Carolina Premier Hockey took us through what to expect for their upcoming tier one tryouts.

Troy Schwab and the organization took us through it.

“Carolina Premier Hockey is holding Tier 1 tryouts this weekend at the Pineville Ice House for the 12UAAA and 15UAAA levels. 12UAAA will be made up of players at the 2011 and 2012 birth years. 15UAAA will be primarily 2008 birth year players.

CPH is one of only two youth organizations in the Carolinas with Tier 1 hockey at those age levels as approved by CAHA and USA Hockey. 

CPH is looking to alter their model at the Tier 1 level for the 2023 – 2024 season. A regional team based out of the Carolinas and trying to be a destination for organizations to send their elite players and also players that want to be tier 1 players, CPH has made the decision to go to a hybrid model for the upcoming season. Being able to skate locally two times during the week, and get together for five or more High Performance Practice weekends, will make CPH an attractive model this season. 

The development of players will still be a top priority for CPH with the way practices are structured with an emphasis on skill development and also hockey IQ. Helping players understand how to play the game and incorporate practice to game translation. The use of video as a teaching tool is used every week with CPH. A partnership with Velocity Sports Performance will contribute to the off-ice development of the players this season as well. 

The coaches for the Tier 1 CPH Teams for the 2023 – 2024 season are mentioned below. 

The 12U AAA team will be coached by MIke Keller. After relocating to Charlotte, Mike has spent the last season working and developing the youth for the Pineville Falcons. As a player, Mike played tier 1 for the Buffalo Jr Sabres before continuing to play at the Junior hockey level with stops in the NAHL and NA3HL. A college career that would be cut short due to an injury, Mike began coaching as a skills coach in Maine. 

The 15UAAA team will be coached by Troy Schwab. Troy has been an Executive Director and Skills coach with CPH for the past 3 years. This will be Troy’s first year as the Head Coach for the 15UAAA CPH Team. Troy played NCAA Division 1 hockey for Lake Superior State University before embarking on a 6 year professional playing career. Troy’s coaching career would start in the ECHL for the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, the AA affiliate of the New York Rangers. Upon a move to Charlotte, Troy would then coach at the Junior level for the CHarlotte Rush where he would coach the team to a National Championship. 

Hear from Executive Director Troy Schwab: 

“Excited to be able to work side by side with Mike all season long. He is a guy who we have been watching coach all season long at the Pineville Ice House. He has great hockey knowledge and will be a good addition to our skill development staff. His ability to connect and interact with players makes him a great coach for our 12UAAA team.”

” I am looking forward to tryouts when we can see what players we will have to make up our rosters for the upcoming season. We have some new players that are moving into town, some players that are looking to commute, and the players that are currently part of our CPH family are  going to make up two very good and exciting teams.” 

“Being able to coach the 15UAAA team is very exciting for me. It starts with a great group of families and some very good kids that will make going to the rink every day a lot of fun. The 15U level is a very important year for players. I I hope to be able to help develop these players and hopefully put them into the best possible position to have success in the future. It’s going to be a very good year from a development side of things, and I believe this team will be better than people expect us to be.”

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