| Express Hockey Club | |
|---|---|
| City | Walpole, Massachusetts |
| League | Eastern Hockey League EHL Premier EWHC |
| Division | East |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Home arena | Cadillac Ice Arena |
| Colors | Red, white, black |
| Owner(s) | Rob Barletta Chrissy Barletta |
| Head coach | Nic Cota (EHL) |
| Franchise history | |
| 2005–2022 | Walpole Express |
| 2022–present | Express Hockey Club |
| Championships | |
| Playoff championships | AJHL: 2010, 2011, 2012 |
The Express Hockey Club is a junior, youth, and girls hockey organization based in Walpole, Massachusetts. They have had more than 150 commitments since the 2013-14 season, including multiple to the Division One level. The teams play their home games at the Cadillac Ice Arena, located just 2 miles from Gillette Stadium. As of 2022 they have changed their name to Express Hockey Club
Junior teams
Most notably, the Express field teams in the Tier III junior Eastern Hockey League (EHL) (formerly the Atlantic Junior Hockey League) and the EHL's Premier Division.
The EHL team is currently coached by Nic Cota. The EHL teams were previously coached by former professional player and Huntsville Havoc captain Jon Lounsbury, Olympian and NHL alumni Mark Kumpel, former professional player and current Air Force Academy assistant coach Josh Holmstrom, and Cody Campbell who moved on to coach the North American Hockey League's Minot Minotauros.
The Express AJHL team captured three consecutive President's Cup Championships (2010, 2011, and 2012), the AJHL Regular Season Championship two of those years (2011 and 2012), and the 2010 AJHL North Division Championship. The now EHL-19U Elite team (formerly in the Metropolitan Junior Hockey League until 2015) has also won the 2009 MJHL Regular Season Championship and 2011 MJHL Francis Division Championship under general manager and coach Tony Dalessio.
In 2022 the Walpole Express announced that they would be rebranding to the Express Hockey Club to better represent the wide reaching area they serve.
Season-by-season records
| Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | GF | GA | Regular Season Finish | Playoffs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic Junior Hockey League | |||||||||||
| 2005–06 | 42 | 10 | 31 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 133 | 227 | 10th of 11, AJHL | Did not qualify | |
| 2006–07 | 44 | 22 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 45 | 185 | 165 | 3rd of 6, North 7th of 12, AJHL |
||
| 2007–08 | 45 | 26 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 53 | 163 | 129 | 4th of 6, North 6th of 11, AJHL |
||
| 2008–09 | 42 | 25 | 12 | 0 | 5 | 55 | 136 | 91 | 3rd of 6, North 5th of 12, AJHL |
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| 2009–10 | 42 | 34 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 72 | 180 | 73 | 1st of 6, North 2nd of 12, AJHL |
League Champions | |
| 2010–11 | 44 | 38 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 79 | 187 | 67 | 1st of 6, North 1st of 12, AJHL |
League Champions | |
| 2011–12 | 44 | 38 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 77 | 162 | 65 | 1st of 12, AJHL | League Champions | |
| 2012–13 | 44 | 29 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 62 | 163 | 94 | 2nd of 12, AJHL | Lost Quarterfinals, 0–2 vs. New Jersey Rockets | |
| Eastern Hockey League | |||||||||||
| 2013–14 | 44 | 13 | 22 | 7 | 2 | 35 | 110 | 150 | 6th of 6, Central Div. 15th of 17, EHL |
Lost Round 1, 0–2 vs. Philadelphia Little Flyers | |
| 2014–15 | 44 | 29 | 9 | — | 6 | 64 | 154 | 121 | 1st of 5, Boston Div. 5th of 19, EHL |
