The Ogden Mustangs would like to congratulate defenseman Michael Heller on his NCAA commitment to New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire. New England college plays in the New England Hockey Conference, NEHC.
The Morrisville, PA native made a name for himself over the past two seasons with the Mustangs. Coach Kenny Orlando commented, "We really enjoyed our journey with Mike throughout the last two seasons. Mike came in, proved himself quickly, and it was evident we had a great player to work with. We needed to detail his game a bit to ensure he would be an NCAA-bound hockey player, and he did exactly that over his two seasons in Ogden."
Michael has loved his time in Ogden. "It's an absolutely amazing experience playing junior hockey - and I would definitely go to Ogden if I were a prospective player deciding between junior teams." The Mustang community embraced Michael, and he did the same to the fans stating, "The fans were always there for the team." An impressive home ice arena, used for the 2002 Olympics, was a place of beauty to Heller. "Basically, every time you skate at The Weber County Ice Sheet, you get to see the mountains in the background, and it's just great," he adds.
The beautiful campus of New England College will be Heller's next stop. Pilgrims Head Coach Tom Carrol continues to add to his reputation as the most successful coach in New England College hockey history. He spent several seasons as the top assistant coach at the University of Notre Dame. While at Notre Dame, he recruited and coached 19 NHL Draft picks, six players who participated in the World Junior Championships, as well as Academic and Athletic All-Americans, CCHA League award winners, including Rookie of the Year.
In the past two seasons while in Ogden, Heller played 90 regular-season games and collected 15 goals & 35 assists which places him high in the ranks for production from a defenseman in Mustang's history.
Coach Orlando adds, "Michael is a player that expects a lot out of himself and others. We challenged him with meeting those expectations on a daily basis and saw immense development in him as a young man and a hockey player throughout his two seasons with us. We are very proud of Michael in his commitment to New England College. We are excited to see how his career blossoms at the college level."
When asked to reflect on playing hockey with the Ogden Mustangs, Michael mentions, "I left everything out there and stuck up for my teammates. I'd like to thank the fans and the billets and thank my parents for pushing me from the age of 5 years old to become the best player I could be on and off the ice. Without their support and help, I wouldn't be the player I am today."
This fall, Michael Heller will pursue a Bachelor's Degree in Business from New England.
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