Gambardella to Des Moines

Press Release sent to the World of Junior Hockey

NEWARK, NJ – The New Jersey Rockets are pleased to announce that Junior A forward Joseph Gambardella (’93 birth year/Staten Island, NY) has been called up to play for Head Coach Regg Simon and the Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL). This is the second year in a row that Des Moines has acquired a Rocket player as they selected Junior B forward Kevin Labanc (’95 birth year/Staten Island, NY) in the 2011 USHL Futures Daft.

“We’re excited to have Joe join our team,” said Simon. “We’ll need him to fill a hole we had at the center position and I expect him to be the same player here as he was in New Jersey.”

The Staten Island native has followed up a very successful 2010-2011 season, in which he picked up 69 points (33G 36A) in 37 league games and was named the MJHL Defensive Forward of the Year, by scoring 29 points (22G 7 A) in league play an additional 18 points (9G 9A) in exhibition play to lead the Junior A team in total points. Gambardella often finds himself on the ice in the most crucial of situations and is a regular on the Rocket special teams.

Gambardella, who is currently ranked fourth in the AJHL in goals, is well-regarded for his overall offensive ability. “Joe’s got very good vision and a sense to find open teammates,” added Simon. “He’s also got a bit of a knack around the net.”

Gambardella knows that in order to have further success, he has to continue the hard work and dedication he has shown over the last two years, especially if he wants to continue his hockey career. “I can’t believe how far I’ve come,” commented Gambardella. “I never realized that I had the potential/ability to play hockey at the next level. I can’t thank my Rocket teammates and coaches enough for everything they’ve done for me. I definitely would not be where I am today without them.”

“Joe is a leader in the truest sense of the word,” offered Rockets Head Coach and Director of Player Development Bob Thornton. “In addition to having a strong academic background and a great upbringing, Gambardella has put in so much extra time and effort over the last two years to develop all areas of his game; we couldn’t be happier for him and we expect to hear great things from him in the future.”

“Joe has a great work ethic and a good understanding of the game,” said Simon. “I’m not surprised by that though, it is a usual trademark of players coming out of the Rockets organization.”

“Gambardella moving on to Des Moines continues what has been a great year for the Rockets organization,” added Thornton. “We’ve announced several college commitments already and now Gambardella moving on to the USHL to join alumni Kevin Labanc and Zach Aston-Reese (’94 birth year/Staten Island, NY) just shows how strong our program continues to be. We are eagerly anticipating making several more announcements in the coming weeks.”


(Nathan can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)