Florida Eels implement Yoga classes for Premier and Elite Teams. Tara Mina  Certified Yoga Instructor has joined the Eels staff to provide Yoga Classes to our players. The sessions will be held on Wednesdays 9:30 am for Premier and noon for Elite. Yoga can help improved flexibility, balance and coordination all of which can positively affect our players performance on the ice. Yoga has proven to be a valuable tool for amateur and professional hockey players to improve both body and mind. The Eels players were indeed excited to have this part of our program.

 

 

The Eels had a tough 6 game series in Atlanta GA where the Premier and Elite squads took on the Madhatters for a 3 game series. These were pretty tough games. The Madhatters were the most improved set of teams we have played this season. No doubt the Eels and Madhatters battled for every inch of the ice. The Eels Premier team were successful in 2 of the 3 games. They had to make a few adjustments after this r loss in game one. No doubt the Eels premier team were dominate in game 2 and 3 and took the Madhatters to school. However, the Elite team was held to 1 win but an impressive one at that. It won 1-0 and the game kept everyone close to the TV or benches as each period each minute and each second clicked.

The Elite team saw a very different style of play by the Madhatters and they learned from it. We saw this when they came to Florida back in September but there the Eels won 2 of the 3 games. There is no doubt these guys can play and they bring and extremely physical style of play to the ice.

The boys were a bit banged up on both organizations and this is underscored when you compete in a 3 game series.

The Eels retuned early Monday morning 3:00 am and will now face off vs their cross town rivals the Florida Jr Blades Saturday at Hertz Arena and home on Sunday.

The Florida Eels are Proud to Announce that Two of its Premier Players Selected as Players of the Month: Jared Salminen and Noah Trathen. This is no surprise to the coaching staff or anyone watching the Eels Premier team this season. They  make up 2/3rd s of the first line the other is Devin Shepherd. These 3 have been on fire. Shepherd 5 goals 17 assists,, Salminen 10 goals 17 assists, Trathen 17 goals and 16 assists.

That is 32 goals. That is 1/3rd of the total goals for the Eels. These 3 boys bring unwavering determination and fortitude to every practice and every game. They are focused and hungry., No doubt excellent college prospects for any NCAA team. To say they are impactful is an understatement of the year.

Folks it is important that you keep the following dates in mind when making your travel plans.

The Eels will be playing at the Pre Christmas USPHL Showcase in Estero Florida. The games run from December 15th-18th.  The players are free to go home on the 19th of December. 

The Boys must return on or before December 31st. 

 

 

We have a Showcase in Tampa Florida Jan 3rd -5th 

We will have practice Jan 1st.  All players (No exceptions)  must be here and present for an early morning practice Jan 1st.  We leave on Jan 2nd for games on Jan 3rd  The boys will have been away from practices for 13 days so we need this time to re-group and be ready for the upcoming games.

These showcases will be attended by many college coaches. The exposure is incredible and we want to make sure all players get the opportunity to garner as much visibility and exposure as possible. Moreover, these games are all part of our regular season so it is imperative that practice  so we can do well. That is why we need 100% cooperation in being here for practice on Jan 1st

If you have any questions please call

Thank You

Frank Scarpaci

Florida Eels GM

941-400-9023

 

The Florida Eels Premier and Elite Teams Bring Home Two Solid Wins Over Tampa Rivals in Sunday Games.

On Sunday both Eels squads had fire in their bellies after their losses to Tampa on Friday evening. The guys knew full well they were much better than the results of their away games up in Tampa. In fact, for the Premier guys, they outshot Tampa 2-1 delivering over 48 shots but were stymied and settling for one point with SO. The Elite team fell harder on Friday with a stinging loss 5-3.

However, the Elite team refocused and got back on track. The Eels Elite team looked like themselves on Sunday, a determined forecheck denying back check and clean hard hitting in all 3 zones. They kept the game low scoring and at the end of regulation the score was 2-2. The same was true at the end of 3 on 3 OT In the shoot-out the Eels were victorious and celebrated their win.

Shortly thereafter, the Eels Premier team took the ice looking to avenge their OT loss of Friday and that is what they did. They looked like a team possessed. They unleashed 37 shots on net and put 8 behind their net minder and only allowed 2. The ice surface was tilted on one direction the entire game Aside from the Tampa Juniors scoring 1^st in the 1^st minute of play, the Eels were simply too overpowering in this game. The Eels knew full well that Friday’s game was a hiccup with the SO loss and this game proved wear the barometer really fell.

