 |
BALDY’S PUCK DROP Weekly E-Newsletter (September – August) |
 |
Baldy’s Puck Drop” Weekly E-Newsletter with Matt Leaf
Volume 103: May 7, 2026
PDF Printable Download: Weekly E-Newsletter with Matt Leaf
Dear Great Falls Americans Enthusiast: Spring has arrived (with a few winter days still mixed in because it is still Montana) and we are looking forward to the summer months and introducing you to the 2026-27 version of the Great falls Americans. We currently have 32 players on our prospective list, which includes 20 potential returning players, four draft picks and eight tenders. Many of these players will be at our Prospects Camp in June and will be making their final decisions during the coming months. 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.
We have a couple of special announcements since our last newsletter. Forward Cooper Clouse (Fargo, ND) and Goaltender Kaden Rhyder (Elizabethtown, PA) were acknowledged with 1st
Team Frontier Division and 3rd Team All-NA3HL honors in mid-April. Cooper led the Frontier Division in scoring with 23 goals and 65 assists which was good enough for 8th in the entire league. He added another six points in the playoffs on a goal and five assists and a goal and assist during the Top Prospects Tournament for a season total of 96 points while finishing the season with a 38 consecutive game scoring streak. Kaden led the Frontier Division with a Goals Against Average of 2.106 (Good for 5th of the 64 qualified goalkeepers in the league), save percentage (.940 -2nd in the league) and 17 wins (good for 7th in the entire NA3HL). They accomplished two very special seasons, and I am very proud to see them properly recognized by the league coaches with these honors.
I am also very pleased to announce that Cooper has also finalized his college commitment. Cooper will be attending Hope College located in Holland, Michigan. Hope College is a private
Christian liberal arts college founded in 1851 as the Pioneer School by Dutch Immigrants, four years after the community was first settled. The first freshman college class matriculated in 1862, and Hope received its state charter in 1866. Hope College offers 90+ majors, all of which lead to a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science in Engineering, or Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. It has a student population of about 3,200, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 11:1. The “Flying Dutch” hosts both a ACHA Division I Men’s and Women’s Hockey Programs. Cooper becomes our second college commit (Kaden Rhyder to University of Jamestown) and we are excited to follow both of their continuing careers at the collegiate level.
In addition, Great Falls’ very own Owen Cronk (pictured left) has committed to attend and play for the local University of Providence ACHA Div II team. Owen spent parts of three seasons with the Americans and worked his way up from the practice squad to play in 20 NA3HL games collecting a goal and an assist. Congratulations to Owen and I know many of our fans will look forward to seeing him play live for the Argos in the coming years.
As mentioned previously, we have secured a total of eight tenders and four draft picks since the last edition. 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. The players who have signed tenders are (highlighted were previously announced):
| Player | Position | Year | Hometown | 2025-26 Team |
| 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 |
| Ayecan Mcleslie | Forward | 2008 | Spokane, WA | Spokane Jr. Chiefs 18U AA |
| Jacob Piccioni | Forward | 2008 | Billings, MT | Team Wyoming 18U AA |
| Jarrett Parker | Forward | 2007 | Des Moines, IA | Des Moines Capitals 18U AAA |
| Paxon Sacre | Forward | 2008 | Des Moines, IA | Des Moines Capitals 18U AAA |
The 2026 NA3HL Draft was also recently conducted, and the Americans selected four players. The draft can be used for a variety of reasons – in our case we try to identify players we have a connection with or have spoken to previously and there is a mutual interest to play for the Americans. The players who were a drafted by the Americans include:
| Player | Position | Year | Hometown | 2025-26 Team |
| Parker Jusczak | Defenseman | 2007 | North Pole, AK | Belle Tire 18U AAA |
| Lucas Garatti | Forward | 2008 | Thunder Bay, ONT | SFSS 18U AAA |
| Matthew DePalma | Forward | 2008 | Boise, ID | Idaho Steelheads 18U AA |
| Charlie Sinclair | Goalkeeper | 2007 | Jackson Hole, WY | Northwest Express 20U |
Here is a quick update on other activities the Americans are currently involved with. Our partnership with Eagle Mount Therapeutic Recreation Center continues with our Sled Program running on Wednesday evenings. 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. In essence, we are allowing kids to be kids with the Pond Hockey experience and we have consistently had 20 kids participating. Season two of Baldy’s Shooting Club 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 youth hockey goal scorers ready to hit the ice running next season.
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. We’ll provide more info on the Prospects Camp and a daily schedule in the early June Edition. Those interested in participating in any of the above programs can register at www.greatfallsamericans.com.
The 2026-27 season schedule is in the works, and we hope to be able to announce our full season schedule in late June. A few key dates to keep in mind include opening weekend on September 11th and 12th, the NA3HL Showcase on December 20th-22nd and the regular season will conclude March 12th-13th. Our 4th Annual Cornhole Extravaganza is set for August 22nd with our pre-season training camp starting on August 24th. The Blue-White Game is scheduled for August 29th.
Look for a special Mystery Monday activation through DASH on Monday, May 25th. We will have some mystery packages available for sale along with some team clearance items as we refresh our inventory for next season. Stay tuned to our social media channels as we get closer for more information.
Finally, we are starting to prepare for next season and want to recognize Murphy Law for being the first to renew their partnership with the Americans for the 2026-27 season. I’ll be reaching out to our other partners in the coming weeks and look forward to continuing to raise the bar with our team on the ice and with our community partners off the ice.
Here are the upcoming dates to add to your calendar:
- May 25th – Mystery Monday Sales through DASH
- June 19th-21st – Great Falls Americans Annual Prospects Camp.
- June 24th – 2026-27 Season Schedule Announced
- July 4th – Great Falls 4th of July Parade and GFA Enter to Win Contest
- August 22nd– 4th Annual Cornhole Extravaganza, Beacon Icehouse
- August 24 — 28th – Great Falls Americans Main Camp
- August 29th – 4th Annual GFA Blue-White Game.
- September 12th – Regular Season Begins
- December 20th-22nd – NA3HL Showcase, Blaine, MN.
Thank you to our corporate partners for their continued support.
Eagle’s Nest Level
 |
 |
Diamond Level
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Platinum Level
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
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