The FIRE: Florida Youth Hockey Report

The FIRE: Florida Youth Hockey Report
FLORIDA YOUTH HOCKEY REPORT
October 2010
Volume 2, Issue 5
FAHL Mite Kickoff Festival Recap
The Mite division of the Florida Amateur Hockey League
gathered in Rockledge for
the season‘s Kickoff Festival
on September 18th and
19th. Goals for the weekend were to ease first-time
travel families into competitive youth hockey, foster
camaraderie by getting the
kids and parents together in
a jamboree setting, promote
USA Hockey‘s American Development Model, and replace the first league games
with a relaxed, informal, and
less competitive hockey experience. By all accounts it
was a rousing success.
Scott Paluch, ADM Manager
for the Mid-America and
Southeast Districts, gave a
presentation on Red, White
& Blue Hockey, which suggests cross-ice game play
for players 8 & Under. The
Florida Panthers sent representatives, who announced
the exciting news that all
Keynote Speaker Scott Paluch
league teams will get to
play a game in the BankAtlantic Center, home of the
NHL‘s Florida Panthers!
There isn‘t room to properly
thank the scores of people
that stepped up to volunteer
their time to make this event
a success. Teams each sent a
few parents or coaches with
skates to serve as on-ice
coordinators to keep things
moving. Others served to
direct traffic in an off-ice
capacity.
Hurricane Mite
families showed up early to
set up the banquet hall and
Catching up with the Golden Wolves
Nobody has more fun than
the Golden Wolves. The
FIRE commends the Squirt
and Mite teams for keeping
it fun for their families while
working hard at hockey. In
these photos, the Squirts are
pictured during a fundraiser
at Five Guys and Zach Kayton is photographed with
Thomas Vokoun.
Hurricane Squirt families
served lunch and stayed
after to break down and
clean up. Several Jr. B Hurricanes showed up on their
off day to coach and officiate Sunday‘s full-ice games.
Each team‘s Manager handled myriad details prior to
attending. Those who participated all appreciate it!
For those who weren‘t there,
pages 7-10 of this issue are
devoted to images from the
weekend.
Special thanks
from The FIRE to Hilmar Jukmencuks, Dana Conley,
Monica Ribera, and Danielle
Larocca for providing photographs.
Many thanks to FAHL President Jeff Wood, SAHOF
President Bobby Burg,
Space Coast Iceplex owner
Rick Ninko, and ubiquitous
uber-volunteer Ron Levi for
providing the support necessary to make this happen.
Bits of Tid:

SCOTT PALUCH (92ND)
WAS SELECTED BEFORE LUC
ROBITAILLE (171ST) &
BRETT HULL (117TH) IN
1984

DOMINIK HASEK WAS
TAKEN BY CHICAGO WITH
THE 199TH PICK IN 1983

2003-04 MVP MARTIN
ST. LOUIS WENT UNDRAFTED

SAN JOSE SHARK JOE
PAVELSKI WENT 205TH
Inside this issue:
PARENT/COACH, PT 3
2
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
2
TOURNAMENT RESULTS
3, 6
NUTRITION
3
UPCOMING TOURNEYS
3, 5
HOCKEY IS A GREAT GAME
4
TRAVEL
5
PHOTOS
7-10
STANDINGS
11
The FIRE: Florida Youth Hockey Report
Successful Parent/Coach Partnerships: Advice for Coaches
Coach Reid & his sons
MANAGE
EXPECTATIONS BY
MEETING WITH
PLAYERS AND
PARENTS TO
START THE
SEASON
This is the last in a three-part
series on the dynamic between the two biggest influences on a player—their
parents and their coach.
room to tell you when the
Zamboni is on its last lap will
make you more efficient and
make the parents feel more a
part of the team effort.
7. At all costs, avoid playing
favorites. Parents are highly
sensitive to this. Hold the
same standards for all players in discipline and play.
1. Have a team meeting at
the beginning of each season
and clearly communicate to
both parents and players
your expectations for behavior on and off the ice.
4. Work with your parents to
develop off-ice training opportunities for fitness and
skills like shooting, stick handling, and rollerblading. This
puts your parents directly
engaged in their child‘s development.
8. Any disciplinary action
towards a player should always be explained to the
parent.
2. Make yourself available
to some input from the parents on all issues, as long as
you are approached in a
calm rational manner. Parents‘ eyes and ears can catch
things you‘ve missed.
3. On a voluntarily basis,
delegate tasks to your parents. Even little things like
organizing snacks after
games or being the one to
stick their head in the locker
5. Form a team contact sheet
that has names of parents
and siblings, e-mail, phone,
etc… It will help you and
your whole group call each
other by name and will aid in
ridesharing and other issues.
