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The Florida Eels are thrilled to advise that Wes Simbro has returned home from his hospitalization with the Coronavirus. . He continues with many challenges encumbered from Covid-19 but we are indeed excited that he is on the road to recovery. We ask for you to keep Wes, Zach’s dad, his wife Susan, their daughter, Noelle and Zach in your thoughts and prayers. I am sure the family is so excited to have him home. This is the best news I have had all weekend. God Bless

During the past several weeks we all learned some very valuable lessons. These are lessons many of us have forgotten or have never known. What a dramatic turn of events and downright upheaval not only in our lives but also across the USA and the World. The things that were so important to all of us in the ice hockey world have become trivial. Just think of it. Simply 2-3 weeks ago we were planning and playing in our playoffs. For those who advanced we were competing in the Nationals. Indeed, during the weekend of March 16th my team was about to play in its first game at Nationals and it was canceled. We got word that not only was our little world of junior hockey being canceled or suspended but so wasn’t the NHL the NBA and virtually every sporting event and major event in the USA. Days later cities and counties were being quarantined and Stay at Home Quarantines were being triggered. Who knew what these terms and decrees meant?

 

Then CCN, Fox News and all media outlets stared reporting. Not just in China Italy and South Korea but in our very country. For athletes we are used to competing on a daily and weekly basis. We train and plan to take on our adversary. But here we learn from our medical experts and healthcare providers as well as our national, state and local leaders that this is a new foe: a formidable opponent that leaves us no game film or data in how to combat its strengths. But as Americans and World Allies we see an incredible effort to band together and mount an offensive attack and establish defensive fortresses like never before. We see, the medical research and testing by scientist and chemist and medical experts, by doctors, nurses and all the medical staffers. The calling in of the National Guard and the Army Corp of Engineers, in building temporary hospitals and medical centers…. OMG the real heroes here: a new definition of Super Stars and MVPs. It’s funny, who scored what goal and who made that save or who captured that win is clearly irrelevant. We all have our eye on the big prize now. That is a cure! That is saving lives One by One!  That is garnering masks and Ventilators; the building of Medical Centers; protecting the first responders and medical staff who is laying their lives on the line every second of every day.

 

Then there are the unsung folks: the grocery store clerks and pharmacy workers who have little or no protections. Let us all pray to whatever faith and to whichever GOD.

 

This letter to you is not about hockey. Far from it. Except in one area. I want to call on all of those who I may have met over the years through scouting, recruiting, or who may have played on my teams or against my teams, please take a moment right now and say a prayer. Those days were for fun and games. This is not. Indeed, this is the most serious time in our lives.  You know what to say. In closing I echo the words you are hearing every day:

 

Take care of yourself, your family, your friends and the people where you live.  Be smart and continue the social distancing. Be compassionate have more patience, as we don’t know what others may be going through…. be considerate. We will soon be back to hockey, but things will never be quite “normal” as we won’t as a collective society allow this virus to creep back upon us. We will be better for it. A better person and better in mankind. 

 

My thoughts and prayers go out to each and every one of you!

 

Frank Scarpaci

General Manager

Florida Eels Junior Hockey Club

United States Premier Hockey League

Telephone:  941-400-9023

Email:  eelshockeycoach@aol.com

GLOUCESTER, Mass.–Seniors Dino Balsamo (Sterling Heights, Mich./Aston Rebels, NAHL) and Joey Colatarci (Estero, Fla./Summerside Capitals, MHL) have been named to the 2019-20 American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) NCAA Division II/III All-America First Team, it was announced by the coaches’ organization on Friday morning. With the duo, Adrian College saw the most selections among four Northern Collegiate Hockey Association schools represented on the AHCA/CCM All-America teams.

Balsamo and Colatarci also both made their All-NCHA debuts during the first week of March.

