After the hottest Fall league in CSHL history, we enter our Winter ‘25 season in freezing conditions as a “snowstorm” hit the southeast this week. Lucky for our CSHL family, Huntersville avoided the worst and we’ll have a clear & sunny opening weekend on Sunday! Before we dive into the newsletter, let’s talk about our Preseason Kickoff Party at Legion Brewing Plaza Midwood & our 2025 CSHL Checkers Outing! Editor's Note: All content (newsletters, YouTube, game videos) will be posted HERE
ADULT BALL WINTER '25 KICKOFF PARTY
Come out, have a beer, meet your team & grab your jersey ahead of opening day Sunday! Legion is providing light appetizers. All attendees will receive a voucher for one free beer on their next visit!
Where: Legion Brewing Plaza Midwood
When: Saturday, January 25th
Time: 3-6PM
RSVP HERE
CSHL will be hosting another CSHL Group Outing at the Charlotte Checkers game in March! Info below:
CSHL GROUP CHECKERS OUTING
When: Saturday, March 8th - 4PM against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Purchase Tickets HERE
Last year we had 130+ people come to the group outing! Hopefully we will see that number grow in 2025! Our group rate is $23 per ticket and we will all be seated in the same section!
Now that the necessities are out of the way, let’s dive into our 2025 PRESEASON BONANZA NEWSLETTER. Unfortunately for everyone, this edition comes during a run of dry January for me so the takes won’t be as hot as we’re accustomed to seeing. Stay tuned for future editions where you’ll know how the #INSIDER really feels about some storylines over the past three months.
Always remember, if you care about SPELLING more than you do CELLYING, this newsletter isn’t for you.
Since we haven’t covered the Fall ‘24 postseason yet, let’s start with our 2024 CSHL ALL-INSIDER Teams & a couple of other awards
FALL ‘24 ALL-INSIDER TEAMS
A DIVISION
*Editor’s Note: To qualify for any award, you need to play 7/10 regular season games
First Team Fall ‘24
Second Team Fall ‘24
Honorable Mentions: Arkus - Mighty Mullet Men, Marshall - Gladiators, Thomas - Mullet Men
Newcomer of the Year
*Editor’s Note: A player NEW to CSHL
Cole Williams - JJ’s Bombers
Who else could it be? Immediately won MVP & MVF while leading the league in scoring, he’s now one of CSHL’s top players.
Rookie of the Year
*Editor’s Note: In A Division, a player new to A league from our B Division
Nick Lavella - Riverbend Rapids
Was torn between Kincaid & Lavella as Kincaid has a scoring touch you can’t teach, but Lavella adds more to the team defensively as a jack-lite wrecking ball
B DIVISION
*Editor’s Note: To qualify for any award, you need to play 7/10 regular season games
First Team Fall ‘24
Second Team Fall ‘24
Honorable Mentions: Kaltschnee - High Voltage, Burns - Raptors
Newcomer of the Year
*Editor’s Note: A player NEW to CSHL
Mike Rudolph - Flying V’s
One of the most versatile players in our B Division now has two championships in two seasons with CSHL. Will surely be a mid round pick in the Fall ‘25 A Division draft.
Rookie of the Year
*Editor’s Note: in B Division, a player new to hockey
Dan Brainard - Latta Raptors
Showed great hockey IQ and a knack for playmaking as early as week one, starting to develop into an elite passer.
Before we recap championship weekend, lets take a look at the official CSHL Awards as voted on by the players.
A DIVISION
MVP & MVF - Cole Williams, JJ’s Bombers (12G, 8A)
MVD - Jack Ingalls, Mighty Mullet Men (8G, 3A)
MVG - Cale Bowman, Gladiators (2.25GA, 2SO
B DIVISION
MVP & MVD - Joe Petrellese, Charlottans (11G, 3A)
MVF - Karson Steckler, River Rats (15G, 8A)
MVG - Andrew Mahoski, Flying V’s (1.50GAA, 3SO)
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.
A Division - Jack Ingalls, Mighty Mullet Men
B Division - Mike Rudolph, Flying V's
Now let’s get into some hockey. Starting off with our Junior Editor's recap of B Division’s Championship Sunday.
B DIVISION PLAYOFF RECAP
QUARTERFINAL: Charlottans 4 @ Raptors 3
This game starts off fast for the Raptors as they were built for, but the Charlottans have the better offensive looks early in this one. The Raptors make great attempts from their defense cutting in and getting open for looks, but the Charlottans are able to respond.
Our opening goal for Championship Sunday belongs to Placido of the Charlottans from a shot block off a Burns slapshot as he walks into the slot and rips one past Harris. Adding insult to injury for the Raptors, Beachy is assessed a hooking minor on Berg on the ensuing faceoff. The period ends after a successful Raptors PK, but still 1-0 in favor of the Charlottans.
In the early goings of the second, we see Joe P do Joe P things from his own goal line and rip one down to the Raptors end where Jasinski tips it where it finds a way behind Harris and a 2-0 lead for Joe P’s Charlottans.
This one looks to be put even further out of reach of the Raptors, as a JD Henderson pass finds a way to Joe Berg out front who buries the third past Harris halfway into this tilt.
The Raptors are having some good looks, but both defense and goalie Drake of the Charlottans have stood the test thus far with success. The second period ends 3-0 for the Charlottans.
Wayne is having himself a good year in playoff scoring, as he opens the Raptors scoring in this elimination game early in the third from a Beachy bank pass that trickled out front. We saw him score from the almost same exact location against the Rats last week, so if he continues to play for the Rise this year expect their coaching staff to try and get him similar looks in the NBHL.
While Ray and Chetta battle along the boards, Chetta wants to flip it back to at least one of the two defensive players for his team in his zone, but it just … rolls to JD Henderson who doesn’t waste the chance and buries it. 4-1 Charlottans in the third. One would think that takes all the air out of the Raptor’s sails, but a Charlottans clearing attempt at the next faceoff slides directly to Guia of the Raptors who catches Drake by surprise and closes the gap to 2.
The Charlottans just leave Guia alone during the next minute or so, and the Raptors feed the man and he will not be denied another goal for his second of the game and closes the gap to 1 with time left. The Charlottans skillfully hold possession forcing Harris to stay in net and kill off the rest of the period and game to win their way to the B-division semifinals against the Flying V’s via a 4-3 victory.
⭐️ JD Henderson 1-1-2 GWG
⭐️⭐️ Ray Jasinski 1-1-2
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Marques Guia 2-0-2
HM: Joe Petrellese / Wayne Witzigman
SEMIFINAL: Charlottans 0 @ Flying V’s 2
The shoe is on the other foot for the Charlottans where they catch the V’s flat footed. Joey gets a block and subsequent chance at Mahoski, but the next minute or so belong to the V’s, where they spend some good time with possession. Joe P comes out, and you already know who is coming from the bench to stay on him.
A slow roller into the Charlottans’ corner has Eddy gain possession and thread a pass between both Joe P and Placido and on Rudolph’s stick in the slot where the initial chance is blocked by Drake, but not the rebound. 1-0 V’s late in the first. Opening frame ends with the same score
The best chance thus far for Joe P comes with a Berg rebound attempt, but Mahoski is playing absolutely out of his mind and is able to somehow keep it out. Drake channels his inner S24 ways and sends one out of play for a delay of game penalty, setting up the V’s for their second powerplay of the period after a Placido trip is still being served. I thought the V’s would have limited time on a 5-on-3 then 5-on-4 until the next stoppage of play, but I guess I don’t know anything. The Placido penalty is killed off regardless. The second ends 1-0 in favor of the V’s while still on the powerplay
Starting the third, the Charlottans look to have something in reserve to hopefully tie this game, but captain Joe P takes a slash early in the period to have his team down a runner again. They look good on the offensive side of things, but are having a hard time staying out of the box in this one. It’s also killed off and we stay in a 1-0 heat. The V’s do a great job maintaining possession in this 1-0 game late, effectively killing clock and marching towards their rematch in the finals. Mike Rudolph puts in the extra tally as time expires to give the V’s the win 2-0.
