NHL Player Kyle Palmieri Attends Next Level Training's Four-Year Anniversary Party

By Alexandra Gakos

On May 7, 2016, Next Level Training hosted its four-year anniversary celebration with its clients and their families. Over 125 people attended the anniversary party, including special guest, NHL forward Kyle Palmieri.

Palmieri, who grew up in Montvale, is a product of the New Jersey youth hockey system. A former member of the New Jersey Devils Youth Hockey Club at Richard J. Codey Arena (formerly South Mountain Arena) in West Orange, Palmieri is a role model to many of Next Level’s young athletes—young athletes who dream of being in his shoes one day as a professional athlete.

In a speech at the anniversary event, Palmieri discussed the role that the New Jersey hockey community played in shaping his career. He marveled at the off-ice training services available to young athletes today at facilities including Next Level, and he encouraged athletes to take advantage of all resources available to them.

“It’s great to see how far New Jersey hockey has come—I’m only ten years removed from playing at South Mountain Arena,” said Palmieri. “The facilities and the teams that they have available, the trainers here—[they’re] something that especially the young guys should take advantage [of]. I tried to take advantage of as much as I could.”

“It’s been a long road from New Jersey youth hockey, but it’s been great to meet a lot of great people along the way and try to give back,” added Palmieri. “I can see that the future of youth hockey in New Jersey is in good hands.”

Donald Shauger, owner of Next Level, noted that Next Level’s mission has always been to help foster a love for sports in youth, to offer an unparalleled level of services to its clients, and to advocate strongly for the health and well-being of its patrons.

“Our goal when we first opened Next Level was real plain and simple: to have a facility where young adults can come train and be healthy,” said Donald.

Since the time Next Level opened in 2012, it has expanded its offerings in order to provide its clients with the most unique, comprehensive, and well-rounded services possible. In addition to personal training, team training, and sport-specific training, Next Level has nutrition counseling sessions, as well as provides incoming clients a complimentary 30-minute initial physical therapy evaluation screening via Dr. James O’Rourke Physical Therapy.

Also in attendance at Next Level’s anniversary party were representatives from Hockey in New Jersey, an organization that gives children of all backgrounds and abilities the opportunity to play hockey. Next Level has been collecting hockey equipment donations for Hockey in New Jersey over the past year, and again encouraged its members to donate equipment at its anniversary party. Over five boxes of equipment were collected on May 7th; Next Level held a special raffle of VIP New Jersey Devils tickets for anyone who made an equipment donation.

“Thanks to the support of the staff and generous donations from the clientele of Next Level Training, Hockey in New Jersey has been able to outfit over 200 new participants to play ice hockey this season,” said Mike Liu, program manager of Hockey in New Jersey. “HNJ was excited to take part in Next Level’s anniversary and wishes [it] continued success.”

At the anniversary party, Bill Katinsky, Next Level’s head trainer, recognized the hard work and accomplishments of all of Next Level’s athletes and clients over the past year, many of whom received statewide honors. Katinsky also presented honors to five 2015-2016 Next Level Training award recipients: Delbarton High School as its Team of the Year, Kinnelon Colts Pee Wee AA as its Most Improved Team of the Year, Ally Detre as its Female Athlete of the Year, Grant Jozefek as its Male Athlete of the Year, and Will Cody as its Unsung Hero.

"We are grateful to everyone who celebrated our anniversary with us," said Katinsky. "It was great to see all the support that we got from current members, as well as from others who were looking to get back to the gym. It's a testament to how tight-knit the hockey community truly is.”

“Having guests, Hockey in New Jersey and Kyle Palmieri, join us made the event even more special,” added Katinsky. “But, at the end of the day, honoring Will Cody was the highlight of the day in my eyes. Will has shown great courage and perseverance in the face of adversity.”

In a classy gesture, Palmieri generously gave a pair of his hockey gloves to Cody.

Firmly committed to giving back to the community, Next Level donates time and money to various charities and organizations. Since it opened its doors four years ago, Next Level has donated one free team training session each month to the New Jersey Dare Devils, a hockey program for children with special needs based out of Codey Arena. Last year, Next Level named the Dare Devils its first-ever Team of the Year.

