Everything You Need to Know in Hawkeyville
Published on June 20, 2018 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Johnstown Tomahawks News Release
Johnstown Tomahawks in training
(Johnstown Tomahawks, Credit: Phil Andraychak)
Players Converge for Main Camp
The best players from around the world will travel to Johnstown for the annual 2018 Main Camp at North Central Recreation Center starting Thursday, July 5, where the 2018-19 Johnstown Tomahawks roster begins to take shape.
Main Camp consists of the best of the best. Tomahawks veterans, draft picks and tenders will compete for an invitation to Tomahawks training camp in late August.
As usual, the camp will culminate with an All-Star game on Sunday, July 8. . PLease stay tuned to JohnstownTomahawks.com or our social media for the latest details regarding our All-Star game.
JOIN TWO LOCAL LEGENDS!
HALL OF FAME TO HONOR DANA HEINZE & CHRIS STEWART
The Cambria County Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2018 will be inducted on July 7 at the Pasquerilla Conference Center.
Among the 6 nominees, are Dana Heinze and Chris Stewart who have been parts of championship-winning professional sports teams, in behind-the scenes capacities.
Heinze, equipment manager for the Pittsburgh Penguins, has seen the franchise win the Stanley Cup in 2009, 2016 and 2017 during his tenure. He also was part of the equipment staff for the 2004 Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning.
Stewart is the Penguins' head athletic trainer. Like Heinze, he has been with the franchise for three Stanley Cup triumphs. Stewart's fourth Cup experience came in 2006, when he was with the Carolina Hurricanes in their championship season.
TICKETS - HALL OF FAME BANQUET JULY 7 - 6pm
Thousands of support stickers delivered across North America!
From Pennsylvania to California and Alberta, over 10,000 stickers have been distributed to 400 individuals and organizations across 168 North American cities in support of the Broncos.
We will continue to fulfill orders while supplies last. Please allow 3-4 weeks for processing and shipment.
Please consider making a donation to the families of the Humboldt Broncos, visit HumboldtStrong.info. to support. .
Billet Diaries: Tami and Eric Knopsnyder
Another entry into our summer billet diary comes from veteran billet family, the Knopsnyders.
Tami and Eric Knopsnyder have housed Tomahawks hockey players since the inaugural 2012-13 season.
As Tami puts it, they are "old grizzled vets of billeting," as the couple are entering their seventh season in the Tomahawks family.
"It has been a wild and crazy ride and one that neither of us would change," Tami Knopsnyder said. "Initially we decided to billet because we are always up for new adventures and we had the room. At first when we told the team that we would billet three players, they tried to talk us out of it! But we insisted that if we were going to billet, we are going all in and now we regularly billet four players."
As a billet family, the Knopsnyder help Tomahawks players adapt to their new team or surroundings all the while providing a nurturing environment for players to thrive off the ice.
"We have a rule that hockey stops at the door," Tami said. "We do not bring up the team, hockey, games, stats, etc. unless the guys want to talk about it with us. That rule has allowed us to become closer with our billets because we are forced to talk to them about their life outside of hockey. We have noticed that once we do that, it is much easier for them to trust us. They will come to us for advice, help with homework, confide in us things that are on their mind. We keep in touch with almost all of our billets, some more than others. Our Snap Chat groups are still going strong even a few years removed. We have a close bond with a few billets and their families."
"We have celebrated college commitments, holidays, family reunions, and vacations with our billets outside of the season. It is nice to know that we have "family" all over the world and will probably take them up on the free places to stay when we are in Europe."
Tami and Eric have created countless memories with their billet kids and offer up this piece of advice to new billets or prospective families.
"Let the kids be themselves," Tami said. "Don't be offended if he needs alone time and some need more than others. He has just been thrown into a new situation and he needs to find his own place not only in your house and family but on the team and town. Each player is under a tremendous amount of pressure and it is good for them to just have somewhere they can just relax. Some kids will make themselves at home rather quickly and some may never come out of their shell completely. This past year we had a player whose mother told me that he wouldn't talk. She said that he would not talk to us until he feels completely comfortable with us and that it might not happen this season. I took that as a challenge and got him to crack jokes in two days. If you joke with them and be inviting, the guys will respond. It has sort of become our mantra and say it all the time, "'If the guys are happy at home, it will translate to a better performance on the ice."'
2018-19 Elementary Program Sign-ups Underway!
The Tomahawks Elementary Hockey League is designed to provide a fun and positive environment for youth hockey players to develop skills and further understand the rules, positioning and game strategies needed in hockey. Tomahawks Elementary Hockey League is for players in grades K -4. Practices and games will take place at the 1st Summit Arena at the Cambria County War Memorial and North Central Recreation Center (NCRC). At least one game will take place at the Galactic Ice Arena in Altoona against teams from the Galactic Ice Elementary Hockey Program.
The league will follow USA Hockey's American Development Model. Players will be evaluated in early September and will be placed in groups of similar ability and play games on a level that is comparable to their own to provide an opportunity to gain confidence and continue to develop their skills all well having fun. The goal is to achieve balanced team numbers and competitiveness.
Program Details:
- Season will run from September through February.
- Sessions will consist of: 1 evaluation session, a minimum of 20 Practices, and 10 Games.
- Practices will focus mainly on individual skill development with implementation of team concepts
- No Hockey Experience is necessary, but Learn to Skate program is encouraged for those with no prior skating experience. http://theskatingclubofjohnstown.com/learn-to-skate
- Great for players looking to play hockey without the extensive travel.
- Collaboration with all local scholastic organizations for transition after player moves out of the elementary league.
School is in Session at NCRC this Summer!
Tomahawks Head Coach Mike Letizia, Ex-Chiefs Jean Desrochers and Tomahawks players are proud to bring the second annual full-day development camp to NCRC July 23-27.
The camp consist of three hours of ice per day including a developmental practice in the morning and a full ice game in the afternoon. Campers will also take part in off-ice activities ranging from hockey specific workouts to team-building activities.
Images from this story
 Johnstown Tomahawks in training (Phil Andraychak) |
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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
