Junior Women's Hockey Adds 3 New U16 Teams for 2018-19 Season

For Immediate Release

STOWE, VT – The Junior Women’s Hockey League has approved 3 new teams for the 2018-2019 season in the U16 Division, which will mark the leagues 12th anniversary.  The Mount Academy Saints (Charlottetown, PEI Canada), New Jersey Colonials (Morristown, NJ USA, and Philadelphia Jr. Flyers (Philadelphia, PA USA) will begin league play this Fall.  The Junior Women's Hockey League (JWHL) is regarded as one of the top developmental leagues for college prospects in North America, with over 600 alumnae over the past 11 seasons going on to NCAA and U Sports schools. 

JWHL co-founder Kush Sidhu said, “We are very excited to grow our U16 division with 3 quality programs which have demonstrated their commitment to developing outstanding student-athletes.”

The Mount Academy is a private Academic-Athletic university-preparatory school that specializes in individual athletic programming.  The program is led by Kenny MacDougall, Head of School and Director of Hockey for The Saints, and is a certified Hockey Canada Sport School. "The Mount Academy is thrilled to be accepted into the JWHL. This partnership will allow our female players to gain US College exposure. The JWHL has an excellent reputation for developing high end players and for providing a very competitive hockey environment".

The NJ Colonials have a long and successful history in USA Hockey’s Atlantic District, including impressive National Tournament finishes within the past 15 years. “The New Jersey Colonials are thrilled to join the JWHL for the 2018-19 season at the 16U and 14U levels”, stated Andy Gojdycz, Executive Director of the NJ Colonials. "The Colonials share in the JWHL’s mission to develop girls’ hockey, and joining the league is a major step in our commitment to growing hockey in the region.  As one of the premier programs in the Atlantic District, the Colonials organization is focused on competing against the most elite talent in their sport, and the teams in the JWHL represent the most elite level in North America”, added Kiira Dosdall, the Girls Hockey Director. "As a member of the JWHL, we know our competition will prepare our players to compete at the next level."

The Philadelphia Jr. Flyers, who play out of Ice Line Quad Rinks in West Chester, PA, will return 9 players from their Bronze medal finish at 14U Nationals in April.  “We are extremely excited to join the JWHL”, said Chris Baer, U16 Head Coach and the clubs GM.  “It is a very competitive league that has a history of being well-run and heavily scouted.  I think it helps bring our program to the next echelon and increases our exposure at the national level. We are proud to be a part of the JWHL and looking forward to competing against some of these elite teams and organizations for many years.”

Plans for the 2018-2019 season including schedules and special events will be announced soon on the league website www.jwhl.org and on Twitter @jwhl (#JWHL).