Nick Magill-Diaz Curry College First Team All Star ALL -ACC
Joey Colatarci Adrian College AHCA/CCM American First Team
Corey Richardson Finlandia University All American Academic
Robert Cerepak Colby College All American Academic
Matthew Schneider SUNY Brockport Third Team All Conference
Petr Strait Worcester State University All Star Mass Conference
#COMMITTEDLEADERS
Nearly 400 Alumni Of USPHL Organizations Earn College Hockey Conference Awards
By Joshua Boyd / USPHL.com
With more than 1,200 former players in college hockey in 2019-20 alone, the United States Premier Hockey League continues to be a leader in advancement to the next level beyond junior hockey. Not only do our players move on to the best educational institutions to continue their hockey careers, they also excel once they reach that level. Nearly 400 NCAA players from USPHL organizations past and present earned honors from their home conference and beyond during the 2019-20 season.
View the Full List of USPHL and Member Organization Alumni NCAA Awards
The Florida Eels is thrilled to announce that veteran defensemen Clement Espinasse 2000 has Re-Signed with the Eels Premier team for the 2020-21 season. Espinasse is from Montpellier, FRANCE. He is a 3-year veteran of the Eels Junior Program joining us back in 2017-18 season. Prior to joining the Eels junior program, he played in Canada for the OHA for 2 seasons. In fact, Espinasse is one of many outstanding players who advanced from the OHA to the Eels over the last 5-6 years. Clement originally played as a forward during his first two years as an Eel but last season, he answered the call when the Eels Premier team had a void on defense. Premier Coach Frank Scarpaci felt Espinasse was a perfect candidate as he has a high hockey IQ, reads the ice very well, is a smooth strong skater, has very good stickhandling skills, had the ability to make clean crisp passes and has excellent overall skill set. Moreover, coach Scarpaci knew the Eels could get offensive production from Espinasse on the blueline; remembering Clement had scored 16 goals and 26 assists as an Eels and 29 goals and 24 assists while at the OHA totaling 45 goals and 50 assists averaging an impressive 1 point per game while playing in North America.
Clement at 6’0 175 uses his body very effectively. He has quick acceleration with and without the puck. He is offensive minded having been a forward most of his playing career. But this past season he impressed all of the Eels coaches with his defensive play in the D Zone He took this job and role very seriously. He has excellent gap control again taking his knowledge as forward and applying it to his defense responsibilities . He has great work ethic, and this shows as he relentlessly battles in front of his crease and along the boards. He is extremely difficult to beat with loose pucks using his size to wear down his opponents. He developed so well as a defensemen and he played a large part in his team securing First Place over all in the Florida Division winning a regular season Championship.
Clement is a very dedicated young man arriving at the rink early and staying after practice every day to shoot 100+ pucks. He is one of the Eels most loyal players. Very determined to get his game to the Next Level and ripen into a NCAA college player. He a team guy and shares that Eels unwavering commitment to win. He plays with that sandpaper edge to him. A very high compete level. We are very excited to have Clement back and help him realize his goals of winning a National Championship and advance to college.
The Florida Eels are extremely excited to announce that veteran defensemen Gage McNeish 2001 has Re-Signed with its Premier team for the 2020-21 season. McNeish 5’11’ 165 lbs. comes from Summerville, SC McNeish is a 3 year veteran with the Eels as he started back midseason in 2017-18. Gage came to the Eels as a top defensive prospect. He played U16 Midget AA hockey with the Charlotte Jr. Checkers in the EJEPL and High School back at home before moving on to play Tier I AAA in the ECEL and the NAPHL when Florida Eels General Manager Frank Scarpaci recruited him to join the Eels Elite squad.
What was essentially his first full season with the Eels back in 2018-19, McNeish was named Captain of the Eels Elite squad. That was very impressive as he was really still a rookie and to bestowed with Captain showed maturity and leadership skills on his part and the confidence that the coaches had in him. . Moreover, in his first 14 games he scored 3 goals and notched 13 assists and was advanced to the Premier team where in the 30 remaining games, he scored 3 more goals and garnered 11 more assisted. Very impressive in his first full year for 6 goals and 21 assists. Last season in 44 games, Gage scored 2 more goals and 13 assists. This past season the coaches called upon Gage to take on a larger defensive responsibility. The Eels had some holes on the backend of the blueline and Gage knew he had to sure up things in the D Zone. He was one of the Eels most reliable defensive defensemen. His experience and leadership spoke volumes in the teams very successful season where he played a large part in his Premier team’s winning the Florida Division Regular season Championship -20 points ahead of the 2nd place team, and them winning the playoffs and advancing to Nationals. He also was key in the Eels defeating many of the top Premier teams in the Northeast, New England, Atlantic, Midwest and Southeast Divisions.