⭐ Mike Rudolph 2-0-2 GWG
⭐️⭐️ Andrew Mahoski (G) SO
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Eddy Ippolito 0-1-1
Awards & Skills Competition: B Division
Starting something new this year, CSHL has implemented two skills events; Fastest Runner and Hardest Shot. The following have been nominated by their captains to participate with winners in bold:
Charlottans:
Ray Jasinski, fastest runner : 15.08
Joe Petrellese, hardest shot : 76 mph
High Voltage:
Jason DeRosa, fastest runner : 13.36
Tom Ward, hardest shot : 68 mph
Flying V’s:
Daniel Brainard, fastest runner : 16.17
Mike LaFond, hardest shot : 70 mph
Raptors:
Chetta Narach, fastest runner : 15.96
Jacob Burns, hardest shot : 79 mph
River Rats:
Nick Russell, fastest runner : 15.35
Rich Wall, hardest shot : 76 mph
CHAMPIONSHIP: Flying V’s 4 @ River Rats 3
The V’s find themselves in the finals for the second time in their second season after rebranding from the NorMonsters and the River Rats find themselves in their first time in their inaugural season with this being captain Warren’s first trip past the play-in game in his second season.
Borruso is tested early by Rudolph crashing the net on two shots, but both goalies are able to maintain their poise, freezing at each opportunity presented. The V’s open up the scoring in the first …
The Rats respond shortly thereafter from a block off Stecher finding its way to Warren and he buries it, tying the B finale at 1.
And even more shortly after the Rats goal in the closing minutes of the period, we see some Brainstorm action as Matt finds Daniel just inside the Rats’ blue line who breaks the tie yet again to close out the first period 2-1 for the V’s.
Teams will eventually learn to not leave Rich by himself, right? The biggest age gap in CSHL connects again, as a crashing Rich is found by Karson tying this at 2. Everything we know is beyond thrown out the window at this point, as Stecher breaks the tie yet again again again after a send-in from Brownlow passing up the boards.
A long clear off the boards intended for Karson is found by Rudolph who quickly gets the ball down to LaFond who one times it scoring the first consecutive set of goals for a team in this game giving the V’s a 4-2 lead.
Jesus, this is an unrelenting game. Rich Wall channels his inner Joe P and sends one down from his own faceoff dot in front of Borruso and again connects with the youngest player in CSHL who buries it bringing this game back to a difference of 1. The period ends with a few extra chances either way, 4-3 V’s. Mahoski has a near miss with a pressuring Rats offense, but somehow he’s able to trap the ball between the pads and stand tall keeping the lead for his team.
As the final period starts to trickle down, both goalies are making massive stops to give their teams the chance to win this game. With around 90 seconds remaining in this game, both teams called their timeout to get a break. Following faceoff is in the Rats end with Borruso still in cage.
Borruso goes to the bench with less than 45 seconds remaining in this game and the Rats put on the pressure. A few clears from the V’s don’t find the empty net, but it doesn’t matter as the clock killed in the process is more than enough to secure them the game and championship with a final score of 4-3.
⭐️Mike LaFond 1-1-2 GWG
⭐️⭐️Karson Steckler 1-1-2
⭐️⭐️⭐️Brandon Brownlow 1-1-2
HM: Andrew Mahoski (G) / James Borruso (G) / The children relentlessly chanting “Let’s go Flying V’s” all season long
*Editor’s Note: Some would have chanting kids as a dishonorable mention..
A huge congratulations is in order to Flying V’s captain Brandon Brownlow as one of the OG CSHL-ers finally is able to reach the pinnacle of B division as a captain and bring home the championship. He’s built plenty of great rosters in the past, but this is the one that is finally able to get it done:
*JE's Note: Data is from W19-current / whatever is available.
#7 - Brandon Brownlow (C) : First championship
#14 - Daniel Brainard : First championship, CSHL Rookie
#21 - Eddie Ippolito : First championship
#23 - Mike Rudolph : Second championship, back-to-back (S24 Rec, Mighty Waymer Power Rangers; F24 B, Flying V’s)
Junior editor’s note: I’m counting rec and nobody can stop me, like S24’s MWPR
#24 - Jenny O’Handly : Fourth championship, three peat (F23 B, Charlottans; W24 B, High Voltage; F24 B, Flying V’s), (F22 B, Waymer Cowbell)
#30 - Andrew Mahoski (G) : First championship
#35 - Matthew Stecher : Second championship (F23 B, Charlottans; F24 B, Flying V’s)
#77 - Tony Trotmann : Third championship (W19, Blue Collar; W22, Badgers; F24 B, Flying V’s)
#88 - Matt Brainard : First championship, CSHL Rookie
#91 - Michael LaFond : Second championship, back-to-back (W24 A, Waymer Wieners; F24 B, Flying V’s)
Congratulations to these players old and new, rookies, veterans, first time winners, multiple time winners, MVPs, sportsmen, et al.
Letter from the Junior Editor: With that being said, it concludes our Fall 24 season here in CSHL at our lovely little corner of David B. Waymer Park. Bittersweet as always, some more than others. I’m not exempt, as my ACL surgery/recovery will put me out until Winter 26 at the earliest along with expecting a baby here by the end of 2024. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to the following: those that read these or don’t, those that work behind the scenes to make this logistically possible, the content creating committee, the board, refs, captains, players, my fiancée Zoee, and last but not least, the community and family that makes up CSHL. When I signed up to play for Winter 24 as my first season of hockey ever, I didn’t expect anything like this. It’s been an incredible experience thus far, and I hope to stay close even though my injury will keep me off the court. Thank you.
A DIVISION RECAP
QUARTERFINAL: Riverbend Rapids 4 @ JJ’s Bombers 1
The A slate came in hot as we saw the Bombers on their back foot early after a (C) Turmenne tripping call followed immediately by a Williams DOG as he flipped it out of play between pressure from Cookie & Steckler. They were able to kill off both (back-to-back penalties not a 5/3 or 4/2), however gave up the first of the game when Cookie found Jayden in the slot who put the Rapids ahead. On the next possession, Williams tied things up for the Bombers after flipping on backhand around the Rapids defender & past MacMahon. After over eight minutes in the second of even hockey, Cookie beat Hotchner to put the Rapids ahead then Carriero pulled it away from traffic and scored through a blob of defenders to make this 3-1. Pinto added one late but due to the shorthanded Bombers, this one never got close in the third. Rapids advance.
SEMIFINAL: Riverbend Rapids 3 @ Huntersville Hooligans 1
Like most of our slate so far, this game was close heading late into the first until Nic Phair took a high-sticking penalty that gave the Hoolies the man advantage. AZ was able to find Forbes on his off point who blasted one past the Rapids goalie to give them a 1-0 lead heading into the 2nd period. Carriero opened the second by knocking a Knego clear out of the air to Jayden who buried the goal past PMart to tie things at one. The second period coasted by and the Hoolies were able to kill a penalty early third before being down another man after a Pete Becht boarding call. McKenna was able to find the Rapids Captain through traffic who beat PMart to give them the lead heading into the final stages of this game. After hitting an empty net post Pinto was able to put a garbage time goal home with a second left to seal the victory for the Rapids.
A Division Skill Competition
Fastest Runner: Sean Byrnes who is very fast smoked everyone
Hardest Shot: Congrats to Zach McKenna, Uncle Steck who was sitting shirtless at 98MPH until McKenna joined the fun with a 99MPH blast, check out the video HERE.
CHAMPIONSHIP: Riverbend Rapids 1 at Mighty Mullet Men 4
In another game we saw a team shoot themselves in the foot by taking penalties, the Rapids wend down a man twice in the first after McKenna took a Roughing penalty before Lavella was called for a trip. The Rapids were able to kill off the first however Sean Byrnes fought through traffic to give the Mullets the lead near the end of the period.
