Category: Uncategorized

Welcome to the 2023-24 2^nd annual Florida Cup Ice Hockey Showcase. This event is designed to create a playoff atmosphere in the early part of the season for the local Florida teams: The Florida Eels, the Jr Blades, the Tampa Bay Juniors and the Palm Beach Typhoon.  Whereas the Atlanta Mad Hatters Jacksonville and Columbia will square ff in what is known this season as the Military Cup.

The Florida Cup is a 2 day event consisting of Saturday and Sunday games. The seedings are based on conclusion last year’s Regular Season final standings. The 1^st place team will Face-Off against the lowest seed. The 2^nd seed will square off against the 3^rd seed. Last season the both Eels teams were the winners of both the Elite and Premier Florida Cups. The Premier being the Gold and the Elite the Silver. So the Eels are the defending Champions.

In this year’s contest, both Eels teams finished at the top of the standings as Regular Season Champs. The Jr Blades finished the lowest seed amongst the 4 organizations participating so they will square off against the Eels this upcoming weekend. The Tampa Juniors will Face-off against the Palm Beach Typhoon on the initial day of games. On Sunday, the winners of each set of games will then compete for the Florida Cups on Sunday.

The spirit of these games is what throttles the competition. The games do count in the standings as  part of their 44 regular season games. Each team plays the Florida teams 8 times -4 home and 4 away, for 24 games, they play the Mad Hatters in 6 games – 3 home and 3 away, for a subtotal of 30 games, then they compete in 3 showcases, 2 in Florida and 1 in the Southeast, for a subtotal of  12 showcase games for a subtotal of 42 games, and then they compete in the Florida Cup in 2 games, totaling a 44 game season.

No doubt the Florida Cup establishes preliminary bragging rights for the teams. They are well scouted on Flohockey and part of the regular recruiting process.  Hope to see you there live at the Fort Myers Skatium or join us on Flohockey.  For a schedule, please look at the website for complete details. Saturday’s games are set but Sunday the times and opponents of course are TBD.

Southeast Showcase

This week the Florida Eels head to Raleigh NC for the annual Southeast Showcase. The Eels will Face-Off against their Southeast rivals for a 4 game showcase series. The Showcase runs from Friday October 6^th – Sunday October 8^th. The Eels players will be departing early Thursday morning at approximately 6:00 am busses depart. It will take approximately 12 hours.

The showcase will be attended by numerous college coaches and this will be an excellent venue for our players to showcase their skills. Our teams have already gotten off to a solid start and there no doubt garnered the attention of many college coaches. Indeed, we have advanced 349 players to college to date and the Eels are always under the radar of the college coaches.

I have set forth the schedules below, but the times are subject to change. So please keep an eye on the Florida Eels website for schedules.

During this showcase Clare will be making home cooked meals for our players. These trips have proven to be excellent forums for our players to bond even stronger. They have undergone well over 3 ½ weeks of intense preseason training and played in two series: one a three-game series vs the Mad Hatters and the 2^nd against Palm Beach. The boys are eager to take on the Southeast teams. It is the 1^st of 3 showcases plus the Florida Cup this season.

Premier Division

Friday October 6^th   Florida Eels vs. Hurricanes 10:00 am

Friday October 6^th Florida Eels vs. Columbia Infantry 6:00 pm

Saturday October 7^th Florida Eels vs the Charlotte Rush 2:15 pm

Sunday October 8^th Florida Eels vs Hampton Road 3:15 pm

Elite Division

Friday October 6^th Florida Eels vs the Charlotte Rush 2:30 pm

Saturday October 7^th Eels vs Hampton Road Whalers 7:45 am

Sunday October 8^th Florida Eels vs the Jr Hurricanes 11:00 am

Sunday October 8^th Florida Eels vs Potomac Patriots 5:00 pm

The Eels completed their home and away series against the Typhoon on a high note as the Elite and Premier capture two wins apiece. These games proved proof positive the value of our 4 weeks of training camp. The boys looked very good from the 6 games against the Atlanta Mad Hatters and the 4 vs the Palm Beach Typhoon.

 

On Sunday, the Elite team handed a stifling  6-2 lost to the Typhoon. Although the Elite squad was in neutral in the first period as the score ended 1-1, they sure came alive in the 2^nd period with 4 unanswered goals.

No doubt coach Hill triggered his troops and GM Scarpaci challenged some of his veteran players to take responsibility and play our game. We saw the Eels ignite and smother the Typhoon on the fore-check and suffocate them on the back check. The shots on net tell the story as the Eels unleashed 53 compared to Palm Beach which had only 20 on the Eels netminder.

In the 3^rd period the teams exchanged single goals closing the scoring 6-2. This game we saw strong performances by Cole Taylor with 2 goals, Jackson Carnes who had a key and timely shorthanded goal and another incredible performance by rookie  Nikita Shchevyev with 3 assists.

