Mountain Kings adjusting to life in NAHL
- By Alex Hall Union Leader Staff
- Thomas Roy/Union Leader photo
Dec 5, 2023 Updated Dec 5, 2023
New Hampshire Mountain Kings coach Cameron Robichaud, right, has his team battling for a playoff spot in its inaugural North American Hockey League season.
For most of the New Hampshire Mountain Kings, this North American Hockey League season has been filled with change.
New Hampshire coach Cam Robichaud said this is the first junior hockey campaign for most of his players. They have had to get used to the grind of the NAHL season, the travel and overnight stays for road trips and the intensity level of training, he said.
Through all of those adjustments, the Mountain Kings sit in a playoff spot halfway through their inaugural season.
New Hampshire (13-12-3-0) is fifth in the nine-team NAHL East Division standings with five games remaining before the holiday break.
“We’re really happy with where things are at right now,” Robichaud said. “We’re not complacent, though. Of course we want more but the ultimate goal is we want to be in (the) playoffs Year 1 and expand off that for years to come.”
The Mountain Kings will host the sixth-place Johnstown (Pennsylvania) Tomahawks (13-10-1-1) on Friday and Saturday night (7:30) at Tri-Town Ice Arena in Hooksett for their final two home games before the break.
The Mountain Kings, founded last March, are the only Tier II junior hockey program in New Hampshire.
Robichaud said 18-year-old goaltender Aiden Wright has been among New Hampshire’s best and most consistent players.
Wright, who Robichaud said has garnered NHL and Division I college teams’ attention, owns a 10-4-1 record with a 2.78 goals against average and .921 save percentage in his first NAHL season.
The Wake Forest, North Carolina, resident opened the season by winning five of his first seven games. Wright earned his first shutout win behind a 40-save effort in the Mountain Kings’ 2-0 home triumph over the Maryland Black Bears on Nov. 18.
New Hampshire ranks fifth in the NAHL East Division in goals allowed (84).
“He has taken over games,” Robichaud said of Wright. “I guess his biggest strength is at times, when the team has a hiccup or isn’t playing their best, he steps up and gives us an opportunity to still be in games. … His consistency, his compete level, his athleticism have been awesome to watch and he’s just growing and getting more and more comfortable.
“He’s come in as the young guy and put the team on his back and has done extremely well.”
One of the Mountain Kings’ most consistent and productive forward lines has been the trio of captain Hunter Fetterolf (five goals, 13 assists), Matty Hale (five goals, nine assists) and Kim Hilmersson (six goals, one assist).
Hilmersson, Fetterolf and Hale, a Center Harbor resident, are among the few New Hampshire players with prior NAHL experience.
“Hilmersson brings speed, strength and an extremely powerful shot,” Robichaud said. “Hunter brings grit, determination, maturity and Hale brings IQ, skill set and ability to create offensively.”
Fellow forwards Jack DesRuisseaux, a Manchester resident, and Michael Sullo are both college commits. DesRuisseaux (two goals, three assists) is committed to Division I Sacred Heart University and Sullo (two goals, six assists) to Division III Trinity College.
Durham resident Tommy McDonough has contributed offensively from his defenseman position.
McDonough is tied with Fetterolf for the team lead in points (18), leads the team in assists (14) and is on a seven-game point streak. The 19-year-old, who owns the 12th-most points among defensemen in the league, posted a career-high three assists in New Hampshire’s 3-1 home win over the Rochester (New York) Jr. Americans last Friday.
“He sees the ice really well, he’s creative and then has the ability to make soft plays and uses his skillset to find teammates,” Robichaud said of McDonough.
The Mountain Kings split with fourth-place Rochester (14-11-0-2) last weekend to open their seven-game December slate. Robichaud said the team is viewing this stretch like a seven-game playoff series and wants to win at least four.
New Hampshire returns from the holiday break for its first of 27 remaining regular-season games with a Jan. 5 bout at Rochester.
“That would put us in a good position into the break and hopefully be in that third, fourth-place seeding,” Robichaud said. “All these boys skate well and can shoot the hockey puck and can make plays on our team and every team in this league. It really comes down to the details and the compete level and consistency of that compete level for the group.”