We opened the second with something I’m not sure CSHL has seen before in a Pat Byrnes pass…
…which his brother buried to put the Mullets up 2-0 in what was starting to feel like it could get out of hand…until Jayden buried a one-timer past Hickey to close the gap. This game was TIGHT deep into the third until Jack took a pass from Noah Sheer (Out for W25 - Fatherhood) to extend the game with just over two minutes left. He tacked on an extra goal on a backhand rebound chase to lock up the Mighty Mullet Men’s first CSHL Championship.
Now my favorite part of the season, let’s dive into our A & B Division drafts.
A DIVISION DRAFT REVIEW
Someone needs to investigate Jim Bateman’s Fall strategy as he always end up picking at the top of the Winter drafts & land a star for their team. Winter ‘25 is no different as the Wieners selected an elite goaltender with the 1.01 pick in Tim Hickey.
With the goalie class weaker than usual in our A draft there’s a strong argument Hickey should have been kept by the Mullets, however none of us can really question Jack & his draft strategy with their success so far. Next came the Gladiators who had a weird season as Jeremy Hotchner fractures his wrist in game one of the season. The Gladiators swung big and took the unknown Purdue ACHA D1 talent in Evan Spadafora with the 1.02 selection.
Some people think this may be a reach, however I love this selection as ACHA D1 is no joke and I fully this guy to be a top player by end-of-season. With Bombers captain Mike Campbell keeping Gonzo as a goalie this season, it gives his team a lot of flexibility as he has returns 22 goals to go with a top-two goaltender. A pick I had locked down pre draft, at 1.03 the Bombers went with the now Queen City Realm’s Nick Lavella who we saw score the Rapids GWG in their playoff play-in Fall ‘24. Brad McLane’s wedding is the night before the championships so we’ll see if Lavella (and Ward) is negatively affected by this…
Love this pick and Lavella’s full-court game fits Cole & Campbell extremely well. Andy Zachowicz was drafting for Forbes’ Hoolies this time around and this was a decision he didn’t want to make; selecting Ethan Pinto & risking his goalie not making it back in the second. The Hoolies went with the elite-talent but not so elite-reliability pick in Pinto at 1.04. Pinto is a STUD when (1) on time, and (2) not hungover, and has been hitting the gym to improve his shot.
A not super surprising, but selection that some don’t agree with is Cookie & the Rapids going with Keenan Steckler at the 1.05 draft spot. Keenan is a MAX hustle player, has chemistry with Jayden & Cookie from the driveway/Charlotte Rise, and is experienced as he won the Mylec Cup with the Queen City Crowns, but I think many expected the Rapids to play it safe and snag a goalie here after the Pinto/Lavella combo were gone. Keenan isn’t a natural goalscorer, but the Rapids don’t need that with their keeper core & once again Cookie is starting to build the fastest team in CSHL.
Jack Ingalls’ Mullet Men historically shop in the middle rounds for a goalie but that changed this draft with their selection of Danny MacMahon at 1.06 slot. While not a top-tier goalie anymore, Danny is a consistent performer in net and having an elite trio returning allows Jack to lock down his back end here.
After Pinto slipped up in a group chat & said Luke Dobbs was good at hockey, the Wieners selected him 2.01. He’s another unknown with club-level college hockey experience. The Gladiators selected defenseman Ryan Prusia at 2.02 who had the longest goal in CSHL history last season…
…and immediately hit a sniper celly to pour salt in the wound.
With three forwards on the roster the Bombers selected a veteran to lead their blue in Uncle Steck at 2.03. Uncle Stecky is the CLEAR favorite to lead CSHL in blocks this season and should have more passing options than Fall ‘24. The Hoolies gamble on Pinto paid off as PMart was available & taken at the 2.04 slot giving the Hoolies their longtime goalie.
Except PMart is NOT going to be the Hoolies goalie this season as he had to withdraw due to being a huge nerd who likes to watch little girls cheerleading competitions (@FBI). Sean Stegner is taking his place for the Hooligans in his first season of CSHL action. Stegnar has a lot of ice & ball hockey experience from Long Island & could be a dark-horse for MVG this season. He plays a bit like Gonzo with his small stature but moves extremely well in the crease (pause).
The Rapids returned a defenseman from their F24 team in Nick Phair with the 2.05 draft pick. While there was a group of higher-upside players available for selections, Cookie went with another safe pick as he continues to build around their top-end talent. Ryan Thomas scored a ton in his first ball hockey season and returns to the Mullet Men at 2.06.
A Draft Notes:
Hickey was a no-brainer selection as the first pick as he was by far the largest difference-maker available. Fuck it, I like the Spadafora selection. Really surprised the Gladiators didn’t go goalie at 2.02 when PMart was there. Love the Byrnes bros getting recognition after multiple impact seasons, Sean especially was a perfect pick for the Wieners at 3.01, actually, depending on Dobbs the Wieners had almost a perfect draft. LOVE Cole Heslin at 5.01, Cole is a dawg and as a Jets fan knows how to play through pain. Nate Kaine is unknown to a lot of CSHL but was a steal at the 5.03 spot. I’m dying to play with Petrini once and he should’ve went higher than 5.04. Cale is a legit #good runner and 5.04 will be great for the Rapids as they needed one more scorer. Isabela Noyle played D3 hockey and should make an impact for the Mullets on a line with Bobby Arkus. Bela is the second girl in our A division and hopefully the first that makes more than one weekend of games…Nappy if healthy will outproduce his spot & we saw some ageless vets go with the last three selections. For the most part, great 5th round selections here.
PICKS WE LOVE
Wieners, Hickey, 1.01
Hoolies, PMart (Stegner), 2.04
Mullets, Thomas, 2.06
Wieners, Heslin, 5.01
Bombers, Kaine, 5.03
Hoolies, Petrini, 5.04
Rapids, Bowman, 5.05
Hoolies, Carriero, 6.04
PRESEASON A DIVISION PREDICTIONS
MVP - Zach McKenna, Rapids
MVF - Cole Williams, Bombers
MVD - Caleb Brownlow, Mullets
MVG - Tim Hickey, Mullets
Most Improved - Cole Heslin, Wieners
Most Points - Cole Williams, Bombers
Newcomer of the Year - Evan Spadafora, Gladiators
Rookie of the Year - Jimmy Vincento, Bombers
B DIVISION DRAFT REVIEW
Who else would go first overall outside of Brad McLane as Brandon Rios’ High Voltage selected a monster to start their draft with the 1.01 selection.
JE: With talent swapping between our A and B divisions, Brad McLane is warmly welcomed back after a season off, returning to High Voltage at 1.1. Voltage needed help on the blue line after struggling throughout F24 and Brad is that guy.
Love this pick and he should allow Dunworth & Kaltschnee to load up on goals. Another pick that CSHL Insider had correct was LaFond going 1.02 to the Raptors. The Raptors struggled scoring at times last year and Harris’ keeper pair of Beachy & Wayner are more hustle guys than ones that are guaranteed goals, plus LaFond will help with the bench vibes this season.
JE: Captain/goalie Harris opted for faceoff connoisseur Mike LaFond at 1.2 to win (almost) every faceoff to his other fast (keeper) forwards Wayne and Beachy. O-zone faceoffs already look to be dangerous, but this can put an exclamation point on it.
Joe P & the Charlottans took the obvious selection of Jeff Kennedy at 1.03. Kennedy should have 14+ goals this season and his net presence allows Joe P to let it fly at all times & last time this pair was together they won the F23 championship.
JE: Joe P wasted no time to select Jeff Kennedy 1.3 returning a lethal (A division talent) duo that terrorized the B division less than a year ago. In the preseason poll. Kennedy had a high ranking of 1 and a low of 2, so Joe P gets himself a steal if you could call him that at 3.
