Essex Teams Retooling Lineups
As New NJIIHL Season Evolves

The inevitable graduation last June hit a number of Essex County ice hockey teams fairly hard and the occasional transfer to a top prep school program also entered the mix for one of the top teams in the area as all have to retool their shifts to some extent in the still-evolving, new 2025-2026 New Jersey Interscholastic Ice Hockey League season.

As far as the NJIIHL’s general framework is concerned there have been two new girls teams – Morristown and Hoboken/Weehawken/Secaucus - added to the Annis Division this season.

The full cup schedule in February for all divisions  can be found further down in this article.

Seton Hall Prep, coming off a highly-competitive 11-11-1 season (5-2 in the Gordon Conference-National) last winter, faces the toughest schedule of any Essex team with a steady diet of top private and parochial schools both in the Garden State and with an occasional top Pennsylvania program on the docket.

Third-year head coach Brian Monteverdi’s Pirates saw one of its leading scorers from last season, Ryan Murray (13 goals, 15 assists) transfer to Hotchkiss (Conn.) Prep, but the promising 2025-2026 SHP team returns some strong talent including solid senior forward John Renzullo (9 goals, 15 assists last season), junior forwards Dylan Mesler and Christian Jaworski, sophomore forward Connor Jewell and sophomore goaltender Cayden Hoyler.

Returing to the Pirates' first-rate coaching staff are Steve Ruggiero and Kevin Crane while Gennaro Anzevino is the goalies coach.

Renzullo assisted on Jaworski's goal in the Pirates' 3-1 loss to a strong Holy Ghost (Pa.) Prep in a Dec. 1st season opener for the West Orange Catholic school. SHP also dropped an 8-3 decision to Chamindade (N.Y.) on Wednesday, Dec. 3.

Livingston (20-4-3, 11-1-2 in the McInnis) was hit hard by graduation, but longtime coach Dave Conklin’s always highly-competitive Lancers do return senior forwards Matthew Zocks (7 goals and 16 assists last season) and Rhys Bernstein (5 and 12) along with the very capable senior goaltender Brody Teitelbaum (.919 save % last winter).

Livingston’s McInnis Conference neighbor West Essex/Caldwell (15-11, 8-6-1 last season) will look to senior forwards Dante Gallucci (15 and 10) and Silas Levy, junior forward Cale White 912 and 14), senior defenseman Ryan McInterney and promising sophomore goaltender Dario Gallucci (.846).

Nutley-Columbia-Bloomfield (11-11-3, 4-5-3 in the Kelly Conference last season), which posted a pair of recent early-season victories, 7-4 vs. Montclair Kimberley Academy on Monday, Dec. 1, and 8-5 over Montclair, on Thursday, Dec. 4, returns some strong veteran talent under coach David Macri including two very potent scorers in Angelo Albanese (25 goals, 41 assists last season) and Christian Sherman (38 and 34), while Aiden Rosamilia (.890 save % in 2024-2025) is a very capable veteran goal tender.

MKA, which was 10-5-3 last season including a fine 8-2-2 mark in the Kelly Division, has a number of veteran skaters back under veteran coach Tim Cook, including superb senior defenseman Ibou Conteh, senior forwards Aiden Jia and Owen DuHaime and high-scoring junior Adrian Canizares (10 goals, 19 assists last season).

MKA’s local rival Montclair (9-12-1, 4-7-1 last season) lost a couple of top scorers in standout defenseman Logan Brown (11 and 15) and forward Anders Jenkins (14 and 16) along with steady Colin Felber (4 and 6), but does return some first-line talent in senior leftwing Daniel Gallagher (4 and 7) and steady senior defenseman Sean Dunne (7 and 12). Veteran senior goaltender John Kavanaugh (.844 save % last season) is also back to help, anchor things for fifth-year head coach Connor Smith, a former standout goalie himself during his Mountie playing career.

