MEET MIKE CARLUCCI
Mike is the Founder and President of the CT United Spring Hockey. Prior to creating his new independent program, Mike was the Founder and President of the CT Flames since its inception in 2011. His dedication to our young hockey players is both generous and inspiring to watch.
Mike has coached a broad variety of highly successful youth hockey teams and created multiple elite spring hockey programs. Mike grew up playing “A” level travel hockey for 8 years, including 6 state titles and 2 New England Regional Championships. He played on Team Connecticut, 4 years of Trinity Catholic Varsity Hockey, earning 2 State Championships and 1 State title, followed by 2 years of University of Connecticut Club hockey. Mike’s extensive coaching career includes the Greenwich Blues, Trinity Catholic High School, the New Canaan Winter Club, CT Jr Whalers, and the Southern Stars. Mike has also been Hockey Director for the Rinks at Shelton as well as SoNo Ice House and Travel Hockey Coordinator for the Fairfield Ice Academy.
MIKE’S PHILOSOPHY
My hope in creating CT United is to give each player the opportunity to develop their skills and hockey IQ in a positive environment free from the pressures and expectations of regular winter-season hockey.
As a coach I have had the opportunity to work with players of all ages and abilities. This has given me a unique perspective into the type of environment that a player needs to develop not only as an individual but as a teammate. High-energy practices, dedicated coaching, and high caliber competition make up the basis for developing our players.
The CT United Youth Hockey program is based at Terry Conners Ice Rink, but it is not affiliated with any particular hockey program in Fairfield County, CT, and we do not attempt to recruit players away from their home programs. Our coaches’ backgrounds vary and we attract players from different programs throughout the state of Connecticut and New York. The CT United program is open to all and players will be assigned to small groups based on skill level as determined by our coaches during the start of the program.
The CT United Spring Hockey program is my way of giving back to a sport that has shaped my life in many ways.
Yours in Hockey,
Michael Carlucci
“There is a moment when you watch it all come together; the kids feel it, the parents see it and the coaches knew it was there all along.”– Coach Mike Carlucci
Coaching roster
CT United Spring Hockey is delighted to announce the following coaches will be running our spring program:
Mike Carlucci
Mike grew up playing “A” level travel hockey for 8 years, including 6 state titles and 2 New England Regional Championships. He played on Team Connecticut, 4 years of Trinity Catholic Varsity Hockey, earning 2 State Championships and 1 State title, followed by 2 years of University of Connecticut Club hockey. Mike’s extensive coaching career includes the Greenwich Blues, Trinity Catholic High School, the New England Generals, and the New Canaan Winter Club. Mike has also been Hockey Director for the Rinks at Shelton and SoNo Ice House and Travel Hockey Coordinator for the Fairfield Ice Academy.
Devin Edgerton
Devin Edgerton, a Canadian native, played for Team Canada three times, winning a Gold medal and a Bronze medal. Devin was the Captain of the Humboldt Broncos and won Canadian player of the year in 1990. During his 800 professional games, Devin had 800 points. He played five professional seasons in the IHL for Carolina, Atlanta, and Phoenix, and was named to the All-Star Games for every league and every year. Devin was on three championship teams including Atlanta, Switzerland, and Germany, and was inducted to the SJHL Hall of Fame in 2020.
Dustin Jesseau
Dustin Jesseau is a Toronto Native and grew up playing youth hockey in the GTHL. He played for the Toronto Young Nationals and Don Mills Flyers, alongside notable NHL players such as Tyler Seguin, Jeff Skinner, Tyler Toffoli, and Devante Smith-Pelly. Dustin was on the Ontario projection draft list before getting injured his draft year. He had small stints with the Sudbury Wolves in the OHL and QMJHL with the Acadie-Bathurst Titans. Other notable leagues were the OJHL and the SJHL. Dustin played some of his pro Career in different Leagues such as SPHL, and ECHL and most recently went to the AHL main camp with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in 2019. After finishing his pro career and settling down in Connecticut with his wife, his son, and 2 dogs, he opened his own hockey school called Jet Hockey where he teaches mainly out of Chelsea Piers, focusing on detailed skill development and power skating. Dustin still plays locally for the Danbury Hattricks in the FPHL.
Keith Orrico
Bio to come
Neal Rich
Neal grew up in Stamford and played for the Stamford sharks starting at age 6, winning several state championships with the Travel program at the A level in Div 1. As a 4-year Varsity player for Stamford High School, Neal was a member of the 2001-02 FCIAC DIV 1 runner-up and the 2002-03 FCIAC DIV 1 Championship team. After a brief time in the AHL, an injury ended his professional career and Neal began coaching. Neal now lives in Norwalk with his girlfriend of ten years and our three dogs. Neal is currently the Mite Program Director and Head Coach as well as the Peewee A Head Coach for the Greenwich Cardinals Youth Hockey Association. He is also the Head Coach of the Junior Varsity Team and an Assistant Coach for the Varsity Hockey Team for Greenwich High School. Neal’s love and passion for the game over the last 29 years has helped guide his coaching career over the last 10 years. Neal looks forward to working with CT United to help the development of young hockey players of all ages along their paths through the greatest sport there is. Hard work beats talent, every day!
Darius Souza
Darius Souza is a Rhode Island native who grew up playing for the Providence Capitals. He played two years for LaSalle Academy before playing U16 and U18 in the USPHL for the South Shore Kings. Darius is a four-year member of the ACHA Division II Sacred Heart hockey team.
Contact Us
At CT United, we strive to provide as much information as possible to our parents and players. On our website, we list practice schedules, coaching rosters and bios, and explain the program’s format and philosophy.
Do you have a specific question not answered on our site? We’d love to hear from you. Send us a message and we will get right back to you. We hope to see you on the ice this spring!