Another pick we nailed was Kendall Kerr going 1.04 to Mike Warren’s River Rats. I LOVE this pick; he’s the perfect player for this team & his length & hustle fits amazing with Karson. The game should slow down for him after A Division & NBHL play, he also scored the first goal in Mullet Men history…
JE: With the Rats having elite players rostered in all three positions (F/D/G), Mike Warren had the opportunity to go BPA, and that indeed would be the case with Kendall Kerr being the selection at 1.4
Brandon Brownlow had two options here: (1) Shoot for the stars and take Chetta, or (2) Play it safe and take the best shutdown defenseman of our B Division in Eddie Ippolito. The Flying V’s return elite talent and played it safe here grabbing Eddie Ippolito as a lockdown defender with the 1.05 pick. I like this pick a lot as the V’s are guaranteed goals out of Brownlow & Rudolph, especially with the former playing Forward this season.
JE: Trying to run it back from their first championship in franchise history, Brandon Brownlow returns shutdown defenseman Eddy Ippolito at the end of the first round at 1.5. Eddy holding down the blue line gives both Brandon and stud Mike Rudolph the green light to play their games and keep the pressure off F24 MVG Mahoski.
High Voltage decided to load up on top-end talent, selecting Chetta Narach with the 2.01 pick. Chetta reportedly has been in the gym & is committed to hustling & getting back on defense this entire season.
JE: Circling back to High Voltage to start the second round, Chetta is playing for his 5th different team in 5 consecutive Fall/Winter seasons. (Fact check me). Sneaky, fast, and a great shot, he’s well deserving of his selection at 2.1. A complete turnaround from Carriero’s draft strategy a year ago that won B in W24, with fast fast fast players this iteration.
Marques Guia & his monster slapshot go 2.02 to the Raptors as Harris returns his blue line sniper from F24.
JE: Marques Guia returns to the Raptors at 2.2 after a productive season for them on the blue line. I’m sure he has plenty of extra green tape that will go to good use.
The Charlottans decided to take another shooter in defender Jacob Burns with the 2.03 pick. Burns & Joe P are both physical defenders with quick triggers who will give Kennedy a ton of chances in front of the net for deflections and rebounds.
JE: Joe P is getting the W24 band back together at 2.3 with Jacob Burns and subsequently Cynthia Clay (3.3) solidifying the defense early, making it one opposing teams will dread.
This pick also locks them into Cynthia Clay next round & solidifies a strong defensive core. Haley Gourdie went 2.04 to the River Rats which started a run of women being selected as Kayla Blaisure was the next selection at 2.05 by the Flying V’s. Gourdie is solid on the back end and has a ton of hockey IQ while we haven’t quite seen Kayla play yet outside of a pickup last weekend.
JE: Roller commish Haley Gourdie to the Rats at 2.4, reuniting her with Cowbell teammates from W24 Karson, Leshock, and Barrier. Is the chemistry still there? The first of many unknowns (at least to the JE™) Kayla Blaisure is selected 2.5 to Brandon’s V’s.
B Draft Notes:
Selfishly, I would like to pat myself on the back for having the first 6 picks of this draft predicted correctly. I’m curious to see how LaFond does on the Raptors as he will have to drive offense instead of just collecting passes from Brownlow & Rudolph to rip shots. LOVE Dan Brainard at 3.02 pick as he will be in A league in Fall ‘25. DeRosa is a DAWG & a favorite of Mike Warren but will he make the championship game? Wertz is a very good player at 3.05 & gives them a fourth upper level runner to close out games with. Nick Russell will give the Charlottans secondary scoring they desperately need at 4.03. Love the Voltage snagging Todd Wilson & Kyle Pratt at 5.01/6.01. Todd “is gonna be really good really fast” per Bobby Arkus & has a soccer background. After playing with Pratt in the AWC, I’m a huge fan of his game and he’s a steal at that slot. Louis Schultz could be really good strictly because he offered to help ref in his registration and I feel like that means you know hockey. Shoutout big newsletter & Mets fan Big Stech, he had a huge jump in improvement last season. AJ is a dawg and is going to score 4-6 goals on this Flying V’s team.
PICKS I LOVE
River Rats, Kerr, 1.04
High Voltage, Chetta, 2.01
Raptors, Brainard, 3.02
Charlottans, Clay, 3.03
Flying V’s, Wertz, 3.05
Charlottans, Russell, 4.03
High Voltage, Pratt, 6.01
Raptors, Stecher, 6.02
PICKS THE JE^™ LOVES
Charlottans, 4.03, Nick Russell
River Rats, 4.04, AJ Leshock
Voltage, 6.01, Kyle Pratt
Raptors, 6.02, Matt Stecher
Charlottans, 7.03, Michael Placido
Flying V’s, 7.05, AJ Yasav
PRESEASON B DIVISION PREDICTIONS
MVP - Brandon Brownlow, Flying V’s
MVF - Brandon Brownlow, Flying V’s
MVD - Brad McLane, High Voltage
MVG - Andrew Mahoski, Flying V’s
Most Improved - Dan Brainard, Raptors
Most Points - Karson Steckler, River Rats
Newcomer of the Year - Louis Schultz, Flying V’s
Rookie of the Year - Todd WIlson, High Voltage
Junior Editor's Post-Draft Rankings
1. Charlottans - Kennedy + Joe P is enough alone to give them major points on paper in my opinion. Both Joe and Jeff are great at coaching (and on the fly), so they can elevate the players around them so long as they are of the coachable nature. The most balanced blue line in B in my nowhere near expert opinion.
2. Raptors - This roster is 80% V’s + Raptors (40/40) from last season, and I think it pulls the best of both worlds together. Maintaining possession looks to be the idea with a strong net-front presence. Stecher was taken criminally late with the season he had with the V’s paired with LaFond’s faceoff expertise and Wayne/Beachy’s speed and hands? Be scared, B league.
3. High Voltage - Now that Rios has his second draft under his belt (with expert GM Chris Ward on speed dial), Rios has plenty of familiar faces he’s had success with in the past (how tf has Weber been drafted to Voltage three times in a row this late into the draft????). Probably the fastest Voltage roster I’ve seen with the hands to boot.
4. River Rats - Mike Warren is going to give me absolute hell for this, but I’d happily eat my words with a smile on my face. It’s a solid roster without a single doubt, but I think everyone’s draft strategies changed with the V’s dominant regular season last time around. He’s been to the dance, now it’s time to go and win it with the experience he had last season. Returning players know the game Warren expects and can boost the chemistry that’s already there.
5. Flying V’s - it’s nothing against Brandon or his draft strategy, but there’s plenty of unknown talent (at least to myself, the Junior Editor). He and LaFond were able to coach that team to their strengths and win a championship, so it’s more than possible it can happen again. But can Brandon do it without LaFond this go around? WINTER '25 ANONYMOUS GM SURVEY
Heading into the draft, which team in your opinion had the strongest set of keepers?
“Flying V’s. Champs get to retain their core.” - B League Captain
“Bombers - strategically, the Gonzo keep was a A+ level GMing” - CSHL Goalie“A: Bombers B: High Voltage” - League Office
“Jack’s team” - Multi time champion
“Mullet Men” - Former B Champion
“Flying V's by far. Counting Brownlow, you return two of the 5 best players in B last year in him and Rudolph. Plus the MVG. And while Mahoski can be beat, he's going to have a stout defense in front of him again which should have his numbers around the same.” - B Captain
“Tbh o don’t remember every teams keepers, but the mullets core with Bobby, Caleb, and Jack is lethal. Jack is basically a position less player electric everywhere all the time. What Bobby does especially down low slowing the game down and also making big defensive plays when needed. Caleb being the sure and steady defenseman with a real offensive threat. It’s a nasty set of keepers and a championship worthy core.” - Elite Defenseman, A Division
“Mulleted Men” - B League Star
“It's gotta be Rapids or Mullets here. They're the only teams that returned two top round level picks, but which one depends on if you want balance or favor offence.” - A Captain
“Mullets or Bombers” - Keeper, A League
“A: Tough call between Rapids and Mullets but will give the slight edge to Mullets since they have a ring now. B: Flying V's because those two keepers should be in A league, for crying out loud…” - B League Veteran
Outside of your own team, who nailed the draft?
