ALL FOUR BK BOYS TEAMS EARN NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR STRONG START

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The goal, as always, remains excellence across the board.

 

But, with four boys teams under the BK Selects roof, all going up against a USA Hockey landscape that grows more competitive by the year, that challenge remains vast.

 

We’re a long way from accomplishing the mission for the 2025-26 season, but as October reached its midway point, there was an impressive sight: All four BK boys teams were ranked in the nationwide top 10 by the authorities at MyHockeyRankings.com.

 

Count 18U forward Camden Nimmer (Ashburn, Va.) among those who are pleased, if not necessarily surprised.

 

“The culture and environment that all the players and coaches create is what ultimately makes each team successful,” said Nimmer, a third-year BK student-athlete. 

 

“Everyone here in the dorms wants to go to the same place and move up in the realm of the hockey world, and the brotherhood and family-like bond is what makes success happen on the ice.”

 

After an offseason that featured the hiring of Rochester hockey stalwart Brian Hills as the new Sr. Director of Boys Hockey — not to mention a brand refresh that adopts the blue-and-black colorway long used by Bishop Kearney High School — the early returns on the ice show a program still dedicated to that relentless climb. 

 

“It’s just reaffirming,” said Boys Hockey Director and 18U Head Coach David Arduin. “We’ve kept the business side sustainable and we’re continuing to perform on the ice. 

 

“From the director standpoint, to the coaching standpoint, to the parents’ and the players’ standpoint, the program has never been in a better place.”

 

Arduin said all this even before the 18U and 16U teams went a combined 6-0 against fellow rival hockey academies Northwood School, Gilmour Academy and Nichols School from Oct. 17-19. Add that to unbeaten marks by the 14Us (2-0) and 15Os (1-0) and it was a rare weekend sweep for the BK boys.

 

For the 18Us, who are ranked 10th in the nation with a 16-3 record, that makes 10 wins in a row entering the Cushing Academy Showcase in suburban Boston from Oct. 23-26.

 

“We got off to kind of a slow start,” Nimmer said. “So, I like how, after we got the ball rolling, we’ve been really consistent. I would say our team is pretty close, so our willingness to play for one another (is a strength).”

 

The consistency is the thing, no matter whether we’re talking about consistency through the course of the season, or consistency across the four age groups.

 

Then there’s the third variety: Consistency from season to season. That part can seem especially difficult when factoring in the kind of roster churn that’s endemic to elite youth hockey, to say nothing of the fact that teenagers can change rapidly from month to month, let alone year to year.

 

Arduin said the program is experiencing less player turnover as it begins Season 6 of competitive play, a testimony to BK Selects’ building track record.

 

“One of the biggest things we can give credit to is just the sustainability of the program has allowed for more (player) retention,” Arduin said. “Then you have fewer kids who are going through this for the first time, that adjustment period.”

 

Coincidentally, Nimmer represents both sides of that coin, as he left BK Selects for a year after posting 93 points in 74 games with the 14Us, but then returned to Rochester for his 16U season in 2024-25. 

 

Now, he’s off to a promising start as an 18U, with 20 points (9g, 11a) in his first 18 games at this level. He’s produced eight of those points in six NE Pack conference games, where the 18Us are a perfect 6-0. 

 

Nimmer, who aims to play junior hockey next season, raved about his growth during his time at BK.

 

“I’ve learned so much on the hockey side from the coaches and the time they put into helping me improve my skill, IQ, and overall awareness of the game,” he said. “On the flip side, the coaches really take pride on who you are outside the rink, because we’re not just hockey players. They stress how important it is to be a good person as well, and that’s something I really try to work on.”

 

In fact, BK teams are a combined 16-4-4 in what’s likely the toughest league in the country, with both the 18Us and 15Os in first place in their respective divisions. To Arduin’s point about retention, the 15Os have just three new players on the entire team, while the 18Us feature five second-year players and five post-grads, a new BK high for that age group. 

 

On an individual level, 15O forward Bobby Spang (Blackwood, N.J.) is tied for third overall in NE Pack scoring with 12 points, with teammate Luca Filiaggi (Pittsburgh, Pa.) just behind on 10. Matyáš Jonák (Plzen, Czechia) of the 18Us also has 10 points, with Florida-born goalie Giovanni Scally (.968 save percentage in three starts) backing up BK’s oldest boys squad.

 

The work, as always, continues apace. If the season were a 60-minute game, the BK Selects would be somewhere near the end of the first period. 

 

Still, no harm recognizing a strong opening stretch, especially when the success is so widespread.

 

“You start getting more consistency in the program and the results speak to it,” Arduin said. “Then the kids can develop at the rate you see now.”