6. Provide your parents with
information on nutrition and
hydration to increase athletic
performance.
When parents and coaches
work together, both can
share in the satisfaction of
watching a young person
develop hockey skills and
character. You may even
share in the thrill of seeing
your team achieve greatness.
Originally from Michigan,
Reid VanDeventer of Oviedo
is a USA Hockey-certified
coach at the RDV Sportsplex’s
Ice Den where his two sons,
Ryker and Julian, play.
In Their Own Words
What’s your favorite place
to play hockey?
St. Pete Times Forum—Jordie
Emmons (‗01) Hurricanes, Seana Perkins (‗00) Bulldogs,
Trevor Griebel (‗01) & Trent
Gephardt (‗01) Bulls
Ice Palace (in Hawaii)—Joey
Cates-Beier (‗02) Barracudas
Who‘s buried in Grant‘s tomb?
The St. Pete Times Forum is in
Tampa!
Space Coast Iceplex—
Philippe Lamarre (‗02) &
Joshua Epi (‗03) Barracudas,
Ivan Kalin (‗01) & Alex Matta
(‗02) Hurricanes
Brandon—7 players, all Bulls
Page 2
Lake Placid—Gavin
(‗03) Toros
Buck
Conrad Burdette (‗02) Titans
Jacksonville—Gordie
(‗01) Hurricanes
Atkari
Carolina Ice Palace—Logan
Spink (‗02) Barracudas
Joe Louis Arena—Carson
Saunders (‗01) Bulls
HSBC (in Buffalo) —Brendan
Engelhardt (‗01) Hurricanes
Tampa Bay Skating Academy—Ben Lacey (‗03) Titans
Coral Springs—Brock Capua
(‗01) Bulls
Saveology—anon and Brandon Racy (‗02) Panthers
Ellenton—Jake Filuta (‗01) &
Germain—Brian Butland (‗01)
Eels, Thomas Batchelor (‗01)
& Jack Conley (‗02) Hurricanes, and Michael Mesic
(‗04) Everblades
Ice Factory—Carter York
(‗02) Colts & Kyle Gonzalez
(‗03) Hurricanes
RDV Ice Den—Bailey Zollweg
(‗01) & Rocco Marcaccini
(‘01) Knights, Sam Barranco
& Alex Odom (‗01) Titans,
and Hunter Levi (‗02) Hurricanes
Volume 2, Issue 5
Tournament Results—Mites
Early Bird
Knights Labor Day
Ellenton Labor Day Challenge
Panthers 6—Toros 0
Hurricanes over Knights
Titans 5—Flames 2
Raiders over Breakers
Fire over Golden Wolves
Raiders over Bulls
Panthers over Breakers
Knights 7—Golden Wolves 5
Panthers 9—Bulls 1
Raiders over Toros
Hurricanes 6—Atlanta Fire 3
Titans 2—Raiders 2
Raiders 3—Panthers 2
Hurricanes over G‘Wolves
Flames over Bulls
Toros 8—Breakers 1
Atlanta Fire over Knights
Raiders 8—Panthers 3
3rd Place
3rd Place
Toros 5—Breakers 3
Knights 6—G‘Wolves 3
Championship
Championship
Raiders 7—Panthers 3
Atlanta Fire 7—Hurricanes 5
Panthers 7—Flames 2
Chase Davis of the
Atlanta Fire, Knights
Labor Day champions
Titans over Bulls
Raiders 5—Flames 4
Titans 5—Panthers 4
Championship
Raiders 8—Titans 3
Nutrition Tips
by Melissa Baumann, MS, RD, CDE
Ran out of steam in your first
games? Be prepared and
stock up on energy.
I‘ve been asked by a few
parents what snacks are appropriate for travel hockey
days. Food is a funny thing
when you are excited about
a big game, and the last
thing on your mind is probably having breakfast. However, the best meal happens
to be just that—breakfast.
Your body runs on carbohy-
drates when you sleep, and
in the morning they need to
be replenished. It is up to
you to eat a good, solid
breakfast on game day.
Seek out bagels, toast, fruit,
and cereal. Bring a muffin in
the car and consider a yogurt
or milk. In between games,
good choices are fruit or granola bars to replenish your
muscles. In a cooler, pack
fruit like apples, bananas,
orange wedges, or grapes.
Limit Gatorade or Powerade
STAY AWAY
to small bottles—8 or 12
ounces is enough—and be
sure to get plenty of water.
FROM FOODS
By planning ahead with
game-day snacks and getting up early enough for a
good breakfast, you will be
able to play at your peak.