“Bombers, Hooligans, Raptors, Charlottans all look very strong in my opinion.” - Upper Tier Defenseman
“Bombers had a great draft. No major liabilities on the team at all.” - CSHL Board
“Jim “Snake Draft Tanker” Bateman. The weiners have don’t this consistently, tank in the snake draft seasons so you get the 1.1 pick and the 2.1 pick and so forth. Honestly, this strategy has done great things for Jim, and I respect it, but damn the league may need to look into the intentional tanking.” - CSHL Whistleblower
“I only focused on my team” - Longtime A Captain
“Hooligans - Stock, Petrini, TC as the last 3 picks is filthy” - CSHL Longtime Vet
“High Voltage” - Ex HV Player
“A: Impressed that despite being at the back of the draft, Jack was able to come up with what (on paper) looks like a team that could repeat. B: Love what the Raptors were able to do. Across both divisions, they look like they made the biggest improvement.” - NBHL Coach
“Until proven otherwise, my answer is and will always be the Mullets.” - Top A League Player
“High Voltage. Now with the first pick there's no doubt they should've. But they still have a good overall roster that will win games if they get the goaltender play they need. However, I'm curious how this team plays when falling behind.” - B Defenseman
“I like what the Charlottans did a lot. There’s no holes in that team.” - Captain who has been burned by both Joe P & Kennedy
“A none, B Charlottans” - Former champion with Charlottans
“Bombers” - NBHL Captain
Which player that isn’t on your team did you really want to play with?
“Definitely wanted some Burns/Cynthia stock. One of the top defensive pairings in B that doesn’t get the shine they deserve.” - B League Captain
“Chris Ward” - A League captain who just passed on Ward multiple times
““Daniel Brainard, Kendall Kerr, Jeff Kennedy, and of course Brandon Rios.” - B League Champion
“Sam Wood” - NBHL Coach
“Mike Rudolph” - CSHL Veteran
“Kennedy” - B League Vet
“Would love to play on the same team as Pinto for a season - playing against him is never fun.” - NBHL Captain
“Chris Ward. Said this every season so far. Elite vibes, elite passing” - NBHL Defenseman
“This will likely be everyone's answer but Dan Brainard. He had a really good first season with the V's and is expected to make a jump this year with the Raptors.” - Upper Tier B Leaguer
“Nick Lavella. Dude is a good player with good vibes and I like that.” - A Captain
The A draft felt shallow this season at the top. How did that impact team’s draft strategies?“Teams taking chances on unknown talent with high slotted draft picks. (Spadafora 1.2 / Dobbs 2.1)” - B Captain
“Goalies had to be considered pretty early on. Doesn't seem like there were any make or break players so goalie stock was much higher than previous seasons.” - A Div Forward
“Got my guy! Hickey, baby.” - Head Wiener in Charge
“Some players that normally be picked in 5th or 6th rounds in A were picked in the 1st or 2nd rounds” - Ball Hockey Veteran
“We saw some big swings at unknown players early and often. A large portion of A-League is similar this year, so taking lotto tickets was a favorite of every team.” - Charlotte Rise Player
“Allegedly if I was a keeper this season my captain may have called me before the draft to ask for advice. Allegedly I may have just said he should follow his gut, it hasn’t let him down so far.” - Alleged CSHL Keeper
“It looks more like a random draft” B League defenseman
“By the end, it felt like players were being assigned to teams. One of the flaws of players dictating the B league/ A league split (but that's for a question later in this survey.)” - B Leaguer with a bone to pick at the A/B Split
“For my draft, one player sneaking into the last round in A changed my strategy a bit. As much as we needed more offensive firepower which we got, having a chance to essentially have almost my entire first line and goaltender back would've allowed us to hit the ground running.” - B Captain
Who’s one person you’re interested to see this season and why?
“May end up being the Nick Lavella show this year in A. I think he will set himself apart from the rest of the commoners this season. Elite hustle with a great release. We saw him come on more late in the season, I ecxoect that to accelerate. And Brandon playing forward in B could be electric.” - Elite A Player
“Isabela - always interesting to see how college-level ice players translate to ball hockey” - CSHL A Division Veteran
“Obviously any of the players new to the league who have good resumes - always interesting to see how the transition from ice goes” - Top end scorer
“Hayden Drake & Sean Stegner.....are they ready to be A division goalies?” - Former B Division Champion
“A: Tom Carreiro. Bounce back season from Mr. Voltage himself is on the way. B: Todd Wilson. New to the league but already impressed at a few pick-ups.” - Career B Leaguer
“Matt Stecher. He made an amazing jump from W24 to F24, and scored 2 HUGE goals in the playoffs against the Rats. Could it be a flash in the pan? Yes. But with a lot of the V's of the Fall now on the Raptors, he should feel right at home.” - B Defenseman
“With college lacrosse experience I'll be interested to see what Kayla Blaisure can contribute.” - B Captain
“The new ice hockey guys.” - NBHL Leadership
“All of the unknown ice hockey players” - A League Forward
“The 4 unknown college guys. Potentially some new higher end talent” - NBHL Leadership
Who was the biggest steal of the draft?
“Nathaniel Kaine round 5 to the Bombers. Chris Wards suspiciously adept internet stalking skills steals his team a huge asset on defense here deep in the draft. Voltage and Raptors getting Kyle Pratt and Big Matt Stecher in the 6.1 , 6.2 spots respectively is pretty insane value there.” - Former Nate Kaine teammate
“Nate Kaine” - Scoring Forward, A League
“Cale going as late as he did as a runner was interesting to me. Positionally, Cale is great and his shot is pretty good. I thought he would've went a little higher - but honestly I wouldn't say anyone was necessarily a steal.” - Rise Teammare
“A: Cale as a runner because inevitably he will be called into service as a goalie at some point and while slower, he at least knows what he's doing out there as a runner. B: Daniel Brainard keeps getting better and being in shape in B league that already puts him in the higher percentiles of the talent pool. Should have gone much higher.” - B League Veteran
“Tom C in the 6th round” - CSHL Goalie
“Kyle Pratt. Similar to Stecher, the jump in play from Game 1 to Game 10 in his Rookie Year was huge and he might've been the Raptors most serviceable defender at the end of the season. If he's paired with Weber like I expect, that is going to be a tough pairing to get around when we face them.” - Opposing B League player
“Chetta. They really let him fall to the 2nd and pair up with Dennis Dunworth & Brad McClane. Should be a lot of fun to watch.” - Current B Leaguer
“Whichever one of these unknown players that was drafted kind of late turns out to be good.” - A Captain
“Pinto not being a keeper, then going 1.4 is wild. He’s better than more than 1 of the other teams keepers and there’s no way he should have gone that late in this seasons draft. Also Cale bowman has a knack for scoring goals that a lot of guys don’t have.” - QC Realm Player
“Pinto....because he should have been a keeper for sure” - Former CSHL Captain
“A: Chris Ward rd 3, B: Chetta” - Veteran Defenseman
“Hiiiiickey baby” - A League Captain who probably thinks he should’ve been a keeper
Which team has the best logo in CSHL?
“A: Wieners. B: Raptors” CSHL Board Member
“River Rats. Next Question.” - Big Rat Guy
“Bombers” - Hoolies Player
“Bombers” - CSHL Goalie
“River Rats, even if it just rips off the early 2000s Checkers.” - CSHL Checkers fan
“It was always the Voltage, but the Bombers are sick.” - NY Rangers fan
“I mean? Cmon. Wieners forever.” - Anonymous Buffalo Man
““The Raptors have a f**king velociraptor. Ive also always loved the flow of the Rapids jersey as a whole, but the Raptors have a dinosaur, so W.” - B Defenseman
“Other than my own??? I guess I like the Hooligans and Raptors, admittedly for very different reasons.” - A Captain
“Mullets. Next question.” - Mullet Man
“Logo - Mullets. Jersey - Hooligans.” - A Div Keeper
Name a player you think went too early in the draft.
