12/31/2025
Year end power rankings. Simple . Had to play at least 3 tournys to be ranked. Wins, finals appearances, final 4 , and seeding all contributed to rankings . Enjoy!!
1. Rockies. 2025 all they did was win. Win win win. James Barbier was MVP for 2025 and was unstoppable esp in the shoot out. Steve Andre and Nicky Becker were the top d pair while wild card Tyler Epright was unreal on d and occasionally on offense. Jeremy Smith jr was a stand out performer. - Outlook 2026— more winning. Losing Barbier to restricted list might make a wildcard decision difficult and losing some talent to their sister squad the stallions.
Captain Dan DeMarco had his work cut out to keep Riverwards on top.
2. Berserkers. 2025 after many finals appearances Alex Galesewiski had a ridiculously dominant performance to get them their first win. Offensively gifted team with Enrique Espinoza had a break out year and winning 2025 MVF. Fan favorite wildcard Gus Gittinger became a regular to go along with the always talented Nick Karcher. Outlook 2026– Berserkers seem to be hitting their prime and not slowing down / Vet gm Shawn Simon always has a great roster. Should continue
3. Avengers. Huge jump this year. One win and another finals appearance. Very young fast team with superior goaltending. Father son studs Jon And Hayden Ciulo are killer regulars to have!
Outlook 2026– Avengers keep getting better. A problem in 2024- early 2025 was 3 separate teams seemed to try to roster same young studs. Seems Avengers has their team and sky is the limit.
4. Mylec Vipers . One win, 2 one seeds and no seed Lower than 6 in 2025… vipers seemed to get rid of the 2 teams( black and white ) and go with one. Usually a top seed and def competitors. Rockies and specifically goaltender James Barbier had their number. Wildcard Matt Altimore helped a ton while vipers regulars Alex DiFazio and Tyler Riggs really performed. Mj Quillen and Steve Bowman regular appearances were not as frequent and it showed. Outlook 2026– when vipers have their right mix they can beat anyone. However different then most teams the vipers roster always seems to be missing 2-5 viper powerhouses each tournament. Attendence will decide their future.
5. Stallions. High high debut. They won the last event and made final 4 the event before. Captain Eddie Gach has a ridiculously fast team here that you can tell is going to be great for a long time. Young goaltender Cole Boothman is a stand out and who can’t love the play of MuMu Corbitt ?
Outlook 2026.. instigator ball hockey believes this team will challange for the 1 spot in 2026
6. Young Guns. Fast, young, skilled team that had high seeds in many tournaments this year.
Still have not put together that full playoff push. Robby Neal has been great in net, Jacob Mashaw extremely talented and the late additions of father /son duo Scott and Reece Powelll was a huge spark for this team. Outlook 2026- unknown. Young guns stated they are unsure of entering 2026 leaning not.
7. ExPros. Argueably most improved team 2025.. had at least 3 fire rosters! Additions of some Chimney fish regulars infused ball movement/ control. Frequent wildcard Brenden Keller brought some swag to the team. Longterm captain/goaltender Josh Cargon had some monster games. To be transparent I was shocked this team didn’t win one this year. Want to talk about a hungry team? This is it.
Outlook 2026- I’d be shocked if ExPros don’t get over the hump and win one this year.
8. Nukes- fairly new to the Instigator circuit this team flat out flys. One finals appearance and done great tournys this year. Shane huggers , Matt Meli and Jack boys are stand outs on a great team. Out look 2026. Prediction: this team will rank top 4 next year and at very least win one championship.
9. Poundtown- Ross Allen’s gritty , young team with stand out goalie Frank Pace always just in the thick of things. Tough grindy style that just knows how to win. Outlook 2026- team roster has changed a lot tbd with what magic Ross Allen has up his sleeve.
10. Red Coats. Young team from Rowan is always fast, stick handiling and in every game. Infrequently enters so not as high as they could be. Always fantastic goaltending and superior leadership from captain Owen Kase. Outlook 2026- everytime this team enters they get better and over all roster is better. I expect a climb
11. Soul. Frank Pace’s NBHl team is stick handling gold. Main concern is some tournys they can’t overcome late cancellations and main stay players not able to attend. Last tourny their best was on display as they went to their first finals losing in ot 1-0. Outlook 2026- if their main players come and they continue to use goaltending ace Calvin O’Connel in net they will see more finals this year.
12. Crease Monkeys- Mike French and the boys keep coming/ grinding and building. Dave Cassey is always one of the best tendys in the tourny. From their start the monkeys have grown and got way better. Couple of tweaks and sky is the limit. Outlook 2026- more growth and upward movement!
13. Cyclones. Wow . Growth. From a bottom team to one that fights hard. Captain Kevin Holloway is learning to team build. A surprising 2 seed at Black Saturday was their biggest success of the year. Outlook 2026– A sniper and ball loving d man away from being big players in the game. I believe they will get these players and have success.
The we miss you list—
Teams that we wish we would see more of
Black Widow’s
Lumberjacks
Jokers
Moonshiners
Purple Cobras
All regulars before that we saw 2 times or less this year!!
Next power rankings in May!!!!