SUGAR, AND
HIGH IN FATS,
CAFFEINE IF YOU
WANT TO PLAY
YOUR BEST.
Melissa is the mother of Walter, a Squirt with the Knights.
Before becoming a dietician,
Melissa played hockey collegiately at Cornell and is in
their Hall of Fame.
Barracudas to Host February Tournament
The Jacksonville Barracudas
are hosting their 2nd Annual
Presidents Day tournament in
February.
There are three divisions:
Mite, Squirt A, & Pee Wee A.
Each will feature four teams,
a four-game guarantee, and
a low tournament entry fee
of just $975 if received by
December 31st.
John DelVecchio is the tournament contact; his e-mail address is jddelvec@aol.com.
For more information, contact
h i m
o r
v i s i t
www.jacksonvillehockey.com.
At time of press, rumored to
be interested are the hosts,
the Golden Wolves Mites,
and the Space Coast Hurricanes Mite Minors and Squirt
Minors.
Dates are February 18-21,
which falls the week before
the SAHOF State Games for
Mites and Squirts.
Page 3
Enjoy Presidents Day on
the First Coast with the
Jacksonville Barracudas
The FIRE: Florida Youth Hockey Report
Hockey is a Great Game
I grew up on a pond in Canada. During winter I played
hockey with my friends. Like
every Canadian boy, I
dreamt of playing in the
NHL.
Ivy Leaguer, NHLer,
world traveler, and
corporate financier…
hockey opens doors
for some.
IF YOU ARE
GOOD ENOUGH,
THEY WILL FIND
YOU. KIDS:
LISTEN TO YOUR
PARENTS.
PARENTS: TAKE
AWAY PRESSURE
FOR YOUNG
PLAYERS.
As a teen I was drafted to
play in ―the Q‖ – the Quebec
Major Junior Hockey League.
―Major Junior‖ in Canada is
where virtually every superstar plied their trade before
making the Show. Bobby
Orr, Wayne Gretzky, Mario
Lemieux, Eric Lindros, Sidney
Crosby…all of them starred
in Juniors as teenagers.
Something changed and my
track to the NHL took a turn.
My dad wouldn‘t let me go!
And thank God he didn‘t. His
words were, ―if you are good
enough they will find you.‖ I
was a good student and my
father had something more in
mind for me than ―just‖ being
a hockey player. To Connecticut I went instead, to
attend an Ivy League college
and play hockey for Yale.
At first it was tough, with so
many of my friends playing
hockey in Juniors. It didn‘t
take long, though, before I
settled in to college life and
enjoyed my four years – attending classes, playing
hockey. With a degree in
hand, I left New Haven and
embarked on my journey as
a professional hockey player.
I didn‘t know it would last 14
years!
While career highlights include appearing in NHL
games over five different
seasons, some of my fondest
memories came later when I
spent three full seasons in the
Swiss league and three more
in Germany. I never imagined I‘d have a chance to see
Europe when I was chasing a
puck on the pond!
Had I not gained a strong
educational footing I would
have been worried about
getting on with my life, wondering how I‘d support myself
when the playing days
ended. Instead I was comfortable to let things ride,
knowing that I had a lot to
offer beyond hockey.
In
2006 I left the skates behind
and returned to the classroom
at the famed Wharton School
of Business.
Their list of
alumni includes Michael
Milken, Donald Trump, Warren Buffett, and…me!
I owe many thanks to the
great game of hockey; without it so many doors would
not have opened. And yes,
dad was right. I‘m definitely
a lot better off having gone
the Yale route. Kids, listen to
your parents! Finally, for the
parents: when I‘m around the
rink it always seems like
there is so much pressure.
Pressure to perform, pressure
to achieve. Certainly at the
younger ages, just let the kids
play. Like I did on the pond.
Craig Ferguson is a rare second-generation NHL player.
His father Norm played in
751 games in the NHL and
rival World Hockey Association. Today he is a Finance
Manager working with the
Global Marketing department
for Walt Disney Co.
Girls Hockey Day in Florida—November 7th
Tell a friend!
Girls Hockey Day is next
month.
SAHOF has joined with USA
Hockey, OneGoal, and the
state‘s three profession teams
to create an opportunity for
families to come to a local
rink and Try Hockey for Free!
On November 7th, the focus
is specifically on girls from 4
to 10 years old that are trying hockey for the first time.
Page 4
For those who don‘t have
equipment, please bring the
following: helmet, warm
gloves or mittens, skates (if
possible, rental skates available), and a smile.
Registration is required and
can be done on the USA
Hockey website. At time of
press, the locations are the
St. Pete Times Forum (actually
in Tampa) and Saveology.com Iceplex (formerly
Incredible Ice).