“Jacob Burns. Now I realize why it was done. But I personally think he's too offensive minded at times and got caught not covering the backdoor on more than one occasion. The aggressiveness is there which I like, but he also has a tendency to be in the Penalty Box a lot which could hurt the Charlottans at times.” - B Captain
“Keenan. There were a lot of guys that came after him that I feel will have a larger team impact.” - Forward, A Division
“A: Nick Phair. B: Haley Gourdie” - B League Defenseman
“Evan S. (A leage pick 2). That was crazy early to pick a guy who hasn't played here before. Maybe it's a good pick, but wow that was early.” - Top A Defenseman
“A: Not in the draft but why was Kincaid kept? Ward was right there.
B: I don’t think anyone was drafted too early, tbh. Solid draft from everyone.” - Former Ward teammate
“Declan Baker.” - A League Defenseman
“I think everyone went where they should smiley face emoji” - QC Realm Forward
“Hopefully Keenan Steckler plays like he's still owed something and doesn't just sit back on top of that big contract he signed after being drafted in round 1.” - CSHL Defenseman
“Cole Heslin” - Former Teammate
“With fewer players at the top as you just said, didn't feel like there was an opportunity for players to go ‘too early.’” - B League defenseman
Which player(s) do you look at as sleepers going into the season?
“I’m gonna go with the OG Brian Helms. Almost no one in this winter season will know who this guy is. Dude used to have sick hands and a sick shot. If he’s still got it he should do plenty well in B league.” - CSHL OG
“A: Ward, Petrini, Carriero
B: Pratt, DeRosa and CHETTA because how did he fall to HV in the 2nd round?” - B Captain
“It's the new faces. They could be the next wave of amazing players, maybe not. Who knows???” - A Division Captain
“Chris Ward, big comeback season ahead, Nick Petrini” - A Division Veteran
“All these players new to the organization.” - Unspecific Veteran
“Cole Heslin is just 1-2 seasons away from breaking out. You can see him starting to pull it together, and it's only a matter of time before he surprises everyone.” CSHL Board Member
“A.J. Leshock went 4G, 4A last winter playing with Karson and company on the Cowbell, and I'll argue he has a better offensive core around him than he did last season. Especially when he was forced to play D out of necessity. , Pete Bouldry has a really good shot and despite his age is quite athletic. He's also a great teammate and should do better with 4 on 4 this time around.” - Former teammate of each
“Any of the new guys - will one of them emerge as this season’s Cole and go Calder/Hart” - CSHL Goalie
“Sean Byrnes should've been drafted higher. Certified sleeper. Streets are saying Chris Ward is actually "locking in" this season... Big if true.” - Player who has never played with Ward
“Gotta go with the young ice players coming in” - A Division Captain
Who’s your favorite early round pick (R1-2) and why?
“A: Tim Hickey. This is a #TimHickeyStanAccount. B: Chetta because how did you let him fall to HV in the 2nd round?” - Captain who desperately needs a Tim Hickey
“Forbes getting pinto that late in the first round is the steal of the draft. Idc what anyone says.” - Top end defenseman
“Pinto, he is an absolute beast at both ends and again should not have been on the draft board” - Former Pinto Teammate
“Has to be Hickey. The best there is.” - Longtime A League Player
“Hickey baaaaby” - Longtime CSHL Captain
“Tim Hickey going first overall to the Wieners. It was an obvious pick, but if Jim didn't take him it would be trouble for the team.” - CSHL Keeper
“Lafond. Smart pick by Nick taking him 2nd and then in turn getting Guia in Rd. 2. Lafond is likely going to be 90% in the faceoff circle again, and if you don't cover Guia off that faceoff you're likely giving up a goal.” - CSHL B Captain
“A: Tim Hickey, B: Chetta” - Longtime CSHL veteran
“I know Forbes was happy when the Gladiators didn't take P. Mart at 2.2. If you can have Brad McClane on your team in B league then it's the right decision; even at the first overall pick” - B Captain
“Lavella” - A Division Captain
“A: Tim Hickey. Keeper-level goalie. B: Mike LaFond. It gets him away from the V's.” - Potential future captain
Who’s your favorite mid round pick (R3-4) and why?
“The criminally underrated Sean Byrnes” - CSHL Goalie
“Pat Byrnes. Pat will automatically get that team 5-6 goals this season.” - Formet Pat Teammate
“Pat Byrnes underrated. 3rd round in a keeper season is too low for him. Dan Brainard and Matt Brainard steal this section for B league.” - Big #BRAINSTORM guy
“A: Chris Ward, B: Daniel Brainard” - CSHL Defenseman who likes people that pass
“Sean Byrnes....Keeps improving and now knows what it takes to win the chip!” - Ex Copperhead
“Nick Russell. With no Joey P in W25, he fills in some of the speed gap on that team. He will also likely be asked to do less than he was with the Rats last year, moving into a role on the 2nd line depending on where Joe puts Ray.” - Former teammate
“A: Ward. Should’ve been kept and fully expect him to have a bounce back season.
B: Loved the Burns/Cynthia combo at 2 and 3 by the Charlottans.” - B League Defenseman
“The 3rd and 4th round were really strong. The Byrnes bros, Ward, Big John all went here. Weird draft made for a super strong middle or the draft.” - A Division Keeper
“A: Sean Byrnes, Matt Petrella. Solid role players that can give you quality production aside from your top players. B: Brainard brothers. As I said, should have gone much higher.” - NBHL Coach
“Bennnnny baby” - Benny Truther
“Wardo” - A Division Captain
Who’s your favorite late round pick (R5+ ) and why?
“A: Benny & Petrini. 2 guys that produce. Petrini should’ve been a Weiner for Life.
B: James Weber. He’s guaranteed 100 blocked shots.” - Former CDI
“Todd Wilson. Despite not playing before, he's got a shot at ROY. He's got the speed you need and it shouldn't be long before he fits in with that group.” - B League defenseman
“Mark Stock....Simply put, he is a steady stay at home defenseman with a very nice shot. If they kept plus/minus he would be a leader in A” - A Division Veteran
“A: Nick Petrini, B: James Weber” - NBHL Coach
“Cale Bowman - surprised that he was that late in the draft, even as a runner.” - CSHL Board Member
“Nate” - Forward, A Division
“Cale shouldn’t have fallen this late in the draft. I know he’s playing out but dude can absolutely play out. Should get 6-10 goals this year.” - QC Realm Player
“For real, Nappy as a runner is a steal in the last round” - NBHL Leadership
“A: Nick Petrini. CSHL vet going this late in a draft this shallow is crazy unless he's expected to miss like half the season. B: Kyle Pratt. Tremendously undervalued. Did alot more last season than the highlight reel empty net save.” - B League Veteran
“Nate Kaine to the Bombers. Keep a tally how many times you hear ‘“whos this guy?". 90% of CSHL doesn't know about Brian Helms. Round 6 is good value in my opinion.” - Longtime CSHL Veteran Defenseman
“Cale as a runner in the 5th. Good hands, legit power forward who can finish around the net.” - NBHL Player
What pick surprised you the most?
“I can’t be surprised” - Guy who doesn’t get surprised
“Nick Lavella. I love Nick, but taking him over Pinto was a little bit of a reach.” - Scoring Forward, A Division
“Nick Phair....made great gains last season, but probably picked 2 rounds too soon” - NBHL Leadership
“A: Spadafora. Unless he's been coming to pickups and stuff that I'm unaware of, at least Cole Williams in a similar spot had shown out at some pickups and was somewhat known. This feels like Jeremy taking a complete shot in the dark here based on ice which may not translate as well as Cole did. B: Eddie Ippolito. Glad to see someone else appreciated how good he is in B, an absolutely justified first rounder.” - CHSL Committee Member
“Steck in the 2nd.” - NBHL Player
“A: Tom Carriero at 6.6. He went criminally low, and I think he’ll show why this year.” - Former Tom C teammate
“Nick Phair round 2” - CSHL Committee Member
“nick Phair going that high. Just think there was several more impactful options.” - CSHL OG
“A: Keenan Steckler as 1st pick” - CSHL Defenseman
“Brownlow taking Kaya Blaisure. She's the one female player we truly know nothing about other than she's a hockey fan. That being said, there's no one better that turns unknowns around to be great players like Brownlow.” - Upper Tier B player
Who’s the most overrated player in CSHL?
