Metro announces schedule of summer conditioning skates

WATERFORD, Mich. - The Metro Jets have announced their summer schedule of Wednesday night skills and conditioning skates that will take place at Lakeland Arena.

Each skate will last 80 minutes and costs just $15 per skater.

Jets' coaches will coordinate the skates and will provide feedback to each skater. All current players and prospective players are encouraged to attend.

The skates start in May and start at 9:30 p.m. on May 8 and at 8:50 p.m. on May 15 and May 22. There will not be a skate on May 29.

June's skates are June 5 at 9 p.m., June 12 at 8:30 p.m. and June 19 and June 26 at 10 p.m.

The summer skates conclude in July with three 10 p.m. skates on July 10, July 17 and July 24. There will not be a skate on July 3.

For more information, click the "Events" link at the top of the Metro Jets website.

Jets' quartet selected to NA3HL Top Prospects Tournament

The North American 3 Hockey League announced Thursday the rosters for next month’s 2013 NA3HL Top Prospects Tournament that will be held from May 11-13 at the Dr Pepper StarCenter in Frisco, Tex.

A quartet of Metro Jets' players will take part in the event on the Team Michigan roster, with forwards Mike Gambino and Alex Holm and defensemen Derek Britton and Myles Burrough all selected to play in the event.

The 19-year-old Gambino was Metro's first-round pick (fifth overall) in the 2012 NA3HL Entry Draft and the Livonia native tallied 18 goals with 18 assists for 36 points in 39 games last season, good for fourth in team scoring.

Holm, a 17-year-old from West Bloomfield, skated in 44 games and recorded 10 goals and 13 assists for 23 points.

Acquired in a late-summer trade from Toledo last August, Britton played in 28 games for the Jets and the 20-year-old from Sterling Heights put up eight points on a goal and seven assists while also producing a plus-12 plus/minus rating, good for second on the team behind team captain Matt Stirling's plus-19 mark.

A 19-year-old Metamora product, Burrough signed a tender with the Jets last offseason and had two assists in 40 games as a solid, stay-at-home blueliner for Metro.

Defenseman Josh Hosking, who played the first half of the season in Waterford before being traded to the Three Rivers Vengeance at the NA3HL trade deadline, was selected to Team Ohio.

The Top Prospects Tournament is played in conjunction with the North American Hockey League’s Robertson Cup National Championship Tournament, which features each of the four divisional playoff champions from the NAHL competing for the USA Hockey Tier II Junior National Championship, along with the North American Prospects Hockey League’s Top Prospects Tournament, which will feature 80 top players from the NAPHL’s 18U Division.

The event has quickly become one of the most highly-scouted events of its kind. Last season, over 100 junior, NCAA and NHL scouts attended the combined event.

At the event, four teams representing four regions of the NA3HL – Michigan, Midwest, Minnesota and Ohio - will each play four games. Each team consists of a 20-man roster (12 forwards, 6 defensemen and 2 goalies) as chosen by the NA3HL Top Prospects Tournament Selection Committee as nominated by the league’s 17 head coaches.

All junior eligible NA3HL players with 1993 birthdays or later are eligible to participate in the Top Prospects Tournament.

2013 NA3HL Top Prospects Schedule 

May 11: 12:00pm – Team Michigan vs. Team Ohio; 2:00pm – Team Midwest vs. Team Minnesota
May 12: 8:00am – Team Minnesota vs. Team Michigan; 10:00am – Team Ohio vs. Team Midwest; 4:00pm – Team Ohio vs. Team Minnesota; 6:00pm – Team Michigan vs. Team Midwest
May 13: 10:00am - 3rd place vs. 4th place; 2:00pm - 1st place vs. 2nd place

Captain's Corner - Last thoughts for the season

Each week during the 2012-13 season, Metro Jets’ captain Matt Stirling will give his thoughts on topics surrounding the team as it makes its way through the North American 3 Hockey League grind.  

Today's edition is the final installment for the 2012-13 season.

-- On playing his final junior game last Sunday.

The worst was when there was a stoppage with about a minute and a half left when my mind had a chance to wander. You realize that not only is the season with this year’s team coming to an end, but your junior career is winding down and that was tough to grasp. Otherwise, it was mostly focused on winning the game and having fun while doing so.

-- On what he will take from his three seasons with the Jets.

There are tons of memories I will take from my time with the Jets. I think of at least two dozen right away that I will never forget (fights, road trips, coaches, teammates, goals, etc). Some standouts in general are the times spent with the guys in the locker room and on the road, the lessons learned from (head coach) Jason (Cirone) along with others over the years and the things I have learned about the game along the way. I wouldn’t trade those for anything else.

-- On the 2012-13 season.

