Jr. Hurricanes’ Trantas Named USPHL Elite Fans Choice Goaltender Of The Year 

By Joshua Boyd / USPHL.com 

Anthony Trantas led all Carolina Jr. Hurricanes USPHL Elite goaltenders in games played (39) and in wins (29) – and went on to win his final game, which allowed him and his Jr. Canes teammates to lift the USPHL Elite National Championship trophy. 

Trantas is excited to be able to go out on top, as he will move into an aeronautical career. Before he jumps into the cockpit, however, he can take joy in knowing that the USPHL Elite fan base voted him in as the 2024-25 USPHL Elite Fans Choice Goaltender Of The Year. 

“First, winning the award feels awesome because of how much work I put in during the off-season and season really paid off,” said Trantas, a 2005-born native of Morrisville, N.C., where the Jr. Canes are also based. “It shows that everything was worth it.”

Trantas won 15 games in the 2024-25 regular season, finishing fifth overall in the Elite, and his .925 save percentage placed him in the top 20 league-wide. He went 4-1 during the postseason with a .942 save percentage, which was good for top five. All those stats take a back seat to the end product of a championship. 

“Helping the team win the National Championship was so fun and it was so easy to go out there every game knowing our team would always show up for our best,” added Trantas. “Losing last year sucked, so we knew we couldn’t do that again. Winning was the only option.”

Over two years with the Elite team, which followed a trip to the USA Hockey Tier II Nationals with the Jr. Hurricanes youth organization, Trantas certainly felt his game improved and that improvement was to the benefit of all involved on the Jr. Canes Elite squad.  

“I felt like this year was just a continuation of last year and how dominant we were so improvement was just natural,” added Trantas. “The Jr. Canes and Brad Gaylord helped everyone go out there and play a team game every game so it made my job a lot easier when our whole team was clicking.” 

Trantas has certainly loved playing hockey with good people and on good teams, but he’s certainly excited about the next chapter of his life. 

“I am officially done playing and I am going to flight school with hopes of becoming a commercial airline pilot in the future,” said Trantas. “I felt like winning was a great way to end my junior career and move on to pursue a new career.”

The USPHL congratulates Anthony Trantas for his Fans Choice Award.