The Utica Jr. Comets are a Tier II junior ice hockey team playing in the United States Premier Hockey League's (USPHL) National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC) division. The Jr. Comets play their home games at Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, New York.
History
The franchise was originally formed in 1999 when the Bay State Breakers organization joined the Eastern Junior Hockey League. After the Breakers had become members of the USPHL in 2013, the club decided to shift its focus back towards youth hockey and sold its Premier Division team in 2015. The franchise was renamed as the Syracuse Stars, taking the same name as an earlier junior club, and reached an affiliation agreement with the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League. In 2017, the USPHL announced that they were founding a Tier II division and invited all of their member organizations to found clubs for the new level. The Stars were one of the founding members of the National Collegiate Development Conference.
In 2019, the franchise announced that it was merging with the already extant Utica Jr. Comets youth organization. The club relocated to Utica and took on the name and colors of their namesake which were nearly identical to those of the Utica Comets, another AHL franchise. The professional Comets relocated in the summer of 2021, however, at the same time the New Jersey Devils moved their minor league affiliate to the region and they subsequently took up the mantle of the Comets. The result of this was that the Jr. Comets chanced their color scheme but the club was otherwise unaffected.
Season-by-season records
Season GP W L OTL SOL Pts GF GA Regular season finish PlayoffsSyracuse Stars 2017–18 50 19 22 9 – 47 150 199 7th of 11, NCDCLost Div. Semifinal series, 1–2 (Boston Jr. Bruins) 2018–19 50 27 19 3 1 58 173 165 7th of 11, NCDCLost Div. Semifinal series, 0–2 (Connecticut Jr. Rangers)Utica Jr. Comets 2019–20 50 22 24 4 0 48 161 177 10th of 13, NCDCDid not qualify 2020–21 36 13 20 3 0 29 104 140 5th of 6, South Div.9th of 13, NCDCLost Div. Quarterfinal series, 0–2 (Connecticut Jr. Rangers) 2021–22 49 21 24 4 0 46 155 187 5th of 6, South Div.t-10th of 13, NCDCDid not qualify 2022–23 50 18 28 3 1 40 157 204 6th of 7, South Div.12th of 14, NCDCDid not qualify 2023–24 52 30 17 4 1 65 188 154 3rd of 6, New England Conf.6th of 18, NCDCLost Conf. Semifinal series, 0–2 (South Shore Kings) 2024–25 54 31 17 3 3 68 194 159 3rd of 9, New England Div.7th of 22, NCDCLost Div. Semifinal series, 1–3 (Northern Cyclones) 2025–26 52 42 7 2 3 89 230 117 1st of 6, New England Cent3rd of 33, NCDCWon Div Semifinal series, 3-0 (Boston Junior Bruins)Won Div Finals 3-1 (Worcester Jr. Railers)Advance to New England Conf Round RobinWon Game 4-3 (Lewiston MAINEiacs) 2nd RR gm cancelledLost Conf Finals 0-2 (South Shore Kings)
References
External links Official Home Page Hockey DB Elite Prospects