Vermont Lumberjacks
# Vermont Lumberjacks

The Vermont Lumberjacks are a USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier III Junior A ice hockey organization from Burlington, Vermont.

The players, ages 16–20, carry amateur status under Junior A guidelines and hope to earn a spot on higher levels of junior hockey in the United States and Canada, Canadian Major Junior, Collegiate, and eventually professional teams.

## History

In 2003, the Washington Jr. Nationals from Arlington, Virginia, became a charter member of the new Tier III Junior A Atlantic Junior Hockey League (AJHL). They originally played at the Bowie Ice Arena in Bowie, Maryland, from 2003 to 2005 before moving splitting time with The Gardens Ice House in Laurel, Maryland, in 2006. With the opening of the new Washington Capitals practice facility at the 1,200-seat Kettler Capitals Iceplex, the Jr. Nationals moved across the Potomac River, splitting time between The Gardens Ice House and their new venue in 2006–07 until becoming full-time tenants in Arlington for the 2007–08 season. The team moved back to The Gardens Ice House in 2010. The team also played single games at the Ashburn Ice House in the 2008–09 and 2009–10 season as a way to reach out to area youth hockey organizations.

In 2013, Tier III junior hockey went through a large reorganization that led to the dissolution of the Eastern Junior Hockey League (EJHL) and six former EJHL teams joining the AJHL. The AJHL was then re-branded as the Eastern Hockey League (EHL).

Following the 2013–14 season, the Jr. Nationals were relocated to Burlington, Vermont, and renamed the Vermont Lumberjacks, bringing junior hockey back to the state of Vermont two years after the Green Mountain Glades departed following the 2011–12 season.

In 2015, the EHL added a lower level Tier III division (formerly called Tier III Junior B by USA Hockey) called the EHL-Elite Division. This led to the current EHL teams to be placed in the EHL-Premier Division and the Lumberjacks moving their Junior B team from the Metropolitan Junior Hockey League to the Elite Division. In 2017, the EHL re-branded its divisions, dropping the Premier name from their top division and renamed the Elite Division to Premier.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lumberjacks relocated halfway through the 2020–21 season to have home games at Waterville Valley Ice Arena in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire, as the Lumberjacks Hockey Club.

## Season-by-season records

| Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | GF | GA | Regular Season Finish | Playoffs |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Washington Jr. Nationals |||||||||||
| Atlantic Junior Hockey League |||||||||||
| 2003–04 | No information | No information | No information | No information | No information | No information | No information | No information | 3rd of 6, AJHL | Won Semifinal game, 3–1 vs. New York Bobcats Won Championship game, 7–2 vs. Philadelphia Little Flyers League Champions |
| 2004–05 | 41 | 14 | 25 | 0 | 2 | 30 | 116 | 163 | 3rd of 4, South 6th of 8, AJHL | |
| 2005–06 | 42 | 17 | 23 | 0 | 2 | 36 | 146 | 200 | 9th of 11, AJHL | |
| 2006–07 | 44 | 23 | 18 | 0 | 3 | 49 | 175 | 168 | 3rd of 6, South 5th of 12, AJHL | |
| 2007–08 | 44 | 22 | 19 | 0 | 3 | 47 | 166 | 178 | 4th of 5, South 8th of 11, AJHL | |
| 2008–09 | 42 | 17 | 19 | 0 | 6 | 40 | 135 | 145 | 5th of 6, South 9th of 12, AJHL | |
| 2009–10 | 42 | 17 | 22 | 0 | 3 | 37 | 148 | 176 | 4th of 6, South 8th of 12, AJHL | |
| 2010–11 | 44 | 6 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 98 | 286 | 6th of 6, South 12th of 12, AJHL | |
| 2011–12 | 44 | 3 | 38 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 74 | 227 | 12th of 12, AJHL | |
| 2012–13 | 44 | 7 | 33 | 2 | 2 | 18 | 88 | 183 | 12th of 12, AJHL | Did not qualify |
| Eastern Hockey League |||||||||||
| 2013–14 | 44 | 5 | 37 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 121 | 146 | 6th of 6, South Div. 17th of 17, EHL | Lost Play-in game, 2–8 vs. New Jersey Junior Titans |
| Vermont Lumberjacks |||||||||||
| 2014–15 | 44 | 16 | 24 | — | 4 | 36 | 107 | 154 | 3rd of 4, North Div. 15th of 19, EHL | Lost Round 1, 0–2 vs. Walpole Express |
| 2015–16 | 41 | 17 | 22 | — | 2 | 36 | 113 | 130 | 7th of 9, North Conf. 14th of 18, EHL-Premier | Lost First Round, 0–2 vs. New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs |
| 2016–17 | 48 | 22 | 18 | — | 8 | 52 | 158 | 140 | 3rd of 4, New England 6th of 9, North Conf. 10th of 17, EHL-Premier | Lost First Round, 1–2 vs. Boston Junior Rangers |
| 2017–18 | 50 | 24 | 24 | — | 2 | 50 | 163 | 162 | 2nd of 4, New England 5th of 8, North Conf. 9th of 16, EHL | Lost First Round, 0–2 vs. East Coast Wizards |
| 2018–19 | 45 | 28 | 14 | — | 3 | 59 | 211 | 141 | 2nd of 5, North Div. 3rd of 10, New England Conf. 5th of 18, EHL | Won First Round, 2–0 vs. Connecticut RoughRiders Lost Second Round, 1–2 vs. East Coast Wizards |
| 2019–20 | 46 | 34 | 11 | — | 1 | 69 | 209 | 131 | 3rd of 11, New England Conf. 4th of 19, EHL | Won First Round, 2–0 vs. Seacoast Spartans Playoffs cancelled |
| 2020–21 | 35 | 17 | 17 | — | 1 | 35 | 133 | 142 | 3rd of 4, North Div. 12th of 17, EHL | Won Div. Semifinals, 2–0 vs. New England Wolves Won Div. Finals, 2–0 vs. Seacoast Spartans 1–2–0 EHL Frozen Finals round-robin (W, 5–3 vs. Jr. Rangers; L, 3–9 vs. Avalanche; L, 5–6 vs. 87's) |
| 2021–22 | 46 | 21 | 20 | — | 5 | 47 | 168 | 152 | 3rd of 4, North Div. 10th of 17, EHL | Lost Div. Semifinals, 0-2 vs. New England Wolves |
| 2022–23 | 46 | 25 | 20 | — | 1 | 51 | 158 | 136 | 4th of 4, North Div. 11th of 19, EHL | Lost Div. Semifinals, 0-2 vs. New Hampshire Avalanche |

## Alumni

The Jr. Nationals/Lumberjacks have produced a number of alumni playing in higher levels of junior hockey, NCAA Division I, Division III, ACHA college and professional programs.

* David Bondra – Played with HK Poprad of the Slovak Extraliga.
* Nikita Kashirsky – Played with the HC Spartak Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League.
* Jarred Tinordi (Montreal Canadiens, 1st round draft pick) – Has played in the NHL with the Canadiens and Arizona Coyotes. Currently under contract with the Nashville Predators.