Both Eels teams remain in 1^st place in the Florida Division and head to Atlanta for their 3 game series.

USPHL Premier 2023-24 South Region Players Of The Week

October 26, 2023

Friday night was anything but “Lights” for both the Eels Elite and Premier squads.  The Elite had gone 4 straight games without a loss and won 5 of 6 whereas the Premier was on a tear with 5 straight impressive wins including a 5-0 shutout of the Tampa Juniors. But last night was not their day. The Premier team outshot the Juniors 48-35 but the solid play of the Juniors goalie kept his team in it. The Eels did manage to tie it up and force it into OT  and the teams remained deadlock and its went into a shootout.  But  there again the Eels shooters came up dry and they loss in the shootout. Our scoring touch was simply not there tonight says GM Scarpaci. No doubt  this was a frustrating loss. We were right there. We needed a luck bounce but it was not there. We make no excuses. We are and will be better ….trust me echoed Coach Scarpaci

On  the Elite team, they also outshot the Juniors 35 -31 but in  the end we were were outgunned 5-3.  Look at the margin. We needed to put a couple behind their goalie and stop at least one  more to bring it into OT. “We offer no excuses here. This was not up to our standards…” comments Head Coach Hill. GM Scarpaci says “the boys need to be accountable. Tampa is a very good team and we wont see any easy wins here….” We did manage to pull the goalie to add another attacker and we had the power play but Tampa seized that opportunity of an empty net and scored making it 5-3.

The Eels will be looking to avenge its losses on Sunday and the two organizations complete the home and away series of the weekend. You can rest assure the Eels coaches will be examining the losses here and making some needed changes.

Come join us for some exciting action on Sunday

The United States Premier Hockey League is proud to announce that the 2024 USPHL National Championships will return to Utica, New York, co-hosted between the League and the Utica Jr. Comets and the Utica Comets (AHL) organizations, between March 21-26, 2024. The host site will once again be the three-sheet Utica University Nexus Center in Utica.

The Utica University Nexus Center successfully hosted the 2023 USPHL Nationals over six days in March 2023, with 26 teams arriving from around the country to participate in the tournament, which crowns playoff champions in the USPHL Premier and USPHL Elite Conferences. Among the three NHL-sized ice sheets is the Mastrovito Hyundai Rink, which is the home ice for the Utica University Pioneers NCAA Division III women’s hockey program.

Overlooking the Mastrovito Hyundai Rink, which will host both conferences’ championship games, is the Utica Club Restaurant, which offers full breakfast, lunch and dinner menu. The Utica Coffee Roasting Company Cafe is will also be open for coffee, other drinks and snack foods in addition to a breakfast menu during the duration of the action.

College coaches will enjoy exclusive use of multiple luxury boxes overlooking the Mastrovito Hyundai Rink, with easy access to view the other two surfaces. 

“The Utica University Nexus Center is a new, first-class and beautiful facility, and it was perfect for hosting our 2023 National Championships, so there was no hesitation among our Nationals Committee to recommend returning to Utica for 2024,” said USPHL Commissioner Bob Turow. “Utica University Nexus  Center General Manager Nicole Kelly and her staff worked extremely hard both leading up to, and during, the 2023 Nationals to make it our best championship event. We welcome fans from across the country and college coaches and scouts to join us in March of 2024 to experience the outstanding hospitality provided by the Utica University Nexus Center, the Utica Comets and the Utica Jr. Comets, all in direct partnership with the USPHL.”

“Hosting the USPHL Premier and Elite National championships last March was a highlight of our inaugural year of the Utica University Nexus Center being open,” said Robert Esche, President of Mohawk Valley Garden, the management company that owns the Utica University Nexus Center and other properties in Utica. “Being chosen to host the USPHL’s pinnacle event for a consecutive year is a great honor. For these young athletes, the memories of this event will last forever. We appreciate the opportunity to build on last year’s event and make it even better.”

“We are excited to be awarded this event for a consecutive year. Having been involved with the USPHL since its inception, it is with genuine excitement and a shared vision that we continue to grow this event into a once-in-a-lifetime experience for all of the players and their families,” added Nicole Kelly, General Manager of the Utica University Nexus Center.

