3 goals for the Mullets was too much for the Hoolies who scored 1. 5-3 for the Mullets. Mullets advance.
(1)High Voltage/(5)Charlottans
The Charlottans remembered the rivalry they have with High Voltage and sprinted out of the gate and didn’t look back. Maybe having the game against the Fridge Raiders allowed bionic knees Kennedy and the rest of the Charlottans to be warmed up. The final score of 5-3 makes the game seem a lot closer than it actually was, with Voltage scoring 3 in the third. One of those in the dying 30 seconds of the game. Charlottans shock Voltage.
The final matchups for the double elim portion are the winners of both games. We have Mighty Mullet Men/Bombers and Charlottans/V’s in A and B respectively.
(1)Mighty Mullet Men/(2)Bombers
What. A. Game. This was playoff hockey. I remember watching this game live 5 (five) months ago and it still gives me chills. Mullets down one going into the third and on the edge of my seat the entire way. There of course is two issues at hand; scoring to tie, then scoring to win. And boy did the Mullets do that. Overtime in hockey is always nerve wracking. CSHL overtime? I can say I personally haven’t experienced much of it being my first time playing hockey ever, let alone in the CSHL, but I live for it. Mullets punch their ticket to the finals in an overtime thriller.
(5)Charlottans/(2)Flying V’s
Wrapping up the day and the double elimination games, the Charlottans came out of the gate hot against the V’s, scoring one in the opening frame. Unfortunately that was their last goal of this game, as the rest of the game belonged to the V’s. The V’s slowly chipped away at the Charlottans and was able to solve Borruso once in the second, and another in the third. Can captain Brandon Brownlow win his first adult league championship? Flying V’s rest waiting for their finals matchup.
With the conclusion of the first weekend of W24 CSHL playoffs, that gives both the Wieners and Voltage the longest path to their respective championships. Would they pull off the three game weekend and make their claim to fame and raise their division’s trophy?
Ill timed rain pushed Championship Weekend one week. Will the extra rest be a blessing or a curse? In the quarterfinals, we start with B and finish with A. The sentiment will hold true throughout Championship Weekend, the day concluding with our A division championship. The playoffs transition to a single elimination on Championship Weekend, making every game game 7. Our quarterfinals matchups are (1)High Voltage/(3)Cowbell and (3)Wieners/(5)Hoolies
(1)High Voltage/(3)Cowbell
Two teams that neither expected to be fighting for their lives nor playing hockey this early in the morning square off for a game closer to the B division trophy. This game could have gone either way, but ultimately the hockey gods saw Big John’s slapshot from between the red and blue line of the Cowbell go in yet go uncalled. Tied until around 5 minutes left in the GAME, Big John sends Voltage on and the Cowbell packing with two unofficial goals in a 1-0 game.
(3)Wieners/(5)Hoolies
The first period went with nothing much out of the ordinary besides matching goals to make the score 1-1 at the end of 1. The Wieners took a page from the Bombers and absolutely RIPPED 6 goals in the second which made this game unsurmountable for the Hoolies. They managed only one more in the third, but the Wieners matched both the Hoolies 1 in the first and 1 in the third in addition to their 6 goals in the second made this a 8-2 game in flavor of the Wieners (editor's note: pause).
On to the quarters. We see the potent rivalry of the Charlottans/High Voltage in B, and a rematch of the Bombers/Wieners from earlier this playoffs. Both the Voltage and Wieners have lost to their respective opponents in (arguably) tough margins in these playoffs alone. Did the teams learn from their mistakes, or will (two week) history repeat itself?
Charlottans/High Voltage
High Voltage now play the team that shut them down 5-3 only two weeks prior in the Charlottans. A rejuvenated and rested Voltage made this one an offensive treat to watch for fans of the Voltage or haters of the Charlottans. Hat tricks for both Nick AND John Lavella propel High Voltage past the Charlottans 7-1. Both Lavellas hat trick to send Voltage to B finals.
Bombers/Wieners
Wieners didn’t allow 6 unanswered goals to the Bombers! The best offense is a good defense or something like that, right? Jon Hotch scores 2 and Petrini scores 1 to lift the Wieners over the Bombers. 3-2 in regulation. Wieners advance to finals.
With our matchups set for the finals, we have a lunch break with an awards break included.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the awards. A huge thank you to The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery & Biergarten for providing gift baskets to our MVPs ($50 GC, beer glass, hat, koozie, 4 pack of beer)!
A DIVISION
MVP & MVF - Jeremy Hotchner, Mighty Mullet Men (11G, 6A)
MVD - Zach McKenna, Huntersville Hooligans (4G, 5A)
MVG - Tim Hickey, Mighty Mullet Men (1.29 GAA, 2SO)
B DIVISION
MVP & MVF - Nick Lavella, High Voltage (10G, 5A)
MVD - Tom Carriero, High Voltage (7G, 5A)
MVG - Hayden Drake, High Voltage (1.86 GAA, 1SO)
JJ DAMATO SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Editor’s Note: CSHL typically gives the JJ Damato Sportsmanship Award to both one player from the A and B Divisions at the end of each season. Many players around the league wear helmet decals to honor JJ who tragically passed away during pickup at Waymer Park
The man who shows the greatest sportsmanship of all is the one who has to deal with the 100+ of us every weekend. Congratulations to head ref Allan Azali for the JJ Damato Award and thanks for all you do for CSHL. The league wouldn't be the same without you!
All teams fought ruthlessly to get to this point, yet we’re down to two teams in each division. Starting off our finals is the B division, consisting of High Voltage and the Flying V’s. Finishing up the CSHL season will be the Mighty Mullet Men and Waymer Wieners in the A division. Both the Wieners and High Voltage have gone through The Gauntlet™. Will the franchises cement their place in history and complete it?
Flying V’s/High Voltage
24 goals in the three regular season matches played between these two teams, this one should be a high scoring affair, no? Let’s get into the game. A shot by Nick Russell seemed either to be a simple save or a wide shot to Voltage goalie Drake, but was deflected off the toe on captain Tom Carrerio’s stick in what can only be described as a glitch found the back of the Voltage net. 1-0 for the V’s. No scoring in the second from either side sets up an exhilarating finish to the W24 B season. Big John Lavella puts in two, with one of those in the dying minutes of the game to give High Voltage the win and the championship. This is the first title for captain Tom Carrerio’s High Voltage franchise in 37 years. High Voltage jolt B and win the title.
