Aston, PA – On Wednesday October 5, 2016 Little Flyers Premier Junior team Head Coach & General Manager Rocky Russo announced Defenseman Evan Heldt (Sylvania, OH) has been named alternate captain for the 2016-17 Eastern Hockey League Season.  “Evan has shown great leadership qualities for our club since he joined us last season.  His attention to detail and commitment to team success has allowed him to take on a bigger role for our organization this season.  I think he will be an excellent leader for us and a great addition to our core group of captains” explained Russo earlier today. 

                Evan Heldt, a 6’3” 1997 birth year defenseman from Sylvania, Ohio enters his second season with the Little Flyers organization.  Heldt appeared in 38 total games during the 2015-16 season including the playoffs, scoring one goal and adding eight assists.  “This is obviously a huge honor for me to be named alternate captain of this team; we have two vocal leaders in Chris (Best) and Peter (Hatton) so I know I have to lead by example, bring my best to the rink every day and be a guy the younger players can learn from.” Said Heldt.  Five games into the 2016-17 season, Heldt has scored two goals and added one assist while seeing a significant boost in playing time on both the power play and penalty kill units.  On what Heldt has to do differently this year compared to last year his message was simple, “Consistency” expressed Heldt “it’s the main thing for me, last year I was in and out of the lineup through a majority of the season so they key for me is to be consistent each and every day so I am a guy that my teammates can look towards when times get tough.  Co- Captain Peter Hatton who is also in his second year with the organization has seen a big difference in Evan this year “Last year Heldt had to work every single day to get into the lineup and I think that really helped him grow.  He’s come back in here this year with a fire in his belly; so far this year he’s been one of our top defensemen.  I think he’s really learned from his experience last year and now he’s a guy the younger defensemen can look up to” said the Co-Captain.

                Hatton, Heldt and the rest of the Little Flyers hit the road this weekend with three games at the Eastern Hockey League’s Hudson showcase in Hudson, NH.  The Showcase will feature 45 games between the Premier league and the 19U Elite league.   All of the action can be seen live on FastHockey.