Balsamo, a forward, enjoyed a career-best season for the Bulldogs, tying for the NCHA lead in points with 27 on 14 goals and 13 assists. In overall games, his point total (19+21=40) included the second-most goals in the league, as well as the most points on the power play (10+9=19). His 1.38 points per game ranked 20th in NCAA Division III. His previous career highs were 13 goals in 2019, 20 assists in 2018 and 29 points last season. Balsamo finished as AC’s active all-time scoring leader with 46+62=108, part of his 48+63=111 total that included the first half of the 2016-17 campaign when he started his career at NCAA Division I Bentley.

Colatarci, an NCHA All-Freshman Team honoree in 2017, also enjoyed career bests of seven goals, 18 assists and 25 total points. His previous bests were four goals in 2019, 13 assists in 2017 and 16 points that year. During his 106-game career, Colatarci racked up 15+45=60 scoring totals. He was named to the NCHA Harris Cup All-Tournament Team.

Balsamo and Colatarci this season helped Adrian to a 21-5-3 record, sweeps of the NCHA Peters Cup and Harris Cup championships, berth in the NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Championship, No. 4 NCAA PairWise ranking and No. 5 final national ranking by USCHO.com. They were part of a senior class that won 85 games, captured three Peters Cup regular-season titles, the 2020 Harris Cup and three NCAA tournament appearances.

All told, Adrian has produced including 23 AHCA All-America citations by 18 Bulldogs since the program’s founding in 2007-08, including 14 of those awards coming under six-year head coach Adam Krug ’12. Balsamo and Colatarci are the first pair of Bulldogs named first-team All-America since Kyle Brothers and Josh Ranalli in 2015.

The Florida Eels is honored to announce its first college commitment for the 2020-21 playing season. Congrats goes out to ADAM BURTZLAFF who has committed to ACHA Div 2 Bowling Green State University for the 2020-21 Season
Adam was a 2 year veteran of the Florida Eels.

Adam comes from Broomfield,Colorado. In fact, Adam is one of a 1/2 dozen Eels players who played on the Eels from Colorado. Over the past decade the Eels have had over 20 players from Colorado
This past season he was Captain of the Eels Elite team. Last season he played on both the Eels Premier and Elite teams. He is a forward and a very strong face-off man.

Burtzlaff came back from a Nationals last season run with the Eels Premier team in 2019 to go for it again with the Eels.

During the regal season this year in 41 games Adam scored 15 goals and accumulated 35 assists for 49 points. He averaged 1.20 points per game. He was 3rd in scoring with the Eels. Burtzlaff led the team in assists, game-winning goals (5) and tied for the lead in power play points (11).

It is especially nice to see one of our players advanced to college and reach his dreams and goals. He comes from a very supportive family who have made enormous sacrifices to help their son achieve his goals. Both of Adam’s parents are alumni of BGSU

We wish Adam the best in his future

The United States Premier Hockey League announced on March 24 that, due to the coronavirus/Covid-19 pandemic, the originally scheduled NCDC Combine in Detroit (April 10-11) is postponed to a date to be determined.

The United States Premier Hockey League announced on March 24 that, due to the coronavirus/Covid-19 pandemic, the originally scheduled NCDC Combine in Detroit (April 10-11) is postponed to a date to be determined.

The NCDC Combine in Chicago (May 1-2) is currently still on as planned, but the USPHL is monitoring this situation closely. Please check back frequently on USPHL.com for updates.

CONGRATS TO MIKHAIL MELIKOV, FLORIDA EELS DEFENSEMEN FOR BEING SELECTED AS YEAR END ALL STAR

 

CONGRATS TO MIKHAIL MELIKOV, FLORIDA EELS DEFENSEMEN FOR BEING SELECTED AS YEAR END ALL STAR

23 MAR | BY FRANK SCARPACI

USPHL Elite South Region 2019-20 All-Stars: Defensemen and Goalies

Congratulations to all of our USPHL Elite South Region All-Stars from the 2019-20 season. The All-Stars were selected by coaches from the region.

Defensemen

Mikhail Melikov, Florida Eels

2002/Moscow, Russia – 34-21-15-35-1.03

The third-leading scorer in the USPHL Elite among defensemen, Melikov was also the most productive offensively in the South Region.

Additionally, no other Elite defenseman came within eight of his league-leading 21 goals. That sum was even good enough for top 10 overall in the league among all skaters.

