When your average sports fans thinks about Atlanta, one of the last things that may come to mind is hockey talent. The Atlanta Junior Knights are out to change that line of thinking. David Falkenstein, owner of the Marietta Ice Center, otherwise known as “The Mic”, started a Junior hockey club two years ago called the Atlanta Junior Knights. The club consists of two teams with players who range from 16-20 years of age.
The Select Junior Knights play in the Southeast Junior Hockey League while the Elites play in the Metropolitan Junior Hockey League. The leagues consist of teams from Virginia to South Florida. Both Knights squads are currently in first place in their respective leagues.
Junior hockey is basically the link between high school hockey and college hockey. Sometimes players skip college for the pros.
“For hockey, the college environment is not the development model for professional players. (A player) would go from youth hockey to junior hockey,” explained Falkenstein. “Junior hockey has two branches: some kids go to collegiate hockey and some kids go to professional hockey.”
TOUGH COMPETITION
In junior hockey, two teams from the same location cannot be in the same level, so the Junior Knights are divided into the B league and C league. Teams from the Southeast cannot be in A League. The B-league team is also known as the “Elites”, while the C team is also called the “Selects.”
Despite not being in the A League, the teams have managed to play some of the best competition in North American junior hockey. The teams have travelled to hockey hotbeds like Vermont, New York, New Hampshire, and Toronto (twice).
The Junior Knights have also played at the Lake Placid Olympic arena where the “Miracle on Ice” occurred in 1980.
In January, the Elite Junior Knights became the first US Junior hockey club to win the prestigious Paul Coffey International Junior Tournament in Mississauga, Ontario. The Elites defeated several Canadian teams including the Toronto East Enders in the final.
The Knights have played teams like Northwoods Prep, which currently has two NHL draft picks on their roster, as well as five NCAA Division I scholarship players. The Junior Knights played Northwoods a close game, losing 2-1 at Lake Placid. The result shows just how competitive the Junior Knights are.
The Elites will also play against Kennesaw State University’s club squad after the Gwinnett Gladiators game on Feb. 22. It is a charity event for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
“We have some players here who could have a fine collegiate hockey career,” said Falkenstein.
MAKING NOISE
The Junior Knights currently can be watched on their website (atlantajuniorknights.com) no matter where they play. Several college scouts tune in to watch the two Atlanta teams. In fact, Trevor Cope of the Elites is being recruited by Boston University, one of the most tradition-rich college hockey programs in America.
“About 80 percent of the roster is from metro Atlanta or the Southeast,” said Falkenstein. “We have two kids from Ontario, we have two from Detroit, one from Cincinnati, one from Chicago, and the rest are all local products. So of a 25-man roster, five or six are from outside the market, the rest are from the local area.”
Despite the local talent, Falkenstein credits his coaches with the team’s early success.
“I would say our coaching talent rivals many teams in the country. And I think that’s why we are as competitive as we are.”
The Elites are coached by Thrasher defenseman Mathieu Schneider’s brother Jean Alain, who is assisted by Thrasher GM Bob Hartley’s son Steve.
Select coach Kevin Kerr is a story unto himself. Kerr played 19 season in minor league hockey and holds the all-time minor league record for goals scored. The Ontario native is sometimes called “Crash” after Kevin Costner’s character in the movie Bull Durham. Davis, a fictional character, set the all-time minor league record for home runs during the movie. Hockey News actually called him “Hockey’s Bull Durham” for an article they wrote on Kerr.
Kerr was coach of the IHL Flint Generals when Falkenstein convinced him to come to Atlanta to coach Junior hockey.
“I convinced him the weather was warmer and he could get away from uncertainty,” said Falkenstein. “In this environment you’re developing kids, so there’s a lot more job security.”
In just their second year, the Junior Knights have made headway in the uber-competitive world of junior hockey. And with the consistent growth of metro Atlanta and the coaching talent at “The Mic” one would have to think that hockey in Atlanta is on the rise.
Black can be reached at sblack@scoreatl.com.
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