Florida Eels Announce that Rookie Forward Daniel McCormick of Barrie, ONT, CAN Committed to Waldorf University Iowa. This is the Eels 11th player for this season to advance to college and 249th and counting.
McCormick 6’0” 175 pounds came to the Eels Elite team midseason last year transferring from a junior program in Canada. His purpose in coming to the Eels was to garner high level training that would help advance him to college hockey. He stepped right into the Eels line up and became an impact player. He got to play in 10 games and scored 5 goals and 5 assists.
General Manager Frank Scarpaci set out to market Daniel to NCAA NAIA and ACHA college coaches. Advising them of his talent and skill set and sending of video clips and endorsement of his new player. Daniel received considerable interest no doubt scoring a point a game and playing with a high compete level and a smart edge to his game.
After being recruited by over a dozen college hockey programs Daniel is thrilled to announce he committed to Waldorf University. He will join Florida Eels alumni Caden Tchop from Wisconsin who played for the Eels for several seasons.
GM Scarpaci notes, that Waldorf University men’s ice hockey program plays in the NAIA the conference includes Waldorf University, Concordia University Ann Arbor, Indiana Tech Lawrence Tech, Midland and Lindenwood Bellville. This is a very competitive division out west.
Daniel is looking forward to playing for Waldorf head coach Brett Shelanski, Daniel was very impressed with coach Shelanskiand his accomplishments – as a player and as coach with the Waldolf. Coach Shelanski took over as the head ice hockey coach for Waldorf University in the fall of 2011.During his collegiate hockey career at Minnesota-Crookston, Shelanski was named team captain in his senior season, won the Mike Davis Award for leadership and dedication in hockey and was named the Male Student-Athlete of the Year.After graduation, Shelanski became the assistant hockey coach at Minnesota-Crookston and remained in that position for two years. He then became the head coach of the Minnesota Flying Aces for a season and was an assistant coach for the Edina Lakers until his move to Waldorf.
The Warriors put together their fifth straight year with 20 wins or more as they closed out the 2016-17 campaign with a 21-11-1 record and earned the No. 3 seed in the Northern Collegiate Hockey League (NCHL) Tournament after going 9-3 in conference play. Early in the season, Waldorf achieved a No. 4 ranking in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Division II Central Region poll, which was the highest-ever ranking in program history. The season included nine victories over regionally-ranked opponents and a tie against the nation’s top-ranked team on Senior Night. The Warriors qualified for the ACHA Division II Central Region Tournament for the fourth consecutive season and ended the year with a No. 8 ranking in the regional poll. During the 2015-16 season, Waldorf put together a 20-15 record, which included six wins over regionally-ranked opponents. The Warriors earned the No. 3 seed in the NCHL Tournament after posting a 9-5 conference mark. Waldorf made its third straight appearance in the regional tournament and finished the season with a No. 8 regional ranking.
In Shelanski’s fourth season at Waldorf, he guided the Warriors to a 23-9-3 record during the 2014-15 campaign. The 23 victories set a new school record for wins in a season. Waldorf won a share of the NCHL regular-season title with an 8-4 league record. The Warriors went on to capture the first-ever NCHL Tournament championship and qualified for the regional tournament for the second straight year. For the second consecutive season, Waldorf finished ranked No. 10 in the ACHA Division II Central Region poll. Shelanski, who was named the 2014-15 NCHL Coach of the Year, owns an 121-60-9 career record at Waldorf. He has led the Warriors to two regular-season conference titles and three consecutive regional tournament berths. Waldorf won the Western Collegiate Club Hockey Association (WCCHA) championship with a 10-4-1 league mark in 2013-14, which marked the Warriors’ final season in the conference.
Daniel wants to be part of this program. It is a very exciting time and he is working hard all summer to prepare for his college debut. Daniel comes from very supportive parents who have made enormous sacrifices for him and this shows in his own character. As Eels Elite coach Alex Sanchez echoed, Daniel was a hard worker. Showed enormous passion and determination in the short time with the Eels. He has tremendous upside and has the fortitude to make it as a college player.
The Eels are honored to have had Daniel part of our program and wish him the best of luck in his college endeavors and his future in college hockey.
