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The Florida Eels coaches are off to the USPHL Combine in Detroit MIchigan this week for their first major recruiting weekend. There are in excess of 220 players showcasing their skills in a weekend tournament style showcase.

Eels Premier Coach Frankie Scarpaci Elite Coach Alex Sanchez will be joined by Florida Eels General Manager Frank Scarpaci for this forum. We have signed several players last year at this venue and we are looking forward to a rewarding weekend.

The Eels are once again looking to retool for next season as they have had over the last 10 years. And what a run it has been. Consistently winning the Regular Season Florida Division Title and playoffs. 8 years advancing to Nationals 5 semi final appearances and 3 final appearances.

The Eels will be heading to Foxboro Mass for the USPHL Spring NCDC Pre Draft Prospects Showcase. The Florida Eels have 3 teams of prospects looking to join the Eels for next season. This is indeed extremely impressive. It too will be a tournament style showcase where players will compete against teams from around the league. The Eels will conduct a practice for the players and have several scrimmages before the weekend games to help prepare its players for the weekend games.

Also in May, the Eels coaches will travel to the USPHL 2nd Combine in Chicago. These are some huge endeavors for the Eels coaching staff and they very much looking forward to these early recruiting measures.

After two seasons of playing juniors with the Florida Eels Gavin Hoover will be making his jump to the Next Level as he commits to Western Michigan University and its ACHA Division I hockey program. Hoover is 5’11 161 lbs. left shot forward. He has played two seasons with the Florida Eels. He actually is only a 2003 with two years of junior eligibility. Despite being only a 03 he is a two year veteran of the Eels and the USPHL.

Gavin brings much excitement and zeal to the ice. He has solid skill set. A strong skater with good speed. He handles the puck well. Has the will and desire to score. He brings an unwavering commitment to his team. A dedicated player. High hockey IQ. He is the ultimate competitor.

Gavin is anxious to start his college career. He has had a plethora of college options with many fine academic institutions with solid college club teams. Gavin did extensive due diligence and was sold on WMU. Moreover, Hoover was so impressed with Coach Andy Reynolds. He is a solid college coach and Gavin is looking forward to the transition from being an Eels to becoming a West Michigan Stallion.

We wish the best for Gavin in his college career.

The Florida Eels forging forward in the Spring preparing for next season. They enter the USPHL Spring Showcase The NCDC Pre Draft Event

Players 2005-2000

The Florida Eels Defensemen Payton Donica Commits to ACHA West Virginia University.

 

The Florida Eels are honored to announce that veteran defensemen Payton Donica from Columbus Indiana claims West Virginia University as his home for the next four years. Donica at 6’3 185 lbs. will bring size and experience to the West Virginia Mountaineers. Donica a solid veteran (2000)  in the USPHL. He  plays a defensive style of play. He relentlessly outworks opponents in the D Zone. Battles hard in the crease and along the boards. Smart first pass out and has good puck movement skills. He is solid in the neutral zone with solid gap and has a nice shot on the offensive blueline.

 

Payton proved to be a solid leader on the Eels Elite team. Great team guy. Selfless player. Great in the locker room. He has a high hockey IQ.  Has solid work ethic. Unwavering commitment to win. He is so excited to be taking his game to the Next Level. Advancing to college hockey has been a lifelong dream for Donica. Coming to the Eels this season helped made this a reality. It was great that Payton had many college options available to him. But UWV just felt right. Coach Shane Buckley  and the other coaches has seen  through this season and Payton felt good about his future there. Moreover, West Virginia has one of the top academic programs in the United States. The bottom line,  it is all about college and West Virginia fits all the  right boxes.

 

This is a young man of impeccable character. He will do so well in his 4 year college tenure.

 

We wish Payton all the best he will be missed.

