2009 Tournament Info

Seattle Admirals

The Seattle Junior Hockey Association would like to respectively submit this tournament application for our NW Admirals Pee-Wee AAA team (1996 birth year). SJHA was founded in 1974 and is based in Mountlake Terrace, Washington, just north of Seattle. We identify ourselves by a long standing tradition of excellence and are dedicated to the maintenance and dynamic growth of youth hockey in Washington State while developing as one of the premier youth athletic programs in North America.

This PW AAA team is led by Head Coach Shaun Miller, a native of the Seattle area and long standing member of its hockey community. He is a privileged recipient of several national championship experiences at pee-wee, juniors and men’s league A levels of play. He is also one of the areas select skating and skills instructors. Assistant Coach Dan Rusler is originally from Edmonton, Alberta and throughout his youth hockey experience in Western Canada he participated in Okanagan Valley tournaments and camps, including the notable CC-Classic. After playing three years of ACHA college hockey in Oregon, serving two years as team captain, he relocated to the Seattle area and joined the local hockey community as coach and player.

Miller and Rusler are heading into their second year as coaches of this talented and motivated pee-wee group. Last season’s 07-08 campaign was considered a growth and development year in BC’s lower mainland PCAHA league. This young team showed great pride, hustle and desire playing stronger (and often older) teams. The team learned a great deal from the 07-08 season, accomplishing substantial development towards a top pee wee team. Now, as second year pee-wee players, the expectations for this year’s season are ambitious. We will again participate in the PCAHA league, with tiering placement yet to be decided.

The team philosophy is anchored by discipline and respect. We believe these are the essential catalysts for the development of both individual talent and team maturity. Using a systems-based style of play, the team is organized and trained to adapt and respond to the varying conditions of this fast paced and highly skilled game. We pride ourselves on player support both on and off the ice and maintain an approach of utilizing the game of hockey as a mechanism to inspire the growth of our youth. We are very fortunate to have an active and supportive parent group, essential to the success of our family.

The Seattle Jr. Admirals are currently competing in Tier 2 of the Pacific Coast Amateur Hockey Association, with a record of 5-2-1 (at the time of writing), and enjoy the best goals against percentage in the tier.  As the most remotely located team in the league, competing involves weekly bus trips to away games, so the players are experiencing hockey "on the road" in the literal sense.  The Admirals also participated in the North Shore Winter Club/Fred Page Tournament during the Christmas Holidays, competing against some of the top PeeWee teams in the Lower Mainland.  Players, coaches and parents are all excited about being a part of the Coca-Cola Classic!

Respectively,

Coach Shaun Miller
Assistant Coach Dan Rusler
Co-Managers Dar & Jay Parker

click to enlarge

Front Row, left to right: Luke Pickar (G) #1; Conner Garcia (G) #35

Second row: Grant Fisher #12; Bailey Shaver #16; Kai Robinson #11, Captain; Kyle Hoffman #3;  Liam O’Kelley #10;  Bryce Wikman #18;  Stevo Mather #4

Third Row: Chris Jones #22, Assistant; David Min #9 Assistant;  Yossi Watanabe-Gastel #5 Assistant;  Ian Parker #7;  Rylan Parmenter #21;  Kanim Posey #19;  Rory Bock #17;  Rylan Cratsenberg #15