USA Junior Hockey Magazine July 2009 : Page 4

Page 4 • July 2009 The Garden of Talent New Jersey Titans branch out beyond junior hockey to help players The New Jersey Titans have been in existence since 1998, have medaled at the USA Hockey Junior National Championships and have fielded competitive teams for more than a decade in the Atlantic Junior Hockey League and the Metropolitan Junior Hockey League at different times. However, it doesn’t end there. Player development is the foremost priority in the Titans’camp, and they prove that by more than their long record of college and pro advancement. George Haviland Jr., the Director of Hockey Operations, has extended his vast knowledge of the college recruiting process in his 2008 book “Your Hockey Future: The Roadmap to Playing Hockey in College, or Wherever Your Dreams Take You.” The team is also behind instituting the new Web site CollegeHockeyDirectory.com. Over these next two pages, we take a closer look at all these ways that the Titans help the junior player of today. The foundation: The Titans’ mission and early years By Joshua Boyd New Jersey hockey in 1998 was productive in breeding future college and high-level junior talent. The issue was, the best players were going elsewhere once they reached the upper tiers of youth hockey in the Garden State. The Haviland family, and specifically father George Sr., and sons George Jr. and Michael, joined forces with Ken Seltzer in the mission to end the purge of talent from New Jersey. These four individuals were the founding members of the New Jersey Titans, buying the dormant Somerset Chill franchise in the Metropolitan Jr. B Hockey League. “Everybody had to go away at a young age to further their hockey careers,” said George Haviland Jr., today the Titans’ Director of Hockey Operations. “It was important to us to help out the local guys, using our connections in hockey.” Eleven years after the Titans were founded, that “locals first” dedication still holds true. Then, as now, the Titans ran a program from Mites up through every level to juniors. “Most of our guys are from Monmouth County,” said Haviland, whose team plays at the Wall Sports Arena. “I don’t believe in trying to get the best New Jersey Rockets and Philadelphia Jr. Flyers. If we’re doing a good job, we’re going to put our own guys on the team. If we have 25 guys on our junior team, 20 guys are homegrown.” Another early standard for the Titans that is still in place is the “development and advancement first, wins second.” “We pride ourselves on player placement,” said Haviland. “We have placed over 170 guys into college or Jr. A. We have a lot of contacts in hockey.” These contacts are at every level, up to and including the National Hockey League. Titans co-founder Mike Haviland rose through the coaching ranks from the ECHL to the American Hockey League to an assistant coaching spot with the Chicago Blackhawks. “We want to get kids into the right places, and when they get to that next level, they’re prepared,” said Titans head coach Dustin DePalma. “We’ve had guys sign at Princeton and Boston University, after taking the next couple steps beyond the Titans. But it’s not just about those top guys, but all our guys who’ve played NCAA Division 3 and in the American College Hockey Association. “We want to put the kid in the right place where he can excel,” DePalma added. Right out of the gate, in 1998-99, the Haviland family’s New Jersey-wide connections paid dividends. The Titans put together a team that went to the Jr. B Nationals and earned a bronze medal with George Jr. at the helm. Randy Walker joined the Titans as head coach the next year, coming over from the New Jersey Devils Youth program. He made it two years in a row at the Jr. B Nationals. “We were really off and running,” said George Haviland Jr. One early highlight saw the Titans take on Jr. A status as charter members of the Atlantic Junior Hockey League. That venture, still very successful today as a Tier-3 Jr. A league, was founded in part by George Timothy Higgins, a 1990-born forward from Avon-by-the-Sea, N.J., joined the team in late December 2008, but was a big contributor. He scored 12 points in 16 regular season games and added two goals in three Jr. B Nationals games. Photo by Nicole Goodhue Boyd. Haviland Sr., along with current AJHL president Glenn Hefferan, John Giacobbo, Bob Crawford and Dan McCarthy. After the 2003-04 season, Walker stepped down as head coach and the team brought in longtime ECHL star player Stefan Rivard to guide the Jr. A team. Christian Jensen used the Titans’ final Jr. A team in 2004- 05 as a springboard to the Tier- 1 Jr. A United States Hockey League and eventually on to Division 1 hockey at Rensselaer and a draft pick by the NHL’s San Jose Sharks. His name is one of many on banners around the Wall Sports Arena. Each player who moves on gets a banner with his name, his Titans year(s) and their next team. “The guys see those names hanging on banners, and they want to get one of their own,” added George Haviland Jr.

Cover Story

Joshua Boyd

The foundation: The Titans’ mission and early years

New Jersey hockey in 1998 was productive in breeding future college and high-level junior talent. The issue was, the best players were going elsewhere once they reached the upper tiers of youth hockey in the Garden State.