At the four-year anniversary party, the Dare Devils presented Next Level with a plaque to thank the trainers and the organization for their dedicated efforts in helping the Dare Devils succeed.

“These guys have been supporting us throughout the years,” said Stephen Ritter, head coach of the Dare Devils. “It’s a great organization. Anyone you know, you should recommend to come to this place.”

As one of its announcements at the anniversary party, Next Level committed to provide the Dare Devils with free monthly training sessions again during the upcoming year. In addition, Next Level gave the Dare Devils a donation of $500 in Palmieri’s name.

Next Level also raised money this past year for Susan G. Komen North Jersey, which funds breast cancer research; Daytop, which is an adolescent substance abuse treatment program; and the American Heart Association, which raises heart health awareness. Next Level, along with co-sponsor The Steve Weatherford World Champion Foundation, also held the third annual Project Prom, which is a yearly initiative to help students overcome adversity.

Next Level’s anniversary party festivities included a raffle of New Jersey Devils, New York Giants, and New York Mets tickets as well. Representatives from the New Jersey Devils were present, and the Devils organization donated raffle items, including a signed Palmieri hockey stick, an Adam Henrique bobblehead, and a Cory Schneider bobblehead.

In a fun-filled afternoon, anniversary partygoers also enjoyed games, activities, and T-shirt prize giveaways. Light refreshments and snacks were served while Palmieri mingled with attendees and signed autographs.

An Inside Look: Next Level’s 2015-2016 Award Recipients

2015-2016 Next Level Team of the Year: Delbarton Green Wave

During this year’s State tournament, Delbarton won its eleventh overall New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Non-Public title. Delbarton was also named the 2015-2016 NJ.com/The Star-Ledger Team of the Year. Delbarton has been team training at Next Level for three years, and many of its players have been training individually at Next Level since opening day. Delbarton begins its off-season training at Next Level each year about 10 weeks before its season starts.

2015-2016 Next Level Female Athlete of the Year: Ally Detre

Detre is a sophomore forward for Morristown-Beard's varsity girls ice hockey team and was named by NJ.com/The Star-Ledger as the 2015-2016 statewide girls Player of the Year in ice hockey. Detre led the state in scoring this season with an impressive 52 points, split evenly with 26 goals and 26 assists. In her two-year career with the Crimson, Detre has 92 points overall. With 40 points last year, Detre was named NJ.com/The Star-Ledger Rookie of the Year in the 2014-2015 season. Detre also plays hockey for the New Jersey Colonials 16U Tier I team.

2015-2016 Next Level Male Athlete of the Year: Grant Jozefek

Jozefek is in his third year training with Next Level. Currently playing for the Lincoln Stars of the USHL, Jozefek trains at Next Level when he is in New Jersey. Jozefek finished twelfth in the USHL in scoring this season, with 21 goals and 32 assists for a total of 53 points. Jozefek played for the US Junior Select Team in the World Junior A Challenge in December 2015. This coming fall, Jozefek will attend Northeastern University, where he will play Division I hockey for the Huskies.

2015-2016 Next Level Most Improved Team of the Year: Kinnelon Colts Pee Wee AA

The Kinnelon Colts Pee Wee AA team won the Eastern Junior Elite Prospect League (EJEPL) championship this season, competing in the 12U Sidney Crosby Conference. The team always works hard, with a lot of energy and enthusiasm, every time it trains at Next Level.

“The Colts Peewee AA team, led by coaches Alex Belmont and Jerry Dea, improved dramatically over the course of the 2015-2016 season,” said Tom Bishop, whose son, Kent, plays on the team. “Their work ethic and teamwork led to their success. Coaches Belmont and Dea elevated the team to new heights through high-tempo practices focusing on the fundamentals of the game. The players also benefited greatly from the hockey-specific training they received at Next Level. Very few players were injured last season, and I feel part of the reason is due to the strength training they did at Next Level.”

2015-2016 Next Level Unsung Hero: Will Cody

Will Cody plays as a forward for the Kinnelon Colts Pee Wee AA team. He has been team training and individually training at Next Level for three years. An inspiration, Cody has been a great example of courage and positivity. Next Level is honored to have the opportunity to train such an incredible, inspiring young athlete.​

Photo credit: Frank Ingram (Frank Ingram Photography)