The Eels Premier team also handed Palm Beach their 2^nd loss of the weekend. On Friday the Eels handed the Typhoon a 7-0 shutout and on Sunday the Eels struck for 5 goals and allowed a stingy 2. In this game Palm Beach played a much more aggressive game firing 30 shots at Eels Goalie Toby Bell and scored 2 in their drive. They took many more chances and no doubt the Eels had t “weather the storm- Typhoon” and that they did. With strong discipline, aggressive fore-check and their patterned smothering back check.

They stayed their course and not allow the Typhoon to distract their structure. The Eels showed off their explosive offense with unleashing 50 shots on net and impressed a hefty crowd.

We saw very strong performances by Dario Zitko  with his 5^th goal of the season and 4^th assists, Mathew Perry with his 4^th of the season, Jared Salminen  with his 3^rd of the season and 6^th assists, Maverick Crupi with his 4^th of the season  and 5^th assists and 1^st star of the game, and
Noah Trathen  with his 5^th of the season, and Toby Bell who registered his 3^rd win of the season boasting a stingy 2.67 GAA and  a Sav%.926

This week the Eels head to the South East Showcase in North Carolina

The Florida Eels Premier and Elite squads headed to Typhoon conditions at Palm Beach and simmer any threat of defeat. Indeed, the Premier team unraveled the Typhon Premier team 7-0 unleashing north of 40 shots on net and thawing Palm Beach to a meager 15. The Eels smothering backcheck was a large reason for the resulting suffocating shutout. Justin Deshaies had a hat trick for the Eels. His first as an Eel. He now has 4 goals and 4 assists on the season. Another high note is on defense Brayden Goddard scored two goals from the backend. Dylan Boughen secured the shutout in net.

On the Elite side of the equation things were a little dicer. The Eels went up 3-0 and all felt a little comfortable for them. But a 5-minute major brought on the Typhoon threat as they came storming back. This advantage brought all things even 3-3 and a new game was present. At the end of regulation, the scored remained 4-4. Each team exchanged power plays during the OT and Teddy Feng closed things out for the Eels with his 2^nd goal of the game. Winning 5-4 in OT

The Eels were thrilled to come up with 2 wins in their first set of away games. They return home on Sunday with a rematch against Palm Beach. Join us live or on Flohockey. Elite game is at 10:30 am Premier 1:00 pm

Congratulations goes out to Nick Roesch as he reached his 700th career broadcast. Nick was celebrated by Dan K with  A Super Broadcaster Card 

Nick stated his broadcast journey with the Florida Eels a few years ago while he was in high school. He continued with the Eels as the organization advanced to numerous showcases around the USA,  into playoffs and at Nationals. Nick has become a staple in the USPHL being invited to many of the league’s top events. Nick has received numerous awards for his accomplishments including Two Time Dan K Broadcaster of the Year. 

Nick has done professional broadcast for minor league baseball, ECHL Florida Everblades and last season in Mississippi minor league hockey. We are thrilled Nick is back as the Eels broadcaster this season and very proud of his accomplishments.  We know he will continue to mature and develop in Broadcasting and one day be a top performer in his craft.

This season Dan K and Lucas Jones will be highlighting special accomplishments of players in the Premier and Elite teams via Hockey Card Banners. Last week it was Matthew Perry and Noah Trathen for Their 7 Point Weekend over the  Mad Hatters.

The Florida Eels Premier and Elite teams square off for the first time this season against their East Coast rivals the Palm Beach Typhoon this weekend. This will be the Eels first set of home and away games of the new season. The Eels travel to West Palm Beach on Friday for its first away series of games while they will return home for its home games against the Typhoon on Sunday. The Eels and the Typhoon always have some very competitive games and this weekend no doubt will be no different.

 Despite the fact that the Eels had a better season record then the Typhoon last season, it means just that. In Junior hockey last season means that: Last season. Teams are re-tooled with hard pressed recruitment and player development. We can surely expect Palm Beach to come in with strong Premier and Elite clubs. In fact, the Typhoon and the Northern Cyclones are owned by the same group and they work very closely in off season recruitment. The Cyclones have steadfastly been one of the strong programs in the USPHL so we can look forward to some added help there. Moreover, GM Scarpaci echoed, the Palm Beach Typhoon were one of the most improved organizations in the Florida Division last season, so we expect to see measurably steps upward in the standings.

The Eels had a very successful season openers against the Atlanta Mad Hatters. Premier 3-0 and Elite 2-1.  They are looking to build on that early good start. Each game is very important whether early in the season or right down to the final set of games. Although the Typhoon had a few hiccups against the Tampa Juniors in their season openers, the Eels will not take them lightly or for granted.

