JR. COMETS HIRE JOHNNY JACKSON AS PREMIER HEAD COACH AND NCDC ASSISTANT

Utica, NY. –    Utica Jr. Comets NCDC head coach and general manager, Louie Educate, announced today that the organization has hired Johnny Jackson as the new head coach of the USPHL’s Premier team and the assistant coach for the NCDC program. 

Johnny is an experienced and dedicated athlete who has a passion for ice hockey. Originally from Gloucester Township, New Jersey, but has Utica roots with his parents being from both Utica and New York Mills respectively. His father, Jim, was the play-by-play announcer for the Utica Devils and called all 499 games that the team played from 1987-1993. His grandfather, Tony Filipelli, was a well renowned boxing referee. Both are in the Utica Sports hall of fame.

Jackson grew up playing for Tier 1 hockey for Team Comcast and the New Jersey Titans. He played four years of Varsity at Gloucester Catholic and was the leading point scorer in his senior year helping his team to a Gordon Conference National Division Championship. In his two-year junior hockey career, he produced 62 points in 85 junior hockey games for the Wilkes Barre Scranton Knights, New Jersey 87s and Team Maryland. Jackson is graduate from Nazareth University and competed in over 80 NCAA D3 games with the Men’s Ice Hockey team while maintaining a 3.75 GPA for four years and obtaining his degree in Business and Sports Management. He has spent his summers training and coaching youth hockey teams and camps, this will be his first season with the Utica Jr. Comets

“We are beyond thrilled to have Johnny on board with the program. Not only does his family have incredible ties to the city of Utica, but he’s also an extraordinarily capable young coach who has a bright future ahead of him,” said Educate.