Utica Jr. Comets

Last updated
Utica Jr. Comets
Utica Jr. Comets.png
City Utica, New York
League United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL)
National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC)
ConferenceNew England
DivisionCentral
Founded1999
Home arena Adirondack Bank Center
ColorsRed, white and black
   
Head coachLou Educate
Affiliate Utica Jr. Comets (Tier III)
Franchise history
2017–2019 Syracuse Stars
2019–Present Utica Jr. Comets
Championships
Regular season titles2: 2020, 2022
Division titles3: 2018, 2021, 2022
Conference titles1: 2020
Playoff championships2: 2021, 2023

The Utica Jr. Comets are a Tier II junior ice hockey team playing in the United States Premier Hockey League's (USPHL) National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC) division. The Jr. Comets play their home games at Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, New York.

Contents

History

Syracuse Stars logo Syracuse Stars.jpg
Syracuse Stars logo

The franchise was originally formed in 1999 when the Bay State Breakers organization joined the Eastern Junior Hockey League. After the Breakers had become members of the USPHL in 2013, the club decided to shift its focus back towards youth hockey and sold its Premier Division team in 2015. The franchise was renamed as the Syracuse Stars, taking the same name as an earlier junior club, and reached an affiliation agreement with the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League. [1] In 2017, the USPHL announced that they were founding a Tier II division and invited all of their member organizations to found clubs for the new level. The Stars were one of the founding members of the National Collegiate Development Conference.

In 2019, the franchise announced that it was merging with the already extant Utica Jr. Comets youth organization. [2] The club relocated to Utica and took on the name and colors of their namesake which were nearly identical to those of the Utica Comets, another AHL franchise. The professional Comets relocated in the summer of 2021, however, at the same time the New Jersey Devils moved their minor league affiliate to the region and they subsequently took up the mantle of the Comets. [3] The result of this was that the Jr. Comets chanced their color scheme but the club was otherwise unaffected.

Season-by-season records

SeasonGPWLOTLSOLPtsGFGARegular Season FinishPlayoffs
Syracuse Stars
2017–18 5019229–471501997th of 11, NCDCLost Div. Semifinal series, 1–2 (Boston Jr. Bruins)
2018–19 50271931581731657th of 11, NCDCLost Div. Semifinal series, 0–2 (Connecticut Jr. Rangers)
Utica Jr. Comets
2019–20 502224404816117710th of 13, NCDCDid not qualify
2020–21 36132030291041405th of 6, South Div.
9th of 13, NCDC		Lost Div. Quarterfinal series, 0–2 (Connecticut Jr. Rangers)
2021–22 49212440461551875th of 6, South Div.
t-10th of 13, NCDC		Did not qualify
2022–23 50182831401572046th of 7, South Div.
12th of 14, NCDC		Did not qualify
2023–24 52301741651881543rd of 6, New England Conf.
6th of 18, NCDC		Lost Conf. Semifinal series, 0–2 (South Shore Kings)
2024–25 54311733681941593rd of 9, New England Div.
7th of 22, NCDC		Lost Div. Semifinal series, 1–3 (Northern Cyclones)

References

  1. ↑ "Syracuse Stars and Syracuse Crunch Form Affiliation". The Junior Hockey News. March 7, 2015. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
  2. ↑ "UTICA JR COMETS MERGE WITH SYRACUSE STARS". Utica Jr. Comets. March 15, 2019. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
  3. ↑ "Potential move of AHL teams puts future of hockey in Binghamton in question". WBNG . April 16, 2021. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021.
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