A lot of talent from this team is moving up to CSHL’s A Division including captain Tom Carriero, who handed the reins to his ‘A’ Brandon Rios. We caught up with their new captain to ask how it feels taking over the High Voltage legacy from Tom C”?
“It’s an honor. I know how Tom C feels about HV and he wouldn’t have handed over the reigns to me if he didn’t think I could carry the C with the same commitment he did - so it means a lot. But as Tom C would say: now we go out and win. We were intentional on who we drafted and we know we have the right people to add another trophy to the HV cabinet.” - El Capitan Rios
As General Manager of High Voltage I wholeheartedly support this move as we look to continue the franchise’s winning ways.
Mighty Mullet Men/Wieners
Chris Ward opens the scoring in the final game of the W24 season less than 30 seconds in after an uncharacteristic turnover from Jon Hotch resulting from a strong forecheck by Andrew Sernus and Ward. Either the early goal or what Ward said (editor’s note: would 100% say it again) must have ignited a spark in Wiener tendy Danny MacMahon, as he didn’t let anything else in for the rest of the game. Jon Hotch scores 2 minutes later to tie the game at 1 after a shot block in his d-zone. The teams trade shots and possession over the next few minutes, and on an unfortunate rebound and subsequent change for the Mullets, head Wiener in charge, Jim Bateman receives a sexy saucer pass from JY to give him a breakaway and goes five hole on Mullet’s netminder Tim Hickey in the dying minutes of the second. Danny MacMahon turns into an actual brick wall for the next few minutes, stopping rebound after rebound until one seems to squeak by, but JY either has the intuition of a clairvoyant, or the hockey gods were on his shoulder, but he stops one from trickling past the goal line after three consecutive shots on goal from the relentless Mullet offense. The Wieners continued to stand firm and the Mullets just couldn’t solve Danny Mac or the Wiener defense. A final score of 2-1 for the Wieners. Wieners are winners!
Editor's Note: Some of you enjoyed that trip down memory lane, others would love to forget everything about championship weekend...
While the CSHL Players Association votes for the yearly MVP, MVF, MVD & JJ Sportsmanship Awards, CSHL Insider’s voting council has taken it upon ourselves to name the All-Insider Teams along with our Newcomer of the Year and Rookie of the Year Awards. Players must play a minimum of 10 games to qualify as the best ability is availability.
WINTER '24 A DIVISION ALL-INSIDER TEAMS
First Team
F - Jeremy Hotchner, Mullets: 11G, 6A
F - Josh Greco, Bombers: 11G, 2A
H - Chris Cookingham, Rapids: 6G, 6A
D - Alex Lindvall, Mullets: 7G, 5A
D - Jon Hotchner, Wieners: 4G, 8A
G - Tim Hickey, Mullets: 1.29GAA, 2SO, 12-1-1
Second Team
F - Mike Campbell, Bombers: 11G, 3A
F - Quinten Heinly, Hoolies: 9G, 3A
H - Jim Bateman, Wieners: 9G, 3A
D - Caleb Brownlow, Bombers: 5G, 3A
D - Zach McKenna, Hoolies: 4G, 5A
G - James Hotchner, Bombers: 1.71GAA, 2SO, 8-5-1
WINTER '24 B DIVISION ALL-INSIDER TEAMS
First Team
F - Nick Lavella, High Voltage: 10G 5A
F - Jacob Janiga, Flying V’s: 7G, 5A
F - Karson Steckler, Waymer Cowbell: 12G, 7A
D - Tom Carriero, High Voltage: 7G, 5A
D - Eric LeVigne, Fridge Raiders: 5G, 5A
G - Hayden Drake, High Voltage: 1.86GAA, 1SO, 9-3-2
Second Team
F - Jeff Kennedy, Charlottans: 12G, 4A
F - Big John Lavella, High Voltage: 7G, 2A
F - Brandon Brownlow, Flying V’s: 6G, 5A
D - Jerry Janiga, Flying V’s: 7G, 2A
D - Mike Steckler, Waymer Cowbell: 1G, 3A
G - James Borruso, Charlottans: 2.42GAA, 1SO, 4-7-1
Newcomer of the Year
Alex Lindvall, Mighty Mullet Men
Rookie of the Year
Jacob Janiga, Flying V’s
SUMMER REC 2024
Most players would agree it felt like their shoes were melting off their feet due to the heat. After two weeks, the standings were very close. However, the Mighty Waymer Power Rangers captained by Chris Ward took the other three teams by storm beginning in the third week, going undefeated and finishing with a 7-0-2 record during the regular season. Second and third place teams Bad News Beers and Waymer Bounce captained by Bobby Arkus and Bill Evans respectively, finished with a 3-3-1 record, but Arkus’ team having a shutout gave them the edge by a single point. 4th place Bo Rounds captained by Caleb Brownlow had a seemingly offensive dynamo, but just couldn’t produce, potentially due to the heat. Playoffs had the 1/4 and 2/3 seeds match in the opening round, with the higher seed taking each game. The finals had Ward’s Mighty Waymer Power Rangers line up against Arkus’ Bad News Beers. Probably the closest game all season was the final one, ending up in overtime, where the teams encroached on a time slot owned by a party. This game ended in a shootout to quickly wrap up and give the party their reserved time slot on the court. The Mighty Waymer Power Rangers take the S24 rec league championship in a shootout.
“While there was no picture due to getting booted off the court by some lady, huge shout out to my guys (and Allyson!) who were a part of CSHL’s (allegedly) first undefeated team” - Ward
Mighty Waymer Power Rangers
G - James Hotchner
F - Jeff Kennedy
F - Aidan Bento
F - Mike Rudolph
F - Sam Rosentreter
F - Allyson Stockinger
D - Walt Ewald
D - Hayden Drake
D - Deven Szlachetka
D - (C) Chris Ward
SUMMER SLAPPER 2024
Another CSHL Tourney in the books! Captain Kevin Helinski’s Pittsburgh Pissmissles won this year’s Summer Slapper making it his (and Karson Steckler’s) third tournament victory in a row! Josh Greco came out of a brief sabbatical to lead the tournament in points with 8, while Bobby Arkus led with 6 goals. Danny MacMahon paced all goalied with a 0.80 GAA.