 

USPHL Premier South Region All-Stars: Forwards 

By USPHL Staff/USPHL.com, 03/16/20, 6:30PM EDT

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Congratulations to all of our USPHL Premier South Region All-Stars, representing the Florida and Southeast Divisions, and looking strictly at regular season performances.

Best of luck to all of these players as they move forward in their hockey careers, either to collegiate hockey, to higher levels of junior hockey or returning to their teams for further development in 2020-21.

 

Forwards

Stat line format (GP-G-A-PTS-Points Per Game)

 

Matthew Wood, Richmond Generals

2000/Garnet Valley, Pa. – 44-35-31-66-1.50

Wood got off to a great start with four points in his opening weekend on Sept. 14-15. The highlight of his season, offensively, was a 14-game scoring streak that saw him post 37 points from Oct. 19 to Dec. 8. It all started with a seven-point weekend against Charlotte. He was the Generals’ faceoff ace, as well, winning 53.6 percent of his draws, including 9.41 per game.

 

Matt Dougherty, Richmond Generals

1999/Philadelphia, Pa. – 44-24-27-51-1.16

A classic Elite-to-Premier success story, the top scorer with the 2019 Elite Championship team transitioned seamlessly into a leadership position with the Premier Generals. He turned it to second gear around the same time as his teammate Matthew Wood, beginning with a pair of points with Hampton Roads, and continued through Nov. 24. The scoring streak gave him 23 points in 14 games. Dougherty finished as the Generals’ shots on goal per game leader with 3.14 per contest.

 

Jacob Kaplan, Hampton Roads Whalers

1999/Bowie, Md. – 41-29-42-71-1.73

Like Dougherty, Kaplan was an Elite champion (in 2017-18) who immediately became a productive Premier player the next season, helping the Whalers to a 2018-19 Premier championship. With some of the architects of that title off to college to start this past season, the veteran Kaplan immediately put the Whalers on his back and scored 26 points in his first 12 games – and it wasn’t even Halloween yet.

 

Brady Mistler, Hampton Roads Whalers

1999/Lake Stevens, Wash. – 44-18-36-54-1.23

Mistler took all of the experience from being part of the 2018-19 championship team and used that to push himself even further for the 2019-20 campaign. Exhibit A? His season-over-season increase in points from 11 to 54. Mistler was completely on fire from the end of September right into December, scoring 33 points in 22 games between Sept. 28 and Dec. 8. Mistler was among the Whalers’ best two-way players, as evidenced by his +39 rating on the season.

 

Kyle Watson, Hampton Roads Whalers

2000/Sheffield, UK – 44-36-34-70-1.59

While his teammates Mistler and Kaplan came back from the dream season of 2018-19, Watson found the Whalers as a program that simply created winners from the ground up. He made the jump from the Salisbury School and became a scoring dynamo for Hampton Roads. He became first-year Head Coach Greg Gatto’s first choice as forward to send over the boards, leading the team’s forwards in total ice time (1029:49). Not surprisingly, he also led his team in scoring chances (175).

 

Stanley Lucas, Tampa Bay Juniors

2000/Edwardsville, Ill. – 42-31-34-65-1.55

A longtime standout with his hometown high school squad, Lucas shifted his gaze south and joined up with the Tampa Bay Juniors for 2019-20. It was an instant win for the franchise, as Lucas enjoyed a rookie year for the ages, scoring 31 goals and 65 points, and leading his team in a multitude of categories (plus/minus – +43; scoring chances – 147; takeaways in the offensive zone – 56).

 

Blake Tosto – Florida Jr. Blades

1999/Bloomfield Hills, Mich. – 44-41-15-56-1.27

The Jr. Blades got a little preview of what Tosto could do in 2018-19, when he scored 11 goals in 10 games after spending most of that season with the NCDC’s Syracuse Jr. Stars (now Utica Jr. Comets). Tosto scored 11 goals before September was even over, scoring goals in his first seven consecutive games. He also scored 17 goals over 11 straight contests between Oct. 6 and Nov. 17. No less than 69.7 percent of his 235 shots on goal found paydirt.

