Oilers gun for third straight Northwest Division title

by Bruce Tippets
BTippets@cherryroad.com 

Vernal has its sights set on its third straight Northwest Division title in the United States Premier Hockey League.

General manager David Imonti is confident the Oilers have put in the work this off-season to make this happen after bolstering its roster with a mixture of veterans and newcomers.

“We are super excited to get the season going,” Imonti said. “We probably have our strongest team to date. We have had good teams in the past but I think we have it at another level this year. We circled the guys that we wanted and we were able to get them.”

The Oilers know they will have a big target on their back this season.

“We will have to play our game in order to three-peat,” Imonti said. “We will need to execute the plan our coaches put in place.”

Ryan Howse returns as the head coach for the Oilers.

Howse isn’t a stranger to hockey life.

He was the California Amateur Junior Hockey League Coach of the Year.

Howse helped guide the Hinton Timberwolves to the championship in the 2022-23 season.

Mitchel Knight is the assistant coach for the Oilers.

Imonti believes Howse and Knight are the perfect coaching tandem for the Vernal program.

“They get along really well,” Imonti said. “They have a lot of similar thoughts. It just seems like from the top down everyone is really focused and dialed in.”

The team brings back a powerful group of Oilers veterans, including three of their four 2023-24 Northwest Division All-Stars in goaltender Levente Hegedus, defenseman Keanu McClanahan and forward Rodion Gornostaev. They also welcome back Jakub Bulik and Logan Baum on defense, as well as forwards Logan Powers, Presley Toth, Nick Moore and Marco Casinelli.

“We were probably the youngest team at nationals,” Imonti said. “We retain a good portion of our core. We have a lot of returning players. I think they are hungry to do it again. I feel like it’s not unrealistic to make a run for a national title. I think they are all pretty set on doing it.”

The local player from Vernal is goalie Peyton Hacking. He is expected to be a backup goalie.

“Peyton is a young goalie with some potential,” said Imonti. “We hope that he can develop into a real solid goalie for us in the future. There is not a lot of pressure on him right now.”

Imonti is also excited to play the newcomers Iron County and Colorado, two teams that will help reduce Vernal’s travel schedule, but they always circle Seattle.

“The new teams will create new regional rivalries,” Imonti said. “They are new teams starting out. There might be some growing teams with them. I think long term it will help everyone involved. It will be fun to get some battles that are so close to each other. It will provide interest to fans.”

Vernal is scheduled to play 44 games.

“There is no distraction with the rink construction,” Imonti said.

There are 40 regular games and four showcase contests in Las Vegas.

“We always want to play more but that is what the league dictates,” Imonti said.