Every year CSHL picks a local charity to donate the proceeds from our Summer Slapper. This year we are proud to donate $1,000 to Teal Butterfly, whose mission is to raise awareness about the early signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer Teal Butterfly supplies Butterfly Boxes to women receiving treatment at the infusion centers which include carefully picked items to help brightens the patients days. Thank you Janine DeFeo for allowing us to contribute to this cause & help raise awareness for Ovarian Cancer Read more about their mission here: https://www.tealbutterfly.org/
A HUGE shoutout to Joshua Cummings for making the new Summer Slapper Championship Belt!!!
All Round Robin games can be viewed HERE
All Elimination Round games can be viewed HERE
FALL 2024 DRAFTS
Before we dive into the drafts, let’s touch on some updates for the upcoming F24 season. CSHL’s A Division now features six teams with Jeremy Hotchner captaining the expansion Gladiators. Check out their new threads from 2 & 10 apparel who are handling all CSHL Adult Ball jerseys this season (and moving forward)! Their sister company Hagan Custom Sports now hosts the official CSHL LEAGUE STORE where you can purchase league branded merchandise!
While in our B Division, Mike Warren brings the River Rats down south and Nick “Hockey Jesus” Harris becomes our first goalie captain in the split-division era of CSHL.
We caught up with Mike Warren and asked how it feels to bring the River Rats back to the Queen…Race City
“I grew up watching the River Rats in Albany, seeing stars like Patrik Elias, Sergei Brylin, and current Charlotte Checkers captain Zac Dalpe on the ice.” “When I got the opportunity to be a captain, it was a no brainer to bring the River Rats back, especially since the team was bought and moved to Charlotte as the modern day Charlotte Checkers!” - Mike Warren, Captain, Race City River Rats
With 11 teams now in CSHL this is our largest season to date, there are also a few changes this season:
All games will now have 10 minute running periods, with the clock stopping the last two minutes of the third period.
A & B Division teams will alternate one and two game weekends, with each team having 3 two-game weekends.
Let’s dive into our A Draft before covering some additional changes to B.
BONUS CONTENT: Eric LeVigne breaks down the A League Season on YouTube
Looking at that draft board, you’ll notice a LOT of familiar names from CSHL are missing from the top couple rounds of the draft. Here’s a list of players we normally see in the league who are taking our Fall season off:
Josh Greco, Sabbatical
Jon Hotchner, Military
Eric LeVigne, Color Commentary
Nathan Hans, Knee
Zach Olivas, Life
JY, Kids playing real hockey
Chris Bayne, Kids playing real hockey
Matt Henry, Canadian
Brad McLane, Life
Long time Fridge Raider captain Eric LeVigne is taking a step back from the court (if he isn’t leaning over the boards and on the court anyways) this season to be our play by play / color commentator for the Fall 24 season. Make sure to chirp him tastefully on your way to the benches or penalty box.
Editor’s Note: Eric will probably be on fan side of the rink opposite of the scorekeeper
This winter’s champion Waymer Wieners were awarded the first pick in the draft and per sources, this is Jim Bateman’s last time he’ll be making a first round pick for the Wieners. This pick was locked in from the start as he is taking his Realm NBHL teammate and the player he passed on with the first pick in our Winter ‘24 draft with the 1.01, Mr. Samuel Wood.
“The Wieners have Wood in the first round” - Jim Bateman
Wood the Wiener is a fitting pick and the potential head of the franchise is one of CSHL’s elite talents on the defensive end with the ability to play a true 110 foot game & is the perfect compliment to Bateman’s offensive mindset.
There was some noise that Riverbend Rapids captain Chris Cookingham could go off the board here in his first full A Division draft, but he took the other consensus top tier player with the 1.02 pick in Zach McKenna. In his two CSHL seasons McKenna has an MVP (F23) and two MVD (F23, W24) awards to his name and holds the highest scoring season since CSHL’s post-division split with 27 (17G, 10A) in the Fall ‘23 season. Zach McKenna will be playing forward for the Rapids per their captain.
“Why would I play the best scorer in CSHL further away from the net" - Cookie, Rapids Captain
James Forbes’s Huntersville Hooligans went from Fall '23 Champions to afternoughts after a tumultuous Winter '24 season marred by attendance issues and a final day that saw them eliminated 8-2 by the eventual champion Wieners in the playoffs. With the third pick Forbes selected star defenseman who may or may not be moving to Tampa Bay during the season in Andrew Sernus…who in reality is only a defenseman in CSHL and Carolina NBHL but not his entire life outside of that. Sernus went 1.02 to the Mullet Men in the Fall ‘23 draft and will be lining up at center for the Hoolies this season. He has 19 goals in his last 20 games for the Mullets and that number could jump playing on a line with Forbes or the Hoolies second round pick.
The fourth pick in our A Division draft was a mystery as things were quiet on the Bombers front from captain Mike Campbell. We know Campbell loves Turmenne’s game and there were rumblings this could be a Brownlow or Helinski pick, but with the 1.04 choice JJ’s Bombers selected CSHL newcomer Cole Williams. The 17 year old forward who started showing up to pickups over summer quickly flew up draft boards after recent pickups where a lot of A league talent was in attendance. He gives the Bombers speed & scoring which allows Campbell to do what he does best, score around the net.
With the first pick in Gladiators franchise history reigning MVP & new CSHL captain took…not Kevin Helinski? I think everyone expected Helinski to be the pick as he and Jeremy absolutely terrorized our A Division the last two seasons (as someone who was on the team it was fucking sick), however Jeremy selected another Mullet Men & Charlotte Rise teammate, star defenseman and CSHL A Division W24 Newcomer of the Year winner (CSHL Insider appointed) Alex Lindvall with the 1.05 pick, making Lindvall the first draft choice in Gladiators history. Lindvall is a huge, physical defenseman with a rocket launcher from the blue line & certainly wasn’t making it past Ingalls & the Mullet Men at the turn. Surprising, but great pick by Hotchner.