Florida Eels Stepan Nosar To Join ACHA Division I Next Season

Roosevelt University The Florida Eels are thrilled to announce its 3rd College commitment this season. Stepan Nosar will join Roosevelt University ACHA Division I program for next season. Eels’ veteran defensemen Stepan Nosar, from the Ukraine, will join Roosevelt University in Chicago for the Fall of 2021. This marks the Florida Eels 263rd college commitment. Very impressive benchmark and achievement for a Junior Program.

At 6’0 185 lbs. Nosar will bring good size to the Roosevelt Lakers’ team. Stepan is a three year veteran of the USPHL. He plays a hybrid style of play as he moves the puck well and joins the offensive rush. He has good puck control. He is a physical player and is quite strong in the D Zone ensuring his goalie and their crease are taken care of. He uses his size and his body very effectively as he battles along the boards and in the crease. He has a nice heavy shot on the offensive blueline. He brings a wealth of experience playing both in the Premier and Elite Divisions. He will be a strong asset to the Lakers.

Nosar had quite a few college options and quite frankly has another year of junior eligibility. However, he was determined to start his college career and play for the Roosevelt Lakers. Indeed, he is very excited about playing for Roosevelt’s head coach Billy Karr. Coach Karr is a very experienced college coach with a proven track record. At Roosevelt, Stepan will be joining Eels alumni Darryl Smith and Nick Kotz.

We wish Stepan the very best and he will continue a long line and legacy of Florida Eels commitments

The Florida Eels Defensemen Grant Miner Signs with Eastern Kentucky University

Grant Miner played one and a half seasons – 46 games – with the Florida Eels Elite team before being advanced to the Motor City Hockey Club Premier team this season for 8 games. Miner at 6’1 176 LBS. from O’Fallon, IL, brought considerable enthusiasm and zeal to the Florida Eels team and fellow players. His two seasons at juniors will boast him well preparing him for the college game. The Eels scouted Grant at the Americas Showcase 3 years ago which was the USA Hockey All Star Showcase for the top high school players in the USA. We were glad we brought him in. This forum did him well and opened up the opportunity for Grant to develop his skills and fortitude to advance to play college hockey. The Eels are thrilled to be a part of helping him realize his dream and goal of playing college hockey.

Grant is a 2002 and although he has 2 more seasons of junior eligibility, he feels confident and ready to make the move to college hockey. He moves the puck well and his skating skills will support his goal. He likes to play a physical style of play and he uses his size to that end. He has good vision and plays with a high compete level.

Grant was so excited to select Eastern Kentucky University and its ACHA team as his home for the next 4 years. He had a number of options and talked with several colleges but UKU just felt right. Miner had been recruited by EKU Coach Joel Cormier and liked what he had to say, and his decision was sealed when Grant and his family visited the campus. Coach Cormier style and coaching philosophy was exactly what Grant was seeking for his future. Miner’s commitment marks the Eels 264 player advancing on to college hockey.

We wish Grant the best of luck in his future.

A gritty effort at both ends of the ice and standout goaltending helped Florida Eels advance to the 2021 USPHLPremier National Championship game.

The Florida Division champs scored the lone first period goal and sank the game-winner along with a pair of empty net insurance markers in a 4-1 against the Southeast Division’s second seed, the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes.

The win earned the Eels a spot in the National Championship game on Monday at 1 p.m. EST against the Southeast Division champion Charlotte Rush.

The Eels and Jr. Canes traded goals through the opening two periods – the Eels with the lone goal of the opening frame and the Canes battling back in the second, the Eels adding the game winner and a couple empty netters in the final 20 minutes.

But making it all possible was Alexandre Caron (‘01/Ste-Victoir-de-Sorel, Que.) who pushed away 43 of 44 Hurricanes shots, helping the Eels to the win despite being outshot 44-24.

Casey Gerstein fired the first period goal for the Eels and Jacob Schnapp (‘00/Tampa, Fla.) responded for the Hurricanes with the lone second period tally.

