08's 2019-20 AYHL Champions
Coach Chris Barcless + Asst. Coach Mike Kuzma

Mercer Chiefs have a few spots available for the 2020/21 season, but they won’t last! If interested, contact the coach associated with your birth year! 

▪️U18 Elite. Need one forward. - Coach Dan Pressl at dan.pressl@gmail.com
▪️U16 American. Need one forward. - Coach Matarazzo at amhockey1@gmail.com
▪️U15. Need one forward. - Coach Krzysztof Oliwa at info@vortexmedianetwork.com
▪️2009. Need one player. - Coach Marco at shutout85@gmail.com
▪️2011. Need one player. - Coach Aimone at brettaimone27@hotmail.com

All Chiefs letters have gone out. Make sure to check those emails! If you have NOT heard, please email rob@ice-land.com. 

For those Chiefs who need new jerseys, payment info is below. You should have been emailed a form for uniforms as well. If you did NOT, please let us know! Jerseys need to be ordered ASAP!

1- Check. Send to Shore Hockey Shop, 621 Homestead Road, Brielle, NJ, 08730.
2- Venmo. @brianarnott
3- Credit Card. Call Brian at (732) 735-4982.

Make sure to include all necessary info when sending payments!

Congratulations Chiefs! We are looking forward to an amazing season to come! 

Considering the pandemic, it has been decided to have tier one clubs sign players to contracts on June 1, 2020. The Mercer Chief coaches have been meeting remotely for the last few weeks and we will continue to meet a few times each week deciding who to sign based on previous play, word of mouth, past experiences, etc. We take this very seriously – both the endeavor to pick the “best and right” player for each team, but to also communicate to ALL players early on in the process, so they can look at other options if needed.

If you are interested in playing for the Mercer Chiefs (returning or new), please contact the Head Coach below of your birth year:

▪️Mites + Squirt Minor (2014-2011)
Brett Aimone - Brettaimone27@hotmail.com
▪️Squirt Major + Peewee Minor (2010-2009)
Marco Escalona - shutout85@gmail.com
▪️Peewee Major + Bantam Minor (2008-2007)
Chris Barcless - cbarcless@ice-land.com
▪️Bantam Major (2006)
Oscar Watson - OLWatson7@msn.com
▪️U15 (2005)
Krzysztof Oliwa - info@vortexmedianetwork.com
▪️U16 (2004)
Rob Broderick - rbroderick9912@gmail.com
Anthony Matarazzo - coachmazzo@gmail.com
▪️U18 (2003-2002)
Rob Broderick - rbroderick9912@gmail.com
Dan Pressl - dan.pressl@gmail.com

The goal of the Mercer Chiefs is to be the most successful youth hockey organization in the country. Winning is not the only, or even the most important benchmark in measuring success. We believe winning at all costs at the youth hockey level is not winning and is quite frankly, usually just for a coach’s ego.

Success means developing our players to be the best they can be, both on the ice and off the ice. Preparing and playing to win is important. That said, development takes precedent over everything. When we win, we win the right way. The players are not pawns in youth hockey and every player matters; yes, even in tier one hockey. Playing a kid more often than others at the Mite, Squirt and Peewee levels to win a hockey game, sets back every player’s development. We want to be an organization that wins at the highest levels, but wins the right way and has the proper perspective on what is truly important in youth hockey – and that is individual development and learning how to be a great teammate and all around hockey player. And yes, we want the players to love this great game and love coming to the rink each and every practice, off-ice session and game!

When the players get to the Bantam and Midget level things change a bit – having a coach who is an EFFECTIVE ADVOCATE for them is not only vitally important, but imperative to their future hockey goals. On top of that, the off-ice component is especially important. The Chiefs have brought in Joe DeMarco to be the full-time off-ice coordinator for the Midget program. Joe is dedicated to this and in each and every one of them. He dedicates his time and passion to bettering our athletes physically and mentally. Also, we believe in our developmental model and we will look to make the flow from Mites to Midgets to Juniors efficiently. We do NOT need to look to build new teams from scratch at the Midget level because we will already have good players that we have developed from the "ground" up.

We do not only have a pipeline on paper with the Black Bears and Phantoms, but we send players there all the time. The communication between the Chiefs and the coaches is constant and the connection and pipeline is REAL. Midget players skate with Youngstown and/or Maryland consistently throughout the season. Last year we had 12 players skate with Youngstown and/or Maryland during the season. This season we should have at least four players play for the Black Bears full-time.

Good luck to everyone for ‘tryouts’ this year. It certainly won’t be easy for any of us involved! 

Every season the Mercer Chiefs seek local families to become billet families.This upcoming season is no exception!

