“Simon is very excited to get the skates on his feet! He wanted me to say thank you to all involved with the contest. The skates will be put to good use. Thank you again and we will see you around the rinks,” said Simon’s father Paul Butala Jr.

Heuser has impressed so far with two goals and four assists in AYHL play as part of a strong defensive core. With Titan U18 Defenseman Matt Armenti already having been tendered by Fairbanks of the NAHL, Heuser’s tender makes him the second Titan to be moving on to one of USA Junior Hockey’s premier leagues. Heuser, who is one of the District’s more highly regarded 1996 birth year defensemen has excelled for the Titans U16 National team which currently sits in 2nd place in the AYHL District Standings and 3nd place in the AYHL League Standings.

“Trevor’s got a physical presence on the ice,” said Titans Head Coach George Haviland Jr. “He makes good decisions, works hard and competes and I believe Trevor is a future NHL prospect.”

“We are very excited to have Andy’s coaching experience and development-first approach directly involved with our midget program,” stated Yingst.

Over the previous six years the Panthers and the 16U AAA program have worked very closely together to develop Central Pennsylvania’s best young players and provide them with a path for advancement to higher levels of hockey. In the past six seasons, 38 Panthers players have advanced to Tier III Junior A or higher. Over half of those players were graduates of the 16U AAA team.

“Since Hershey acquired the Tier I franchise four years ago, we have had very close cooperation between the 16U AAA program and the junior team,” said Scott. “We conduct a joint pre-season training camp each year and practice on the same nights at the same venue. All players on the midget team have an opportunity to practice with the juniors and several have played in games. Of the 25 players on the junior roster this year, 17 came from the Hershey midget program.”

On whether the team would compete in the National or American Division next year, Scott stated, “My sense is that we have a lot of quality players from the 1996 and 1997 birth years in our geographic area. From a developmental perspective, I think facing the competitive challenge provided by the National Division will be the appropriate way to go assuming we can get the majority of these players together.”

AYHL: Ryan, why are you leaving the RIC position and what’s next for you officiating wise? 

Honig: I am leaving because of a great career opportunity in southern California. Officiating wise, it’s to remain active as an on-ice official and get involved in the officiating community and continue to give back to the sport I love.

AYHL: How do you feel Scott Perdue will do as the next RIC? 

Honig: I think Scott will be a great fit for the league and its goals. Scott was one of the many individuals that helped develop me as an official. He brings a lot of knowledge to the table and I know he has some great ideas to take the officiating within the AYHL to the next level. I wish him the best of luck!

AYHL: Scott, you’ve done a great job as a supervisor in the USA Hockey Officiating Development Program, why did you want to take the RIC Position?

Perdue: Ryan had called me up and told me he was moving to California to take a new position with the company he’s working for and my initial thought was, “is he going to ask me if I am interested in applying for the RIC position?” His next comment was exactly what I thought. Am I interested in the RIC position? My first thought was, heck yeah! Then I asked myself, why? What are my goals and what do I always have in mind? That’s easy, it’s to do whatever I can do to help develop officials for that next step up their ladder. Here is one way to help develop newer officials in Tier 1 hockey in such a large league. I don't care where the official is from; how can I get someone up to the next level.
Another big reason why I wanted to be RIC is to get even closer to the game I love so much. Whatever I can do to help has always been the way I felt. So many people have helped me in my hockey career; it's another way I can give back.

AYHL: How did Ryan do as the previous RIC?

Perdue: Ryan and I have the same thoughts about this game. We both care a lot. Being in this business, you learn that hockey people love to talk. In general, when people talk, you almost always hear the negative first. Whenever Ryan's name comes up you never heard anything but the positive. As a lot of people say, "you have some tough shoes to fill," well, it's much more than one pair of shoes. Does that give you any indication?

AYHL: Ryan, what did you enjoy most about the position and what will you miss the most?

Honig: I have enjoyed working for the AYHL the last 6 years and have grown in many ways, personally and professionally, from my experience in the position.  The things I enjoyed the most are the things that I will miss the most. Interacting with the officials, helping them develop and making sure they were exposed to necessary personnel within USA Hockey to help further advance their careers.
Along with the interaction with officials, the AYHL has some of the finest people working behind the scenes to make sure the integrity of the league are upheld and to do what’s best for the players of the AYHL. I will miss working with the entire AYHL staff, as they made the job that much easier with their ongoing support.

AYHL: Scott, how will your past experience help with this position and what do you enjoy most about being a supervisor?

Perdue: I've been involved with USA Hockey for 26 years. I have officiated almost every level of hockey and have seen a lot of unique situations over those years. With the levels I have worked and the amount of time I’ve been involved, I think that adds up to a lot of experience. I also tried coaching for 2 years so at least I could say I’ve been on both sides of the fence. Not to mention, about 10 years ago I was the Delaware Valley Hockey League RIC, which gave me some previous RIC experience. I'm sure this will help in this position.
I'm going to continue to supervise because I love it. I love working with officials who want to learn more about officiating. Way back when I first got started refereeing, two guys sat me down and told me that they think I'm a good ref. I thought to myself, “wow these two guys think I'm a good ref? Really?” Those two took me under their wing and helped me a lot when I first got started. Every day in my head I thank those two. Jim McHugh and Mike Condon were two key people who got me started and I never have forgotten that. So now I feel it's my turn to give back. I love working with an official who wants to get better. If I can help in any way like Jim and Mike helped me, I'm there.  I'll never forget what they did for me as an official and as a person.

AYHL: Anything else you want to add?

Perdue: Yes. I want to thank Ryan Honig, AYHL Commissioner Gene Palecco, and AMHL President Glenn Hefferan for having the confidence in me to take on this position. I’m looking forward to working with both Gene and Glenn and the rest of the AYHL staff. Lastly, I want to wish Ryan the best of luck in his venture to the west coast. Thank you for all you have done for the AYHL. We’ll miss you Ryan!