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Florida Eels Prospects Teams Did Very Well at The USPHL NCDC Pre Draft

 

The Eels went to Foxboro Mass with 56 prospects and 4 veteran Eels not knowing what to expect and quite frankly did extremely well. The Eels Green team won two of its 3 games. They picked up their first win as they shutout the Columbus Mavericks 3-0 and then defeated the Pal Islanders in what was one of the best games in the Showcase against the Pal Islanders who had 50% Premier players on its squad.

The White team came up with a win over the Rockets and a tie over the weekend. The Black team earned a solid tie over the Rockets.

The Eels were impressed with their prospects. Quite a few new guys showed us quite a bit of skill and grit. Almost all asked to return with us at either the Pro Am Pre Draft in June or the Pro Am Chowder Cup in July.

The prospects were divided into 3 teams for the weekend. Each team had a practice and a scrimmage game prior to the showcase. This gave them an opportunity to be comfortable and before the games. Moreover, the Eels coaches and trainers had a chance to learn a little bit about each player. The Eels had their regular coaches and were joined by several college coaches and college alumni and pro alumni. It was a great experience for the players who got a feel for Junior hockey practices, their coaches and some very competitive games. There were a plethora of scouts from colleges the NCDC and other members of the USPHL
Great job all around!.

The Florida Eels are proud to announce its 270 college commitment: PJ Haas has committed to Robert Morris University Pa ACHA Division 1

 

PJ Haas joined the Eels last season as last year guy in quest for an opportunity to play big minutes, develop as a top forward and advance to college. He hit all those benchmarks. At 6’0” 170lbs he made his presence felt – on and off the ice. The Virginia Beach native,  earned the respect of his fellow players and coaches as he was selected as Assistant  Captain. He was a natural leader on the Eels Elite team.  He made his veteran status known. He helped propel his team to being one of the top teams in the entire Elite conference in the USPHL. Moreover, he used his size and strength on the ice. He was very aggressive on the fore-check. Constantly creating loose puck turn overs. He led by example. Driving hard to the net earning 6 goals and 13 assists in season. He worked his body along the boards and made his size felt to opposing players. He was as strong defensively as offensively with a relentless back checking and willingness to black shots. He bought into the Eels DNA do whatever is necessary to win.

 

PJ had many colleges following him and had a dozen offers for next season. It wasn’t a hard decision for him, however. He knew what he wanted, and Robert Morris University was it. RMU offered both the academic programs he wanted, coupled with an outstanding ACHA Div. I hockey program and excellent coaching. He is extremely excited to have made this decision.

 

We are very excited for PJ. He is a first class individual with impeccable character. He comes from a well know hockey family in the Southeast who has supported his dreams and goals. We are thrilled to have helped him realize his dreams into reality. Best of luck buddy in your college career at RMU

The Eels Green team came out on fire tonight as they lit the lamp 3 times to defeat the Columbus Mavericks 3-0 to pick up their first win at the NCDC Pre Draft Showcase. We got a lot of looks at our guys in the practices, scrimmage games and showcase games and this one gave us an even better snap shot of some of the players in a seriously competitive environment. There is some good talent here and we like what we have seen thus far. We have 3 more games Sunday and our players will be once again be out to the test.

Liam was a key component of the Eels Premier team’s success this past season. The Eels won their regular season championship in the Florida Division and their Playoff Division finishing as Finalist at Nationals.

He owned  the Florida Showcase back stopping all 4 games and had 13 very impressive wins over his tenure.

Best of luck buddy

2021 USPHL NCDC Combine In Detroit A Great Success For Players, Teams

By Joshua Boyd / USPHL.com, 04/25/21, 5:45PM EDT

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The first of two USPHL NCDC Combines took place on Friday and Saturday, April 23-24, at Mount Clemens Ice Arena in suburban Detroit, Mich.

Several teams from both divisions of the National Collegiate Development Conference were in attendance to scout 210 players. Organizations representing every one of the nine transcontinental USPHL Premier divisions, and all four USPHL Elite divisions, were in attendance to scout and offer player opportunities at those levels as well.

Throughout the weekend, there were 15 games (three for each of 10 teams put together by the event organizers), in addition to two Goaltender-specific training sessions and a USPHL NCDC Informational Seminar on Friday afternoon.

The seminar featured new USPHL Commissioner Bob Turow, as well as fellow League Office members John Rose (Deputy Commissioner / USPHL Premier and Elite) and Frank Scarpaci (South Director / USPHL Premier and Elite), along with Jim Hunt, a member of the USPHL Executive Committee and President/Associate Head Coach of the NCDC’s Dineen Cup Champion Jersey Hitmen.

Additionally, event host Justin Quenneville of the Metro Jets was joined by NCDC coaches from the Connecticut Jr. Rangers (Jim Henkel) and P.A.L. Jr. Islanders (Mike Marcou).

“Our job at the USPHL is to help advance you to a higher level of hockey, whether that be the NCDC, to a higher level of junior hockey, or to college hockey,” said Turow, to a crowd of more than 150 players and parents learning about the Nation’s Largest Amateur Hockey League. “I’m very proud and it’s very important for me as the Commissioner of the League that we are a pathway to college for everybody in this room or everyone who plays in this league, whether that be Division I hockey, Division III hockey or ACHA. We want to be seen as your pathway to college.”

“It’s a very unique ‘cradle to college’ model of player development,” said Hunt, who helped create both the USPHL and the NCDC as its top, tuition-free division. He went on to underscore the importance of being a good student, regardless of your level of play. “What we focus on is what kind of student are you? We [as the Hitmen] know what kind of hockey player a certain player is, but we ask him ‘Tell us about your Mom and Dad,’ we ask about their siblings if they have them, but most importantly we ask ‘What kind of student are you?'”

“You have a lot of choices. There are a lot of leagues,” added Scarpaci, who is the owner of the Florida Eels, who field teams at the USPHL Premier and USPHL Elite levels. “This league epitomizes the concept of player development, and brings it to the next level.”

He went on to talk about the amazing success of the USPHL, which has sent more than 2,000 players on to college hockey in its eight years. More than 3,200 players have advanced to college hockey from all of the USPHL’s Member Organizations.

Throughout the weekend, NCDC, Premier and Elite coaches jumped behind the bench to coach prospective future USPHL talent. Additionally, everywhere you looked after every game, players and their parents were meeting and exchanging information with teams to make connections for future opportunities whether in 2021-22 or beyond.

The games were fast and very even in most cases as players put out every ounce of energy they had to work towards a potential spot in the No. 1 league for player advancement, whether that be from one level of junior to the next higher, or directly into college hockey.

The USPHL thanks all of the 210 players, and in many cases their parents as well, for attending and participating, as well as the more than 40 distinct USPHL organizations from coast to coast that sent representatives for making this a fantastic event from start to finish.

The USPHL also thanks the on-and off-ice officials who worked the games and made every on-ice event run smoothly.

To top it off, the staff of the host Metro Jets and their home rink, the Mount Clemens Ice Arena, went above and beyond in their hospitality and service to all of the participants, coaches and the League from before dawn Friday morning straight to Saturday evening, and the USPHL thanks them immensely for their efforts.

The next USPHL NCDC Combine will take place May 14-15 in Chicago, Ill., at Fifth Third Arena, the practice home of the Chicago Blackhawks and new home of the USPHL Premier’s Chicago Cougars. Player registration for that event is sold out.