Come join us in person on Friday or on Flohockey. Of course, if you are in town on Sunday, join us at the Fort Myers Skatium. No doubt this is the best hockey in town. Help us celebrate and defend our Divisional Championships. Go Eels!!!!!!!!

The Florida Eels want to Congratulate Goalie Nate Haas for being Selected ERES Elite Team Player of the Week for the week September 29th 30the and October 1st.  Nate backboned the Eels Elite team  to its two wins over the weekend Home and Season Openers over the Atlanata Mad Hatters. In two games he allowed a stingy 3 goals  for a 1.5 GAA and a .959 save% He was selected as number one star of the game and 2nd star of game two.

Each week the Florida Eels will select its ERES Player of the Week from its Premier team. ERES  is the Eels corporate sponsor and a strong supporter of our Eels Junior Hockey Organization

The Florida Eels want to congratulate forward  Matthew Perry for being selected as the Florida Eels Premier team’s  RYCON Player of the Week September 29^th, 30^th and October 1^st.  Matthew had an incredible 3 game series against the Atlanta Mad Hatters where he scored 3 goals and notched 4 assists for a 7 point weekend. Matthew is a newcomer to the Eels from Dayton Valley AB Canada. He was selected as First Star of the game and twice 2^nd Star of the game. He was instrumental in piloting the Eels Premier team to a 3 game sweep of the Mad Hatters where its scored 20 goals over the weekend and positioning itself into First Place in the Florida Division.

Each week the Florida Eels will select its RYCON  Player of the Week from its Premier team. RYCON is the Eels corporate sponsor and a strong supporter of our Eels Junior Hockey Organization

 

Well, the season and home opener has proven to be very strong in the first two days of games. One thing for sure, the Mad Hatters are one of the most improved programs in the league. The Mad Hatter’s Elite team is very deep. Last season they had two strong lines. But we readily witnessed, this squad is very deep in talent. They have 4 lines that are very good. They have some wheels and drive to our net consistently. They are a much tougher team using their body very effectively. Despite their stepped-up physicality, they are a much cleaner team than in the past.

On Saturday, the Eels upended the Mad Hatters 2-1 and today they best Atlanta 3-2. For the Eels it gave us a great opportunity to test our new guys. We have a good deal of returning veterans but with 50% rookies, you never know how they make the adjustment to Juniors.  The coaching staff was indeed impressed with our guys across the board. In fact, we saw all of the scoring on Saturday was from young guns – 2007 date of births.

Today, once again the Eels Elite team was victorious with a 3-2 final. But the win was not easy. It took our patterned smothering fore-check and suffocating back checking to thaw the Mad Hatters. The boys did out skate Atlanta and no doubt had the edge in skill. GM Scarpaci echoed, that was to be expected. We have been training tirelessly, for over 3 weeks at a clip of 4-5 hours per day. This is the hallmark of the Eels program: to arrive 3 ½ weeks ahead of the season openers and train like never before. We have a staff of 5 coaches and players endure unparrlaared training, demanding unwavering commitment and dedication to our systems. It isn’t easy playing for the Eels. Players need to be 100% committed.

There is a reason the Eels come out “Hot” out of the gate. We expect to be November ready in September. New comers need to jell in with the veteran players as well. This is all part of the process. On Monday the Elite team closes out the 3 game weekend. Game time is 9:00 am. The Eels are looking to capture sweep while the Mad Hatters are looking to avenge its 2 losses.

On the Premier side of the equation, the games have been equally competitive. Last season we all experienced the improvement of the Mad Hatters  Premier team. They went form 4^th place to 2^nd place up ending the Jt Blades, the Palm Beach Typhoon and the Tampa Juniors taking 2^nd place overall in the Florida Division. But clearly significantly behind the Eels. This weekend, the Mad Hatters came in trying to close the gap on the Eels.

On Saturday, the Hatters looked quite impressive in period one holding tight with the Eels shift by shift. But the Eels took over in period two putting past 7 goals on the Mad Hatters netminder enroute to a crushing 10-5 defeat. The Eels offense took complete control and looked very much like last season despite having 50% newcomers. The boys were overwhelming and impressive.

Today, the Mad Hatters were much more disciplined and played a tighter game. The Mad Hatters forced the Eels into overtime ending regulation 2-2. However, it only took the Eels a few seconds of OT 3 on 3 to score and close out the match. One thing for sure we started to see some very talented skill set for m our guys. They were putting on a clinic at times. The Hatters goalie was stella turing away shots upon shots holding back a potential repeat of a double diegt Eels performance.

Well, both Eels teams close out the 3 game series Monday at the Skatium Be sure to join us  9:00 am for Elite and noon for the Premier squad.