 

Jimmy O’Kane – Charlotte Rush

1999/Chicago, Ill. – 40-20-28-48-1.20

O’Kane simply just loves what the Charlotte Rush do on the ice, and they loved him right back – after all, he was on board with the squad for three years. He goes back to the 2017-18 Elite team that was the runner-up that season, and he’s made an indelible mark on the last two Rush teams, scoring a total of 69 points in 79 games. O’Kane was Mr. Power Play for the Southeast Champions Charlotte, leading in ice time with the man-advantage (135:58) and power play points (7-10-17).

 

Dante Bagnasco, Charleston Colonials

2000/Mesa, Ariz. – 44-20-30-50-1.14

The Charleston Colonials pulled off some impressive performances this season, starting with Game 3 of their existence, defeating the perennial Florida Division champions the Florida Eels on Sept. 21. That was only one of many headline wins this year, including a Dec. 14 victory over an Islanders Hockey Club team that was leading the way at the time. Bagnasco was in on the scoring for more than 60 percent of their games, a strong leading light for an expansion team that showed they’ll be a force for years to come.

 

Jason Foltz, Carolina Jr. Hurricanes

2000/Alpharetta, Ga. – 42-24-23-47-1.12

After two full seasons working with Coach Kevin St. Jacques in Atlanta, Foltz moved north to Wake Forest, N.C., with his coach for another go-round in a new home and in a new uniform. The team-up has worked every season, as he posted a third straight 40-plus-point season – once in the Elite Division and now two straight in the Premier. His 47 points this season were a career-high.

 

Alex Nilsson, Carolina Jr. Hurricanes

2000/Munkfors, Sweden – 41-10-31-41-1.00

Nilsson was a first-year U.S. junior player after spending his entire prior career with the Mora IK organization in his native country. He showed his playmaking abilities from the start, posting eight assists in his first 11 games played. He was also not shy when it came to performing on big stages, posting seven points in three of his USPHL Winter Showcase games, along with 11 points in two other in-season showcases.

 

Jared Figueroa, Florida Eels

1999/Scotch Plains, N.J. – 44-21-29-50-1.14

There’s hardly a more ringing endorsement of a program than when someone spends four junior seasons with the same organization. Figueroa certainly benefited from the Eels’ comprehensive development system since 2016, culminating in this final season of his in which he’s been named a USPHL Premier All-Star. Figueroa spent a year and a half with the Eels Elite team, and he’s been with the Premier side since 2017-18. He’s increased his points output each season from 20 to 40 to 50. He ended his career in the top 40 all-time for the USPHL Premier in scoring and games played.

Demeed Podrezov, Florida Eels

2000/Muskegon, Mich. – 30-15-31-46-1.53

A midseason injury that caused Podrezov to miss all of December merely paused his season – it certainly didn’t slow the second-year Premier Eels player down. Upon his early January return, he torched the USPHL Winter Showcase for seven points in the three games he played. He finished the season on fire as well, posting 18 points in eight straight games from Jan. 16 to Feb. 21.

 

Michael Kramer, Potomac Patriots

2000/Lorton, Va. – 40-21-14-35-0.88

The Patriots frustrated a lot of opponents this year, including the defending champion Hampton Roads Whalers and 2019-20 division champions the Charlotte Rush each multiple times. They always proved to be a tough outing for squads, and Kramer was a big reason for this. A three-year Patriots player, he rose through the ranks from 16U to Elite to Premier and enjoyed his best offensive season of his career.

 

Dylan Florit, Atlanta Mad Hatters

2001/Hermosa Beach, Calif. – 43-16-20-36-0.84

One of two new teams not only to the Florida Division but to the USPHL as a whole, the MadHatters learned the ropes throughout the season, and had some bright moments. Their Dec. 15 win over Charlotte at the USPHL Florida Showcase was an instant classic of a game. Florit was one of many leaders for the young Mad Hatters, who featured three players with 30 points or more – Florit was joined in that respect by Mitchell Koss and late season acquisition Trevor Stokes.