3View: New Hampshire Jr. Mountain Kings
The 3View series will feature an in-depth look into all NA3HL teams in preparation for the 2023-24 season, with two teams being highlighted daily, leading all the way up until the start of the regular season. 3View goes in-depth into each NA3HL team and will include interviews with all the head coaches in the NA3HL, as they provide fans with their expectations and outlook for the 2023-24 season, including taking a look at their potential roster and their strengths as a team for the upcoming season. It will also take a look back on the 2022-23 season and how each team fared and what they accomplished. Best of all, 3View will provide the fans of the NA3HL with an inside look at their favorite team and what to expect.
New Hampshire Jr. Mountain Kings
Head Coach: Clint Cassavaugh (1st season)
2022-23 Record: Did not play
2022-23 Leading Scorer: Did not play
2023 Playoffs: Did not play
2023-24 Division: East
On April 18th, the NA3HL announced the expansion for a new team to begin play in Hooksett, New Hampshire for the upcoming 2023-24 season. The New Hampshire Jr. Mountain Kings will play in the NA3HL’s East Division playing out of the Tri-Town Ice Arena, which is also home to the NAHL’s Mountain Kings.
The team is owned by the New Hampshire Hockey Club, LLC, which is the same group that owns the new NAHL team, an entity operated by managing partner Chris Brown, along with partners Clint Edinger, Todd Spencer, and Brian Verville.
"It's been a lot of hard work building a new NA3 team from scratch in four months,” Head Coach Clin Cassavaugh said. “The ownership has been behind the NA3 staff every step of the way building this team. Having an NA team in the same building is very important. It shows the NA3 players day in and day out what kind of commitment it takes to play at the next level. A lot of our home games have worked out with the NA schedule, in that the NA3 team will play first and the NA team plays after. This allows the NA coaching staff to watch the development of our NA3 players, as well as the NA3 players get to watch the NA games to see what the next level is all about.”
Cassavaugh is no stranger to the New Hampshire area. After spending the last nine seasons at the 18U Tier 1 AAA level, Clint understands the importance of advancement of players and getting them ready for the next level.
“I feel that coaching in the NA3HL is no different in the sense that it's all about developing our players for the next level whether they're trying to move on to tier 2 juniors or getting the age-outs a college commitment, it's all about developing our players,” Cassavaugh said.
The New Hampshire Jr. Mountain Kings will be the sixth team in the NAHL’s East Division. The East Division includes Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks (Danbury, CT), Long Beach Sharks (Oyster Bay, NY), New Hampshire Jr. Mountain Kings (Hookset, NH), New Jersey Titans (Middletown, NJ), Northeast Generals (Attleboro, MA), and Norwich Sea Captains (Norwich, CT).
Being the new team in the East Division will have its growing pains, but Cassavaugh and his staff have a positive outlook on the upcoming season.
“Our outlook this season, because being a younger team, we're looking to compete day in and day out,” Cassavaugh said. “For a lot of our players, this will be their first time playing junior hockey. There will be a definite learning curve, and I'm sure we'll have our growing pains but that's all part of the development process. All I'll ever ask our players to do is give 100% effort every time their steel touches the ice. As long as we do that we'll be competitive.”
The Jr. Mountain Kings of the NA3HL will be based out of Tri Town Ice Arena in Hooksett, which is located between Concord (state capital) and Manchester (largest city). The two-sheet facility has 1,200 seats and a 1,500 capacity with standing room only, which includes concessions and a bar. In 2023, there is a planned two-million-dollar expansion, which includes a million dollars in energy improvements, an upgrade in dasher boards and plexiglass, and first-class locker rooms and athletic training facility for the NAHL and NA3HL teams.
“Every player is new to this team this year, we're looking for all the players on the roster to make an impact in one way or another,” Cassavaugh said. “We're all excited to get the season underway with all the things that the new ownership has done for our facilities. I think all players will have a great experience this season. I'm excited to see how this team develops and becomes a team throughout the season.”
Next Up: New Jersey Titans
