The Johnstown Tomahawks are set to begin the 2025-2026 North American Hockey League (NAHL) regular season this weekend with a two-game road series against the Danbury Hat Tricks. Puck drops are scheduled for Friday, September 12th and Saturday, September 13th at the Danbury Ice Arena.
Johnstown won four of six meetings with Danbury last season en-route to a 5th-place finish in the East Division. After splitting two December series, the Tomahawks closed out March with back-to-back wins, including a 2-0 shutout — the only one recorded in the matchup.
“I’m super excited to start the season. We have had a strong training camp. Our players have worked hard and now are ready to get the season started,” said Tomahawks Head Coach Adam Houli. “I’ve been very happy with our attention to detail, and the pace we’re able to play at. We should bring a fun brand of hockey to Johnstown and I’m excited to see all the hard work come together.”
The mark of any good foundation is balance. That’s what the Tomahawks have begun to build with the current makeup of the roster. The Tomahawks will begin the season with a great balance of size, youth and veteran experience. The roster blends nine young skaters from the 2007–08 birth years with 21 players from 2006 or earlier, including seven 2005-born veterans who bring proven NAHL experience.
“We are excited to put the preseason behind us as our guys have competed hard every single day and have bought into our program,” said Tomahawks President of Hockey Operations Gary Biggs. “The veterans along with coaching staff have set the tone for the year and we are ready to bring that energy to the 2025-26 Johnstown Tomahawk season. Our group has shown the ability to play with skill but also bring a level of physicality needed to win in this league. Game 1 of the year is always exciting and brings a certain level of nerves,” Biggs remarked. “We want to continue building each day towards our end goal of playing for a Robertson Cup in May.”
Along with every game on the NAHL schedule, all games can be streamed live at natv.com (NATV). For local Tomahawks fans, Scott’s by Dam will be hosting a live watch party this weekend for both games versus the Hat Tricks.
BY: DREW P. PFEIL