The Hampton Roads Jr. Whalers are proud to announce that 1998 Elite forward John Moncovich has signed a 2017-2018 tender contract with the Corpus Christi Icerays of the North American Hockey League (NAHL).

Moncovich is in his 3rd season with the Whalers and has grown leaps and bounds in his time here since being recruited out of the Wilmington Icehawks midget program. This season, Moncovich leads the USPHL Elite division in scoring with 47 goals in 36 games and sits 2nd in the league with 70 points. John has added 8 power play goals, 6 power play assists, and an impressive 9 game winning goals. This all comes on the heels of his USP3 league leading 52 goals and 92 points (2nd) last season. In 3 seasons with the Whalers, including playoffs, Moncovich has competed in 129 career games, posting an impressive 196 points on 114 goals and 82 assists. John was the 2015-16 USP3 Offensive Player of the Year.

“John is someone who we identified at our Virginia camp as a big rangy winger with an above average scoring touch”, stated Icerays head coach Brad Flynn. “He has a dangerous shot and by scoring 46 goals in 35 games so far this season as an 18 year old has proven he can score against older players. The Hampton Roads Whalers have done an excellent job developing players as IceRay alum Regan Cavanagh and current IceRay Jayson Dimizio have both came from Hampton Roads. Whalers head coach Rod Taylor is a former USHL, NCAA and ECHL scorer and does a great job developing his players. We are very excited to have John tender with us for next season”.

“My time in Hampton Roads has been great” stated Moncovich. “The entire coaching staff and all the rink staff here is amazing and has helped my game tremendously over the past 3 years. My billets have been fantastic and have really ended up being my second family. I am very excited to join the Corpus Christi Organization and continue my development”.

“It’s no accident John has been tendered by Corpus Christi, no one has worked harder”, stated Whalers GM Patrick Cavanagh. “In three years with the Whalers, John has elevated his game as a premier goal scorer. This is a tremendous story to follow John’s journey from developing with the USP3 team to becoming the Elite league’s leading goal scorer. He will fit in well with Coach Flynn, his future has no ceiling”.

“I am proud of John for this tremendous accomplishment”, stated USP3 head coach Brad Jones. “He has shown relentless dedication and work ethic to develop his craft since the skinny kid I recruited at an end of season tournament out of Wilmington 3 years ago. He takes pride in his game and his ability to produce offense and I look forward to watching John continue to grow and develop in Corpus Christi and the NAHL as he strives for his goal of playing high level NCAA hockey”.

Moncovich joins a growing list of Whalers who have moved on into the NAHL, including Roman Gaudet (Odessa), Kyle Perkowski (NJ Titans), Jayson Dimizio (Corpus Christi), Sean Dickson (Minnesota Magicians), Britt League (Johnstown), and Regen Cavanagh (Corpus Christi).