A New Collaboration to Strengthen Rochester Midget Programs

The Rochester Jr. Americans, Rochester Coalition and Rochester Aces are coming together with a shared goal: to strengthen midget-level hockey in Rochester.

Next season, we will work together to field only three tournament-bound teams between our organizations at the 15U, 16U and 18U age groups—one Tier I team, one Tier II team and one Tier III team. This unified approach is designed to give players in our community the best opportunity to succeed in tournament-bound play and continue advancing their hockey development.

Our organizations will continue to operate independently. This collaboration applies only to our midget level teams (15U-18U). Bantam teams (13U-14U) and younger will remain unchanged.

For too long, Rochester hockey has struggled to advance teams to the highest levels of competitive play. We believe this is largely due to the dilution of talent caused by fielding too many tournament-bound teams across multiple organizations. By consolidating top players at each midget age group into competitive teams, we are prioritizing player development and team success over our individual interests as organizations. This collaboration is about what’s best for the kids and for hockey in Rochester.

Midget Tournament-Bound Team Structure for 2026-2027 Season

Age Group	Jr. Amerks	ROCO	Aces
15O TB (2011) *		Tier I - Garver/Stockton
16U TB (2010)	Tier I - Economides	Tier II - Garver/Waldo	Tier III - Dwyer
18U TB (2009/2008)	Tier I - Wilkins	Tier II - Waldo	Tier III - Occhino

*USA Hockey does not hold 15U state or national tournaments for Tier II and Tier III.

Tryout schedules will be coordinated so players may attend sessions for all teams in their age group, if needed. All three organizations will have representation at tryouts to ensure fair and transparent player placement. Additional details about the tryout process will be shared soon.

Our hope is that this collaboration strengthens our tournament-bound teams locally and reduces the need for players to leave Rochester in search of higher-level competition. This represents an important first step in building a stronger future for Rochester hockey.

Stay tuned for a formal announcement of tryout schedule for tournament-bound 15U, 16U and 18U teams.

In addition to the teams listed above, each organization is hosting non-tournament bound teams.

Midget Non-Tournament-Bound Team Structure for 2026-2027 Season

Age Group	Jr. Amerks	ROCO	Aces
15O (2011)*	NTB AA - Johnson & Reed NTB AA - Wicker NTB AA - Auerhan	NTB AA - Fennessey	NTB AA - Summers NTB AA- Rich NTB AA- TBD
16U (2010)	NTB AA - Szczesniak & Bottoni NTB AA - Renelt NTB AA - TBD	NTB AA - Decker	NTB AA - Ritchie
18U (2009/2008)	NTB AA - Simmons NTB AA - Harrington	NTB AA - Korn	NTB AA - Quick