Now in it’s 10th season, the EHL Premier, or EHLP as it’s often called, has seen a tremendous amount of advancements and success stories.
Since its inception in 2015-16, the EHLP has continually seen the quality of the league, its events and the number of teams rise with each given season. Moreover, it has seen the number of success stories, both with its players and coaches rise with the success of the league.
On the coaching front a great many coaches started in the EHLP and then moved into a Head Coaching role in the EHL. Several Coaches have also moved from EHLP into NCAA hockey, including Jim Mosso (Concordia – Wisconsin), Vinny Calgiuri (Hockey Operations at Princeton University) and Mike Grace ( Elmira College). Even more, some coaches have moved from EHLP onto Pro Hockey, most notably 2017-18 Coach of the Year Ryan Blair (South Carolina Stingrays). This upward mobility of coaches demonstrates the league’s commitment to its athletes at the EHLP level.
Every year, the success stories from the player’s perspective rises as well, with over 150+ athletes developing at the EHLP level, moving onto the EHL and then onto NCAA hockey. Some of these outstanding hockey playing institutions include; Utica College, Marian University, Plymouth State, SUNY- Geneseo and many others. Recent EHL 2024-25 NCAA Commits Owen Guerin, Ryan Dann, Jake Hines, Tyler Gobel, and Jordan Blais, all began their Junior Hockey careers in the EHL Premier.
Two examples of players who rose through these ranks are goaltenders Graham Burke and Bradley Arvantis. Burke, the 2018-19 EHLP Goaltender of the Year, following his EHLP Frozen Finals appearance with the Philadelphia Little Flyers, played two seasons in the NAHL before committing to NCAA Hockey. He now is in his Junior year at UMass- Dartmouth where he leads the team in wins and sports a .919 Save Percentage. Bradley Arvantis played for the Walpole Express EHLP team in the 2015-16 season, before joining the Coulee Region Chill in the NAHL. From there he played at NCAA D1 UMass- Amherst, and is now playing professionally in the ECHL with the Maine Mariners.
Domeniks Domokejevs recorded 52 points in the 2022-23 EHLP season with the New England Wolves. The next season, the 2006 birth year forward from Latvia, appeared for Aberdeen in his first NAHL game.
Ashton Collazo (Framingham State) and Jack Johansen (Fitchburg State) are Captains at the NCAA Division III level and both began their Junior Hockey careers in the EHLP.
Many other EHLP alumni have chosen the ACHA or CHF route for their college destinations including some of the finest academic institutions in the US. In fact, the EHLP has placed these athletes directly into ACHA hockey schools with outstanding academic merits that do not offer NCAA Hockey programs, such as New York University, Syracuse University, Liberty University, and Columbia University.
The EHL(and EHLP) is a junior hockey league that is fully committed to developing the skills hockey players need to be prepared for the next stage in their career. We are focused on maximizing your potential in the time you spend with us. When leaving our leagues, you’ll be better prepared for your next step.
Through individualized coaching, premium training programs, and a more dedicated experience, our priority is to provide the student-athlete with the necessary tools to reach their goals on and off the ice. Where Players Come First.
By Andrew Trimble