The Haviland family, and specifically father George Sr., and sons George Jr. And Michael, joined forces with Ken Seltzer in the mission to end the purge of talent from New Jersey. These four individuals were the founding members of the New Jersey Titans, buying the dormant Somerset Chill franchise in the Metropolitan Jr.

B Hockey League.

“Everybody had to go away at a young age to further their hockey careers,” said George Haviland Jr., today the Titans’ Director of Hockey Operations.

“It was important to us to help out the local guys, using our connections in hockey.” Eleven years after the Titans were founded, that “locals first” dedication still holds true. Then, as now, the Titans ran a program from Mites up through every level to juniors.

“Most of our guys are from Monmouth County,” said Haviland, whose team plays at the Wall Sports Arena. “I don’t believe in trying to get the best New Jersey Rockets and Philadelphia Jr. Flyers. If we’re doing a good job, we’re going to put our own guys on the team. If we have 25 guys on our junior team, 20 guys are homegrown.” Another early standard for the Titans that is still in place is the “development and advancement first, wins second.”

“We pride ourselves on player placement,” said Haviland. “We have placed over 170 guys into college or Jr. A. We have a lot of contacts in hockey.” These contacts are at every level, up to and including the National Hockey League. Titans co-founder Mike Haviland rose through the coaching ranks from the ECHL to the American Hockey League to an assistant coaching spot with the Chicago Blackhawks.

“We want to get kids into the right places, and when they get to that next level, they’re prepared,” said Titans head coach Dustin DePalma. “We’ve had guys sign at Princeton and Boston University, after taking the next couple steps beyond the Titans. But it’s not just about those top guys, but all our guys who’ve played NCAA Division 3 and in the American College Hockey Association.

“We want to put the kid in the right place where he can excel,” DePalma added.

Right out of the gate, in 1998-99, the Haviland family’s New Jersey-wide connections paid dividends. The Titans put together a team that went to the Jr. B Nationals and earned a bronze medal with George Jr. At the helm.

Randy Walker joined the Titans as head coach the next year, coming over from the New Jersey Devils Youth program.

He made it two years in a row at the Jr. B Nationals.

“We were really off and running,” said George Haviland Jr.

One early highlight saw the Titans take on Jr. A status as charter members of the Atlantic Junior Hockey League. That venture, still very successful today as a Tier-3 Jr. A league, was founded in part by George Haviland Sr., along with current AJHL president Glenn Hefferan, John Giacobbo, Bob Crawford and Dan McCarthy.

After the 2003-04 season, Walker stepped down as head coach and the team brought in longtime ECHL star player Stefan Rivard to guide the Jr. A team.

Christian Jensen used the Titans’ final Jr. A team in 2004- 05 as a springboard to the Tier- 1 Jr. A United States Hockey League and eventually on to Division 1 hockey at Rensselaer and a draft pick by the NHL’s San Jose Sharks.

His name is one of many on banners around the Wall Sports Arena. Each player who moves on gets a banner with his name, his Titans year(s) and their next team.

“The guys see those names hanging on banners, and they want to get one of their own,” added George Haviland Jr.

The DePalma Years: Rise and return to Junior Nationals

The Haviland family, which also includes current Titans assistant coach Rich Haviland, prides itself on its knowledge of New Jersey hockey.

“Our father George Sr. Was a pioneer – he started all roller hockey in New Jersey,” said George Jr. The family also familiarized itself with every organization in every rink at New Jersey – especially the famous Brick Hockey Club.

Since 1969, the Brick Hockey Club has been one of the country’s top Tier-2 youth organizations. Current Titans Jr. B head coach Dustin DePalma came out of this system, rising up to play for Christian Brothers Academy, as well as the defunct Jersey Devils Youth Jr.

B team in the Metropolitan League in 1995-96.

“I knew the Haviland family, they’re a passionate hockey family,” said DePalma, a University of Connecticut graduate. “I was coaching the Brick Hockey Club, and George Jr. Offered me the job to work with Stefan Rivard. Stefan left and I was fortunate enough to get the job running the Jr. B team.” “I knew Dustin as a standout player at the high school level,” said George Jr. “He’s been outstanding for us. Coming from coaching Tier-2 Midgets [with the Brick Hockey Club], there was a learning curve. Randy Walker and I and Mike spent a lot of time nurturing him that first year [2005-06], but by Christmas, we were able to back off and let him do his own thing.” DePalma has since led the Titans to one of its best multi-year runs in the Metropolitan Junior Hockey League.

“I like the direction we’re heading in,” said DePalma. “My first year, we got knocked out of the playoffs in the first round. The next year, we got knocked out in the final four. The next year and this past year, we got knocked out in the [division] final. We keep progressing. Now, we feel like we’re a contender in the league and we’re getting closer to our goals: win the league championship and a national championship.” The Titans went through a grueling playoff road in March, winning five out of the six overtime games in which they were involved.