“Bateman.” - Fellow CSHL Sniper
“Anyone not named Connor Malmstrom.” - Guy/Girl who loves sunglasses
“Jim Bateman” - Another CSHL Sniper
“ugghh....really? Dont love the question, maybe Ryan Prussia?” - Former B Division Champion
“Crazy that a former MVP that can win games on his own fell to HV in the SECOND round. Chetta comes in with a chip on his shoulder and ready to get back on defense, a lot of people are going to regret passing up on him.” - Chetta believer
“Chris Ward because he makes these surveys with these questions to try to generate unnecessary talking points and it's annoying.” - Unnamed Ward Hater
“Danny MacMahon” - CSHL Vet who doesn’t like old players
“McKenna” - Longtime CSHL Veteran
“Pass” - Big NERD
“Chris Ward. For some reason this "unbias insider" keeps putting a spotlight on that guy. I don't get it.” - Captain who should’ve put unbiased***
Which captain's draft strategy did you like the best?
“Campbell's - Switching Gonzo to goalie was a great move” - Former B Captain
“Jack's. Keep Bobby, and him him do all the work sounds really easy, and should be a model for a lot of us.” - Board Member
“Raptors drafting half the championship team surely must be solid. Complete anonymity here for sure.” Unnamed B League Captain
“Bombers” - A Division Captain
“Bateman - added alot of grit to his typically talented top end” - CSHL Goalie
“Brandon Brownlow” - A Division Player
“Forbes - he let someone else do it.” - A Keeper
“Again. Have to go Brownlow here. He's going to get goals from himself and Rudolph so loading up on Defense immediately was a good call.” - B League Rival
“Jack did an incredible job putting together a competitive roster with the last pick on a straight draft. Very hard to do.” - A Division Defenseman
“Not sure how much of a strategy each of the captains had but I'll stick with the previous answer of liking what Mullets and Raptors did” - Alternate Captain in B
Non-captains, whos a captain’s team you’d want to play with outside of your own.
“Jack is a leader of men” - Longtime A player who’s never been a Mullet
“B: Brandon Brownlow” - Former B League Champion
“Jimmer Jim Man Bateman. I just feel like I was made to play with Wieners.” - Guy who’s Wiener may have been targeted by Jim Bateman, just not in the draft
“Brandon Brownlow” - CSHL Veteran
“Bombers. Have a lot of good chemistry with several guys on that team.” - A Division Keeper
“Joe P.” - Former B Division Rival
“Rios. It would be a blast.” - B Captain
We saw Chetta go unkept in, then drop out of the first round in the B League draft. Thoughts?
“Great question. Chetta has real talent. He has the talent to play in A League. But he has negative dawg. He gives up on every play that doesn’t go his way. If he simplified his game, and decided to beat bodies to loose balls. If he decided to give 80% more hustle, he could have gone in the 2nd round of the A draft and it would have been a great pick. I hope he realizes how talented he is and decides to play up to that.” - Defenseman, A Division
“He recently got engaged. Congrats!” - B Player
“I think we'll see a more fired up Chetta this season” - CSHL Board Member
“We know Chetta can score. There's zero doubt about that. But sometimes the work ethic and attitude can be detrimental at times. And I don't think people realize, there's a very good chance he would've dropped further had Rios not taken him in Rd. 2.” - Top B Defenseman
“Some people play with their emotions on their sleeve more than others... Sometimes to a detriment.” B League Star
“Zero surprise at all. Chetta is good, but he's a morale poison. I've never seen someone give up on as many plays as Chetta because "the pass was bad". You're playing ball hockey, settle it down and play the entire game.” - NBHL Forward
“A bit surprised, but with some of the names picked in round 1 , I wasn't shocked” - NBHL Coach
“Crazy that a former MVP that can win games on his own fell to HV in the SECOND round. Chetta comes in with a chip on his shoulder and ready to get back on defense, a lot of people are going to regret passing up on him.” - Chetta believer
“Dude has an attitude that no one wants to play with right now, and his effort is terrible on the majority of days.” - NBHL Defenseman
There’s 4 new ice players in A no one has seen before, at what point would you take shots on talented unknowns over picking CSHL veterans.
*Editor's Note: There are five new ice players in A
“If you’re name ends in a vowel and you played hockey above the Mason-Dixon line, I’m rolling with you. That’s all I got.” - Evan Spadafora truther
“There's 5, but counting isn't the chief editors strong point. With how short our seasons are, it makes sense to. Okay so one person doesn't pan out for a 7 week season - oh well.” - Anonymous player who makes a good point
“Depends on the background. Trained ice players who come from a formal program have hockey IQ and game discipline far beyond what we typically see.” - CSHL Goalie
“I think Jeremy may have gone too early with it. But you have to assume their hockey sense is better than a lot of people who didn't grow up playing the game. But there's always the devil you know vs. the devil you don't know factor as well.” - CSHL Captain
“Gotta take chances on skill” - Championship winning captain
“Not as early as Jeremy did for sure.” - NBHL Player
“If I was able to do "some" research and felt like a guy had potential then I would say round 5 or 6” - Ex Captain
“In this draft, fairly early. Younger guys who can run and have hockey experience are useful.” - Aging Veteran
“I know what you mean, but I just find it interesting: If they were truly unknown, how would we know whether or not they are talented? Anyway, I think it's just a continuation of the Lindvall Effect (trademark pending) from a couple seasons ago where captains didn't want that potential going so late in the draft.” - Original Anonymous Lindvall Truther^tm
“Sometimes transitioning from ice to ball hockey can be difficult. Ive seen pristine talent struggle to convert to results in CSHL. It's a big risk, but no doubt one worth taking depending on who is available.” - CSHL Defenseman
A lot of B captains spoke with their potential keepers and convinced them to spend another season in B (Kaltschnee, Rudolph, Mahoski), how did that affect the end of the A Draft?
“Rudolph specifically could have changed the landscape of A league. I’m not saying he’d be game breaker, but dude is without a doubt an all-around player. Could play up could play back and do so very effectively. Having a guy like that later in the draft is what championships are made of.” - High end A Division Player
“Those guys would definitely have been better choices” - NBHL Coach
“Mahoski absolutely would have been drafted in A after his MVG season in B” - A Division Veteran
“Probably going too far off on a tangent here, but I have harped on this in basically every survey, but in my opinion part of the purpose behind the original split between A and B league was to give the B leaguers more opportunities so they wouldn't be overwhelmed against A league players. For the initial season, when A leaguers volunteered as captains, I think it worked out tremendously. But as the leagues have evolved, it feels like the ability for players to choose which league they want to be in has resulted in players dropping down or staying down just so they can dominate lesser competition. This was not and should not be the intention. Those players you mentioned and others should be in the A league, in particular when the talent pool is as "shallow" as it was this season. Perhaps a compromise could be giving B League 6 teams and A League 5 teams to lessen the impact of these ringers but that's for another time.” - CSHL Committee Member
“It really dried up the talent and pushed B players into A. We'll have higher talent in B, but that's not supposed to be the intent.” - CSHL Board Member
“Didn’t matter” - Captain in A
“Definitely hurt. Some guys have no business sticking around in B. B becoming more like A- is not a great thing for it being a developmental division.” - CSHL Veteran
“I don't think any of the 3 are necessarily game changers. They likely are still mid-round picks so I don't think it changed anything.” - CSHL Board Member
“‘A lot’ = 2. Causing potentially up to one goalie and 2 runners to be displaced. Maybe.” - CSHL Captain
“Zero doubt that all 3 mentioned would've been in A, but realistically so would have the entire first round in this draft if available or close to it.” - B Captain
Rumor has it Campbell, Bateman, Warren, Joe P & Brownlow won’t be captains in the Fall. What are some players you’d like to see step up and run their own teams?
