Jr. Blackhawks getting ready for Pro Skills

The Boston Jr. Blackhawks, of the International Junior Hockey League, will have the luxury of having their own training facility for power skating and skills next season.

The Pro Skills Training Center, located right off U.S. Route 1 in Peabody, Mass., will open its doors on Sept. 1.

The 115-foot-by-55-foot surface will feature a stadium-type building with stands, observation glass with stools, and counters.

The player-friendly confines will have some homestyle features to make the parents and players very comfortable, including Tvs and couches.

“The rink is a great idea,” said Mike Kudla, of Northeast Rink Systems.

“It’s going to be an awesome place,” added Paul Kokinos, owner of the Boston Ice Center.

Kokinos has a similar-size ice surface in Dedham, Mass.

The smaller rinks are becoming Popular with the emphasis being on skill development and skating nowadays.

The Blackhawks plan to hold youth team practices there, but will limit Bantams and older ages to only skills there, since the bigger players need the 185-foot long rinks for their regular practices.

BOSTON JR. BLACKHAWKS DIRECTORY
Rich Salsman,
General Manager
Kevin Kotyluk,
Head Coach/Super Elite
Alex Campbell,
Head Coach/Elite
Phil Wallace,
Head Coach/Selects
Ph. 781-245-9330
E-mail: Bostonjrblackhawks@hotmail.com
Web: www.bostonjrblackhawks.com

Boston Jr. Bulldogs

Phone never stops ringing for Bulldogs GM

By Joshua Boyd

As July faded into August, Mike Addesa was glad to have a bit of a break. He would have more than a month between the Junior Chowder Cup and the start of training camp around Labor Day.

That is, the Bulldogs general manager and assistant coach got a break from coaching, but his phone is always ringing with questions about spots on one of the nation’s most successful junior hockey teams, in terms of player advancement.

“We’ve had a tremendous amount of players chasing and petitioning to get on our team,” said Addesa. “I’ve had a number of calls from all over the country, and also people have called representing players in Europe. I wish we could have six to eight import spots after hearing about players from Sweden, Ukraine, Latvia, Russia. It’s really been interesting.”

He said he also had many face-to-face conversations at both the Junior Chowder Cup (held July 21-25 in Walpole, Mass.) And the Hockey Night In Boston Summer Showcase (held July 25-31 in Haverhill, Mass.) With players and parents about openings.

“I’m really kind of excited about where we’re going. Each tournament provided a very good experience. I got a chance to watch a lot of very good players On other teams,” said Addesa. “[Bulldogs head coach Frank Golden and I] have to analyze our situation.”

The Bulldogs placed two teams into the Junior Chowder Cup, one named the Eastern Eskimos and the other the Seacoast Saints. The Saints went 3-0 in their pool and advanced to the quarterfinals before losing to “an older, more mature team” in the Texas Tornado (North American League).

“The Saints included a majority of the guys who will play on our team in the winter, and the Eskimos had some who will play with us and some players still trying to impress us,” said Addesa. “We were very pleased with the players and are sorting through and trying to make some final decisions.”

He was happy with the play of returning goalies Sam Calahan and Brian Fleming, along with veteran forwards Steve Buco and Chris Lewis.

Now, with those tournaments over, Addesa hopes his players will keep the skating to a minimum, once a week at most. He wants fresh players at camp.

“It is a long seven-month season,” he said. “I told my players, ‘Have some fun socially that you won’t have time for when the season begins. Enjoy the summer months.’”