It was another fun-filled year and I’d like to take this section to thank the guys I played with this year. They played well and after all the rough spots we had during the year, we came up just short. Overall, it was another fun year and although we didn’t make the playoffs, it was still a pleasure to play with the Jets again.

-- On being officially eliminated from playoff contention March 5 against Flint.

That was one of the tougher games down the stretch and we were up two in the game and to let that game slip was tough to swallow. We were red-hot coming into that game and eventually, the good play caught up to us as we weren’t able to win that crucial game.
 
-- On his future.

Next year, I will be playing hockey at college. The exact place is still up in the air, but the options have been narrowed down to a couple. I believe sometime in the near future I will be able to announce a plan for the coming years.

No playoffs, but still a good season for Jets in '12-13

WATERFORD, MI – Just because the Metro Jets didn’t qualify for the North American 3 Hockey League playoffs doesn’t mean all was lost this season at Lakeland Arena.

After all, one more win and the Jets would have been a .500 team. And a few less injuries and perhaps the Jets would be preparing for the opening round of the postseason.

“We let too many points slip away early in the season and it cost us at the end,” said third-year Jets’ coach Jason Cirone. “Going into the season, we had three guys coming back, made some trades in the summer, had a good draft and signed some free agents after some of the guys we tendered didn’t show up. Once the season started, we were very inconsistent and had to deal with so many major injuries. I don’t think I have ever dealt with as many injuries this season as I have in all my years of coaching combined.

 “At one point in the season, we only dressed 16 players and called up some Midget Major players to fill in. When that happens, you struggle because there is no chemistry with guys in and out of the lineup. Last year, we had that chemistry because we didn’t have any major injuries.”

Finishing 22-23-3-0 on the year, including a thrilling 4-3 win last Sunday over the East Division champion Cleveland Jr. Lumberjacks at Lakeland Arena to conclude the regular season, the Jets had a shot to make the NA3HL postseason with less than a week left in the season, but a loss in Flint on March 5 shut those hopes down.

Cirone said that while the players were obviously disappointed, they still played out the last two games of the year last weekend against Cleveland.

“The day after the Flint game at practice, I could tell the guys were down,” said Cirone. “Then we play Cleveland Saturday and lose 9-2 in what essentially was a throw-away game, but then we come out and win on Sunday in a game that I think really showed what type of team we had this year. There was no quit in any of these kids and I’m proud of the way they got through the season.”

Playing with just two 20-year-olds this season in captain Matt Stirling and alternate captain Doug Andrews, replacing that pair will be a chore this offseason.

“Matt’s been here for three years and I was just saying the other day how hard it will be to make out the lineup card next season and not write his name on it,” Cirone said. “He and Dougie put up some great numbers this year and I would expect to see them both playing college hockey somewhere next season. We had just the two ‘92s and some teams had upwards of 10. We had a very young team this year.”

“There are tons of memories I will take from my time with the Jets,” added Stirling. “I think of at least two dozen right away that I will never forget like fights, road trips, coaches, teammates, goals, things like that. Some standouts in general are the times spent with the guys in the locker room and on the road, the lessons learned from Jason along with others over the years and the things I have learned about the game along the way.

“I wouldn’t trade those for anything else.”

Cirone is also counting on losing other players to the North American Hockey League, but in the business of developing players for that next level, that’s perfectly acceptable to Cirone.

“Andrew Palushaj has played in the NAHL and I see no reason if he gets healthy that he can play there again,” said Cirone. “Also guys like Alex Holm, Mike Gambino and Myles Burrough, who I think could be a fifth or sixth defenseman in the NAHL, should get a shot and Kyle Shreve has a good chance after he tendered with Springfield.

“That being said, we want to win next year. You never know who’s coming back next year and a lot of these kids think they’re ready for the NAHL, but in reality, they’re not. (Jets’ assistant coach) Randy Wilson has done a great job all season tracking kids we like and might look at drafting (on June 4 at the NA3HL Entry Draft). We should have a good draft again with two first-round picks, one second, one third and two fifth-round picks.

“I’m looking forward to the draft and to next season. Like I said, we want to win.”

Mid-season acquisitions Bessey, Hepler make impact for Jets

WATERFORD, MI – Aaron Bessey and Brad Hepler both joined the Metro Jets midway through this season, but both came to Waterford under much different circumstances.

Bessey was playing midget hockey in Omaha, Neb., and Hepler was a rookie with the NA3HL’s Cleveland Jr. Lumberjacks starting the season.

At the NA3HL Showcase in December in Blaine, Minn., Bessey was approached by the Jets’ brass to skate a few games on their depleted blue line and then in January, Hepler was acquired from Cleveland for veteran forward Jeff Monfils.

Both acquisitions paid immediate dividends.

Bessey, just 16, was only expected to play a handful of games, but stayed the rest of the season in Waterford. Hepler, a forward by trade, wound up playing both forward and defense for the Jets.