Taurin Haddon-Harris (‘01/Boca Raton, Fla.) buried the game-winner for the Eels while Demeed Podrezov (‘00/Moscow, Russia) and Collin Patterson (‘02/Melbourne, Fla.) sank the empty-netters.

The USPHL Premier Nationals

We start the regular season with 70 plus teams in various Divisions Premier and Elite

A lot to be proud of by all the teams who made their Divisional playoffs and for those who advanced to Nationals This has been even more challenging in the Covid year

Congrats to all of our teams in the league

For the

Florida Eels Junior Hockey

Premier team we were here amongst the Divisional playoff championship teams 16 to be exact Yes 16 great teams and now we are down to Four

The semifinals

Wow

Florida Eels Junior Hockey have made it to the Semifinals This is truly an honor

But we are not done

Our players and coaches are poised and continue to work overtime on preparation for the hurculean task ahead of them

But this is what we have been working for and on all year long This is not foreign to us

44 league games 240 practices as many gym sets and countless video training and analytics

I have never seen my team or any other junior team more dialed in more determined to take it all .

There is a unique bond. From guys across the USA Canada and Europe a typical Eels team all who share the unwavering commitment collectively as a team with the common mission Win Nationals

We are Proud of you guys

Thanks

Coach Frank

The Eels came once again to play and i mean play and that is exactly what they did as they handed the NY Aviators their 2nd loss of the Nationals and earn the Eels their  second win at Nationals. This was huge indeed. In fact this was a bit more challenging than yesterday’s win over the MJDP.  Indeed, the score at the end of the 1st period was 0-0 and the Aviators were holding the Eels feet to the fire as the score remained scoreless.

The Eels had to make several adjustments in this game and things were a bit askew. But within short order they found their game and came on hard and opened things up right quickly.

Once they opened up the scoring the Eels found their grove and they were back in sync. Before long the game got a bit chippy and penalties  ensured by both teams as they traded 5 minute majors at different junctures. In fact, the Aviators capitalized on their 5 minute major scoring their lone goal of the game.

The Eels on the other hand continued to press and they simply had too much fire power for the Aviators to stall. The Eels went into their patterned  offensive onslaught and unleashed their high octane attack that opened things up at the seems and delivered a huge win.

The Eels play on Sunday taking on the remaining team in their pool bracket to determine who advances to the semi finals.

Scoring went as follows:

Florida Eels 0 3 2 – 5
New York Aviators 0 1 0 – 1

1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Santarelli Nya (tripping), 11:46; Malakyan Eel (roughing), 14:04.

2nd Period-1, Florida Eels, Goral 2 (Malakyan, Tourchot), 2:23. 2, Florida Eels, Gerstein 1 (Roost, Podrezov), 3:15 (PP). 3, Florida Eels, Gerstein 2 (Haddon- Harris, Roost), 13:39 (PP). 4, New York Aviators, Munoz 1 (Santarelli, Albrecht), 19:27 (PP). Penalties-Jaldung Nya (elbowing), 2:43; Espinasse Eel (high-sticking), 7:54; Jaldung Nya (slashing), 13:22; Espinasse Eel (major -contact to the head), 17:53.

3rd Period-5, Florida Eels, Stewart 1   12:23. 6, Florida Eels, Belgrave 4 (Haddon- Harris), 16:24 (SH EN). Penalties-Rundle Nya (kneeing), 5:10; Goral Eel (slashing), 7:47; Beckman Nya (holding), 7:47; Tynan Nya (tripping), 11:06; Maroszek Eel (major -boarding), 12:12; Chatwin Nya (major -contact to the head, disqualficaton), 17:32.

Shots on Goal-Florida Eels 17-12-14-43. New York Aviators 15-11-8-34.
Power Play Opportunities-Florida Eels 2 / 6; New York Aviators 1 / 4.
Goalies-Florida Eels, Caron (34 shots-33 saves). New York Aviators, Marino (42 shots-38 saves).