Jason Wright – head coach for Carmel Yellow, making its debut in the AHL this season – doesn’t hesitate on the team goals:

           Make the playoffs and bring a championship banner to the program.

           Won’t just be words from this crew of experienced Corsairs.

           “We need to elevate our game physically and mentally as we move up to the AHL. We are running our practices with game-like intensity, so players are prepared for the speed and physicality of the AHL. It is also key to make sure we keep our emotions in check when things don’t go according to plan,” Wright said. “It is encouraging to see the AHL grow to 10 teams and the league offer more players opportunities in the greater SHL.   

“Competition in the AHL is tough; teams like Saint Ignatius and Glenbrook South did well last year, and we expect them to be strong again. York and Glenbrook North excelled at the JV level and now have teams in the AHL. 

“We don’t expect there to be any easy wins in the AHL.”

And no one better overlook Carmel Yellow, a team filled with experience.

“We continue to see our program grow and I’m thrilled that we have enough players to support three teams,” Wright said. “We now have a team in the AHL, which will give several players who played JV last year an opportunity to compete at a higher level and grow as athletes.

“This is a more experienced team than I’ve seen in the past. Several players have been with us for more than two years, so we’ll hit the ground running and build momentum throughout the season.”

Carmel Yellow features four new players to the program, all of whom will help this club push for the league title, especially on the offensive side of the puck.  Forwards Ryan Denapoli and Michael Duboyski, and defensemen CJ Serkland and Caden Staehle will shine.

The Carmel offense is much stronger this season, Wright said.

“Ryan Farlee had an awesome season last year on JV and we expect him to continue to be a top performer,” Wright said. “The additions of Denapoli and Duboyski will make us more dangerous in the offensive zone, and we’ll lean on strong two-way hockey from players like Killian Hernandez and Connor Wente.

“We have a ton of shut-down experience on defense with players like Jack Hieronymus, Rocco Falco and Mario Berndari. These are all solid defensemen who do a great job of taking away time and space from the other team. The addition of Serkland and Staehle gives us some new offensive flair.”

In goal, Carmel Yellow features CJ Zouras and Kelly Herspold, both of whom played JV last year. “Both can be considered starters, which gives us tremendous confidence regardless of who is playing,” Wright said.

Wright, 53, who lives in Buffalo Grove, has been coaching since 2007. The Canada native spent 15 years with the Ice Dogs and the past two seasons with Carmel.

York and GBN will be the teams to beat this year, he predicted. “Their programs were very strong last year with great coaches and players. We expect them to build on the success they had in JV last year to be top teams in the AHL,” Wright said. “We have much more depth and experience than we’ve had in the past. With other teams we’ve had to start fresh at the start of the season. This year we have several returning players, so we should (be near) mid-season form very quickly.”

Breakout Player: Keep an eye on Charlie Luby. “He showed up to training camp bigger, faster and stronger,” Wright said. “We’re already seeing him win more races to lose pucks, win battles in the corner and his shot is much better than where it was last year. Coming out of the preseason, he’s already leading the team in goals and points.”