For the second straight year, the Metro Jets organization will be alone in sending two USPHL Premier teams to the USPHL Nationals Presented By GMU Sport.
Along with their namesake Metro Jets team that finished No. 2 in winning percentage in the league, the Jets also send the Metro Jets Development Program for a second straight season. The MJDP fared very well in its 2021 debut, going 2-1, and they will look to once again make noise as the Jets organization attacks from two sides.
Quenneville spoke about the youth of his program, as they are the fourth-youngest squad moving on to the tournament this week, and how well these young players bought into what the Jets organization presented as a model for success.
“This is exciting for us to make a return to Nationals,” said General Manager Justin Quenneville. “They have bought in all year, and we focused on stability in the line up. Even though we have an inexperienced group, they faced challenges all year and found ways to overcome. Being resilient is a strength for this group.”
The Metro Jets Development Program was able to taste success in their two playoff rounds, and were one of just two teams (the National-bound Hudson Havoc being the other) to play in six playoff games before heading to the “big dance.” They defeated Decatur and Fort Wayne, the latter in a series where MJDP was the visiting/lower-seeded team.
They are definitely tested, and with so much postseason hockey already on film, there’s a lot of fresh material to go over on film and in practice.
“We will touch on some in-game details in practice, but our process allowed us the opportunity to get to Nationals. So preparation has not been a one-week model for us, it’s been building and developing players all year,” said Quenneville. “Now they get the opportunity to put it to the test against some of the best teams in the country.
“We will make some minor adjustments to help prepare our group on the ice. We have some significantly older opponents in front of us and will need to be consistent with our game plan,” added Quenneville. “Being together all year helps eliminate any chemistry issues on our end as well.”
Metro Jets Development Program
Regular Season: 28-16-0-0, 56 points
Round Robin Schedule
All Games At Cyclones Arena, Hudson, N.H.
All Times EST
Game 1: Thursday, March 24, vs. Utah Outliers, 6:15 p.m.
Game 2: Friday, March 25, vs. Northern Cyclones, 3:30 p.m.
Game 3: Saturday, March 26, vs. Charlotte Rush, 8:45 p.m.
Team Notes
Regular Season
• MJDP won their last eight regular season games before going 2-1 against the Decatur Blaze in the playoffs.
• MJDP was fifth in fewest penalty minutes with 10.93 per game.
• MJDP was 13-8-0-0 this year at home for 26 points, though they had more (30 points) as the away team this year.
Playoffs
• MJDP is tied with the Hudson Havoc for most playoff games heading into Nationals, with six apiece.
• MJDP won all three games in which they scored the first goal (and obviously one additional game in which they did not).
Player Notes
Regular Season
• MJDP’s Josh Boze had a 2-9-11 line in scoring points over his last seven. Samuel Westerberg (4-3-7) and Carson Finney (3-7-10) also had four-game scoring streaks at the end of the year.
• MJDP’s Steven Miller was second in shorthanded goals in the Premier with six.
Playoffs
• Alex Blankenship was tied for the league lead in shorthanded assists, at four (with Brenden Yingling, of National-bound Richmond). Blankenship was the sole leader among defensemen in this category, and he also led all Premier blueliners in playoff shorthanded points (four).
• Royal St-Cyr was one of four players – all National-bound – with a league-leading two game-winning goals in the playoffs.
• Freddy Soderberg was fifth in minutes played at 252, and third among National-bound goalies.