Jack Ingalls Mighty Mullet Men dominated the regular season the past year, going 23-3-2 with a +43 goal differential, however, they came up short twice in the Championship losing both 2-1. This was the first spot we really looked at a potential Cale Bowman pick and of course Helinski was an option as he won an MVP for the Mullets in Fall ‘23, however Jack is adamant his team is about the Mullet not the guys on the roster, and he went with a Bobby Arkus & Caleb Brownlow combination at the 1.06/2.01 turn. On paper this is a perfect match as Jack’s wrecking-ball game fits with the possession based approach of his first two picks, and with these teammates Arkus should avoid any of the scoring issues that plagued him in our Winter ‘24 season. This was also a smart decision on Ingalls’ part as he could focus on the Glass Animals concert and let Bobby handle the busy work of the next 6 rounds. Caleb was the last of three elite defenseman in the draft with Wood & Lindvall already selected.
Editor’s Note: If you count Arkus as the Mullets first round pick, all of the first rounders are new to CSHL within the past two years.
“This one will surprise you, I want Cale” - Jeremy Hotchner, Gladiators Captain
Early mocks had the Hotchner family paired together, later had rumors of a house divided and that’s what we saw as the Gladiators selected CSHL’s best goalie with the 2.02 pick in the draft in Cale Bowman. Cale could’ve arguably gone first in this draft and been a good pick, so getting him in the second round was great value. Per sources this is a controversial pick in the Hotchner household. The Gladiators first draft starts off balanced with an elite player across F/D/G.
“I appreciate a guy who plays to win" - CSHL Commissioner Tom Ward
Mike Campbell took the max-effort Jesse Turmenne with the Bombers second pick. Turmenne’s playstyle will allow Cole & Campbell to get a ton of shots on net and gives them two of the faster players in CSHL to surround their netfront presence. Forbes and the Hooligans selected the Fall ‘23 MVP Helinski with the 2.04 pick, a steal as when he plays Helinski’s size/effort combination is unstoppable on a Waymer-sized rink. Helsinki is also back on the Hoolies who he originally captained starting in Fall ‘22 before COO Bobby Arkus kicked him out of the position. Ethan Pinto was taken by the Rapids with the 2.05 as Cookie works to assemble the fastest team in Waymer history…
…and Bateman closed out the second round picking CSHL newcomer John Peters who played for the Charlotte Rise this season. JP is most known for fouling Bateman twice on the same shift in our first NBHL weekend in a 30 second period where there was four penalties including a major.
The Wieners took “Benny” Thompson with the first pick in the third, giving them a physical defenseman to pair with Sam Wood who was definitely not a reach at all.
We saw a bunch of speed go in a row with Jayden Steckler, Connor Malmstrom, and Nick Severins go 3.02, 3.03, 3.04. I think this is the last time we’ll see Jayden go in the third round in a Fall dispersal draft as he’s almost guaranteed to break out one of the next two seasons and lock himself in as a top two round pick. Jeremy picked another familiar with Chris Ward at the 3.05 (shout out Jeremy great pick LFG Gladiators) and to close out our third round we saw the Mullet Men take Winter ‘24 MVG and first-ever CSHL Insider Steal of the Draft^™ Tim Hickey.
A Draft Notes:
The Gladiators made the “Q decision” at 4.02 and took potentially the best natural scorer in CSHL to pair with a balanced core. Jerry Janiga goes to the Bombers at 4.03, making his first appearance in CSHL since he cursed out the referees and was suspended for championship weekend in Fall ‘23. The 4th round is usually when we see studs moving up from our B Division for the first time begin to get selected and that happened with our B League W24 MVP Nick Lavella going 4.05 to the Rapids and Jacob Janiga at 5.01 to the Wieners. We made it all the way to 5.05 before Jeremy picked someone who wasn’t available, but this time it was Keenan Steckler who didn’t even sign up for the league. We saw another massive run of vets and A League rookies move up these next couple of rounds. Bateman went and got Petrini with the 7.01 as his all-vibes team was almost complete. Tanner “he played goalie in lacrosse that sounds like defense” Knego went 7.03 to the Hoolies in what could be a steal as he played A Division ball growing up in SoCal and was some allegedly (per Al Gore’s internet) an All-American lacrosse goalie at Arizona. The Bombers of course picked James Hotch in net but for some reason did it at 7.04 and not 8.03 when the turn teams already had goalies. Ryan Thomas at 8.01 to the Mullets could be a steal as he has 30 years hockey experience and per our research department may run Spartan races and be part Canadian. Walt Ewald should never have lasted to the Gladiators at 8.02.
Picks we love:
Mullets, Hickey, 3.06
Hoolies, AZ, 4.04
Rapids, MacMahon, 6.05
Wieners, Petrini, 7.01
Rapids, Carriero, 7.02
Gladiators, Ewald, 8.02
PRESEASON A DIVISION ALL-INSIDER TEAM
Editor’s Note: Loosely putting the required games played at 7 for these predictions
First Team
F - Zach McKenna, Rapids
F - Jeremy Hotchner, Gladiators
H - James Forbes, Hooligans
D - Chris Cookingham, Rapids
D - Caleb Brownlow, Bombers
G - Cale Bowman, Gladiators
Second Team
F - Jim Bateman, Wieners
F - Cole Williams, Bombers
H - Andrew Sernus, Hooligans
D - Alex Lindvall, Gladiators
D - Jack Ingalls, Mullet Men
G - Tim Hickey, Mullet Men
BONUS CONTENT: Eric LeVigne breaks down the B League Season on YouTube
With a lot of regulars taking the season off and our A Division expanding to six teams, a trickle-down effect to B League is to be expected. In this case it comes in the form of more space on the rink as B Division is playing 4v4 this year. That’s been a hot subject the past couple of seasons with opinions divided, however, I think we’ll see a larger skill gap this season without teams being able to hide players or clog the middle on a congested rink so the top few players have a chance to really rack up points, especially with 10m periods.
The former voice of the Albany River Rats is now captain of the CSHL’s Race City River Rats and Mike Warren had a big decision to make here after receiving the first overall pick in the draft. With six runners from our A Division draft falling to B, the River Rats took advantage of the extra runner depth and selected goalie James Borusso 1.01, making him the first draft pick in River Rats history. Borruso was a stud for the Charlottans last season as he constantly faced a barrage of shots from all parts of the zone.