“It was a great run,” DePalma added. “Our guys showed they were into the moment – they didn’t want the season to end. They wanted to still be together at practice [the next day after each game].” After falling to Suffolk in the Mullin Division final, the Jr. Titans won the National Play-In series, beating two teams to earn the Met League’s fifth and final Nationals berth.

At Nationals, the Titans had a tough road – they first lost to the Keegan Cup (Met League) champion Central Penn Panthers, then tied the Continental Hockey Association champion Mass Maple Leafs and lost to the Empire League’s Pittsburgh Jr. Penguins. All of these games were played with 24 hours rest between each one.

If a National Championship was not in the cards, it certainly impressed the heck out of Jr. A teams watching the games. Tweleve Titans players have been promoted to Jr. A teams for 2009-10, while two players went directly to college programs. One other, two-year team captain Ryan Elsbree, will be DePalma’s assistant coach this season.

DePalma is chomping at the bit to get back on the ice and continue the Titans’ upward momentum.

“I think it’s going to be a good team [in 2009-10],” said DePalma. “We return a core group of eight veterans and have added some new faces from local high schools, along with former Midget players from our Titans youth program, the Red Bank Generals and the Brick Hockey Club.

“Our junior program keeps with the Titan tradition of offering local players the opportunity to gain exposure and experience that will help them succeed at the Junior A or college level,” DePalma added. “We are always looking for players that want the challenge of taking the next step."

Move’em on mentality, Part 1: ‘Your Hockey Future’

One of George Haviland Jr.’s fondest memories was the Tier-2 Nationals run that the Titans Bantam 1989 (birth year) team put together in 2001-02.

It wasn’t so much for their momentous accomplishment, but for where the personnel on that team ended up. Their destinations are among the many described in his book “Your Hockey Future,” written with Vinnie Dicks.

Colby Cohen eventually landed with Boston University and scored the Division 1 National Championship game-winning goal in overtime for the 2008-09 Terriers. Anthony Borelli went to Salisbury Prep, then to the United States Hockey League and is now headed to Brown University. Jack Walchessen has spent three years with the major junior Ontario Hockey League’s Peterborough Petes.

Prep school, American Jr. A hockey, Canadian major junior hockey, Division 1 college hockey. The choices are widespread for the best players in North America, but getting there is the tough part.

Haviland uses his 40-plus years of hockey knowledge and advancement know-how to give youth, high school and prep players a “user’s guide” to finding out not only where they should go, but where they can go in the book.

“It is possible for very good players to get to play college, junior or professional hockey,” Haviland writes in Chapter 1, “Why You Need This Book.” “But it requires information. Information most parents and players do not possess.” Haviland goes on to explain the NCAA system and the non-NCAA colleges (American College Hockey Association), often referred to as “club hockey.” After going over junior, prep and pro hockey options in separate chapters, he takes the virtual student through each grade of high school and even explains why there are so many 20-year-old freshmen in hockey. Women’s hockey is also covered in “Your Hockey Future.” (For more information on ‘Your Hockey Future’ or to purchase a copy, go online at www.iceworldconsulting.com.)

Move ‘em on mentality, Part 2: College Hockey Directory/College Hockey Analyzer

The Titans are members of the Metropolitan Jr. B Hockey League, which has teamed up with the College Hockey Directory (www.collegehockeydirectory.com) to introduce players to the hundreds of college options out there, only 58 of which include men’s Division 1 programs.

By signing up as a member, the high school-aged hockey player has access to every college coach’s contact information – after all, first contact by a player to a coach can often be the most important connection made.

By clicking on a school’s name, a screen comes up showing the team’s mailing address, as well as each coach on the staff ’s e-mail and phone number.

That’s just the start – it gives information on the rink, and if the team has its own dressing room. It lists the amount of scholarships available. It also, very importantly, lists the source of the team’s players – how many come from U.S. Junior A, how many come from Canadian Jr. A, etc. That’s all just under the Hockey Program profile.

There are also profile pages for each school’s Academics (majors, course catalog links), Admissions and Financial profile (minimum SAT/ACT scores, breakdown of tuition, etc.), Campus and Students profile (student body statistics, housing costs, etc.), and Community Profile (the town in which the college is located).

Students wanting to see what their chances of getting into a specific college might also want to check out the College Hockey Analyzer.

Available through George Haviland Jr.’s Ice World Consulting business (www.iceworldconsulting.com), players are asked a series of hockey-specific and academics-specific questions.

“The analyzer filters through his answers, and an ice rink lights up – you could be in the neutral zone academically, but in the slot, hockey-wise, meaning the school would like what you’ve done in hockey more than academically,” Haviland Jr. Explains.

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