USPHL Premier 2024-25 Northwest All-Division Team
Forward: Aatu Suontakanen, Seattle Totems
Suontakanen (‘05/Helsinki, Finland) was all over the opposition from the time he joined the Totems in this, his first North American season. He scored 49 goals and added 77 assists for 126 points, ranking him second overall in league scoring behind teammate Roman Wolynec. He was the league’s goal-scoring champion with 49 goals, and his 77 assists trailed only Wolynec’s astronomical 124. His nine insurance goals led the league, helping Seattle to seal up nearly a quarter of their 41 wins in a 41-3-0-0 season. He looks to have a bright future at the next level, as Suontakanen recently signed a tender with the NCDC’s Jersey Hitmen.
Forward: Roman Wolynec, Seattle Totems
Wolynec’s third year in the USPHL Premier was certainly his best – and the best all-time, statistically-speaking, from any USPHL player ever. The 2005-born native of Langley, B.C., registered a record-setting 163 points for this single season, including 39 goals and also a record-setting 124 assists. His 3.79 points per game led the USPHL Premier this season and was second all-time only to Noak Persson’s 3.97 set last season when he’d originally set the all-time scoring record at 240 points. Adding in his first two seasons, he smashed the previous USPHL Premier career scoring record and extended it by another 38 points, closing at 278. His 200 assists are also an all-time USPHL Premier record.
Forward: Kasper Pohjala, Vernal Oilers
The Oilers were so deep in talent as a third-year team, it really didn’t come as much surprise to see them become the league’s first-ever completely undefeated team at 44-0. In the same vein, no one was especially shocked to see them come away with their first National Championship. Pohjala (’05/Helsinki, Finland) was just one of many forwards who could be in this spot, but he is certainly deserving as his 3.46 points per game average was second only to Wolynec’s 3.79 on the season, among players who played in at least half their team’s games. In 28 games, he posted 26 goals and 71 assists for 97 points.
Defense: Jett McCullum, Vernal Oilers
A late arrival to his team at the trade deadline, McCullum (’04/Moncton, N.B.) nevertheless picked up right where he left off after joining from the Pacific Division and the Ventura Vikings. In 43 games this season, McCullum scored 24 goals and added 60 assists for 84 points, giving him the league lead in each category among defensemen. He was a force in his short time in the regular season with the Oilers and he played a major role in their run to the National Championship.
Defense: Felix Palla, Seattle Totems
Palla (’06/Gyor, Hungary) was a top 10 scorer among all USPHL Premier defensemen, thanks to posting 18 goals and 34 assists for 52 points in just 38 games. Palla joined the Totems this year along with his twin brother Xaver, a high-scoring forward for the Totems. Palla’s four game-winning goals were tied for second among all USPHL Premier defensemen.
Goaltender: Levente Hegedus, Vernal Oilers
No other goaltender had ever gone completely undefeated in a full season, and Hegedus set the new USPHL Premier wins record at 27, thanks to a perfectly clean 27-0-0-0 record. Along with setting the record and leading this year’s Premier in wins, he ranked eighth in goals against average (1.86) and 12th in save percentage (.930). His 43 career wins are tied for fifth all-time in the Premier.
Selection Process: Coaches in the division first nominate players, and then vote on these nominations. If there are ties in positions, there is an additional run-off vote. Coaches are presented with the finalists and given more than 24 hours to make changes if the majority votes to do so. If there are no challenges to the finalists, they are named as the All-Division Team.
Summaries by Joshua Boyd