#NCDCAwards: P.A.L. Jr. Islanders’ Ty Broad Named Atlantic Division 2023-24 MVP And Forward Of The Year

By Joshua Boyd / NCDCHockey.com 

The National Collegiate Development Conference is proud to announce that P.A.L. Jr. Islanders veteran forward Ty Broad has been named the Atlantic Division 2023-24 Most Valuable Player and Forward Of The Year. 

Broad, a 2003-born native of West Seneca, N.Y., is committed to Trinity College (NCAA). He finished as this year’s NCDC leading scorer with 70 points. He scored 25 goals and added 45 assists in 50 games. He led the NCDC as well in assists, points per game (1.40, first among players who completed the full season) and was second in power play points (28). His 70 points rank seventh all-time for single season output in the NCDC. 

As Captain of the Jr. Islanders, he led the defending Dineen Cup Champions to their first Founders Cup indicative of the regular season championship. The Jr. Islanders finished 40-7-4-1 for 85 points, the most in the league since the Jersey Hitmen finished with 87 points as Founders Cup champions in 2020. 

“It’s a huge honor and privilege to be named MVP and Forward Of The Year,” said Broad. “I want to give a huge thank you to my parents for believing in me and supporting me throughout my hockey career. I would not be where I am today without them. Thank you to my coaches, teammates, and training staff for helping me this year and giving me an amazing group to be a part of.” 

Broad, who started his NCDC career with the Jersey Hitmen in 2021-22, started his junior career after a long and productive Midget run with first the Buffalo Jr. Sabres and Rochester Coalition in upstate New York. He won a USA Hockey Tier I 18U National Championship with the Coalition in 2021. 

Early in 2021-22, he was traded from the Hitmen in mid-January 2022. From there, it was a match made in heaven. After completing that season with a combined nine points in 20 regular season and playoff games for P.A.L. That only hinted at what he’d do the next year. With the eventual champion Jr. Islanders in 2022-23, he put up 20-21-41 in 45 games, and added four points in seven playoff games en route to the title. 

joined the Jr. Islanders that same series. 

This year, in addition to his league-leading 70 points, he was also a +25 which was good for third on the team and tied for sixth among all NCDC forwards. He led the way among Jr. Islanders forwards in ice time as well at 20:38, and also in faceoff wins (596, sixth in the NCDC). His 69 hits were second on the team only to Atlantic Division Defenseman Of The Year Coleson Hanrahan. Additionally, Broad got into opponents’ heads, pushing them to 43 penalty infractions against him. Broad himself sat for only 24 minutes all year. Given his three years of contributions to the Jr. Islanders, he put in 118 points, which is good for second overall among P.A.L. players. Adding one more point from his time with the Hitmen, his 119 points put him into the top 10 all-time in NCDC scoring history. 

“I think being a part of P.A.L gave me the best opportunity to succeed and advance, and a lot of that is because of Head Coach Mike Marcou. He has believed in me since I’ve been here and I am forever grateful for that,” said Broad. “I wouldn’t trade my time at P.A.L for anything. Each team I’ve been a part of since being here has been extremely tight-knit. The coaching staff has always had my back and they have turned me into the player and person I am today.”

“I’m so happy to see all of the hard work Ty has put in pay off. Ty is very deserving of this and I’m happy to see his development on and off the ice,” added Coach Marcou. “He was a tremendous leader and led our team to a championship and Founders Cup. We will always keep a bit of Ty’s character in our culture and I am excited to see Ty grow in the NCAA.”

The NCDC joins the P.A.L. Jr. Islanders in congratulating the 2023-24 Atlantic Division MVP and Forward Of The Year Ty Broad. 

About The NCDC

The National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC) was founded in 2017 as the Tuition-Free Tier II conference of the United States Premier Hockey League, itself founded in 2012. The NCDC consists of 18 teams in three divisions, two on the Eastern Seaboard and one in the Rocky Mountain states of Colorado, Utah and Idaho.

The NCDC has sent more than 250 alumni to play NCAA Division I hockey, and more than 900 overall into NCAA college hockey. There were also more than 250 alumni in pro hockey around the world during the 2023-24 season. Former NCDC player Drew O’Connor has become a regular with the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, Collin Graf recently signed and has played with the San Jose Sharks, and there have been seven players selected in the NHL Entry Draft from the NCDC.