| Islanders Hockey Club | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Tyngsborough, Massachusetts |
| League | USPHL |
| Founded | 1993 (1993) |
| Home arena | Elite/Premier Team - Gallant Arena NCDC - Skate 3 |
| Colors | Navy, orange and white |
| Head coach | Tim Kyrkostas (NCDC) Jay Punsky (Premier) Kevin Smith (Elite) |
| Franchise history | |
| 1993–2000 | Tyngsboro Huskies |
| 2000–2004 | Lowell Junior Lock Monsters |
| 2004–2012 | New England Junior Huskies |
| 2012–present | Islanders Hockey Club |
| Championships | |
| Regular season titles | 3 (2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18) |
| Playoff championships | 2 (2017, 2018) |
The Islanders Hockey Club are an American junior ice hockey organization from Tyngsborough, Massachusetts. They field teams in the United States Premier Hockey League National Collegiate Development Conference, Premier Division, and Elite Division, as well as in youth and girls leagues.
History
New England Huskies Junior Hockey Club
The New England Huskies Junior Hockey Club is a non-profit 501-3 organization which chartered in 1993 as the Tyngsboro Huskies as a charter member of the Eastern Junior Hockey League (EJHL). The New England Junior Huskies trace their roots to 1981 and Fitchburg's "Wallace Wallopers" of the now-defunct New England Junior Hockey League (NEJHL). The team was renamed the Tyngsboro Huskies in 1993when it joined the EJHL and renamed again in 2000 to the Lowell Junior Lock Monsters, before becoming the New England Junior Huskies in 2004.
The stated purpose of the program is to provide a vehicle for athletes to develop as hockey players and to use these gifts to further their educational careers. Players are prepared for the long-term future as productive citizens while being constantly reminded to give the game of hockey its due respect for lessons learned. All Junior Huskies players are required to be in school and/or work, and are required to take the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) tutorial classes that are provided by the organization.
Islanders Hockey Club
In September 2010, the New England Huskies and the Middlesex Islanders announced that their programs would be merging creating one of the premier developmental and competitive hockey programs in New England. In 2012, the program announced that they were becoming the Islanders Hockey Club.
The next major change for the Islanders was in the fall of 2012 when they announced that they would be one of the founding members of the new United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL).
Junior A team
Before the 2011–12 season USA Hockey had split Tier III junior hockey into Junior A and B divisions. Their former Junior A team now competes in the National Collegiate Development Conference of the USPHL. Prior to the 2013–14 season, the Islanders Junior A team were members of the Northern Division of the Eastern Junior Hockey League (EJHL). The team then joined the Premier Division in the new USPHL until the USPHL started the Tier II NCDC League in 2017.
Team members and regular season
The Islanders typically hold tryouts in late April. The team is usually composed of 12 to 13 forwards, six to seven defensemen, and two goalies on the active roster. All players are between the ages of 16 and 20. The season starts the day after Labor Day and playoffs finish during the third week of March each year and practices 3 to 4 times per week.
The schedule includes regular season games plus three rounds of playoffs.
Season-by-season records
| Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | GF | GA | Regular Season Finish | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyngsboro Huskies | ||||||||||
| 1993–97 | No statistics available | EJHL | ||||||||
| 1997–98 | 37 | 11 | 26 | 0 | — | 22 | 97 | 196 | 6th of 8, EJHL | |
| 1998–99 | 37 | 16 | 17 | 4 | — | 36 | 148 | 178 | 5th of 8, EJHL | |
| 1999–2000 | 40 | 19 | 16 | 5 | — | 43 | 151 | 151 | 8th of 11, EJHL | |
| Lowell Jr. Lock Monsters | ||||||||||
| 2000–01 | No statistics available | 8th, EJHL | Lost Quarterfinal game, 2–6 vs. Walpole Stars | |||||||
| 2001–02 | 38 | 11 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 26 | 95 | 152 | 4th of 6, EJHL North | Lost Quarterfinal game, 0–7 vs. New York Apple Core |
| 2002–03 | 38 | 12 | 20 | 5 | 1 | 30 | 94 | 133 | 3rd of 6, EJHL North | Lost Quarterfinals vs. Walpole Stars |