CSHL Insider has this pick locked down the entire way as Rios was always taking Dennis Dunworth 1.02 to start the new High Voltage era. We last saw Dennis in F23 on the championship Hoolies team scoring 6 goals as he was limited by a foot injury (one he missed the W24 season for after having surgery), however his potential dominance in B Division can be traced back to W23 as he scored 22 points in his last 8 games for CDI en route to a championship. CSHL Insider asked Dennis what he’s bringing to the High Voltage franchise:
“First and foremost, I’m honored to be picked #2 by Rios and am excited to be a part of such an electric team. Rios and I were a part of the championship run a few seasons ago with the legendary CDI team, and I can’t wait to run it back again with him and the rest of the High Voltage squad. I hope that can provide a spark on offense and help keep the team on top of the standings all season long” - Dennis Dunworth, #2 Overall Pick
After a tough loss in the Winter ‘24 Championship to High Voltage Brandon Brownlow is back with a fresh start for the Fall season. Rios taking a runner meant the Flying V’s had flexibility to go BPA here and I absolutely love their selection of Mike Rudolph at 1.03. Rudolph was on my undefeated summer league team, has good hands, a hard shot and the flexibility to play all over the rink. This is a player who EASILY should have been a 5th-6th rounder in our A Division draft however was squeezed out due to the gluttony of forwards available. Starting off in B with two talented high IQ players is huge and this was a home run pick for Brownlow, especially since Rudolph is a bit more mobile around the rink.
With his previous netminder gone first overall, was there really any pick that made sense other than Ray Jasinski at 1.04 to the Charlottans. Jasinskio would probably go in the A draft if he wanted, and paired with Joe P this is as strong a starting duo as you’ll see in our B division. The extra space in 4s will give more opportunity here for shots from the point and carrying from the back so we could see offensive defenseman at a premium so we’ll see if Jasinski’s play takes a jump after an NBHL season with the Copperheads.
Nick Harris and his Latta Raptors had a lot of options available at the turn with himself playing goalie this season and they swung for the fences at 1.05 selecting Chetta Narach for their first pick in franchise history. If we get 10 games of Chetta trying he may put up 20 goals in 4s with B level speed chasing him, however, it’s entirely possible he only plays 6-7 games and doesn’t give effort on the defensive end.
Harris followed that up to open the second round by selecting a completely opposite player with the 2.01 pick, forward Wayne Witzigman. Wayne is a max-effort, low-scoring forward who should compliment Chetta well on their first line this season, however, I don’t necessarily know if his upside warrants being the sixth overall pick in B. I may be proven wrong and we will see a jump in Wayne’s play this season as he faces significantly slower competition than he did with the Charlotte Rise.
CSHL Insider had the Charlottans locked into a goalie with one of their first two picks and they went with upside by choosing the Winter ‘24 B Division MVG Hayden Drake at 2.02. Drake’s first CSHL season was W24 along with his first ever playing goalie was a great one as he won the championship with High Voltage and he followed things up with a stellar summer season winning another title playing out at defense. We could see a big jump in play from Drake as he gets used to the crease and he will be set up for success with Joe P & Jasinski in front of him.I don’t think many people expected Andrew Mahoski to slip to 2.03 but the Flying V’s quickly snagged him giving them the goalie who some think is the most talented in our B Division. Mahoski is great on first shots but doesn’t always find rebounds well so it’ll be up to the Flying V’s defense to clear balls out of their crease, something they struggled with last season in front of Bergy. I love what High Voltage did here grabbing Sam Rosentreter at the 2.04 spot. Rosentreter is a long, athletic forward with a great wrister that puts in a lot of effort on the defensive end. It’s very clear the Voltage are going for a max-offensive lineup here grabbing another forward, however, they did have an eye on defense by picking a longer forward over Karson Steckler.
Speaking of Karson, he went 2.05 to Mike Warren’s River Rats giving them an offensive star with huge upside. It’s kind of crazy Karson dropped to the 10th pick here given he clearly has A Division talent and is a guarantee to score 20 points this season, however teams clearly wanted a little more size in the top of the draft and the Rats took advantage securing the potential #1 overall pick nine spots later.
B Draft Notes:
CSHL’s oldest player is making his first appearance in our B Division after being selected 3.01 by the River Rats. We’ll see if Rich Wall can take more advantage of his shot in a slower-paced game. LaFond was an absolute steal for the Flying V’s at 3.03 and will rack up points/win every faceoff in B.
Joe Berg quietly scored 7 goals last season and will be an offensive focus for the Charlottans. Cynthia Clay looked great over summer and continues to get better after a positional switch to defense. The River Rats REALLY wanted Sam Rosentreter & Jason DeRosa, both of whom were stolen by High Voltage one pick before they were available (2.04, 4.04). Deven Szlachetka continues to improve and his size will be a big factor in a more spaced-out B Division. There was more talent available than people think in the middle rounds of B as the 5th round had serious studs taken. Joey Petrellese should have a jump in player after a physical NBHL season.
Marques Guia is a first-pair level defenseman taken in the sixth round. We see an unretirement from our Commish as Tom Ward was taken 7.02. The Brainard bros are going to RUN but let’s see how they are going to play for the Flying V’s. JD Henderson has a lot of upside at 8.02 & probably should’ve gone in the 6th/7th round. He can run but we see younger teens really struggle with the physicality in our B Division. Matt Stecher & his huge frame is extremely useful in B and he should’ve been picked higher, the same as AJ Yasav who has no business going last when he is guaranteed to score a few goals.
Picks we love:
Flying V’s, Michael LaFond, 3.03
High Voltage, Jason DeRosa, 4.04
River Rats, Deven Szlachetka, 5.01
High Voltage, Mark Kaltschnee, 5.02
Charlottans, AJ LeShock, 6.02
Raptors, Marques Guia, 6.05
River Rats, Colin Barrier, 7.01
Charlottans, JD Henderson, 8.02
Flying V’s, Matthew Stecher, 9.03
Raptors, AJ Yasav, 9.05
CSHL Insider’s favorite pick of the draft is Josh “Ahmego” Cummings who’s sporting a new look this season for High Voltage:
PRESEASON B DIVISION ALL-INSIDER TEAM
Editor’s Note: Loosely putting the required games played at 7 for these predictions
First Team
F - Dennis Dunworth, High Voltage
F - Karson Steckler, River Rats
H - Mike LaFond, Flying V’s
D - Brandon Brownlow, Flying V’s
D - Joe Petrellese, Charlottans
G - Andrew Mahoski, Flying V’s
Second Team
F - Mark Kaltschnee, High Voltage
F - Chetta Narach, Raptors
H - Joe Berg, Charlottans
D - Mike Rudolph, Flying V’s
D - Jimmy Vincento, High Voltage
G - Hayden Drake, Charlottans
A newish tradition is CSHL Insider’s anonymous “player” survey in the preseason edition of our newsletter. Let’s dive in:
FALL 2024 PRESEASON QUESTIONNAIRE
Outside of your own team, who had the strongest draft?