 

2024 Tournament Formats

The format for the 2024 National Championships will see a slight change from the 2023 event, with 16 Premier teams advancing to the 2024 Nationals (vs. 18 in 2023) from their divisional playoffs. All 16 teams will play two “Seeding Round” games to open the 2023-2024 USPHL Premier National Championships.

Each team’s two Seeding Round game matchups will be announced on the Nationals Schedule Selection Show airing once all 16 Nationals Participants are confirmed via their Divisional Playoffs (Date / Time TBD). The Seeding Round results will then seed all 16 Nationals Participants for a 16-team, single elimination tournament (the same format used at last year’s Nationals). From there, teams will square off in the Round of 16 (March 23), quarterfinals (March 24), semifinals (March 25) and the championship game (March 26).

With the addition in 2023-24 of the Elite Conference’s Midwest Division, the USPHL Elite tournament will utilize the same tournament format as the Premier Nationals with one change: there will be 10 total participants. Each of the five divisions will send two participants (Note: the North American Prep Hockey League teams are not taking part in the playoffs). Each Elite team’s two-game Seeding Round Schedule will also be announced on the 2023-2024 USPHL Nationals Schedule Selection Show hosted by The Dan K Show.

The Elite National Championship game will be played on March 25, 2024.

 

Watch for a full and detailed breakdown of the Premier and Elite National tournament formats coming soon. 

 

About Utica University Nexus Center

Several hotels in downtown Utica are within walking distance to the Utica University Nexus Center, along with additional restaurants and pubs. The Utica University Nexus Center is about five minutes drive off of the New York Thruway (Interstate 90). Airports in Albany and Syracuse – both just over an hour away – see flights arriving from all around the country.

Along with the Utica Comets and Utica Jr. Comets, the Utica University Nexus Center is home to the men’s and women’s Utica University hockey teams and the MASL’s Utica City Football Club. Opened in 2022, the Utica University Nexus Center has already been awarded two World Championships. The IIHF Women’s Hockey World Championship will take place two weeks after the USPHL Nationals, on April 3-14, and the World Lacrosse Box Championships will take place September 20-29, 2024.

 

About the USPHL

The United States Premier Hockey League is a newly international junior hockey league that encompasses all of the United States as well as affiliate teams from the Quebec and Ontario provinces of Canada. The USPHL’s junior divisions are set into three levels of play – the Tier II Tuition-Free National Collegiate Development Conference, and two Tier III leagues – the USPHL Premier and USPHL Elite. Between all of the levels, there have been more than 3,500 advancements to NCAA hockey and more than 5,000 to all college hockey leagues. There have been more than 1,786 Premier and more than 700 Elite players who have made it to the NCAA hockey level over the years and thousands more to the college hockey levels of ACHA and AAU hockey.

From all of the USPHL levels all time, there have been 49 NHL Entry Draft Selections, including 14 out of the NCDC since its 2017-18 inception. Former USPHL players competing in the NHL include John Marino, Tage Thompson, Drew O’Connor, Shane Pinto and Ryan Donato among others.

USPHL member organizations’ alumni further include NHL players Jack Eichel, Charlie McAvoy, Charlie Coyle, Brett Pesce, Ross Colton, Connor Clifton, Zach Sanford and many more.

The USPHL, Utica University Nexus Center, Utica Comets and Utica Jr. Comets are excited to welcome all qualifying teams, their fans and family and all hockey fans to the 2024 USPHL National Championships. See you in March!

Goaltender: Tobias Bell, Florida Eels

Bell’s second career shutout is what helped the Eels win their second Florida Cup championship at the Premier level. The ‘03 from Summit, N.J., made 24 saves to blank the Juniors and keep the door open for the Eels offense to score five goals in the 5-0 win. Overall, Bell is 4-1 with a .917 save percentage

Coach Scarpaci echoed “we are not the least bit surprised. Bell has done so much to improve his game and take it to the Next Level. During the off season he joined us up at the USPHL NCDC Spring Showcase then  the Pro Am Pre Draft and Sr Chowder Cups. He faced some of the top players from around the world including Major Junior and Junior A in Canada and Tier II in the USA It with this unwavering commitment that pilots him the realize accomplishments he has garnered” GM Scarpaci notes, “Bell is a competitor. He wants it…. This is his year….”