“Wood/Caleb” - Retiring Captain
“Bobby Arkus, Caleb Brownlow, Jeff Kennedy, Colin Barrier, Ryan Kincaid” - League Office Member
“Colin Barrier, Kendall Kerr, Mark Kaltschnee” - B League defenseman
“Caleb, Jayden” - Retiring A Division Captain
“Chris Ward, Kennedy, Tom Ward, Carriero, Stock, Arkus” - Former Captain
“Wood, C Brownlow, Barrier, Kennedy (and only because asking him will make him play A again so he can avoid responsibility)” - NBHL Leadership
“Joe Berg would make for a great captain I think. Wayne was made to be a captain. Sam Wood was made to captain the wieners.” - Potential future captain
“Wood, Benny, Kincaid, Ward, Keenan, Bobby” - CSHL Goalie
“For A league: Bobby Arkus, Zack McKenna, Sam Wood, Caleb Brownlow. For B league: Rich Wall, Walter Ewald, Mike LaFond, Ray Jasinski, Kendall Kerr, Eddie Ippolito could all be good leaders. Maybe a return of a previous captain Jeff Kennedy?” - Current Captain
“Wood feels like an obvious answer. I'd love to see Benny design his own logo for once, that would be awesome. Does McKenna or Jayden get away from Cookie and form their own team?” - A Captain
“Would love to see Tom Carriero back with the Voltage. Give Big John Lavella his own squad in B.” - B League defenseman
“Whoever it is, I hope they recognize this league is not THAT serious and as a wise man once said, ‘We're just playing hockey with our friends.’” - NBHL Leadership
After seeing the play style of 4s in B, did your draft strategy change this season?
“Speed matters. You will get ran off the court in 4’s without the right balance of speed and skill.” - B Captain
“I didn't draft but B league going to 4 was a major improvement.” - Veteran B Leaguer
“No” - Former Champion
“No. Being where I was in the draft it was about filling what I needed and I got contributors back.” - B Captain
“I'm sure it did. Some of the lesser talented players were more exposed 4 v 4. So in the draft getting the bottom of your draft board right, just as important as the top” - Former Captain
Cole Williams led our A Division in scoring & won MVP in Fall ‘25. Where do you rank him after the consensus top players of Wood, McKenna, Forbes & Ingalls?
“I think he’s next one up after those 4. Ball Hockey Noah Kahan (McKenna) is still the one, in my humble opinion.” - B League Captain
“Is that the consensus, or the "consensus" according to Chris Ward?” - CSHL Vet who may have misunderstood the phrase consensus
“and Bateman… but seriously, he came on hot but guys come in, then you learn their game and they come back to earth. I rank him behind all of them until he does it consistently.” - NBHL Captain
“Cole is Ovechkin. The purest offensive force in the league. If you need/value D at the top, you don’t take him in that group. If you need/value a 60 foot game, you take Ingalls. If you value the rarest thing there is to find - pure scoring touch - and can fill in well elsewhere, you jump on him.” - CSHL Goalie
“I think he slots in right behind them. Obviously his age helps a bit with this too.” - CSHL Defenseman
“I think Cole is still finding his game and it's just a matter of time before he's the 1 or 2. Maturity plays a big role in this also - and ultimately he's probably already 2-3 in that category.” - A Division Keeper
“Still needs some more time. I would rate him right around 10 in The CSHL” - CSHL Veteran
“Where do you rank him after the consensus top players of Wood, McKenna, Forbes & Ingalls? - As a pure scorer, maybe next, but as an overall players, guys like Cookie, Brownlow, Arkus, Jayden and Jermey Hotch probably still have an edge.” - A Captain
“Forbes, Ingalls, McKenna, Wood, Cole Williams in that order. Yall are lucky Forbes is over the hill otherwise it wouldn't be close.” - Star Defenseman
“I still haven’t seen enough from Cole. I’m not gonna lie, from personal experience, not the hardest guy to defend. It’s just a matter of matching his hustle and knowing what he wants to do before he does it. Admittedly, not the easiest challenge, but also not the hardest.” - NBHL Defenseman
“He's right behind that group” - NBHL Leadership
Who’s the next best player in CSHL (playing W25) after that group of five?
“Hickey” - A Division top forward
“Caleb Brownlow” - CSHL Veteran
“It was always the Hitman Bobby Arkus.” - Former CDI teammate
“Arkus then Cookie.” - CSHL Defenseman
“Caleb Brownlow. There's alot of intangibles. And tangibles. Has shown Improved maturity over the past couple seasons” - Fellow stud defenseman
“Definitely not Caleb” - CSHL Keeper
“Not including goalies I would say Lindvall” - NBHL Coach
“Is it time to give Jayden that spot, maybe? Starting to think that Lindvall is going to force his way into this conversation.” - A Division Captain
“Chris Cookingham” - NBHL Coach
“Hickey, Lindvall, Cookie” - NBHL Player
Which player do you expect to see the biggest jump in improvement from last season?
“Nick Lavella. He started slow but came on late in the season. I see no reason why he wouldn’t start strong from the start of this season.” - Teammate, QC Realm
“Nic Phair quietly closed last season playing great hockey, but Lindval is going to start taking over shortly.” - NBHL Veteran
“Chris ward and Nick Petrini” - Ex Chops player
“Daniel Brainard as he continues to learn the game” - CSHL longtime veteran
“Josh Cummings. It’s time. We’re stopping those parking lot shots this season.” - B League defenseman
“Heslin” - NBHL Player
“Cole Heslin.” - A Division Forward
“Going to seem odd but I think it'll be Nick Lavella. He got his footing playing in A for the first time last year and now he'll put it all together dangerously.” - CSHL Captain
“Cole Heslin” - Forward, A Division
“Kendall Kerr was a B league star for multiple seasons before moving up to gain a plethora of NBHL and A League experience vs the big dogs. Now he's back in B league ready to dominate vs an entirely different pace of play.” - Ex teammate
“Daniel Brainard” - W25 Teammate
Who’s a B-League player you want to see in A?
“Joe P so he can stop being a menace to B Captains everywhere.” - Former B League Champion
“Mahoski/Brownlow” - A Division Captain
“Rudolph” - CSHL Goalie
“Brandon Brownlow, it’s time.” - CSHL Keeper
“Lil Stecks” - Rise Alumni
“Brandon Brownlow, Jeff Kennedy” - CSHL Board Member
“Mike Rudolph” - B Captain
“Joe P, Brad McClane.” - B Captain
“Joe P and Brandon B for sure” - CSHL Veteran
“Chetta should be in A” - B League defenseman
“Rudolph, but that's just because Bergy isn't my goalie.” - A Division Defenseman
Give me your preseason predictions for the W24 season:
A DIVISION
MVP: McKenna x2, Williams x3, Malmstrom, Wood x3, Ingalls, Forbes
MVF: Williams x6, Forbes, McKenna x3, Lavella
MVD: Ingalls x3, Wood x4, McKenna, Cookie, Caleb, Steck
MVG: Hickey x8, Gonzo x2, Danny
Most Improved: Heslin x3, Lavella x3, Ward x2, Phair, Thomas, Petrini
Most Points: McKenna x3, Williams x4, Jayden, Forbes
Champion: Mullets x5, Bombers x2, Rapids x2, Wieners x2
B DIVISION
MVP: Joe P, Chetta, Karson x3, Rudolph, Brownlow x2
MVF: Chetta, LaFond, Karson x4, Brownlow x2, Dunworth
MVD: Brad x2, Guia, Joe P x2, Rudolph x2
MVG: Borruso, Mahoski x6, Jesus
Most Improved: Cynthia, Dan Brainard x4, Kuveikis, Chetta, Jasinski
Most Points: Chetta x2, Karson x5, Brownlow
Champion: Voltage, Raptors x3, Rats, Flying V’s x3
See everyone this weekend!