A very successful 2009/2010 season that saw the Whalers Junior Developmental Bantam AA team go 35-15-1 while capturing the CBHL Bantam National Championship and PVAHA Virginia State runner-up has set the bar high for next season. The coaching staff has gone to work and reloaded the roster as the team is set to begin their title defense.

 

In net, the Whalers bring back veteran goaltender Jack Herrick, who posted a 13-3-1 record with 2 shutouts last season for the Whalers. Rookie Zach Alvarado, who posted 27 wins for the Whalers Peewee AA team last year, joins Herrick to form a formidable duo between the pipes.

 

Up front, the Whalers are lead by Kaleb Willis, who finished 3^rd on the team in scoring last season with 57 points off of 31 goals and 26 assists. Willis will be joined by Regen Cavanagh, who is coming off a 73 point campaign leading the Peewee AA team in scoring as well as speedster Daniel Gross who posted 25 points on 16 goals and 9 assists. The Whalers will look to two newcomers to pack some offensive punch in Logan Smith and Zach McDaniel. Smith posted 53 points off of 27 goals and 26 assists in 50 games and McDaniel posted an identical 53 points off of 27 goals and 26 assists in 55 games for the Peninsula Prowl last season. They will also look to the feisty Trevor Neubauer who rejoins the Whalers after a season with the Prowl in which he posted 72 points on 36 goals and 36 assists. Dylan Harris 22 points, Jonathon Darrow 32 points, and Mike McCardell 39 points, round out a potent offensive group for the Whalers. 

 

On the back end, the Whalers will look to a trio of defenders to hold down the fort. Solid veteran Derek Palandro will be joined by the skilled Caelan Bolanowski 19 points and the scrappy Ian Nathan 28 points.  

 

Head Coach Brad Jones returns behind the bench for his 3^rd season with the Whalers Bantam AA team with a combined record of 52-22-3 in his first two seasons. Jones has lead the Junior Developmental Program to the 09/10 CBHL Bantam National Championship, 09/10 PVAHA State Runner-up, 08/09 Pittsburgh Spring Classic Championship, 08/09 St. Patrick’s Day Classic Championship, and the 09/10 Pepsi Beach Breakaway Championship.

 

The boys recently kicked off team building with the NAVY SEALS and the SWCC SCOUT TEAM. The boys will begin off-ice training June 8^th as well as Whaler Nation Happy Hour which is set to begin 5 days a week, 1 and ½ hours a day beginning June 28^th before the boys get their first game action in the Pepsi Beach Bash July 30^th-August 1^st.