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BALDY’S PUCK DROP Weekly E-Newsletter (September – August) |
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Baldy’s Puck Drop” Weekly E-Newsletter with Matt Leaf
Volume 101: March 26, 2026
PDF Printable Download: Weekly E-Newsletter with Matt Leaf
Dear Great Falls Americans Enthusiast: I’ll start with a quick update on the Division finals where Helena will represent the Frontier Division at the Fraser
Cup Finals in St. Louis. After dropping game one in Helena in overtime, they rebounded with two wins in Sheridan over the weekend to earn their fifth straight division title. All games had the final score of 5-4 with Helena, once again, finding a way to win. Congratulations to Helena and wishing them success in St. Louis as they represent our division. They played their first game last night and lost 6-5 in overtime to Rochester in an entertaining back and forth game.
Our coaching staff has started the process of assembling next season’s team. Of course, we have 19 players who are eligible to return and most of them will be making their decision over the summer. We encourage our younger players to pursue higher levels and will support them in this effort as much as we can. At the same time, they are on our protected list and they know they will have a place to play in Great Falls. The assumption is many of them will be back and will form the leadership team and the foundation of our team culture. The other parts of the process include tendering players and the NA3HL Draft at the end of April. We currently have 16 tenders and four draft picks available to us – both are subject to change in the coming weeks.
I am happy to announce the first six tenders for next season. A tender is an informal commitment between the player and the team and it allows the team to protect the player during the draft and throughout the season. Each season, we have roughly 12-18 tenders and it is a critical part of putting together the team. The players who have signed tenders, so far, are:
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Player |
Position |
Year |
Hometown |
2025-26 Team |
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Xander Troyer |
Forward |
2007 |
Great Falls, MT |
Wasatch Renegades 18U AAA |
|
Shaun Lerner |
Forward |
2007 |
Calgary, ALB |
Bow River Bruins U21 |
|
Zach Bohan |
Goalkeeper |
2008 |
Rochester, MN |
Rochester Century HS |
|
Logan Knowles |
Defenseman |
2009 |
Spokane, WA |
Spokane Jr. Chiefs 18U AA |
|
Ayecen Mcleslie |
Forward |
2008 |
Spokane, WA |
Spokane Jr. Chiefs 18U AA |
|
Jacob Picccioni |
Forward |
2008 |
Billings, MT |
Team Wyoming 18U AA |
I
t is also the time of year where players are finalizing their college plans, so we will be making college commitment announcements in the coming editions as our players finalize their decisions. First up is our Goalkeeper, Kaden Rhyder, who has committed to playing hockey at the University of Jamestown. The Jimmies field two teams at the ACHA Division I and Division II levels and located in Jamestown, North Dakota. The University of Jamestown, founded in 1883, is a private Christian liberal arts university with over 1100 students and 40 areas of study combining liberal arts with professional programs like nursing, education and physical therapy. The Americans would like to congratulate Kaden on his commitment and look forward to monitoring his continuing career.
Here is a quick update on other activities the Americans will be involved in during the coming weeks/months. Our partnership with Eagle Mount Therapeutic Recreation Center continues with our Sled Program ramping back up on Wednesday evenings starting next week. We are always looking for volunteer help– so feel free to stop by and lend a hand. They’ll be hitting the ice from 6:45-7:45 for the next six Wednesdays.
The Americans have also partnered with Play It Again Sports to sponsor Pond Hockey on Tuesday evenings during the Spring. The purpose of the pond hockey environment is to simply have kids of all ages and skill levels show up, divvy up teams and have fun playing the game with minimum structure. The players are encouraged to try new things and simply develop skills by playing creatively. It is a great way to unwind in a non-competitive environment at the end of the season while nurturing one’s passion and love for the game.
Next up is season two of Baldy’s Shooting Club that will run from mid-April through mid-September and provides youth players access to our off-ice skill center. Long Term Athlete Development principles suggest it takes 10,000 repetitions to master a skill, so Baldy’s Shooting Club encourages youth players to use the off-ice center to perfect their shooting skills and challenges them to take 10,000 shots over the summer. Our coaching staff will also spend some time with them to ensure proper technique is used and the result is a core group of goal scorers ready to hit the ice running next season.
Finally, our Prospects Camp will be in mid-June and is open to all players from the 2006-2010 birth years. The camp includes three ice sessions and many of our current players have gotten their first exposure to our program during this annual event.
Those interested in participating in any of the above programs can register at www.greatfallsamericans.com.
Here are the upcoming dates to add to your calendar:
- March 25th -30th – Fraser Cup Finals in Louis, MO.
- April 8th – Great falls Sports Foundation 5:30-8:00 PM at Expo Park Event Center. Proceeds from this year’s Mixer will benefit the Ice Plex and tickets can be purchased from any user group or contact Matt directly.
- April 28th – NA3HL Entry
- August 15th – 4th Annual Cornhole Extravaganza
- August 17-21st – Great Falls Americans Main Camp
- August 22nd – 4th Annual GFA Blue-White
Thank you to our corporate partners for their continued support.
Eagle’s Nest Level
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Diamond Level
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Platinum Level
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Tammy Quintrell-Stubbs
Gold, Silver and Bronze Level Partners (* new this season)
| All-State Signs | Beacon Ice House | Eagle Mount Therapeutic Recreation* |
| Floors & More Abbey Carpets | Central Avenue Meats | MNoel Photography |
| Havre Youth Hockey | Central MT Lock & Safe | Century Gaming |
| Life in Bloom Floral @ Gift Boutique | Hotel Arvon/Celtic Cowboy | Stifel l Finnicum Financial Group |
| Coca-Cola* | Craftmaster Cabinets | Culligan Water |
| Comparion Insurance | Play It Again Sports | Open Door Wellness |
| Big Sky Laboratory | Cascade Electric | Hampton Inn & Suites |
| Ferrin’s Furniture | Great Falls Hospital | She Bare Wax & Sugar Boutique |
| Jersey Mike’s | Karma Coffee | Murphy Law |
| Scheels | Stockman Bank | Traynor Capital |
| Voices of Hope* | Johnson Distributing | Mountain Title Company |
| Fire Pizza* | Montana Rib & Chop House* | Visit Great Falls |
| Croxford Funeral Home and Crematory | Bish’s RV of Great Falls* | StaRadio |
| Benski Towing & Recovery | Westgate Repair, Inc. | Annie’s Taphouse |
| Sip-N-Dip Lounge* | Special Olympics of Montana* | TDS Fiber |
| Hoglund’s Work and Western Wear | High Plains Wealth Management |
Thank you for being a part of our hockey family!
Matt Leaf
Great Falls Americans HC Inc
MattL.GFAmericans@gmail.com