What is a billet family you might ask? An exceptional young player who lives outside the area and wants to come play for the Chiefs. Enter the billet family. Billet families provide a caring, supportive, family environment to be the home away from home for each of our players. Billeting can be a very exciting and rewarding experience for those willing to open up their homes to our hockey players.

Major congratulations go out to Mercer Chiefs player Mike Sullo for being drafted into the USHL draft by the Youngstown Phantoms! ‘Mike is a terrific young man and a very special hockey player! He has a tremendous work ethic, as strong as anyone I have coached,’ said Rob Broderick of the Chiefs. ‘Mike is a hard working kid. Very coachable. Great speed and can put the puck in the net. He is a great kid from a great family,’ said Coach Barcless. We look forward to seeing all the great things that are coming Mike's way.  Congratulations  Mike!

The Mercer Chiefs are excited to announce that we have hired Art Femenella as the Defensive Coach for the Mercer Chiefs U16 and U18 teams! Coach Rob Broderick said, ‘Art coached with me a few years back and is one of the good ones! He will not only bring his expertise to the teams, but he will help these kids in so many different ways, especially our defensemen.’ Art was a draft choice of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the NHL, he played four years at the University of Vermont, he was a NDTP guy and a defenseman for the Sioux City Musketeers in USHL. We are lucky to bring him onto our staff!

2020 Ice Land Hockey Academy - Midget AAA/Juniors
Off-Season Training Program run out of Ice Land Arena!

The AAA program offers a professionally developed training program geared towards the elite, tier one players. The players will be in one of four groups - U15, U16, U18 and/or U20 for Showcases.  Emphasis is placed on player development and skill development.  The program offers the following for players at most levels:

• Skill and game-system based on-ice training.
• Professionally developed off-ice training.
• Exposure to Ice Land’s junior affiliates, the Youngstown Phantoms (USHL) and Maryland Black Bears (NAHL).
• Full-ice tournaments with high exposure - see tournament schedule below.
• Advisory role for the players - coaching staff has helped place over 40 players into D1, D3, tier one and tier two juniors. Full reference list upon request.

Philosophy

Our focus is on complete player development and exposure for this important time in a player’s path to college/pro hockey. Our program is tailored for individual player skill, strength and mental development in a team environment.  It is called the off-season for a reason. Our goal is to make sure every athlete leaves the off-season a significantly better hockey player, with a better plan for the following season. 

Coaching Staff

• Rob Broderick - Ice Land and Mercer Chiefs GM, VP of Hockey Operations for Youngstown Phantoms, Scout for Maryland Black Bears, US Scout for Ottawa Junior Senators, CCHL, Midget Coach at Mercer Chiefs AAA.
• Ashley Munafo - hockey powerskating instructor and former competitive skater.
• Guest coaches from Youngstown Phantoms (USHL) and Maryland Black Bears (NAHL).

If you have any questions, please contact rob@ice-land.com.

A huge congratulations goes out to three of our Mercer Chiefs, Mike Citera, Damian Carfagna and TJ Semptimphelter, for being selected to the USA National Camp! From 80 players, only 6 forwards, 4 defenseman and 1 goalie were chosen!

The USA 17 National Camp is in Buffalo, June 25th - July 1st from the Atlantic District. “This is a testament to Mike, Damian and TJ. Not only to their talent but also to their work ethic. It is also a huge indication of the quality of coaching at the Chiefs and in particular Coach Chris Barcless. Chris is one of the best hockey coaches in the country,” said Chiefs General Manager Rob Broderick.

Congratulations boys and good luck in Buffalo!

Ice Land is proud to announce that the Princeton Youth Tier 2 program will be the primary Tier 2 tenant out of Ice Land for the 2019-20 season. From Tier 2 mites to midgets, Princeton Youth will play their Tier 2 teams out of Ice Land and Hobey Baker. The Mercer Chiefs will still operate their Tier 1 program (Mites to U18).

The Mercer Chiefs family has grown exponentially this year with the addition of the Maryland Black Bears of the NAHL and the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL. New and exciting things are just getting started and we are very excited to continue growing and expanding our programs here at Ice Land including the addition of Princeton Youth and their Tier 2 program!

A huge congratulations goes out to Ross Colton, a lifelong Mercer Chiefs player, for signing with the Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL. On Tuesday, June 26th, the NHL Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman announced, “The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed forward Ross Colton to a two-year, two-way contract.”