“Prior to the trade, I felt like the season was going in the right direction,” said Hepler, an 18-year-old Chelsea native (pictured). “I was told that I would be given more ice time, so I can't complain, and I felt like being closer to home was going to be better. Being away was also nice, though. My impressions of the Jets were that they were a good, physical team that works hard. My time with Metro has been great, starting with the guys making it comfortable for me on and off the ice.”

When Bessey joined the team, he immediately became one of the youngest players in the league.

“When I joined the NA3HL, I saw the game was a lot faster-paced and everything you did had to be quicker and react faster to the play,” said Bessey, a Howell native. “My experience makes me want to potentially play in the NAHL next year and to make it as far as I can in the long run.”

Hepler’s future goals mirror those of Bessey.

“My short-term goal playing hockey would to be playing in the NAHL by the end of my junior career,” explained Hepler. “My long-term goal is to play in the NHL.”

And with the heartbreaking loss last Tuesday night in Flint that mathematically eliminated the Jets from the playoffs, both Bessey and Hepler said everyone on the team played out the rest of the year as if the playoffs were still an option.

“I think the mood with the team was still great because even though we're out of playoffs, I think we really pushed to win the rest of the season as if we still were competing for playoffs,” Bessey said.

The Jets finished the season splitting with the Jr. Lumberjacks at Lakeland Arena last Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.

Waterford native and Cleveland rookie Scott Cuthrell scored five goals and added an assist as the Jr. Lumberjacks defeated the Jets 9-2 Saturday night.

Doug Andrews and Mike Lawrence scored for the Jets, while Trevor Kalinowski made 23 saves between the pipes.

The Jets then ended their 2012-13 season with a thrilling 4-3 win over the Jr. Lumberjacks on Sunday.

T.J. Krajewski led the way for the Jets (22-23-3-0) with a goal and two assists and Kalinowski made 32 saves in goal.

"I'm proud of the way the kids played today," said Jets' coach Jason Cirone. "They really put together a great effort and I'm proud of them."

Brian Ziola, Mike Gambino and Chris Mayer also scored, while Andrews and captain Matt Stirling each had an assist in their final junior hockey games.

For Cleveland, Dominic Valencia scored twice and goalie Nick Danczak made 12 saves.

After the game, instead of both teams heading to their respective locker rooms, they gathered at center ice for a post-game handshake.

Next up for the Jets are weekly conditioning skates that will start shortly at Lakeland Arena and then the NA3HL Entry Draft on June 11.

Check back later this week to MetroJetsHockey.com for a comprehensive season recap. 

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Steven Oleksy, who played for the Jets from 2003-05, made his NHL debut March 5 for the Washington Capitals with an assist against the Boston Bruins in a 4-3 overtime win and then tallied his first NHL goal Sunday afternoon versus the New York Rangers in a 4-1 loss.

Oleksy started the year with the AHL’s Hershey Bears before getting the call from Washington.

The 26-year-old from Chesterfield played for the NAHL’s Traverse City North Stars, captaining the team in 2005-06, and then skated three years at NCAA Division I Lake Superior State from 2006-09 and embarking on a pro career that has seen him play in the IHL, ECHL and AHL.

Oleksy, affectionately known as “Bink,” is the first Jets’ alumnus in the program’s 24-year history to skate in the NHL.

Jets end season with 4-3 victory over Cleveland Sunday

WATERFORD, MI - The Metro Jets ended their 2012-13 season with a thrilling 4-3 win over the Cleveland Jr. Lumberjacks Sunday afternoon at Lakeland Arena.

T.J. Krajewski led the way for the Jets (22-23-3-0) with a goal and two assists and Trevor Kalinowski made 32 saves between the pipes.

"I'm proud of the way the kids played today," said Jets' coach Jason Cirone. "They really put together a great effort and I'm proud of them."

Brian Ziola, Mike Gambino and Chris Mayer also scored, while captain Matt Stirling and Doug Andrews each had an assist in their final junior hockey games.

For Cleveland, Dominic Valencia scored twice and goalie Nick Danczak made 12 saves.

After the game, instead of both teams heading to their respective locker rooms, they gathered at center ice for a post-game handshake (pictured).

Next up for the Jets are team exit interviews on Monday and preparing for the NA3HL Entry Draft on June 11.

Waterford native Cuthrell scores five as Cleveland downs Jets

WATERFORD, MI - Waterford native and Cleveland Jr. Lumberjacks' rookie Scott Cuthrell scored five goals and added an assist as the Jr. Lumberjacks defeated the Metro Jets 9-2 Saturday night at Lakeland Arena.

Doug Andrews and Mike Lawrence scored for the Jets, while Trevor Kalinowski made 23 saves between the pipes.

The Jets (21-23-3-0) host Cleveland Sunday afternoon at 2:50 p.m. in the season finale.