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All-Star Guide

The 2023 SCHSHL Varsity All-Star Guide

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As the calendar year draws to a close, the league’s brightest stars are set to take the ice one last time for the 2023 SCHSHL Varsity All-Star Game. The event is scheduled to take place at the Rinx in Hauppauge, NY on Tuesday December 26th. The Skills competition is set to begin at 6:40 PM with the 3 on 3 tournament set to follow at 8:00 PM. 

The Skills Competition


Fastest Skater  

In a field choc-full of rookies, St. Anthony’s Gerard Nealon and West Islip’s William Shields are the favorites in this year’s event. Nealon is a high end skater who has won back-to-back SCHSHL Championships with the Friars, while Shields is an explosive skater who is in his second full season with the West Islip Lions. Expect Kings Park Commack’s John Coyle, Sachem’s Cameron Kalberer and Longwood’s Brandon Scheurmann to also challenge for the title. 

Hardest Shot 

This one is all about the blue liner’s. Northport Huntington’s Austin Ruthkowski and St. Anthony’s Cormac Terry both have heavy shots that can swing the momentum of games. The dark horses in this event are Kings Park Commack Captain Stefan Hludzinski and West Islip Captain Ciaran Pollard

Goalie Skills

A hot goalie can take you far in the post-season, but how far can they go in the skills competition. Northport Huntington’s Connor King, Ward Melville’s Michael Sittler and West Islip’s Braiden Buccino are the favorites in this year’s event, while Longwood’s Anthony Frega could end up stealing the show if he is available to play. Frega has been dealing with a lower body injury since early November.

Team Relay

The team relay may come down to how each club approaches the competition. KPC, Northport Huntington, St. Anthony’s and West Islip elected to use the same three skaters for the relay as the 3 on 3 tournament. Smithtown Hauppauge will use David Wetzel in the relay, but will also feature Jackson Cantalupo and R.J. Pfister

East Islip will roll out Jack McGarry, Anthony Marazzito and Luke LaFata while Sachem elected to go with Joe Capece, Cameron Kalberer and Alp Octu. Connetqout Sayville BBP features an underrated trio of Alexander DeLeon, Zack Martin and Andrew Jozwicki, while Ward Melville selected three youngsters in Michael Eilenberger, Timothy Brown and Anthony Cerulli. The Longwood unit of Nicolas Gigante, Kyle May and Ayden Azmoun could surprise fans on Tuesday night. 

The Tournament 

Team One

This squad features two of the league’s most dynamic defenseman in Michael Caitzone and Liam Henshaw. Brody Dickson will start in goal. Forwards Anthony Pepe and Brandon Scheurmann are excellent at using their speed in open ice. Gregory Monthie and Sean Tittle are strong two way players who can finish at a high level. This club certainly doesn’t lack leadership with T-Birds Captain Ryan Fleischauer, KPC Captain Stefan Hludzinski and Bulls Captain Bobby Trites all on the roster.

Team Two

Does defense win championships in All-Star Games? We will soon find out. This  team backstopped by Jayson Krauthammer with blue liners Brent Brdey, Jack Mancini, Michael Paduano, Sean Richardson and Sean Walsh all on the roster. That being said this squad certainly won’t lack for firepower with Blake Brown, Thomas Ivers, Brendan Landrigan, and John McCormick on forward. Longwood Lions forward Nicolas Gigante was selected to replace Paduano at this year’s event.

Team Three

This team will feature hard-nosed blue liner’s Austin Ruthkowski and Bryan Slattery who will presumably be joined by Colin Kalberer on defense. Michael DiGirolamo will be the teams netminder. Expect forwards Gavin Bareham, Mathew Campagnola, Tyler Granelli and Ciaran Pollard will be dangerous in open ice at 3 on 3. Devin Curry and Jake Mangano can also play with pace, but let’s see how much snarl they bring to this year’s “friendly” game. 

Team Four

Patrick Ryan is in good hands with blue liners L.J. Lena and David Wetzel on the back end. It is more than likely that J.T. Caruso will join them on defense. The team has a strong forward core featuring Jesse Lemza, Thomas Konkowski, Jordan Mercado, Gerard Nealon, Lucas Scolaro and William Shields. If there is a favorite in this event, this squad might be it. 

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