Ross played his youth hockey career almost exclusively under the tutelage of Mercer Chiefs coach and Hockey Director Chris Barcless. Ross still trains with Coach Barcless at Ice Land throughout the off season. Coach Barcless said, “Ross is an extraordinary person and player and he deserves everything that his coming his way.” Ironically, Ross also played one season with the current Chiefs General Manager and Coach Rob Broderick, at the Midget level after his youth career with the Chiefs. Coach Broderick said, “Chris Barcless being the person he is, called me because that season Mercer did not have a strong Midget team and he knew that we did. Of course I knew and coached against Ross and knew how incredibly gifted he was, but I also knew that he played for Chris and you just know that means he is a good player on both sides of the puck because of Chris’s coaching. Ross certainly has the talent, but his work ethic is special and the coaching he received from Chris Barcless certainly played a big role. They both should be very proud!”

Ross said, “I owe a lot to the Chiefs organization and especially to Coach Barcless. I would not be where I am today without them.”

The Mercer Chiefs family and Ice Land congratulate Ross for signing to play for the Tampa Bay organization and we couldn’t be prouder! We can't wait to see him on the ice!

The Mercer Chiefs organization is thrilled to announce that the Mercer family is now owners of a USHL franchise. Ice Land and Mercer Chiefs General Manager Rob Broderick said, “This is a game changer for the Mercer Chiefs hockey club. USHL is the best Junior League in the country, the only Tier One Junior League in the United States. The Chiefs are now part of an organization with an NAHL team, a EHL team and now a USHL team. The Chiefs players will have the opportunity to play for a great program from Mites through the two best Junior programs in the United States. This is a very exciting day for the Mercer Chiefs!" Chiefs Hockey Director Chris Barclass said, "This is a great day for the Mercer Chiefs family. Now the Chiefs organization has the EHL, the NAHL and the USHL as options for our top Tier One Midget Players."

A big congratulations to Coby Auslander and Chip Hamlett for being drafted by the Boston Bandits. Coby and Chip are both on the U18AAA Premier team for the 2018 season for the Chiefs. "Two terrific players, the Bandits picked two gamers. Coby was taken first overall in the draft. "He is a smart, talented forward and Chip is a solid two way defenseman. They are both solid on both sides of the puck," said Mercer Chiefs U18 Coach and GM Rob Broderick. Congrats Coby and Chip!

Facebook -
facebook.com/mercerchiefshockey
Twitter -
twitter.com/mercer_chiefs
Instagram -
instagram.com/mercerchiefshockey

USA Hockey Registration
Important Link (registration session)
Important Link (volunteer policy)
Important Link Deep in the Site

The Mercer Chiefs competitive hockey program offers a structured and disciplined venue for children up to the age of 18 to participate in a highly competitive travel hockey league. The program is selective in matching a child’s physical ability and skill level with the appropriate level of competition and developmental options. The Mercer Chiefs Tier 1 AAA teams offer the highest level of competition both regionally and nationally and compete within the AYHL and at high-level tournaments throughout the country. Tier 1 hockey programs require a significant commitment from both the player and their parents or guardians with respect to practices, games, and tournaments and this commitment should be carefully considered before participating in the program. The rewards gained from this commitment are significant for all involved. The primary focus of the Mercer Chiefs program has been and will continue to be on the development, competitiveness, and enjoyment of the player participating in high level athletic competition.

PLAYER DEVELOPMENT

• Maximizing the amount of on-ice practices.
• Emphasis on fundamentals & skill development.
• Certified coaching staff for all practices.
• Pre-season Mini Camp in late August.

Regular season begins in September and runs through March.

General Manager of Ice Land and the Mercer Chiefs - Rob Broderick -
rob@ice-land.com
Assistant Manager - Jenn Del Rosario - 
jenndelro@ice-land.com
Hockey Director - Chris Barcless -
cbarcless@ice-land.com
Skating Director and Office Manager - Jenn Schaffener -
jenn@ice-land.com
Facilities Manager - Matt Conti -
matt@ice-land.com
Adult Hockey League Director - Heather O'Connell -
heather@ice-land.com
Pro Shop - Brian Arnott -
proshop@ice-land.com
General Information -
information@ice-land.com

Mercer Chiefs Mite Director  -
Brett Aimone - brettaimone27@hotmail.com
2011 - Brett Aimone - brettaimone27@hotmail.com
2009 + 2010 - Marco Escalona - shutout85@gmail.com
2007 + 2008 - Chris Barcless - cbarcless@ice-land.com
2006 - Oscar Watson - olwatson7@icloud.com
U15 Pure - Krzysztof Oliwa - info@vortexmedianetwork.com
16 American - Anthony Matarazzo - coachmazzo@gmail.com
U18 Premier + U16 National - Rob Broderick - rob@ice-land.com
U18 Elite - Dan Pressl - dan.pressl@gmail.com