New Faces are Making a Big Impact for the NJ Avalanche U15s

The NJ Avalanche U15 team is off to a hot start this season. The group is currently sitting in 1st place in the Atlantic Youth Hockey League with an impressive 9-1 record, and are the 18th ranked U15 team in the country. Having already split the first two games of their series against the 2nd place WBS Knights, and played a tight game against the NJ Rockets, the Avs are positioned to make a strong run for the District Championship and a spot at USA Hockey’s National Tournament. 

The Avalanche roster showcases a good balance of size, speed and talent. The team plays a fast and heavy 200 ft game and they are getting production from up and down their lineup. Even more impressive is the improvement that the group has made over last season. In 2023-24, the team finished in a disappointing 6th place in the AYHL and 73rd nationally with an 18-29-6 record. They struggled with consistency throughout the year and did not showcase the depth or talent that the organization has historically been known for.

While some of this year’s improvement can be attributed to coaching and the growth and development of players from one season to the next, a good deal of credit needs to be given to the new faces in the Avalanche lineup. The squad turned over ½ of their roster from last season and were able to add strong players from all around North Jersey and New York. 

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Up-Front

The Avs offense has been firing on all cylinders so far this season. They have a league-leading 44 goals through 10 AYHL games and their season goal/game average is sitting at 4.23, up from just 3.11 last season. While they continue to get strong production from returners like Carter Edmonds who has a team-leading 9 goals through 10 AYHL games, the difference-maker this year is that they are getting scoring depth thanks to a few new faces up-front.

Patrick Ula is smooth-skating skill-forward who has amassed 6 goals and 3 

assists in his first 10 league games for the Avs. He’s the younger 

brother of former Avs 2008 defenseman Genc Ula, who is playing this season for 

the Peterborough Petes in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Patrick is a cerebral 2-way forward with slippery hands and good scoring instincts. He has a knack for finding pucks in tights, and he should be able to produce a lot of offense for the team this season. 

Charles Sorrentino is another strong forward that the Avs added this off-season from the NJ Devils. He’s a highly-skilled and dynamic forward who likes to play with pace and attack defenders with speed. He’s confident on zone entry and has a quick release that seems to trip up goalies at this level. So far this season he is leading the team in points with 6 goals and 9 assists through his first 10 league games. 

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On the Back-End 

Without question, the Avalanche’s defense has been just as impressive as their offensive fire-power. The team has surrendered the 2nd fewest goals against in the AYHL and has dropped their goals against average from 4.05 last season, to just 2.76 so far this year. While the team returned most of their defensive core from last season, they have a notable blueline addition who is consistently contributing on both sides of the puck. 

Benjamin Zwillinger is a big and mobile defenseman that the Avalanche picked 

up this season from the Long Island Gulls. He’s an engaged, 2-way defender who is making his presence known quickly, already tallying 7 goals and 3 assists in his first 10 AYHL games. He’s got a long reach and good mobility which allows him to control space in all 3 zones, and he’s got a menacing shot that snaps off his stick. 

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Between the Pipes

At this level, strong goaltending is often the difference-maker in a team’s overall success. The group struggled in net last season with their goalies posting a combined SV% of .847 (which was certainly compounded by the team’s lack of depth). This season they went out and added a legitimate #1 goalie, and someone who should be able to backstop the team deep into the playoffs. 

James Bronson is a confident, athletic goalie that the team picked up from the 

NJ Devils. Last season James posted an impressive SV% of .908, and with a strong team in front of him, he’s currently tallying a .926 through 7 league starts this year. He’s poised and controlled in net, tracking pucks well in his zone, and coming out aggressively to challenge shooters. He’s a goalie who consistently makes saves to keep his team in games, and he has the high compete-level and athleticism to steal a game when he needs to. 

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