Rochester Jr. Americans
{{Pro hockey team
| bg_color = background:#FFFFFF; border-top:red 5px solid; border-bottom:blue 5px solid;
| text_color = #000000
| team = Rochester Jr. Americans
| logo = Rochester Jr. Americans Team Logo 2014.jpg
| logosize = 110px
| city = Fairport, New York, United States
| league = North American Hockey League
| conference =
| division = East Division
| founded = 1996 & 2023
| arena = Rochester Ice Center
| colors = Red, White, Blue
{{color box|red}} {{color box|white}} {{color box|blue}}
| owner = Hockey ROCS, LLC Chris O’Donnell and Colleen Wegman
| GM = John Humphrey
| coach = Francois Methot
| media =
| affiliates =
| name1 = 1st Creation
| dates1 =
| name2 = Syracuse Jr. Crunch
| dates2 = 1996–1998
| name3 = Auburn Jr. Crunch
| dates3 = 1998–1999
| name4 = Syracuse Jr. Crunch
| dates4 = 1999–2005
| name5 = Syracuse Stars
| dates5 = 2005–2010
| name6 = Rochester Stars
| dates6 = 2010–2013
| name7 = Rochester Jr. Americans - USPHL
| dates7 = 2013–2016
| name8 = 2nd Creation
| dates8 =
| name9 = Rochester Jr. Americans - NAHL
| dates9 = 2023–present
}}
The Rochester Jr. Americans are a Tier II Junior ice hockey team from Rochester, New York. Junior team returned to Rochester with the North American Hockey League accepting the location as an expansion franchise starting in the 2023-24 season.
History
Image:Syracuse Crunch Jr A.png
In 1996, the Syracuse Junior Crunch were founded to play Canadian Junior A in the Metro Junior A Hockey League, which was absorbed by the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League in 1998. The team moved to Auburn that year, and was renamed the Auburn Junior Crunch.{{cite web|url=http://www.ushr.com/news/19980801 |title=| Amateur Hockey News |website=Ushr.com |access-date=2017-03-27}} In 2005 the franchise was sold and renamed the Syracuse Stars, joining the American Tier III Junior A Eastern Junior Hockey League (EJHL).{{cite web|url=http://www.ushr.com/news/20050101 |title=Prep Playoff Picture | Amateur Hockey News |website=Ushr.com |date=2005-01-03 |access-date=2017-03-27}} While they played in Syracuse, they also had a Junior B team in the Empire Junior Hockey League (EmJHL).
On December 9, 2009, Maksymum Hockey LLC, based in Rochester, New York, announced plans to operate the Stars and move them to Rochester beginning with the 2010–11 season. During this time they were called the Rochester Stars and were affiliated with the Tier III Junior B Maksymum Junior Hockey Club in the (EmJHL) and were no longer affiliated with the Junior B Syracuse Stars that continued to play in the EmJHL. The Rochester Stars began playing at the Bill Gray's Regional Iceplex.
In 2013, the EJHL dissolved after several members left to form the United States Premier Hockey League. By the beginning of the 2013–14 season, the Stars joined the USPHL in the Elite and Empire Divisions (with the former EJHL team in Elite and the former EmJHL team in the Empire).{{cite web|url=http://thejuniorhockeynews.com/?p=14704 |title=The New Look Of Junior Hockey On the East Coast – All Team To League Transfers |publisher=The Junior Hockey News |date=2013-05-16 |access-date=2017-03-27}} Both teams were renamed to the Rochester Jr. Americans.
In 2014, the Jr. Americans promoted their Elite Division Tier III team to the USPHL's Premier Division for the 2014–15 season and began playing against many of the former EJHL members.{{cite web|url=http://www.junioramericans.com/news_article/show/418244?referrer_id=1394033 |title=Junior Americans Join USPHL Premier Division |website=Junioramericans.com |date=2011-07-13 |access-date=2017-03-27}} For the 2015–16 season they switched their team from the Empire Division (recently renamed USP3 Division) to the Elite Division.{{cite web|url=http://www.junioramericans.com/news_article/show/486623?referrer_id=1394033 |title=Junior Americans Add USPHL Elite Team for 2015-2016 Season |website=Junioramericans.com |date=2011-07-13 |access-date=2017-03-27}} In 2016, the USPHL removed the Jr. Americans from the league and announced a new organization called the Rochester Jr. Monarchs would take their place in the Elite and youth divisions.{{cite web |url=http://www.usphl.com/news_article/show/658999?referrer_id=1576352 |title=Rochester Jr. Monarchs Excited for Year One in USPHL |publisher=USPHL |date=June 22, 2016}}
In 2020, Perinton Youth Hockey reached an agreement to form an official partnership with the Rochester Americans and restart the Jr. Americans program.{{cite web |url=https://www.nyhockeyonline.com/rochester-jr-americans-are-a-reality/ |title=Rochester Jr. Americans Are A Reality |work=NY Hockey Online |date=May 3, 2020 |accessdate=April 17, 2024}} Junior team from various age groups began the next season all under the new banner. For the 2023-24 hockey season, Rochester added a Tier-II club when the North American Hockey League (NAHL) announcement that its Board of Governors has approved the membership application for a team in Rochester, New York owned by Hockey ROCS, LLC, an entity owned and operated by Chris O’Donnell and Colleen Wegman.
