Cleveland.com Ice Hockey All-Stars 2025: Meet the best from Northeast Ohio

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Nolan Ignacio started his senior season at St. Ignatius like any other this past fall. Playing defense for the defending state champions, Ignacio had been an X-factor for the Wildcats as a defenseman who could finish around the net.

Things took a turn for him as the season started. Ignacio played his shifts behind the blue line, but more often than not would integrate himself in the Wildcats’ offense as the young season marched on.

As his goal totals started to rise, so did his coach’s attention to where Ignacio was playing. Then came the Purple Puck Tournament just outside of Washington, D.C., at the end of December, where St. Ignatius head coach Pat O’Rourke made a change that put Ignacio on a totally different trajectory.

“Being a defenseman pretty much my whole life was something I thought I would carry on, especially this year, but things changed and our trip to Washington when I moved to forward, that was a really experience,” Ignacio said. “Being able to change so late in my career and having a good impact as soon as I changed over to offense was a really big help to my confidence and that just pushed me to keep rolling throughout the season.”

Ignacio and the Wildcats were off to the races after the bold move paid off in a big way. Ignacio’s senior season ended with a team-high 49 points off a team-high 34 goals and 15 assists, leading to All-Ohio first team honors this year.

Ignacio has also been named the cleveland.com ice hockey player of the year for the 2024-25 season.

It didn’t take long for Ignacio to change his mindset surveying a new part of the ice full time. A shoot-first mentality took Ignacio a long way during the season, and even led to the overtime goal against Toledo St. Francis de Sales to send the Wildcats back to the state championship game in March.

“Personally, I think it was my shot,” Ignacio said. “Not only was it the power in my shot that improved, but also the amount of shots I took. I shot the puck every chance I got. Like (Coach O’Rourke) said, every shot is a lottery ticket, obviously you could see that in the semifinal game of the state tournament. It wasn’t my best shot, but it still went in and that’s all it took.”

The other major factor in Ignacio’s success was the trust he has in his coaching staff. His entire career O’Rourke and the rest of the staff have been in his corner to mold him into the best player and person he could be.

“The coaching staff at Ignatius is pretty special because they all came from the same place. Most of our coaching staff went to Ignatius and played at Ignatius, but our core staff all played in the same class together,” Ignacio said. “They hear each other out way better than some other coaches might because of that special bond. That’s really special when you’re trying to build a team of brothers like they were when they played.”

A big part of that trust comes from the brotherhood built at St. Ignatius by living it firsthand.

“We were all so close together, even our families bought into the family aspect of our team,” Ignacio said. “We had just such a tight group inside and outside of the locker room that I knew we had to have the same thing this year. Just being so close as a group is the biggest thing that brought us success this year and last year.”

To be first-team All-Ohio takes years of development and passion. That doesn’t come by accident, with practices in the wee hours of the morning.

A player’s commitment to hockey starts with a belief from a young age, and Ignacio believes Northeast Ohio is as good of a hockey area as any in the country.

“Northeast Ohio just breeds athletes, especially hockey players,” Ignacio said. “Northeast Ohio is the place to be because we have such good development throughout the younger ages at every level. Everyone who wants to play hockey has a chance to play hockey, which is a really important thing.”

Ignacio just recently decided that while he has accomplished what few have on the ice, he will be focusing on baseball at the next level. He will play just down the road at Cuyahoga Community College.

With that move, Ignacio said he hasn’t closed the door on hockey just yet, there’s still “a crack” in the door he could give hockey another go.

Here are the rest of the 2024-25 cleveland.com ice hockey all-stars:

First Team

Goalie – Joshua Ellenberger, Walsh Jesuit, Sr.

A third-team All-Ohio goaltender, Ellenberger spent his senior year as one of the most dominant goaltenders in Ohio. Posting a 21-9 record in goal, Ellenberger helped the Warriors to the Kent Regional semifinals as one of the top teams in Northeast Ohio.

Ellenberger maintained a 90% save percentage with an average goals against of 2.1. In 31 games this past season, Ellenberger made 832 saves, which kept him busy and his team in nearly every game.

Defenseman – Carter Smith, St. Edward, Jr.

Smith was another defender who had a knack for goal scoring in 2025. Helping the Eagles make a run in the Brooklyn Region, Smith was a beast for the Eagles with a team-high 32 goals.

His hard-hitting defense was felt by many opponents, earning first-team All-Ohio honors as a junior shows just how high the ceiling is for Carter.

He managed 15 assists on the season to help show his selflessness on a young Eagles roster that brings back a lot of talent next season.

Defenseman – Jonathan Heckman, Walsh Jesuit, Sr.

The Warriors would not have found the success they did in 2025 without the help of Heckman. A third-team All-Ohio member for his efforts this past season, Heckman did it all for the Warriors.

Heckman had 14 points on offense, but was worth so much more on defense, leading one of the stingiest defenses in the state.

Forward – Ryan Kehres, Benedictine, Sr.

The Bengals took a tough step in 2025 and had one of the toughest draws in the Brooklyn Region. All of that still didn’t slow down Kehres.

Earning third-team All-Ohio honors thanks to his ability to finish around the net, Kehres accounted for 51 points for the Bengals. He led his team in both goals (23) and assists (28).

Forward – Max Matejcik, Padua, Sr.

Matejcik led one of the youngest teams in Ohio to one game away from an appearance in the Frozen Four. Matejcik was a catalyst for the Bruins, which helped him to third-team All-Ohio honors.

He capped off his senior year with 14 goals to go with 13 assists as the Bruins showed a lot of fight under his leadership.

Forward – AJ Trobenter, Mentor, Sr.

Trobenter led the Cardinals to the school’s first state semifinal in a program rich in hockey history. Trobenter put up eye-popping numbers as a senior. His 64 points (33 goals, 31 assists) were 22nd in the nation, according to MaxPreps.

The record books in Mentor are now littered with Trobenter’s name as this past season’s Cardinals team set a new standard in Northeast Ohio public school hockey.

Honorable Mention

Andy Benincasa, Shaker Heights, D

Finn Bryan, University School, D

Jagger Dalton, Walsh Jesuit, F

Ike Dooner, Cleveland Heights, F

Sean Evilsizer, Westlake, F

A.J. Feretti, North Olmsted, F

Dominic Filizetti, St. Ignatius, G

Gavin Jones, University School, F

Hayden Halverson, University School, G

Lex Herr, Benedictine, D

Andrew Holcomb, Walsh Jesuit, F

Marcus Kane, Padua, D

Ryan Lenahan, Shaker Heights, F

Luke Mack, Kenston, F

Jake Mackey, Mentor, F

Cooper Radillo, Orange, F

Gavin Rowell, Kenston, F

Rjordan Sjovold, Gilmour Academy, F

Cord Steigmeier, CVCA, F

Nolan Toole, Rocky River, F

Dominic Trem, Mentor, F

Ryan Wilkinson, Mentor, G

NOTE: The position for Jagger Dalton has been corrected.