| 2003–04 | 38 | 19 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 41 | 118 | 116 | 3rd of 6, EJHL North | Lost Quarterfinals vs. New England Jr. Coyotes |
| New England Jr. Huskies | ||||||||||
| 2004–05 | 49 | 20 | 20 | 5 | 4 | 49 | 136 | 157 | 5th of 6, EJHL North | Lost Play-in game, 3–5 vs. Capital District Selects |
| 2005–06 | 45 | 18 | 22 | 4 | 1 | 41 | 154 | 157 | 5th of 7, EJHL North | Did not qualify |
| 2006–07 | 45 | 26 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 58 | 192 | 136 | 3rd of 7, EJHL North | Won Quarterfinals, 2–0 vs. Bridgewater Bandits Lost Semifinals, 1–1 vs. New Hampshire Junior Monarchs |
| 2007–08 | 45 | 13 | 26 | 3 | 3 | 32 | 150 | 188 | 5th of 7, EJHL North | Won Play-in game, 7–5 vs. Valley Jr. Warriors Lost Quarterfinals, 0–2 vs. Jersey Hitmen |
| 2008–09 | 45 | 19 | 22 | 4 | 0 | 42 | 141 | 153 | 4th of 7, EJHL North | Lost Quarterfinals, 0–1–1 vs. Jersey Hitmen |
| 2009–10 | 45 | 6 | 32 | 5 | 2 | 19 | 107 | 222 | 7th of 7, North 14th of 14, EJHL |
Did not qualify |
| 2010–11 | 45 | 13 | 27 | 4 | 1 | 31 | 111 | 177 | 4th of 7, North 11th of 14, EJHL |
Lost First Round, 0–1–1 vs. New York Apple Core |
| 2011–12 | 45 | 20 | 22 | — | 3 | 43 | 139 | 161 | 5th of 7, North 9th of 14, EJHL |
Won First Round, 1–0–1 vs. Boston Bandits Lost Quarterfinals, 0–2 vs. Boston Jr. Bruins |
| Islanders Hockey Club | ||||||||||
| 2012–13 | 45 | 31 | 11 | — | 3 | 65 | 183 | 118 | 2nd of 7, North 3rd of 14, EJHL |
Won Quarterfinals vs. Valley Jr. Warriors Won Semifinals vs. Rochester Stars Lost Finals vs. Jersey Hitmen |
| 2013–14 | 48 | 23 | 21 | — | 4 | 50 | 159 | 157 | 5th of 9, USPHL Premier | Won Quarterfinals, 2–1 vs. Philadelphia Flyers Junior Hockey Club Lost Semifinals, 0–2 vs. Jersey Hitmen |
| 2014–15 | 50 | 27 | 19 | — | 4 | 58 | 183 | 164 | 4th of 11 USPHL Premier |
Won Quarterfinals, 2–0 vs. P.A.L. Jr. Islanders Lost Semifinals, 0–2 vs. Philadelphia Flyers Junior Hockey Club |
| 2015–16 | 44 | 36 | 8 | — | 0 | 72 | 184 | 105 | 1st of 12 USPHL Premier |
Won Quarterfinals, 2–0 vs. Rochester Jr. Americans Won Semifinals, 2–0 vs. South Shore Kings Lost Finals, 0–2 vs. Jersey Hitmen |
| 2016–17 | 45 | 38 | 6 | — | 1 | 77 | 209 | 100 | 1st of 10 USPHL Premier |
Won Quarterfinals, 2–0 vs. P.A.L. Jr. Islanders Won Semifinals, 2–0 vs. Springfield Pics Won Finals, 2–0 vs. Boston Junior Bruins League Champions |
| Move to NCDC Division | ||||||||||
| 2017–18 | 50 | 47 | 3 | — | 0 | 94 | 254 | 107 | 1st of 11, NCDC | Won Quarterfinals, 2–0 vs. Boston Bandits Won Semifinals, 2–0 vs. Connecticut Jr. Rangers Won Finals, 2–1 vs. Jersey Hitmen League Champions |
| 2018–19 | 50 | 27 | 18 | — | 5 | 59 | 176 | 152 | 4th of 12, NCDC | Won Quarterfinals, 2–0 vs. New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs Lost Semifinals, 0–2 vs. Connecticut Jr. Rangers |
| 2019–20 | 50 | 29 | 17 | — | 4 | 62 | 187 | 144 | 4th of 13, NCDC | Playoffs cancelled |
| 2020–21 | 43 | 16 | 23 | — | 4 | 36 | 127 | 169 | 4th of 7, North 8th of 13, NCDC |
Won First Round, 2–1 vs. South Shore Kings Lost Second Round, 0–2 vs. Boston Junior Bruins |
| 2021–22 | 48 | 14 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 31 | 133 | 186 | 7th of 7, North 13th of 13, NCDC |
Did not qualify for post season play |
| 2022–23 | 50 | 20 | 29 | - | 1 | 38 | 134 | 176 | 7th of 7, North 14th of 14, NCDC |
Did not qualify for post season play |
| 2023–24 | 52 | 36 | 11 | - | 5 | 77 | 173 | 122 | 1st of 6, New England 2nd of 18, NCDC |
Won Div Semifinal 2-0 Boston Junior Bruins Lost Div Finals 0-3 South Shore Kings |
Junior B team
The Islanders also field teams in the USPHL Premier and Elite Divisions (equivalent to the former Tier III Junior B designation). The former Junior B team competed in the Eastern Conference of the Empire Junior Hockey League (EmJHL) prior to its joining the USPHL as the Empire Division (later USP3 Division and then Elite Division).
Notes and references
- "Skate 3 web site". Archived from the original on 2009-03-26. Retrieved 2009-02-16.
- "Huskies Officially become Islanders Hockey Club". Islanders Hockey Club. March 2, 2012.
- "Prominent Hockey Programs Launch United States Premier Hockey League". 19 November 2012.
- "EJHL Playoffs".
- "| Amateur Hockey News | March 28, 2002".
- "| Amateur Hockey News | March 28, 2003".
- "Feisty Forward for Golden Knights | Amateur Hockey News | March 28, 2004".
- "EJHL Playoffs, Updated Daily | Amateur Hockey News | March 14, 2005".