Half-dozen players with California connections bag weekly NCDC, USPHL accolades
The USPHL has announced that a half-dozen players with California connections have earned weekly player honors.
In the NCDC Division, Utah Outliers forward Carson Castro has been named the NCDC Mountain Division Forward of the Week and South Shore Kings defenseman Jason Zaccari has been named the NCDC New England Division Defenseman of the Week.
Over in the Premier Division, Henderson Force forward Shane Dean is the Pacific Division Forward of the Week, Potomac Patriots forward Yovanni Flores is the Southeast Division Forward of the Week, and Carolina Jr. Hurricanes defenseman Ivan Gutierrez is the Southeast Division Defenseman of the Week.
Wrapping up the awards, Hampton Roads Whalers goalie Janic Kennedy has been tabbed the Southeast Elite Division Goaltender of the Week.
Castro, an ‘06 from Orange, put up a goal and added two assists for the Outliers, helping the team remain undefeated in regulation over their last four games. A former Anaheim Jr. Ducks player, has four points in five games to start his NCDC career.
Zaccari, a 2005 birth year from Santa Ana, has been a staple in this spot lately, winning three of the last four weeks. He registered five assists in just the two Hitmen Classic games that the Kings played, both standing as wins that extended their winning streak to nine games since falling in their Sept. 19 opener.
Currently, the Jr. Ducks grad is second among all NCDC defensemen in scoring with 13 points.
Dean, an ’04 out of Henderson, Nev., had a huge weekend between Oct. 18-20 against the Ventura Vikings, scoring four points in the opener, followed by four more over the next two games. In the Oct. 18 game, he scored both a power-play and a short-handed goal, and the PPG was also a game winner. He scored four points in the two prior games before the Ventura series, giving him a run of 10 points over his last five games.
During his youth hockey days, Dean spent time with the Los Angeles Jr. Kings.
Flores, a third-year Patriots player and 2024-25 captain, scored five goals and added two assists for seven points during the Pats’ four games at the Hitmen Classic. He has played in 80 Premier games, and came up from the USPHL Elite team of 2022-23, a great example of USPHL “Advancement in Action.”
The ’04 from Los Angeles played back home for the California Wave and Jr. Kings.
Gutierrez, an ‘05 from Frisco, Tex., scored a goal and added three assists for four points as the Jr. Canes defeated the host Jersey Hitmen to open up the Hitmen Classic on Sunday. That represented the majority of his five points early on this season.
Gutierrez played for the Jr. Ducks during his youth hockey career.
The second-year Whaler Kennedy, a 2004 birth year out of Mission Viejo, went 2-0 at the Hitmen Classic, stopping 46 of the 47 shots he faced at the event, including an 18-save shutout against the Connecticut Jr. Rangers. He is currently 6-3-0-0 on the season with a .934 save percentage.
Back home, Kennedy played for the Jr. Ducks and San Diego Saints.
— Joshua Boyd/USPHL.com
(October 27, 2024)