Volume 2, Issue 5
(Rewind) Travel Hockey in Florida: a Geographic Challenge
Many subscribers have been
added since inception. Most
missed some of the early feature articles. Some will be
resurrected in the coming
months. This piece ran in the
inaugural Summer 2009 issue.
Our great state has approximately 18 million inhabitants,
but none live near you and
play youth hockey.
Or
maybe it only seems that
way!
You have possibly heard that
travel hockey ‗should not‘
start until kids are 9 or 10.
Perhaps you‘ve questioned it
yourself. As Rick Reilly wrote
in Sports Illustrated, ―why did
we travel from Denver to
D.C. to play another team
from Denver?‖
While it is nice to play close
to home, there is also something to be said for playing
at the appropriate level for
age and ability. Ay, there‘s
the rub. With only 17 or 18
facilities , and fewer that are
home to vibrant youth programs, traveling for games
becomes a necessary evil for
many families.
sent state of the economy it
doesn‘t seem likely.
Travel requirements vary
greatly. The attached Rink
Map shows facilities clustered
around the homes to Florida‘s
NHL franchises. Seven rinks
are in a stretch from Palm
Beach-Broward-Dade and
four surround Tampa Bay.
Four more are spread in a
large ring through Central
Florida. It is worth noting
that not all have fertile youth
house programs and not all
field travel teams.
Efforts are made to make the
travel experience more enjoyable. In late 2007 the
Space Coast Iceplex hosted
a recreational Mite showcase
with a cookout in the middle
of the day. Five teams worth
of Mites played in a spare
lot beside the arena.
In
2008 the Jr. Lightning Mites
provided locker room snacks
for their visitors during a 3game-in-a-day Jamboree.
Not only were the drinks and
snacks appreciated, the gesture left a lasting impression.
You will have to embark on a
short journey in order to find
opponents if you don‘t live in
these clusters. For example,
players in Jacksonville will
drive over two hours to find
their closest game. The Eels
and Everblades teams pretty
much only have each other
inside of 100 miles. See
Rink to Rink Driving Distances (attached).
Nothing can be done to move
rinks closer together. In time
new facilities may ―fill in‖
gaps, although with the pre-
Raiders to Host Inaugural Tournament
The Raiders Hockey Club,
established in 1997 and
based out of Oldsmar, FL, is
hosting their inaugural tournament from December 2631, 2010.
The International Golden
Puck Invitational will be held
at the Tampa Bay Skating
Academy and welcomes the
following divisions:
Mite, Squirt A/AA:
Dec. 26-28
PW A/AA, Bantam A/AA:
Dec. 28-30
High School:
Dec. 29-31
Four game guarantee, Three
12-minute periods (15 minutes for High School), Trophies to Champions & Finalists (to be awarded by
Tampa Bay Lightning alumni)
Games are usually far from
home because of Florida‘s low
hockey density.
Florida Mite Report would like
to hear from its readerscoaches, managers, parents,
and players. What do you do
to make the travel hockey
experience more enjoyable?
What suggestions do you have
for others?
18 MILLION
E-mail
UNFORTUNATELY.
responses
to
Fl o ri daM i teRe po rt@ gm ail .co m .
Some responses will be
shared in a future issue.
by Bob Riccobene
Tournament Fee: $1,275,
High School $1,395.
Currently we have 13 teams
confirmed, including some
from Canada, and serious
interest from many more
throughout the Eastern U.S.
For more information visit
www.raidershockey.com.
Page 5
FLORIDIANS, BUT
ONLY A FEW
THOUSAND HAVE
EMBRACED
YOUTH HOCKEY.
