Eastern Junior Hockey League

Colorado Springs, CO- USA Hockey announced the forty players who will compete in the inaugural CCM/ USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game on September 29 in Buffalo, NY. Among the players are two Eastern Junior Hockey League alumni and two more players who will appear in the EJHL this coming season.

 

Alumni Steve Santini and Frank Vatrano both played in the EJHL before moving on to the US National Team Development Program.

 

Santini, an Apple Core alum, played in 44 games during the 2010-11 season, netting three goals and adding 14 assists. This past season, the defenseman posted two goals and eight assists in 55 games for the USA Under-17 team. The Mahopac, NY, native has committed to Boston College for 2013.

 

Vatrano, a native of East Longmeadow, MA, played in eight games for the Junior Bruins during the 2009-10 season while playing full-time for the Bruins’ Empire League team. He then moved on to the National Development Program and was part of the squad that won the IIHF Under-18 World Championships this past April. He will attend Boston College in the fall.

 

Also selected to appear in the game are Devin Tringale and Ryan Fitzgerald, who will become teammates on the Valley Jr. Warriors this season. Fitzgerald will join Vatrano and Santini at Boston College while Tringale has committed to Harvard University.

 

“We’re really excited to have those two play in the [All-American Prospects] Game,” commented Warriors head coach Andy Heinze. “They’ll represent themselves, their families, and the Warriors very well in that prestigious event and they’re both extremely excited to receive the invitation.”
 

-Mike Klein, 7 August 2012