Won Round 1, 2–0 vs. Vermont Lumberjacks Lost Quarterfinals, 0–2 vs. Connecticut Oilers | |
| 2015–16 | 41 | 20 | 13 | — | 8 | 48 | 116 | 107 | 4th of 9, North Conf. 9th of 18, EHL-Premier |
Won First Round, 2–0 vs. Boston Junior Rangers Won Second Round, 2–0 vs. Boston Bandits Lost Semifinals, 0–2 vs. Philadelphia Little Flyers | |
| 2016–17 | 48 | 24 | 20 | — | 4 | 52 | 144 | 147 | 3rd of 5, Boston Div. 5th of 9, North Conf. 9th of 17, EHL-Premier |
Lost First Round, 0–2 vs. Northern Cyclones | |
| 2017–18 | 50 | 36 | 11 | — | 3 | 75 | 207 | 123 | 2nd of 4, Boston Div. 3rd of 8, North Conf. 5th of 16, EHL |
Won First Round, 2–0 vs. New England Wolves Lost Second Round, 0–2 vs. Boston Junior Rangers | |
| 2018–19 | 45 | 18 | 20 | — | 7 | 43 | 143 | 160 | 4th of 5, South Div. 7th of 10, New England Conf. 12th of 18, EHL |
Did not qualify | |
| 2019–20 | 46 | 28 | 13 | — | 5 | 61 | 147 | 110 | 5th of 11, New England Conf. 7th of 19, EHL |
Lost Play-in Game, 3–5 vs. Seacoast Spartans | |
| 2020–21 | 38 | 26 | 10 | — | 2 | 54 | 131 | 98 | 2nd of 7, Central Div. 4th of 17, EHL |
Won First Round, 2–0 vs.Valley Jr. Warriors Won Div. Semifinals, 2–0 vs. Western Mass Chiefs Lost Div. Finals, 0–2 vs. Boston Jr. Rangers | |
| 2021–22 | 46 | 27 | 17 | — | 2 | 56 | 130 | 115 | 2nd of 5, Central Div. 6th of 17, EHL |
Won Div. Semifinal, 2–1 vs.East Coast Wizards Won Div. Finals, 2–0 vs. Boston Jr. Rangers Frozen Four - 1-1 Pool A Round Robin (Won 2-0 Avalanche) & (Lost 0-2 New England Wolves) Won Semifinal Gm 3-1 Worcester Jr Railers Lost Championship Gm 0-2 New Jersey 87's | |
| Express Hockey Club | |||||||||||
| 2022–23 | 46 | 30 | 15 | — | 1 | 61 | 126 | 97 | 1st of 5, East Div. 3rd of 19, EHL |
Won Div. Semifinal, 2–0 East Coast Wizards Lost Div. Finals, 1-2 Boston Jr. Rangers | |
| 2023–24 | 46 | 34 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 70 | 155 | 95 | 1st of 6, East Div. 3rd of 23, EHL |
Won Div. Semifinal, 2=1 Seahawks Hockey Club Lost Div Finals, 1-2 Boston Jr. Rangers | |
Youth teams
The Express field numerous half and full-season youth teams ranging from U14 through U18. The program is led by Ottawa Senators Scout, Todd Stirling.
Alumni
The Walpole Express have produced a number of alumni playing in higher levels of, NCAA Division I, Division III college and professional programs.
| Player | Team | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Max MacKay | Wheeling Nailers, Bridgeport Sound Tigers | ECHL, American Hockey League (AHL) |
| Matt Harrington | Mississippi Riverkings, Cape Cod Bluefins | SPHL, Federal Hockey League |
| Ben Oskroba | Peoria Rivermen, Northeastern University | SPHL, D-I |
| Georgiy Gurianov | HC CSKA Moscow | KHL |
| Jake Brightbill | Sacred Heart University | D-I |
| Zach Andrews | UMass Boston | D-I |
| Chris Comprosky | UMass Boston | D-I |
| Derek Kump | Holy Cross | D-I |
| Erick Vos | Holy Cross | D-I |
| Charles LaChance | AIC | D-I |
| Steve Charest | Utica College | D-III |
| Lou Malvasi | Utica College | D-III |
| Cody Armstrong | Tufts | D-III |
| Matt Venoit | Penn State | D-I |
| Brian Greene | Castleton State | D-III |
| Cal Mell | Union College | D-I |
| Matt Ryan | Stonehill College | D-II |
| Brad Arvanitis | Umass Amherst | D-I |
| Mike Wise | Assumption College | D-II |
| Charlie Page | Stonehill College | D-II |
| Max Burum | St Anselm College | D-II |
| Sam Johnson | Saint Michaels College | D-II |
References
- "Minotauros announce coaching change". North American Hockey League. September 13, 2022. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
- "Walpole Express Alumni List".