Season-by-season records ''1996-2016''
| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" style="text-align:center;
!colspan=12 bgcolor="#822433" text_color=white|Crunch - Stars - Jr. American Records | ||||||||||
| Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | P | GF | GA | Regular Season Finish | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background:#fee;"
|colspan="11"|Syracuse Jr. Crunch | ||||||||||
| style="background:#eff;"
| 1996–97 | 50 | 10 | 37 | 3 | — | 23 | 220 | 358 | 15th Metro A | did not qualify |
| style="background:#eff;"
| 1997–98 | 49 | 29 | 16 | 4 | — | 62 | 273 | 219 | 4th Metro A | Won First Round, 3–2 vs. Pickering Panthers Won Quarterfinals, 3–1 vs. Thornhill Rattlers Lost Semifinals, 3–4 vs. Caledon Canadians |
| style="background:#fee;"
|colspan="11"|Auburn Jr. Crunch | ||||||||||
| style="background:#eee;"
| 1998–99 | 51 | 27 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 56 | 232 | 195 | 6th of 13, OPJHL-East | Lost Div. Quarterfinals, 0–3 vs. Lindsay Muskies |
| style="background:#fee;"
|colspan="11"|Syracuse Jr. Crunch | ||||||||||
| style="background:#eee;" | 49 | 9 | 36 | 2 | 2 | 22 | 170 | 303 | 10th of 10, OPJHL-East | did not qualify |
| style="background:#eee;"
| 2000–01 | 49 | 20 | 24 | 4 | 1 | 45 | 195 | 234 | 8th of 10, OPJHL-East | Lost Div. Quarterfinals, 0–4 vs. Lindsay Muskies |
| style="background:#eee;"
| 2001–02 | 49 | 20 | 24 | 5 | 0 | 45 | 187 | 226 | 6th of 10, OPJHL-East | Lost Div. Quarterfinals, 0–4 vs. Trenton Sting |
| style="background:#eee;"
| 2002–03 | 49 | 4 | 43 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 114 | 308 | 10th of 10, OPJHL-East | did not qualify |
| style="background:#eee;"
| 2003–04 | 49 | 20 | 26 | 0 | 3 | 43 | 192 | 223 | 7th of 10, OPJHL-East | Lost Div. Quarterfinals, 0–4 vs. Bowmanville Eagles |
| style="background:#eee;"
| 2004–05 | 49 | 8 | 35 | 3 | 3 | 22 | 158 | 267 | 9th of 10, OPJHL-East | Lost Div. Quarterfinals, 1–4 vs. Aurora Tigers |
| style="background:#fee;"
|colspan="11"|Syracuse Stars | ||||||||||
| 2005–06 | 45 | 11 | 27 | 1 | 6 | 29 | 127 | 208 | 6th of 7, North 13th of 14, EJHL | did not qualify |
| 2006–07 | 45 | 19 | 18 | 3 | 5 | 46 | 155 | 175 | 5th of 7, North 8th of 14, EJHL | did not qualify |
| 2007–08 | 45 | 30 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 66 | 155 | 120 | 2nd of 7, North 3rd of 14, EJHL | Lost Quarterfinal South Shore Kings |
| 2008–09 | 45 | 24 | 14 | 6 | 1 | 55 | 184 | 160 | 3rd of 7, North 4th of 14, EJHL | Lost Quarterfinal vs. Bridgewater Bandits |
| 2009–10 | 45 | 22 | 15 | 3 | 5 | 52 | 173 | 163 | 3rd of 7, North 6th of 14, EJHL | Lost Quarterfinals, 0–2 vs. Jersey Hitmen |
| style="background:#fee;"
|colspan="11"|Rochester Stars | ||||||||||
| 2010–11 | 45 | 13 | 29 | 3 | 0 | 29 | 109 | 173 | 5th of 7, North 12th of 14, EJHL | did not qualify |
| 2011–12 | 45 | 15 | 26 | — | 4 | 34 | 103 | 156 | 6th of 7, North 12th of 14, EJHL | Lost First Round, 0–2 vs. Bay State Breakers |
| 2012–13 | 45 | 24 | 15 | — | 6 | 54 | 150 | 140 | 4th of 7, North 6th of 14, EJHL | Won First Round, 1–1 vs. New York Apple Core{{Cite web |url=http://www.applecorejunior.com/ARCHIVES2012_2013/EJHL_NEwFlaash2012-2013.htm |title=New York Apple Core EJHL Tier II |access-date=2015-08-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304045501/http://www.applecorejunior.com/ARCHIVES2012_2013/EJHL_NEwFlaash2012-2013.htm |archive-date=2016-03-04 |url-status=dead }} Lost Quarterfinals vs. Islanders Hockey Club |
| style="background:#fee;"
|colspan="11"|Rochester Jr. Americans | ||||||||||
| style="background:#eee;"
| 2013–14 | 42 | 36 | 4 | — | 2 | 74 | 217 | 80 | 1st of 10, North 1st of 18, USPHL Elite | Won First Round, 2–0 vs. Portland Jr. Pirates (Elite) Lost Quarterfinals, 1–2 vs. Jersey Hitmen (Elite) |
| style="background:#eee;"
| 2014–15 | 50 | 22 | 25 | — | 3 | 47 | 170 | 175 | 8th of 11 USPHL Premier | Lost Quarterfinals, 0–2 vs. Jersey Hitmen |
| style="background:#eee;"
| 2015–16 | 44 | 13 | 28 | — | 3 | 29 | 128 | 183 | 9th of 12 USPHL Premier | Won Play-in Game, 3–1 vs. Syracuse Stars Lost Quarterfinals, 0–2 vs. Islanders Hockey Club |
Season-by-season records ''2023 - current''
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" | |||||||||
