Pittsburgh, PA – The Esmark Stars AAA Hockey Club of the Tier I Hockey Federation (THF) have announced that Esmark Stars 18U AAA Hockey forward Jackson Furman has signed a United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL) National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC) tender agreement with the Northern Cyclones.
The 18-year-old forward from Westerville, OH, recorded 12 points (5 goals and 7 assists), in 23 THF regular season games and 4 THF Playoff Games in helping lead the U18 Stars to the League’s 18U AAA Championship game.
Overall, the 5’11” / 170 lbs. forward tallied 46 points (15 goals, 31 assists), including one power play goal and two game-winning goals, in 68 games played for Esmark’s U18 AAA Midget Major squad.
The 2023-24 season was Furman’s second season with the Esmark Stars program.
During the 2022-23 season, Furman recorded 8 points (2 goals and 6 assists), in 12 THF League regular season games and 4 THF Playoff Games, helping lead the Stars to the THF Playoff Championship.
Overall during the ’22-’23 campaign, Furman tallied 35 points (17 goals, 18 assists), including two power play goals, in 62 games played for Esmark’s U18 AAA Midget Major squad.
“Jackson is a true Swiss Army knife,” said Esmark 18U head coach Dave Kosick. “His skill set and on-ice compete level allowed us to use him in all settings … from special teams (penalty kill and power play) to end-of-game scenarios. He brings such a tenacity and desire to succeed to each game and practice that will not allow him to be outworked. That skill set and his drive to succeed should afford him a bright Junior opportunity.”
In addition to his success on the ice, Furman was also selected as an All-State Lacrosse player in the state of Ohio last season.
Furman becomes the eight member of the 2023-2024 Esmark Stars AAA Hockey program to sign a tender with a Junior A club for the upcoming season, and the first to sign a NCDC tender, as he joins 18U teammates Aiden Petroff (New Hampshire Mountain Kings), Alex Thomas (Colorado Grit), Timur Naletov (Danbury Hat Tricks), Max Rutkowski (Oklahoma Warriors) and Mykyta Yalovyi (Lone Star Brahmas), as well as 16U Esmark forwards Emmet McClaine and Vitaliy Ulianov, who both signed with the Johnstown Tomahawks, who have all previously signed tender agreements with the NAHL teams.
The Norther Cyclones are in the six-team New England Division of the USPHL’s 18-team NCDC Division, along with the Boston Junior Bruins, Islanders Hockey Club (MA), Twin City Thunder (ME), South Shore Kings (MA) and Utica (NY) Comets.
The Northern Cyclones play in the Cyclones Arena in Hudson, NH, and are led by Head Coach Bill Flanagan.
As always, the Tier 1 Hockey Federation is committed to celebrating and supporting the success of talented young athletes. If you have a player whose achievements you would like to see featured in our announcements, please fill out the form here. We are eager to share the stories of these rising stars as they advance in their hockey careers.