Established in 1973, the Quakers enter the 2026–27 season with more than 250 players, 18 teams competing in the DVHL, and an additional 6U Atoms program introducing the organization’s youngest players to the game.

From 6U through 18U, the Quakers have created a developmental pathway designed to challenge players at the appropriate competitive level while keeping them connected to one unified organization.

But ask the Quakers what they’re most proud of and the answer isn’t the size of the program.

It’s the culture they’ve built along the way.

“Our players are known by name, not number.”

That philosophy helps explain what Quakers hockey has become — a growing organization determined to remain personal, accessible, and connected no matter how large it gets.

18 Teams. One Club.

Few organizations in the DVHL will feature the competitive depth of the Quakers this season.

The club will field teams across virtually every level of DVHL competition, including:

18U: A National
16U: AA, A National, A American
14U: AA, A National, B National
12U: AA, A American, B National
10U: AA, two A American teams, B National
8U: Four teams

Add the organization’s 6U Atoms program, and the Quakers have built a pathway stretching from a player’s first introduction to organized hockey through their final years of youth competition.

The objective isn’t simply to have teams at every level.

It’s to place those teams where players will be challenged appropriately, develop their skills, and have opportunities to progress throughout the season.

Managing Growth Without Losing Identity

Growth is exciting.

It also creates one of the Quakers’ biggest challenges.

As the organization continues to expand, maintaining the culture and quality that helped create that growth becomes increasingly important.

The Quakers want every family to feel connected to the larger club, regardless of age level or team assignment.

Transparency, accessibility, and trust are central to that philosophy.

Players should feel supported.

Parents should feel connected.

Coaches should work together.

And everyone wearing the Quakers logo should understand that they’re part of something larger than their individual team.

That’s the standard the organization wants to preserve as it continues to grow.

Development Beyond the Scoreboard

The Quakers are committed to developing skilled hockey players.

Their larger goal, however, is developing good people.

At every age level, coaches use hockey to reinforce lessons in respect, accountability, teamwork, perseverance, leadership, and sportsmanship.

Practices and games provide opportunities to learn how to compete, respond to adversity, accept coaching, support teammates, and take responsibility.

Those lessons matter regardless of where hockey ultimately takes a player.

The Quakers want athletes to leave the organization as confident and responsible young men and women prepared for whatever comes next.

Hockey is simply the vehicle.

One Coaching Staff

One of the greatest strengths of the organization is the collaboration that takes place behind the bench.

Quakers coaches work across age groups, share ideas, support one another, and strive to create a consistent developmental experience throughout the club.

That cooperation reinforces the idea that coaches aren’t simply responsible for one roster.

They’re helping build an organization.

And once a year, the coaches get to remind everyone that they still enjoy playing, too.

The annual Quakers Coaches Thanksgiving Day Game brings the coaching staff together on the ice for one of the club’s favorite traditions.

It’s fun, but it also represents something important.

Players get to see their coaches enjoying the same game they’re asking their athletes to love, while demonstrating that friendship, teamwork, and camaraderie begin with the leaders of the organization.

16U AA: The Quaker Brotherhood

While development runs throughout the organization, the Quakers’ 16U AA team, led by Head Coach Mike Tordone, provides a glimpse of the competitive standard the club wants its players to pursue.

The team returns much of a group that earned an opportunity to compete for a District Championship last season, supplemented by new players bringing additional talent, character, and leadership.

But before Tordone talks about systems or championships, he talks about culture.

His expectation is that the players understand one fundamental idea:

Hockey is what they do. It isn’t who they are.

Character, integrity, accountability, respect, and work ethic come first.

As the highest-level team within the organization, 16U AA also understands that wearing the Quakers crest carries responsibility.

How players behave at the rink, at school, in the community, and around their teammates matters.

It’s an approach summed up by the team’s identity:

The Quaker Brotherhood.

Blue-Collar Hockey

Once the puck drops, don’t expect the Quakers’ 16U AA team to be quite as friendly.

Tordone describes his group as blue collar — a team built around effort, discipline, consistency, and winning the small battles that eventually decide big games.

The style will be structured.

Fast.

Physical.

Relentless.

Players are expected to compete across all 200 feet of the rink, play short, high-energy shifts, pressure opponents, put pucks on net, create traffic, and fight for possession.

There are no passengers.

Every player has a role.

And no individual is bigger than the crest on the front of the jersey.

