Aston, PA – The Philadelphia Little Flyers are proud to announce forward Jamie Bucell, has committed to attend Utica College in the fall of 2017 to continue his education and hockey career.  Bucell, a 5’11” 185lb 1996 birth year forward from Garfield Heights, Ohio is playing in his second full season for the Little Flyers in the Eastern Hockey League.  In 85 career games for the Little Flyers Bucell has scored 23 goals and added 26 assists.  The Utica College Pioneers, coached by Gary Heenan are current members of the ECAC-West and will join the newly formed United Collegiate Hockey Conference for the 2017-18 season.   “I’m very proud of Jamie for the progress and development that he’s made in the two seasons that he’s been with us.  Last year he was a steady, reliable fourth line center and penalty killer and he came back and took on a bigger role especially offensively and in a leadership role both on and off the ice.  Utica College is not only a great academic opportunity for Jamie but also an excellent opportunity for him athletically.  Coach Heenan has had great success at his time with Utica and I expect them to be contending for a National Championship during the entire time that he’s there” said Little Flyers Head Coach and General Manager Rocky Russo when asked about his 20 year old forward.  Currently Bucell is second on the team in goals with 14 and ranks third on the Little Flyers in overall scoring with 34 points in 35 games played. 

                “I’m very excited to go to Utica College to pursue my academic career as well as my hockey career, they have a great program up there and a really good thing going on and I believe it is a great fit for me.  First off I’d like to thank my parents for everything they’ve done for me over the years, they gave me a great opportunity to move out of state to play junior hockey.  I’d also like to thank all of my previous coaches, from youth through high school and up through juniors.  I want to specifically thank Coach Rocky Russo and the entire Philadelphia Little Flyers coaching staff, they’ve helped me become the person I am today both on and off the ice.  I’d also like to thank the Giacobbo family for giving all of us what we need to succeed here with the Little Flyers.  Finally I’d like to thank my friends and people close to me for their support throughout the years” stated Bucell upon announcing his intentions for the fall of 2017.  Bucell’s announcement comes after the EHL’s final showcase of the season; the showcase series has been highly successful for the league and its players over the past few years, allowing many college scouts and coaches to evaluate the league’s talent at these events.  In catching up with Utica Pioneer’s head coach Gary Heenan he had this to say of Bucell “The Pioneers are excited to have Jamie on board.  He’s a gritty player that loves the hard working areas.  We are looking forward to having him in Utica next year.” 

                While Utica, New York is on the horizon for Bucell there is still unfinished business in the EHL as the Little Flyers currently sit atop the league standings with a 31-1-2 record that including a historic 30 straight victories from October until January.  During that stretch Bucell was named to the Eastern Hockey League’s Stars of the week for his performance from October 13th through October 16tt, in three games Bucell scored 3 goals and had 4 assists in a three win weekend.