AJHL Jr. Nats name captains

Press Release

Few were surprised at the final tally. Each player voted for two captains and two assistant captains; a vote for captain got two points, a vote for assistant got one.

In the end, three returning players; Michael Amelio, Dan Shirilla and Garrett Stephenson; were named along with newcomer Ryan Gomez. Shirilla and Stephenson will serve as co-captains while Amelio and Gomez will wear the "A".

"I wasn't too worried about it, but when I heard that I was chosen, I was honored," said Shirilla, who came to the Junior Nats in January from the Philadelphia Junior Flyers. "I mean, it's a good opportunity and I'm looking forward to leading by example this year."

To Amelio, who was named assistant captain late last season, the pick by a majority of new players was unexpected, "We got a lot of new kids in here, a lot of new faces and a lot of leadership around so I mean, I don't know. It was a tough race."

Amelio is the only defenseman among the new leadership while Shirilla and Stephenson are playing their final year of juniors. None are from the Washington area, though three–Amelio, Gomez and Shirilla–are from Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

All have different ways in which they want to lead the team this season, with some concentrating on keeping energy high and others on keeping that energy focused. Gomez intends to be one of the former–"getting guys fired up and going out there, whether it's throwing the big hit or doing the extra thing in the zone well to create chances"–while his former Junior Flyers teammate, Shirilla, seeks to maintain balance, "I wanna, especially for the younger guys on the team, I wanna show exactly how to approach a game, practice, how to take it seriously and how to have fun."

But across the board, the four have high expectations for the team after winning only three games last year. With coach Anthony DiPalma at the helm and a new group in the locker room, Stephenson is ready for a change, "I've been here the last two years and we haven't even come close to a playoff sniff, so definitely want to go deep in the playoffs this year."

(Nathan can be reached at nathanfournier@mainehockeyjournal.com)