Eels Premier Coach Frank Scarpaci says McNeish has excellent skill set. Has a very high hockey IQ. Plays with an extremely high compete level. He has an unwavering commitment to win. Very determined young man. He plays very well in all 3 zones. He is very steady and reliable. Great on special teams, be it powerplay and penalty kill. Has a nice shot that gets through to opposing goalies. This is a high character individual. Last season he was selected once again to a leader role on the team. Assistant Captain. He is one of our most dedicated players. We are thrilled to have him back. He will without doubt push this team to its ultimate mission: Win a National Championship.
14 MAY | BY FRANK SCARPACI
The Florida Eels Junior Program is excited to announce the signing of Ethan George to its 2020-21 season. Ethan a 2003 forward is from Arizona. He brings good size to the Eels at 6’0” 180 lbs. Premier coach Frank Scarpaci is very high on him. He has a great skill set. Very good skater with quick acceleration. He is a right hand shot with a good release. He has good hands that creates trouble for opposing defenders and netminders. He uses his size and strength to his advantage. Very strong along the boards.
Ethan is a relentless hard fore-checker with a high hockey IQ and very responsible in the D-Zone. He is a versatile forward able to play center right wing and his off wing. This young man has an insatiable appetite to score. In 26 games last season with the Arizona Titans he scored 12 goals and accumulated 9 assists for 21 points averaging close to a point per game. Moreover, he was the leading scorer for the last 3 years. That is the type of consistency we are looking for.
This is a high character young man. A very good student. Honors program. He has all of the ingredients the Eels look for in its players. He is extremely hard working. Dedicated and determined to bring his game to the Next Level. He is willing to do what it takes to make himself better and his team. It is precisely that attitude that has impressed the Eels coaches. We successfully build our Eels teams year after year with players like Ethan who have the unwavering commitment to win and be the best. You see it is not enough to have the “will to win. Everybody wants to win….you have to be willing to make the sacrifices and out work everyone else that makes you and your team a winner” echoes Coach Scarpaci. Ethan checks all of the boxes in this regard.
We enthusiastically welcome Ethan to our Eels family.
The Florida Eels is thrilled to announce the signing of 2000 PJ Haas from Virginia Beach VA.
PJ is 6’1 150 lbs. . He played the past two seasons in the USPHL Hampton Road Whalers. He is a versatile player who has played center and defensemen. This flexibility gives the Eels coaches tools to be creative in the lineup. PJ has very good skill set and is an extremely hard worker. PJ loves to play a physical game. He uses his 6’1” frame to his advantage. He works hard along the boards and battles exhaustedly to win loose puck battles. He brings veteran experience from a solid club and this will significantly help our program.
The Eels coaches had the pleasure of seeing PJ play over the last two seasons. We love PJ’s work ethic on the ice. He has a great attitude and his excitement is contagious. He shares the Eels hallmark of bringing everything to the rink: Be it practice, off- ice training and at the gym. He has the reputation of being an extremely dedicated and determined player. PJ understands full well there is a price to play in development as a player and a larger price to pay to win. He is a willing participant to expend the extraordinary effort to achieve these goals. He is a player on a mission: To be part of a championship program and advance to college. That is exactly what the Eels do.
We welcome PJ to the Eels family. We are thrilled he will be joining us this season.
The Florida Eels Are Thrilled to Announce the Re-Signing of 3rd year veteran Cade Swygert. Cade 5’11” 180 lbs., 2000 is from Summerville, SC, . He joined the Eels for the 2017-18 playing season as a rookie. He came in with his brother Jaymen who has since advanced to Thomas College in Maine. Cade played initially as forward with the Eels, where he impressively scored 14 goals and garnered 40 assists. This past season he transitioned to defense to fill an immediate void and he ripened into a solid defenseman. No doubt his solid play on defense contributed significantly to the Eels Premier team’s success in winning the regular season Championship in the tough Florida Division of the USPHL.
Cade is one of the most hardest working players in the organization. He never takes a shift off. He wears the Florida Eels not only on his jersey but in his heart. He bleeds GREEN. He brings enormous intensity to every game and practice. He plays tough as nails. He wears other players down. Opposing players see the fire in his eyes.
Cade has solid skill set. He is a solid skater. Moves the puck extremely well. His time playing as a forward has significantly helped his puck movement and confidence with the puck as a defenseman. He Battles hard in all 3 zones. He plays with a tight gap. Has taken deeded rights to his own crease. He is a great student of the game. Always trying to improve his lot. He expects and demands 100 % effort from all his teammates at practice, in the gym, during off ice work outs and in games. Moreover, he has that insatiable appetite to win. Period!