The junior Parma brothers, Jaxon (8 and 2 in 2024-2025) and Kyle (7 and 10) along with seniors Hannah Rosenheck (7 and 10) and Jack Dunne (7 and 7) add nice depth to the forward lines.

The Mounties were a solid 14-7-3 (6-3-1 in the Kelly Division) in 2023-2024 after two straight losing seasons to start Smith’s coaching tenure, and the one very strong program would certainly relish a return to the good 'ol days like a decade ago when coach Mark Janifer’s squad finished 19-2-3 and 8-0-2 in the American Division while reaching the NJSIAA Public A state semifinals vs. Randolph behind the strong goaltending of Ondrej Smalec, one of the program’s all-time greats.  

Verona/Glen Ridge (12-9-4, 6-5-1) will look to challenge for an upper tier position in the Kelly Conference as veteran coach Ken Lilian’s squad returns talented senior defenseman James Benson (16 and 11), senior forward Gavin Farrell (8 and 16) and the superb junior goaltender Jackson Sochnick (.933).

Looking at the McMullen Conference, West Orange (11-12-2, 5-2-1) bid adieu to the outstanding graduated senior Dominic Locricchio (25 and 24), but the Mountaineers do return senior forward Lukas Ahmade (6 and 9) and the versatile sophomore defenseman-forward RJ Scott (9 and 21).

Millburn (3-13-1, 0-7-1) has a new coach in Tim Firk after Greg Bartiromo stepped aside after last season.  Juniors led by forwards Brendan Shaykevich and Owen Golon along with goaltender Timmy Hansen (.923 save % last season) help lead the Millers.   

NJIIHL 2025-2026 Divisional Alignment:
Gordon American:
Don Bosco Prep, St. Augustine; Delbarton, CBA, Princeton Day; St. Joe’s (Mont.)

Gordon National:
Gloucester Catholic, Seton Hall Prep, Pope John, Bergen Catholic St. Peter’s Prep

McInnis:
GL/New Providence; Westfield, Cranford, West Essex/Caldwell; Summit, Livingston

Kelly:
MKA, Verona/Glen Ridge; Montclair, Nutley/Columbia/Bloomfield; Scotch Plains, Frisch, Glen Rock

McMullen:
Millburn/Kearny/North Arlington; West Orange, Bayonne/Belleville/McNair; Johnson/Dayton/Roselle Park; Hoboken/Weehawken/Secaucus, Oratory Prep

Girls Divisions:
Librera:
Morristown-Beard, Princeton Day, Immaculate Heart, Pingry; Kent Place

Cohen:
Summit, Trinity Hall, Chatham/Millburn, Westfield, Madison, Oak Knoll

Annis:
Randolph, Cranford, Princeton, Newark East Side, Morristown, Hoboken/Weehawken/Secaucus

NJIHL 2026 Cup Dates:
Cup playoff seeding meeting: Friday, Feb. 6

Quarterfinals: by Tuesday, Feb. 10; semifinals: by Thursday, Feb. 12
(Also, note: Gordon semis must be completed by this date)

Finals, all at Codey Arena:
Tuesday, Feb. 17: McMullen 5:30 p.m.; Kelly, 8 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 18: McInnis, 5:30 p.m.; Gordon, 8 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 19: Cohen, 4:30 p.m.; Librera, 6 p.m.; Annis, 7:30 p.m.

New Jersey Interscholastic Ice Hockey League
Executive Committee 2025-2026
Pat Genova- President
Gary Farishian- Treasurer
Steve Ruggiero- Secretary
Tony Del Tufo- League Historian
Jack Lally- League Assignor
Katie Fay- Athletic Director- Princeton Day School (Gordon)
Darren Torsone- Athletic Director- Cranford (McInnis)
Joe Piro- Athletic Director- Nutley (Kelly)
Steve Zichella- Athletic Director- West Orange (McMullen)
Vicky Browne- Athletic Director- Kent Place (Librera)
Kelly Childs- Athletic Director- Oak Knoll (Cohen)
Dave Hutchinson- Athletic Director- Randolph (Annis)