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Joey Trobenter Tenders to the New Jersey Rockets of the NCDC

By Jack O'Rourke '20, 02/12/19, 9:30AM EST

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Wildcats’ junior forward takes next step in hockey career in the 2019-20 season

Few Wildcat forwards ever have made the instant impact of Joey Trobenter. Trobenter has one of the hardest shots on the team and has been known to place numerous pucks in the back of the net. Joey has amassed 84 goals, 78 assists, and 162 points between Saint Ignatius and the Cleveland Wildcats USA Hockey since his freshman year.

This past Sunday, Trobenter announced that he has tendered to the New Jersey Rockets (National Collegiate Developmental Conference) for the 2019-2020 season.

“It has been a joy to watch Joey evolve on the ice and as a young man,” said Mrs. Robyn Ulle-Trobenter, Joey’s mom. “We are grateful for the wonderful coaching staff, managers, players, and parents at Saint Ignatius, especially the support of Coach O'Rourke and Coach Gramc. The opportunity for Joey to play with the New Jersey Rockets next season is incredibly exciting. Thank you to our hockey family for helping create this solid foundation."

Joey currently leads the team with 8 power play goals and has tallied 14 total goals on the season. As a sophomore, Trobenter was second on the team in goals (14), and has tied his mark from last season before the playoffs have started.

As a sophomore, Joey played in a team-high 40 games, and has played in all 31 contests this season. Trobenter also has a discipline second-to-none as in his past two seasons he has spent less than one period in the penalty box.

“I’m very happy and excited for Joey as he continues his dream with the Rockets next season,” said Wildcats’ Director of Player Personnel Robert Gramc. “Joey has worked very hard to get where he has gotten so far. Joey has received a lot of interest from multiple junior programs in the NAHL, USHL and NCDC. Joey is proof that you can play hockey at Saint Ignatius and achieve your dreams at the same time. This is only the beginning for the program and Joey has played a huge part in that. I wish Joey nothing but the best with New Jersey next season as he pursues his dream of a NCAA D1 scholarship. I’m excited to follow him as he continues his hockey journey. I have known Joey and his family since he was little and I know how driven he is to achieve his goal of playing NCAA D1 hockey.”

Joey’s next stop will be the New Jersey Rockets. The Rockets are a member of the NCDC junior league on the upper East Coast of the USA. The National Collegiate Developmental Conference has had success developing players to move on to the next level as it is “a 12-team tuition-free junior hockey league located in the Northeastern United States. The league and all of its teams are fully united and dedicated to the mission of player development and advancement to college hockey.”

Only the future can tell how far Trobenter can go with his obvious skill and natural work ethic.

“I am very happy for Joey and his family,” said Head Coach Pat O’Rourke ‘90. “This has been a goal of his for some time and now he has achieved it. It's also a goal of our program to advance players to junior and college hockey, so while selfishly I'd love to have him for another year, it's time for him to branch out and show the world what he's got. That said, we still have a little meat left on the bone this year and I know Joey wants to get another ring before he heads off to the East Coast. He played great in Toronto this past weekend and I think he's really feeling it right now - I'd look for him to have a big playoffs."

While Joey is a skilled player on the ice, he is five times the person he is the hockey player. Joey always has a smile on his face and is known to make a room of people burst out in laughter.

A final thank you to Joey and his family for always being so kind, and what Joey has done on and off the ice will never be forgotten.

Joey’s time on the ice for the Wildcats is not yet done, as you can catch him in action in the first round of the playoffs versus Brecksville-Broadview Heights this Saturday at noon.