The always competitive Eastern Division is home to the Robertson Cup Champions; New Jersey Titans. Chuck Robertson has made his home out on the East Coast for the first time in NAHL history thanks to the New Jersey Titans magical run through the playoffs in the 2021-22 season.
The East is known as a high paced offensive division and there is no reason to believe that will not be the case in the 2022-23 season. With a lot of returning talent in the division across the board, NAHL East hockey will be a fun watch this season.
2021-2022 Regular Season Standings
Top Returning Players
*Excludes potential USHL playersÂ
New Jersey Titans
Brendan Dumas, Eric Charpentier, Michael Young, Levente Keresztes
Northeast Generals
Dave Andreychuk, Cullen Deyoung, Jackson McCarthy, Joe Schubert
Maine Nordiques
Brendan Gibbons, Evan Orloff, Johnny Meirs, Jack Kurrle
Philadelphia Rebels
Max Hamstead, Connor Sedlak, Kolby Amici
Johnstown Tomahawks
Johnny Ulincy, Ethan Perrault, Matthew O'Donnell, Dominick Wasik
Danbury Hattricks
Adam Johnson, Gabe Dombroski, Mike Salandra, Andrew Eberling
Maryland Blackbears
Elliot Lareau, Sean Kilcullen, Aiden Bruich, Brendan Piku
Names to Know
Dave Andreychuk - ‘02 Forward - Northeast Generals
Commit : St. Lawrence University - With 80 points and two years in the NAHL under his belt, Andreychuk will be a major part of the Northeast offense this season. The Chatham, NJ native led the Generals in playoff points in 2021-2022, while finishing with 19G 36A in 49 regular season games.
Brendan Dumas - ‘02 Forward - New Jersey Titans
Commit : Uncommitted - As a rookie Dumas accumulated 58 points in 59 games played. Expect him to be a highly sought-after Division 1 prospect and a big-time player again for New Jersey.
Gabe Dombrowski - ‘02 Forward - Danbury Hattricks
Commit : Uncommitted - This will be the third year for Dombrowski in Danbury, and has quietly put up some serious numbers. Dombrowski will be the leader for what we think an improved Danbury team.
Eric Charpentier - ‘02 Defenseman - New Jersey Titans
Commit : Uncommitted - The long rangy defensemen really took off the second half of the season and in the Robertson Cup final 4. Arguably the top defender in the East with tons of Division 1 interest.Â
Evan Orloff - ‘03 Defenseman - Maine Nordiques
Commit : Uncommitted - Orloff had a good rookie year logging a ton of minutes for Maine, finishing the season with 18 points in 58 games. Expect year two for Orloff in the league to be a huge step forward.
Cullen Deyoung - ‘02 Goaltender - Northeast Generals
Commit : Uncommitted - Deyoung almost backstopped the Generals to victory vs the Titans in the Robertson Cup playoffs. Look for him to put up great numbers as a 20-year-old goaltender.Â
Top Prospect
Ben Yurchuk - ‘05 Forward - New Jersey Titans
Commit Northeastern - The highly touted NHL prospect will spend the year with the New Jersey Titans. Spending time with the National Development team and first round USHL pick, Yurchuk will be able to adjust to junior hockey and mature under the Titans coaching staff.Â
Top New Comers
Dante Palombo - ‘03 Forward - Maryland Blackbears
Commit Uncommitted - A prolific score for the Kent School, Palombo should come right in and start being one of Maryland's top offensive threats.
Ben Muthersbaugh - ‘04 Forward - New Jersey Titans
Commit Uncommitted - Spending his first year of Junior in the NCDC as one of the top rookies will have Muthersbaugh ready for NAHL hockey.Â
Zach Aben - ‘03 Forward - Johnstown Tomahawks
Commit Uncommitted - The Mount St. Charles product dominated midget hockey, tallying 70 points in 72 games at the U18 level, and should make a big impact in his rookie year with Johnstown.Â
TSA's Pre-Season Predictions
New Jerey Titans
Northeast Generals
Maryland Blackbears
Johnstown Tomahawks
Philadelphia Rebels
Danbury Hattricks
Maine NordiquesÂ
Fresh off a championship and returning many key players from last year it's hard to make a case against the New Jersey Titans. They went out and strengthened their defensive core, added some young offensive talent and have a great 1-2 punch in net with Zakari Brice and Ben Charette.Â
Division Contenders
Northeast Generals - come into the season after franchise best 21-22 season. Returning many of the same players part of their 21-22 regular and post season success make the Gens the Titans biggest threat.
Maryland Blackbears - Always a solid team, the biggest question mark the Blackbears have is who is moving onto the USHL or who is staying. If the pieces fall into place, they have enough skill to make a run.
Johnstown Tomahawks - Losing all that scoring will be tough, but a good recruiting class that includes some of the top scorers in midget 18U hockey should help. Just how quickly do the rookies get acclimatated is the biggest question.
Spoiler
Danbury Hattricks - We do not think Danbury is going to pose a major threat to win the division. But with their roster being older and starting to show some higher end skill, the easy win days are over. Look for them to take a step forward.Â
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