“Rapids are going to be tough to deal with. A lot of speed and scoring presence.” - A Div first line forward
“A:Rapids B: Flying Vs” - League veteran
“Forbes” - A league top scorer
“Mullet Men” - NBHL coach
“I really like the Rapids draft. That forward core goes hard.” - Top tier defenseman in A league
“Brownlow” - B league veteran
“Hooligans and Mullet Men. Up and down the lineup, solid teams” - Elite CSHL player
“I've come to the realization that regardless of my opinion, Jack's Mullet Men should be my answer, but I do think the Hooligans are particularly strong outside of my lessons learned.” - CSHL captain
Which player that isn’t on your team did you really want to play with?
“Love playing with McKenna but still haven't been able to be on the same team together.” - Charlotte Rise player
“Maybe an uncommon answer, but Benny Thompson. Great locker room guy and is starting to show some really high potential as a defenseman.” - NBHL player
“Sam Wood” - A league defenseman
“Mike Rudolph” - Rules and competition committee member
“Chris Ward, talented playmaker, big vibes guy, always has keystones.” - Elite CSHL defenseman
“I was hoping to get Pinto back on the Wieners as well as snagging P-mart” - Anonymous A league captain
There’s a lot of new faces in the league, but many CSHL regulars are sitting Fall ‘24 out. How’s that feel?
“Everyone needs a break. A lot of guys have been playing non stop since '22 with no breaks between CSHL, NBHL, Chops, Pickups, etc. Even with out those guys - we're still breaking registration records.“ - NBHL Veteran
“I’ve played in CSHL for a very long times, I’ve seen a lot of faces come and go, nothing new.” - CSHL veteran
“I’m very sad about Brad McClane!” - Former teammate
“Life catches up to you and obligations get in the way. We play a lot of ball hockey year round, too. You get burned out. It gives new guys opportunity to play and get to experience how much fun Sundays are at Waymer.” - NBHL forward
“Don't like it but hopefully it's just temporary absences.” - NBHL leadership
“Old news of old faces. They'll be back and a step slower than they were, I'm sure the new faces will handle the availability well.” - CSHL captain
“It's great to see. The game continues to grow in Charlotte. We are getting closer to rink building discussions…” - NBHL leadership
Who’s one person you’re interested to see this season and why?
“Cole Williams. Never seen him play and I've really only heard about him at one or two pickups, but he ended up in the first round. That's worked out well for the prior two chances (McKenna and Wood) both winning MVPs on similar gambles, but let's see if Campbell can replicate the magic on his squad.” - Former QC Crowns player
“Cole Williams - Supposed to be future star” - Veteran defenseman
“Cole Heslin, curious to see how he is in A league after playing NBHL this season.” - NBHL leadership
“One person? Practically half the league is new, so I look forward to watching all the newcomers.” - NBHL coach
“Cole Williams, you can tell he has a ton of talent, most of it coming from ice hockey. I’m interested to see how his skills in pickup translate to a highly competitive A league, I think he’ll have to change his game some.” - QC Realm player
“I’ve played pick up with Cole and he’s sick. I’m interested to see how he will look when it comes game time.” - A league forward
“Alex Lindvall. It's one thing to come in under the radar and have a great season. It's another thing when it's expected of you. I'm excited to see how he does” - Elite CSHL forward
How much did NBHL play influence your opinion on players this season?
“Basically none at all.” - CSHL speedster
“Well, JP took 2 penalties against me the first shift I played against him and I saw red. He’s a dawg. I like his game.” - Anonymous large QC Realm forward
“Not a ton honestly. It's 2 different games and doesn't always translate. Guys that score a ton in cshl don't always find the net in nbhl. Those speedy guys in nbhl don't always do great on our small rink.” - CSHL board member
“Not a lot. Big rinks and Waymer are two different things” - NBHL coach
“Very much, it gave me the opportunity to see so many of the CSHLs Best players” - Experienced ball hockey player
“If anything, I don't think enough of a distinction was made between NBHL and Waymer. It seems players were "penalized" draft-wise for not being as effective in NBHL play despite being very good at Waymer.” - B league veteran
“None. Two completely different games. 5v5 is a completely different game. The sport court changes the game entirely. And the size of the rink changes the game too.” NBHL defenseman
Who was the biggest steal of the draft?
“Sean Byrnes going in the 7th round.” - Top-tier forward
“A: Pete Becht rd 6 B: Mark Latschnee rd 5” - B league defenseman
“A- Nick Petrini round 7 B- James Weber round 6” - Late round A leaguer
“Sean Byrnes that late in the draft is a great value pick. Walt too.” - A league defenseman
“Cale Bowman and Sam Rosentreter in the 2nd rounds of their respective drafts” - NBHL leadership
“Pete Becht to the Hooligans in the 6th and Tom Carriero to the Rapids in the 7th. Also AJ Yasav in the 9th - the Raptors will not be disappointed with that pick.” - Former board member
“Pete Becht late. I know he will miss playoffs/championship but Pete is a perennial 2nd round pick every year.” - A league captain
“Well, if Pete Becht shows up for championship week it's him. If Q shows up in more than 50% of games, it's him. Assuming neither of those happen, AZ is the easy answer here, smart steady defenseman that's always in the right spot.” - NBHL player
Which player(s) do you look at as sleepers going into the season?