To say he plays with a high compete level would be the understatement of the year. He is one of our most dedicated and determined players to ever put on an Eels jersey. Since joining the Eels, his commitment has been unwavering in his development. He has competed in 3 Pro Am Pre-Drafts 3 Pro Am Sr Chowder Cups and 6 post season USPHL Spring and Summer Showcases. In those venues he played against NCAA Div. 1 players and NHL Draft picks. This speaks volumes in his development as a player. He trains over the summer with the Eels coaches with one mindset: To Win a National Championship and ultimately Advance to College.
Cade is a high character individual. He is a great leader – there is no secret that is why he was selected as an Assistant Captain when he played on the Eels Elite team. We expect a lot from Cade this season in his quest to realize his dreams. We are extremely excited that Cade will be with us in his final season of junior hockey.
It may be 90 degrees in Florida, but the Montreal Express keeps coming strong as the Florida Eels announce another key prospect has signed with its Junior program. The Eels are excited to announce 6’0” 166 lbs. 2004 Vincent Cartier as its next Canadian who becomes a member of the Florida Eels. Cartier a defensemen, a native of Drummondville Quebec City Canada, played for Marie-Rivier Canimex Espoir QMEAA and the previous year he played for Collège St-Bernard and was assistant captain and scored 8 goals and notched 17 assists for 25 points in 26 games and was nominated MVP that season.
Cartier is a very smooth skater with explosive speed has a very high IQ. He plays with a very high compete level. He is very strong in the defensive zone. Battles very well in front of the net and along the boards. Vincent makes a nice quick first pass out and plays the Eels transitional game where he is very effective in joining in the rush. He has a nice accurate shot from the offensive blueline that gets to the opposing netminders. He plays a tight gap. He will make an excellent addition to the Eels blueline.
Cartier comes as long line of top Canadians who have played for the Eels. Moreover, he was a teammate of Eels goalie Alex Caron at for Collège St-Bernard. He was scouted in Quebec City and Montreal by the Eels scouts and they were truly impressed and will undoubtedly ripen into a solid player . We welcome Vincent to the Eels and look forward to him lacing up in an Eels jersey.
The Florida Eels are pleased to announce that 6’0” 2001 Alexandre Caron from Ste-Victoire de Sorel, QUE has re-signed with the Florida Eels Junior Hockey Program for the 2020-21 season.
The Eels top scout from Montreal initially scouted Alexandre the last few seasons while playing in Collège St-Bernard M18 Maj and Princeville Titans of the QJAAAHL and was quite impressed. Eels GM and coaches concurred with Alex’s potential and brought him to initially back stop the Eels Elite team for 5 games where he went undefeated. He had a 2.35 GAA with a .931 Sav%. He was the ultimate closer for the Eels in finishing off the season and secure its First Place Regular Season Championship in the Florida Division. He was elevated to the Eels Premier team in their quest for Nationals on the Premier team he was also undefeated for a .903 Sav %.
GM Scarpaci echoed he loved Alex’s skill set. He attacks shooters and has an aggressive style but still very disciplined. He plays a hybrid butterfly style. He controls rebounds. He has a very strong glove and is very acrobatic. His overall demeanor in games and in practice is impressive. You can readily see he plays with a high compete level. He is a very focused goalie. Very determined. He has the unwavering commitment to win. He won Player of the Week All Star status and Alternate Player of the Month selected by a panel of USPHL League coaches. This was very impressive accolades for a young rookie goalie.
As a young player we readily discerned that he shared the hunger and dedication that Eels have as their hallmark. Down the stretch Alex helped lead and backstop the Elite team to Regular Season Championship in the USPHL Florida Elite Division. Indeed, the Eels hold the distinction of being the only program to have finished First Place in the Premier and Elite Divisions. Alex played a key role in securing that achievement. Alex is a great team guy on the ice and in the locker room. Equally important the Eels are getting a first-class individual back. One who has impeccable character. We are excited he elected to come back. He knows we have a job to finish. And he is anxious to get back to work. Welcome back Alex.
The Florida Eels are extremely excited to announce its newest member of its junior program, 5’10” 158 lbs. Trevor Bass 2001 from Santa Fe, New Mexico. Premier coach Frank Scarpaci has Trevor pretty high on his scouting radar. Trevor plays center and has a knack for the net notching 28 goals to his credit. We are very thrilled to have him join our program. He is a strong skater with excellent overall skill set. Playing center is one of the most difficult positions to master and Trevor plays it well. This reflects very well in the Eels style of play as a player who is a constant threat in all 3 zones – being the key forward with an insatiable appetite to score, to service his wingers offensively and mastering his role in the defensive zone.
Trevor is a player who has a strong hockey IQ. Very coachable and a student of the game. He comes with the heart, determination and dedication accustomed in the Eels program. We want players who share our philosophy: selfless play, unwavering commitment to his team and the resolve to outwork his opponents. You see everyone wants to win the real question is will you do what it takes to realize that mission. . Trevor checks all those boxes.
We are very excited to have Trevor join The Eels program. We look forward to an incredible season ahead.
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