New Hampshire Junior Monarchs


The New Hampshire Junior Monarchs are a junior and youth ice hockey organization from Hooksett, New Hampshire, with teams in the United States Premier Hockey League. Its highest level junior team plays in the USPHL's National Collegiate Development Conference.

History

The franchise was a charter member of the Eastern Junior Hockey League in 1993. For the first two seasons, they were known as the Granite State Stars located in Dover, New Hampshire, then they moved to Biddeford, Maine and were known as the Great Northern Snow Devils. In 1999 they moved to Exeter, New Hampshire, and were known as the Exeter Snow Devils, before moving to Hooksett in 2001 and becoming the Junior Monarchs.
In 2013, Tier III junior hockey leagues underwent a large reorganization, which included the Monarchs joining the Atlantic Junior Hockey League. The Atlantic Junior Hockey League then re-branded itself as the Eastern Hockey League.
In December 2016, it was announced that the Monarchs were leaving the EHL for the United States Premier Hockey League beginning in the 2017–18 season and transferring their teams to the corresponding Premier, Elite, U18, and U16 divisions. The Jr. Monarchs then added a tuition-free team in the National Collegiate Development Conference of the USPHL beginning in 2018.

Team members and regular season

The Junior Monarchs hold tryouts in April. The majority of players must be between the ages of 16 and 20, though select players age 14 and up may be considered. The season starts the day after Labor Day and playoffs finish during the third week of March each year. The schedule includes 44 EHL regular season games plus three rounds of playoffs.

Coach

Sean Tremblay was the General Manager and Head Coach of the New Hampshire Junior Monarchs. He has won the EJHL's 'Coach of the Year,' award in 1997, 2002, and 2006, and was named 'Junior Coach of the Year' by Hockey Night in Boston in 2002, 2004, and 2006. In August 2006 he assisted the USA Under-17 Select Team to a Gold Medal in the Three Nations Tournament, has been the Coaching Director for USA Hockey in New Hampshire for the past five years, and conducts coaching clinics for all youth coaches in the state to ensure adherence to the USA Hockey Coaching Education Program.
Tremblay was a two-time all state goaltender out of Biddeford, ME and is a graduate of the University of Southern Maine.

Season-by-season records

USA Hockey Tier III Junior A National Championships

Round robin play in pool with top 4 teams advancing to semi-final.

Notable alumni

The Jr. Monarchs have produced a number of alumni playing in higher levels of junior hockey, NCAA Division I, Division III, and ACHA college programs including several National Hockey League draft picks.