“Hard to call them sleepers, but newer guys who haven't played league. Could also see guys like Poppa Steck doing big things very very quietly.” - CSHL board member
“Any of the first timers playing that haven’t came out for pick up or anything. Are they the next Sernus? We need a new Sernus since the guy is leaving us.” - Former Sernus Wieners teammate
“All the young rookie forwards. Nick Lavella and Jacob Janiga in particular, but they are certainly not alone.” - A leaguer that probably doesn’t know Nick Lavella is 30
“A: Cole Heslin B: Jim Vincento” - CSHL veteran
“Nick Lavella” - Former High Voltage teammate
“Well, I don't know half the league, so...it's tough to say about a first rounder but I'll say Cole Williams because I've heard good things but haven't seen him yet.” - CSHL committee member
“Bobby Arkus. No one really expects him to do anything. He may surprise a few people” - Chops teammate
“Jacob Janiga and Ryan Thomas. No need to explain.” - A league defenseman
Who’s your favorite early round pick (R1-3) and why?
“A: Jayden Steckler - great value rd 3. B: Jim Vincento - rd 3” - CSHL defenseman
“Jesse Turmenne, round 2 for top 5 talent” - NBHL leadership
“A: Peters. Want to see how he plays at Waymer. B: Rosentreter/Rudolph. Both are A caliber” - CSHL B leaguer
“Love Mike LaFond in the 3rd round. He's made himself valuable in the faceoff dot as well as doing the dirty work around the rink. Also love to see Jayden get drafted higher and higher. He gets better and better as he continues to grow physically and mentally” - NBHL leadership
“Connor malmstrom in the 3rd round. Dudes got a motor and great playmaking ability.” - Former QC Crown
“Benny because he’s my friend and I’d like to play with him.” - Anonymous A league captain
Who’s your favorite mid round pick (R4-6) and why?
“M Steck in the 6th. The guy still has a hammer and rarely ever makes a mistake. Plus, as we saw last season, he'll put his balls on the line.” NBHL player
“A: Pete Becht - rd 6!!! B: Mark Kaltschnee rd 5” - CSHL board member
“The Byrnes Bros^™” - A league veteran
“Jeff Kennedy because I think we play well together.” - Anonymous A league captain
“Mark Stock, showed he is top tier Defenseman this past NBHL season” - Veteran A leaguer
“A: Nick Lavella is long overdue to be playing up. B: Trotmann. Good to see Tony is back” - NBHL leadership
“People will know who Mark Kaltschnee is by the time the season is over. Love me some Tony Trotmann too - welcome back to the league!” - Former Mark Kaltschnee teammate
Who’s your favorite late round pick (R 7+) and why?
“A: Sean Byrnes B: One of the Brainards is bound to be good” - B leaguer whos not teammates with the Brainards
“Petrini of course. (See a trend? Wieners forever)” - Anonymous A league captain
“Walt and Ryan Thomas. Walt has way too much cardio to be that old, and Ryan Thomas has a lot of buzz around him, I think he could be great.” - Longtime CSHL defenseman
“Nick Petrini … incredible he fell to round 7” - NBHL coach
“A: Since I called it last year, Knego, Phair, Thomas are your "next Lindvall" candidates. B: Josh Cummings made a kick-ass Summer Slapper trophy” - CSHL player who is a teammate of none of the above
“AJ Yasav finds himself at the right place at the right time. Tom Carriero and Sean Byrnes are also very high value picks at that stage in the draft.” CSHL committee member
What pick surprised you the most?
“Cole Heslin. He's really young and shows a lot of potential, but that's been unfulfilled to this point and remains potential to date. A big swing by Mike Campbell, and a surprise to be sure.” - A league captain
“A: Benny is a good player but not 3rd rd. B: Wayne Witzigman in rd 2” - NBHL leadership
“Ryan Kincaid” - CSHL award finalist
“Really no surprises” - NBHL centerman
“Alex Lindvall, he’s obviously a talented player, I just don’t think he’s proven enough to go that early.” - Top tier A leaguer
“Cole Williams in the first round. For A league in general it seems there was an emphasis on choosing the unknown or lesser known players over the known commodities. I chalk it up to an overcorrection after the Lindvall draft. Teams don't want to let that kind of potential slip through again.” - CSHL veteran
“Campbell picking a newcomer so early” - Former JJ’s Bombers player
Who’s the most overrated player in CSHL?
“I will not engage in this question” - Captain who will engage in a different version of this question in a future newsletter
“I hate to say it, but it's Sernus. I love the guy, but I'm not sold on him going 3rd overall.” A league forward
“Old slow defensemen” - Old slow defenseman
“Andy Zachowicz” - Veteran defenseman
“Nope, not touching this one..” - NBHL leadership
“Does Pinto do anything except hurt his team when it counts?” - NBHL player
“Jeremy Hotchner, Hickey was the driving force of last seasons Mullet Men, giving the MVP to Jeremy over Hickey was criminal.” - A league hater
Which captain's draft strategy did you like the best?
“Cookie’s strategy of grabbing fast forwards was strong. I like Jacks strategy of grabbing a bunch of shooter too.” - NBHL defenseman
“Big fan of Jim Batemans "knock back 20 full bodied IPAs and see what happens" strategy.” - fellow alcoholic
“I don't think enough of them had real strategies going in. They all just seemed to take best player available for 3-5 rounds and then started to fill in whatever holes they had left. I do think it is telling this year that the last 3 rounds were almost entirely D and goalie, there is a clear focus for all teams on wanting to be able to score over keeping the ball out of the net. We'll see how that pays off for everyone.” - Charlotte Rise player
“Brandon Rios” - Former CDI
“I love Cookie going straight speed again to start the draft. His squad will be a pain in the ass again.” - Slower A league forward
“Gladiators…. Grabbing the best goalie in Charlotte was huge!” - Non-Gladiators A leaguer
“A: Jeremy B: Brownlow. Both teams on paper are solid” - NBHL leadership
“Ingalls, with honorable mention to Cookingham. Their core is well supplemented by either speed or experience” - Former Cookie/Ingalls teammate
What’s one rule/format change you’d like to see in CSHL?
“Definitely would like to play more than 1 day a week” - NBHL leadership
“Particularly as the league continues to grow, a move to the single, ten-minute period similar to our tournament format which will allow for more games to be played without taking up too much of the day.” - B league veteran
“Let them drop the gloves.” - CSHL veteran
“Everyone should allow Jim Bateman at least 3 breakaways a game. Put it in the rules, please.” - Anonymous Wiener
“The rules are perfect.“ - Rules & competition committee member
“Players shouldn’t be ejected after 3 minors. I think 3 minors then it should be up to refs discretion.” - CSHL veteran
Of the B players moving up to A this year, pick one younger (Jacob Janiga, Nick Lavella, Cole Heslin) and one older (Big John, Steck, Tom Carriero, Kennedy, Jerry Janiga) you’re excited to see in A.
