BOSTON, MA -- Joe Bertagna, the Commissioner of the Eastern Hockey League (EHL) and the Eastern Hockey League Premier (EHLP), along with the EHL Board of Governors jointly announced this morning that the 2023-24 season will be Bertagna's final year as Commissioner of the junior hockey league.
Bertagna's tenure with the EHL and EHLP began back in the 2020-21 season, serving as a Senior Advisor, following 35 years of acting as a Commissioner at the NCAA Division I level. Following his first season in junior hockey, Bertagna has helped the EHL and EHLP further establish themselves over the past two years.
"It has been a privilege to work closely with Joe over the past few seasons," said Mike Sorabella, the Executive Chairman of the EHL and EHLP. "He has served the EHL incredibly well in the vital role as Commissioner and has been a driving force behind the league’s continued growth and success. I hope and expect that Joe will continue his support of the EHL well beyond this upcoming 2023-24 season.”
Since Bertagna arrived, both the EHL and EHLP have grown, and are set to feature the highest number of teams ever at both levels this upcoming year. This fall marks the start of the 11th season in league history for the EHL, with 23 teams hitting the ice in September. As for the EHLP, this will be season #9 for the sub-division of the EHL, with 16 teams gearing up for the upcoming campaign.
“I want to thank the EHL owners for giving me this opportunity, particularly at this stage of my hockey life,” said Bertagna. “I have enjoyed it and hope I have contributed as they envisioned.”
Following the conclusion of the 2023-24 season, the EHL Board of Governors is pleased to announce that Neil Ravin will become the new Commissioner of the EHL and EHLP. This fall marks the start of Ravin's 9th season with the league, growing in his role from the Director of Communications to the current Associate Commissioner.
In addition to the media presence that Ravin has helped establish throughout his time in the league, he's also created new events such as the EHL All-Star College Series, the EHL Combine Series, and the league's marquee event of the year, the EHL Frozen Finals.
The 2024-25 season will mark a decade for Ravin with the league, and he's beyond grateful to everyone who has helped lead the path to this point.
"I would like to start off by thanking the Board of Governors for taking a chance on me back in the 2015-16 season, which was just the third year of the league," said Ravin. "At the time, I was still learning all of the different intricacies of junior hockey. I've gained so much over the past eight seasons from all of the great mentors that came before me, including Jeff Nygaard, Mark Kumpel, Mike Santos, and now Joe [Bertagna]. A final thank you needs to go to the Board of Governors for entrusting me to help continue to lead this league, and an additional thank you as well to all the coaches and players who've helped us become who we are today."
Speaking on behalf of the Board of Governors, Sorabella is proud of the direction the league is taking with Ravin at the helm.
"Neil has made immeasurable, positive contributions to the EHL over the past 8+ seasons," added Sorabella. "It has been a pleasure to work with him and to observe his development as a hockey industry administrator and executive. I have no doubts that the EHL will continue to flourish as Joe transitions the league Commissioner role to Neil in 2024.”
With the structure in place moving forward, Bertagna is looking forward to another season with both the EHL and EHLP, the leader in direct-to-college advancement on the east coast.
“I told the owners last month that Neil is one of the biggest assets the EHL has,” added Bertagna. “I look forward to working with him once more in the coming year.”
Last week, the EHL and EHLP released its annual key dates and locations for the upcoming season, with the full schedule of regular season games set to be published on Monday, June 19th.