“We don’t chase statistics, individual recognition, or personal accolades. We chase our standard.”

Opponents should expect a team determined to make every inch of ice difficult to earn.

Leadership Belongs to Everyone

There’s another interesting wrinkle to the 16U AA team’s culture.

There are no permanent captains.

Instead, the Quakers use a rotating captain system, giving every player an opportunity to experience the responsibility of leadership.

For Tordone, leadership isn’t defined by a letter.

It’s demonstrated through preparation, consistency, communication, work ethic, accountability, and a willingness to serve teammates.

Some players will lead with their voices.

Others will lead through their actions.

But everyone is expected to lead somehow.

By season’s end, the hope is that every player better understands what leadership actually requires.

A Foundation for Success

The Quakers enter 2026–27 with momentum from another strong year.

Last season’s 16U A National team finished second in the DVHL and advanced to the Tier II Affiliate Championship, while multiple Quakers teams reached the DVHL and EJEPL playoffs.

The organization also collected multiple tournament championships.

Those accomplishments matter.

But they’re viewed as outcomes of the larger process rather than the entire definition of success.

Competitive teams are built through development.

Development requires quality coaching.

Quality coaching works best within a strong culture.

And a strong culture depends on people who believe in it.

That’s the formula the Quakers intend to keep following.

Every Game Is a Rivalry Game

Ask the Quakers which rivalry game is circled on their calendar and you won’t get the name of another organization.

The answer is simpler:

Every game.

That’s the competitive mentality the club wants its teams to bring whenever the puck drops.

Classy and friendly away from competition.

Passionate and difficult to play against during it.

The Quakers want games to be hard-fought, exciting, and respectful — the kind of contests that remind players and families why they love hockey in the first place.

Back Where It Started

There’s also a bit of history connecting today’s Quakers with the organization’s earliest days.

The club was founded more than 50 years ago and originally played in Westtown Rink, which opened in 1973.

That same location is once again home to the organization today as PNY Sports Arena.

More than five decades later, the Quakers find themselves building the future of the organization in the same place where the story began.

It’s a fitting connection for a club that places so much value on tradition and community.

Make It Meaningful

Under the leadership of Club President Jamie Haslett and Hockey Director Eric Knodel, the vision for the future is clear.

Continue building a strong family culture.

Provide quality coaching.

Maintain a consistent developmental pathway.

Build competitive teams through commitment and hard work.

Create an environment where players genuinely love coming to the rink.

And support one another on and off the ice.

When 2026–27 is over, the Quakers hope opponents remember an organization that was classy and friendly off the ice, competitive and passionate once the puck dropped.

They hope families remember friendships.

Players remember teammates.

Coaches remember the progress.

And everyone remembers why they love the game.

There is one word the Quakers have chosen to describe the season ahead.

Meaningful.

For an organization built around family, character, and fun, it’s difficult to imagine a better goal.

Quakers Ice Hockey at a Glance
Established: 1973
DVHL Teams: 18
Total Players: 250+
Home Rink: PNY Sports Arena
Club President: Jamie Haslett
Hockey Director: Eric Knodel
Developmental Pathway: 6U Atoms through 18U

2025–26 Highlights

16U A National finished second in the DVHL
16U A National advanced to the Tier II Affiliate Championship
Multiple DVHL playoff teams
Multiple EJEPL playoff teams
Multiple tournament championships

Team Feature

16U AA — Head Coach Mike Tordone
Identity: Blue-collar, structured, fast, physical, and relentless
Leadership: Rotating captains with every player expected to lead
Standard: Effort, attitude, accountability, and character
Team Philosophy: No individual is bigger than the crest
The Quaker Brotherhood: Trust, accountability, sacrifice, and an unwavering commitment to one another

Fast Five

Biggest Strength: Family-first culture
Biggest Challenge: Managing growth while maintaining culture and quality
Player to Watch: Every Quaker
Toughest Opponent: The one they’re facing next
One Word for 2026–27: Meaningful

What to Watch in 2026–27

Can the Quakers grow without changing what makes them Quakers?

With 18 DVHL teams, more than 250 players, and competitive teams throughout the organization, the opportunity is significant. But their biggest measure of success may be maintaining the close-knit, family-first culture that fueled that growth in the first place.

Family. Character. Fun.

More than 50 years after the first Quakers took the ice, those remain the standards driving the organization forward.