The New Jersey 87’s are proud to announce that Jason Atkinson has committed to play Division III hockey at Castleton University for the 2022-2023 season. 

Atkinson is a 20-year-old forward from Oakland, New Jersey and is currently in his second season with the 87’s EHL team. In the 2021-2022 regular season, Atkinson notched 39 points (10g, 29a) in 44 games.  

87’s EHL head coach Adam Houli spoke about Atkinson’s commitment, “I think he’s one of the top 200-foot players in our league, and Castleton is getting an absolutely phenomenal hockey player and a phenomenal human,” he said. “Very happy for Jason, he put in a ton of work over the offseason to get rewarded and play in a conference like that, it’s a match made in heaven for those guys.” 

Castleton University is a Division III program located in Castleton, Vermont and competes in the New England Hockey Conference. The Spartans are led by head coach Kyle Richards. 

Atkinson spoke about his commitment and the opportunity to join the Spartans next Fall, “I’ve been working for this most of my life, hockey has been such a huge part of it and I wouldn’t have been able to do this without the 87’s helping me push through it,” he said. “The coaches at Castleton are excellent, they’re looking to build a great program going forward, the campus is beautiful and everything about it is great.” 

In his rookie season with the 87’s, Atkinson recorded four goals and six points in 21 regular season games and immediately proved to be an effective player on both ends of the ice. This year, he emerged as a number one center on the team while his line with Robbie Seewagen and Matt Anastasio has turned into one of the best trios in the EHL. 

“They helped me turn into one of the top players here,” Atkinson said of his tenure with the 87’s. “I was able to adapt to their systems with my playing style and kept working hard and they helped me get there. Without them I don’t think I’d be able to get into the spot I’m at now.” 

Houli, when talking about Atkinson’s development over the last two years, emphasized his work ethic both on and off the ice. 

“It’s all about the hard work he put in. Last year he was going up against some of the top centers in the league, including Dante Terramani who was ahead of him,” he said. “But he put in so much work after last season, and he knew that was the type of player he was going to be and that’s why we loved him and that’s why we wanted to make sure if he developed, he was going to get rewarded from it. To see it happen, your plan and for him to put it all together, it’s the best part about it. He trusted us, he believed us, and now he gets rewarded from it.” 

The 87’s organization would like to congratulate Jason and his family as he prepares to advance his hockey career to the Division III collegiate level.