| Season | GP | W | L | OTL | P | GF | GA | Regular Season Finish | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background:red"
|colspan="11"|{{white|Rochester Jr. Americans of the NAHL}} | |||||||||
| style="background:linen"
| 2023–24 | 60 | 34 | 18 | 8 | 76 | 213 | 177 | 3 of 9, East Div 10th of 32, NAHL | Won Play-In Round, 2–0 Northeast Generals Lost Div. Semi-Finals, 2-3 vs. Maine Nordiques |
| 2024-25 | 44 | 27 | 9 | 8 | 62 | 152 | 111 | 1st of 10 East 6th of 35 NAHL | Won Div Semifinal 2-1 Johnstown Tomahawks Won Div Finals 3-1 Maine Nordiques Lost Robertson Semifinal 1-2 Bismarck Bobcats |
Alumni
In addition to those players which have gone on to play for various college teams,{{Cite web |url=http://www.easternjunior.com/college_signings/syracuse_stars_signings.php |title=EJHL 2006 College Signings |access-date=2014-02-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091212151148/http://easternjunior.com/college_signings/syracuse_stars_signings.php |archive-date=2009-12-12 |url-status=dead }} a number of former Stars players have gone on to play at the NHL level, including the following:
- Ryan Callahan of the Tampa Bay Lightning{{cite web|url=http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8473542 |title=Tom Sestito Stats and News |website=NHL.com |date=1987-09-28 |access-date=2017-03-27}}
- Tim Connolly[https://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/1941 Yahoo! Sports Player Bio for Tim Connolly]{{cite web|url=http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=19148 |title=NHL Player Search - Player - Tim Connolly |publisher=Legends of Hockey |access-date=2017-03-27}}
- Colby Cohen{{cite web|url=http://bruins.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8474002 |title=Colby Cohen Stats and News | NHL.com |website=Bruins.nhl.com |date=1989-04-25 |access-date=2017-03-27}}{{cite web|url=http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=99061 |title=Colby Cohen hockey statistics and profile at |website=Hockeydb.com |date=1989-04-25 |access-date=2017-03-27}}
- Jeremy Morin of the Tampa Bay Lightning{{cite web|url=http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8475214 |title=Jeremy Morin Stats and News |website=NHL.com |date=1991-04-16 |access-date=2017-03-27}}
- Matt Murley{{cite web|url=http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=19170 |title=NHL Player Search - Player - Matt Murley |publisher=Legends of Hockey |access-date=2017-03-27}}
- Rob Schremp{{cite web|url=http://www2.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8471238&view=stats |title=Rob Schremp Stats and News |website=NHL.com |date=1986-07-01 |access-date=2017-03-27}}{{cite web|url=http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=21283 |title=NHL Player Search - Player - Rob Schremp |publisher=Legends of Hockey |access-date=2017-03-27}}
- Tim Sestito{{cite web|url=http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=59777 |title=Tim Sestito hockey statistics and profile at |website=Hockeydb.com |date=1984-08-28 |access-date=2017-03-27}}{{cite web|url=http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=22187 |title=NHL Player Search - Player - Tim Sestito |publisher=Legends of Hockey |access-date=2017-03-27}}
- Tom Sestito{{cite web|url=http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=22008 |title=NHL Player Search - Player - Tom Sestito |publisher=Legends of Hockey |access-date=2017-03-27}}{{cite web|url=http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8473542 |title=Tom Sestito Stats and News |publisher=NHL.com |date=1987-09-28 |access-date=2017-03-27}}
- Tom Aubrun
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{Official Website}}
- [http://usphl.com/teams/rochester-stars USPHL website]
{{Rochester Americans}}
{{NAHL}}
{{OPJAHL}}
{{Rochester Sports}}
{{Upstate New York Sports}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rochester Junior Americans}}
Category:Defunct Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League teams
Category:Amateur ice hockey teams in New York (state)
Category:2013 establishments in New York (state)
Category:Ice hockey clubs established in 2013
Category:2016 disestablishments in New York (state)
Category:Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 2016