“Nick Lavella, John Lavella” - CSHL veteran defenseman
“Nick Lavella and Big John” - Former High Voltage teammate
“The Lavellas as it has been a long time coming for both.” - NBHL leadership
“Jacob Janiga. So young and so inexperienced - will be fun to see what he does. Tom Carriero. All he has wanted to do is play with some talent. Now let's see how he does” - NBHL leadership
“The answer is the same for both: Lavella. These guys dominated together last year, now we get to see if they can do it separately and in A league. Both show extreme potential for the teams that drafted them.” - Person who may want an invite to Big John’s lakehouse next summer
“Cole heslin and Tom C. Cole is all dog and I love it. Tom C is ancient but has played a lot of highly competitive ball hockey in his many many years.” - CSHL top tier defenseman
“I mean, I’m picking Jeff and Jacob, of course.” - Anonymous A league captain
Thoughts on B League going to 4v4 this season?
“Will certainly make it easier to weed out some of the BS.” - rules and competition committee member
“It’s fantastic. Won’t be so much of a cluster fuck, the talented players will stand out more. Should make for better hockey.” - OG CSHL veteran
“It will be interesting. Harder to hide players” - NBHL leadership
“Not a fan, with the weakness at the bottom of each roster, the 4v4 will give the top B players too much room, taking away the growth of the lesser players.” - NBHL leadership
“Finally! It may actually kind of look like hockey now…” B league defenseman
“I think it’s the right thing to do. 5v5 gets really congested out there.” - NBHL forward
“Interesting to see how much the skill players separate themselves. A lot less traffic for the shooters, too” - Elite CSHL player
Which player do you expect to see the biggest jump in improvement from last season?
“I hope to God it's Arkus. He absolutely sucked last season.” - Mullets’ player
“Jayden gets better and better each season. He’s going to be a top scorer one of these seasons.” - QC Realm player
“Cole Heslin” - NBHL coach
“Ray Jasinski or Mark Kaltchesny or whatever. B going 4v4 will let these guys stand out more.” -
“Brandon Rios to return to top 5 scorer in B” - Former Rios teammate
“Jayden Steckler. Kid started to turn it on really late in the season last year, but was hidden by a bad Rapids team. His NBHL season was excellent and he has been dominating pickups and tournaments over the summer.” - A league captain
“Cole Heslin” - NBHL leadership
“Sam Wood. I'm serious. This Waymer court surface is unique to other rinks around the country. It takes some getting used to, and now with a full season under his belt, look out” - CSHL veteran
Who’s a B-League player you wanted to see in A?
“Brandon Brownlow. He needs to put his pride away and move up.” - Former B leaguer
“Chetta belongs in A” - B leaguer who has to chase Chetta this season
“Dennis Dunworth” - NBHL leadership
“Brandon Brownlow. If he had players who could consistently find him open on the tape, dude could score 13 goals.” - NBHL defenseman
“Rosentreter” - CSHL committee member
“I wish my boy Wayne was up in A” - A league captain
“Perhaps 1 more season for Karson, maybe 2. He makes a difference in tournaments (ie. Summer Slapper)... he's almost ready” - NBHL leadership
Give me your preseason predictions for the W24 season:
A Division:
MVP: Cole Williams, Zach McKenna x3, Jack Ingalls x3, Sam Wood
MVF: Cole Williams x2, Kevin Helinski, Jeremy Hotchner, Jack Ingalls x2, Zach McKenna x2, Andrew Sernus
MVD: Chris Cookingham, Zach McKenna x2, Sam Wood x4, Caleb Brownlow
MVG: Tim Hickey x3, Cale Bowman x5
Most Improved: Ryan Prusia, Cole Heslin, Nick Petrini, Jayden Steckler x3, Patrick Byrnes, Ryan Kincaid
Most Points: Cole Williams, Zach McKenna x2.5, Bobby Arkus, Jack Ingalls, James Forbes x1.5, Ethan Pinto
Champion: Mullets x2, Rapids x2, Gladiators, Hooligans, Wieners x2 (“Dude pulls together the squad when it counts” - former Wiener)
B Division
MVP: Brandon Brownlow, Brandon Rios, Sam Rosentreter, Karson Steckler x2
MVF: Dennis Dunworth, Karson Steckler x3, Mike Rudolph
MVD: Brandon Brownlow x2, Joe Petrellese, Rich Wall x2
MVG: Nick Harris, James Borusso x2, Andrew Mahoski x2
Most Improved: Nick Harris, Ray Jasinski, Wayne Witzigman x2, James Terjesen
Most Points: Dennis Dunsworth x2, Sam Rosentreter, Karson Steckler, Chetta Narach
Champion: High Voltage, Flying V’s x3, Charlottans
"Voltage gang or don't bang" - Anonymous Source
LEAGUE NEWS AND EVENTS
CSHL Shop is Open!
Hagan Custom Sports is hosting the store with CSHL, CSHL Roller, CSHL Youth and Carolina Chops merch! There’s plenty to choose from, so have a look today to rep your favorite Charlotte street and roller leagues!
Adult Ball Fall ‘24 Season Kickoff Party/Jersey Pickup
Join us at 760 Craft Works and come pick up your jersey for the Fall 2024 season at 1pm Saturday, September 14th! Meet your team, grab a couple cold ones and pick up your jersey for our upcoming season!
760 Craft Works is located at: 100 Gilead Rd, Huntersville, NC, 28078
Event Link: https://www.facebook.com/share/8UzJHP1iYFxrXER4/
FREE Youth Clinic with NHL Street
Join us for our FREE youth clinic with NHL STREET later this week at Clanton Road Park Saturday, September 14th between 9 and 11AM. This is for kids aged 5-15. CSHL will provide all equipment for those who don’t have any, come out and play for free! Register at the link below:
The F24 adult season kicks off on Sunday, September 15th at 9am with A division reigning champions Wieners squaring off against the Rapids. Hope to see you there!