The FIRE: Florida Youth Hockey Report
Tournament Results—Squirts
Early Bird
Squirt A
The Knights tournament
was held at the RDV
Sportsplex Ice Den
Fire 01 3—G‘Wolves 2
G‘Wolves 10—Breakers 3
Hurricanes 1—Ice Bandits 1
Blackhawks 3—Raiders 0
Fire 4—Panthers 2
Blackhawks 5—G‘Wolves 3
Knights over G‘Wolves
Raiders 6—Panthers 2
Panthers 2—Ice Bandits 2
Breakers 5—Hammerheads 2
Fire 014—Bulls 3
Blackhawks 10 —H‘heads 0
Hurricanes 4—Fire 1
Panthers 3—G‘Wolves 1
Bulls 5—Golden Wolves 1
Raiders 9—Breakers 2
Fire 01over Knights
Breakers 2—Hammerheads 1
ATLANTA‘S FIRE
3rd Place
Panthers 4—G‘Wolves 3
WITH
HARDWARE
Bulls 4—Knights 4
Panthers 4—Hammerheads 0
5th Place
LEFT THE STATE
Knights Labor Day
Championship
Blackhawks 6—Raiders 0
Squirt AA
FROM BOTH
Panthers 3—Hurricanes 1
Ice Bandits 3—Fire 2
7th Place
Fire 7—Golden Wolves 2
5th Place
Hurricanes 6—Knights 4
Semifinals
5th Place
Toros 4—Flames 3
Semifinals
Eels 6—Titans 3
Scorpions 5—Blackhawks 1
Championship
Scorpions 2—Eels 1
Squirt AA
Bulls 2—Lightning 1
Bulls 2—Blackhawks 1
Fire 7—Panthers Maj. 2
Raiders 5—Panthers Maj. 1
Fire 6—Panthers 01 0
Raiders 3—Panthers 01 2
Blackhawks 1—Lightning 1
B‘hawks 4—Panthers Maj. 0
Raiders 7—Lightning 6
Bulls 5—Panthers 01 2
LABOR DAY
Panth. Maj 7—Panth. Min 3
Ice Bandits 3—Bulls 1
Fire 7—Lightning 3
TOURNAMENTS
Raiders 5—Toros 5
Fire 01 6—Panthers 0
Panthers Maj. 5—Bulls 4
IN FLORIDA
Raiders 5—Panthers Minor 1
Toros 9—Panthers Major 6
Toros 9—Panthers Minor 4
Raiders 6—Panthers Major 3
3rd Place
Panth. Maj 5—Panth. Min 1
Championship
Raiders 9—Toros 4
Championship
Fire 01 4—Ice Bandits 3
B‘hawks 4—Panthers 01 0
Raiders 4—Fire 3
Semifinals
———————————
Ellenton Labor Day Challenge
Squirt A
Flames 10—Titans 6
Fire 5—Bulls 3
Blackhawks 3—Raiders 2
Championship
Fire 4—Blackhawks 2
Flames 7—Toros 2
Blackhawks 6—Flames 6
Eels 8—Titans 1
Scorpions 8—Blackhawks 4
Eels 7—Toros 1
Scorpions 4—Titans 3
Eels 6—Blackhawks 1
Page 6
Scorpions 7—Toros 1
From the frozen rink to an afternoon
at the pool
Volume 2, Issue 5
Scenes from the FAHL Mite Kickoff Festival
It takes a little while to set up, give instructions, and get going!
The Publisher donned his skates
Serge Lamarre lays down the law
SATURDAY
AFTERNOON
FEATURED 3 VS 3
CROSSICE
GAMES WITH
JUMBLED
Two players watch the action from the Cobra Kai bench
ROSTERS
Put me in!
Alberto Ghiselini readies his shot
Some games featured a tennis ball
Water break!
Page 7
The FIRE: Florida Youth Hockey Report
Photos
Florida Panthers television analyst Bill Lindsay shared stories
from his 13-year NHL career.
Director of Group Sales Mackie
Feierstein announced plans for
the FAHL Mites to play at the
BankAtlantic Center.
ACTION WAS
SPRITED,
FRIENDSHIPS
WERE FORMED,
Ben Galvez & Tyler Ribera regroup
Benji Gainsburg and the other goalies got a workout
5-year-old Jacob Fowler (r) battles for the puck
George Vrotsos has pursuers
AND ALL THE
MITE FAMILIES
HAD A GOOD
TIME
Players from Miami to Jacksonville became teammates for the
weekend with the mixed-roster
format.
Page 8
These Wolves are all smiles
Volume 2, Issue 5
Photos
Events in the Mite Olympics Skills Competition included: Fastest Skater
Hardest Shot
IN THE EVENING
IT WAS TIME FOR
THE MITE
OLYMPICS SKILLS
COMPETITION…
THE NEXT
MORNING
Stick Handling & Agility
Team Relay
INCLUDED
DODGEBALL!
Neville Jukmencuks pictured with Bill Lindsay.
The Panthers customized van includes a big screen
TV in back with NHL video games on the PS3!
Day Two included an off-ice activity.
Here the Toros face the Barracudas in dodgeball.
Page 9
The Hurricanes moms hosted a bake sale to provide desert with lunch.
These Toros are all smiles.
Panthers & Toros break from hockey long enough to eat lunch.
Squirt volunteers Michael Larocca &
James Barrall taste-test the goods.
Volunteers like Tyler Lyewski were a
key to the event‘s success.
Full-ice games were played with
mixed-rosters too.
Space Coast Hurricane Junior players volunteered their time to serve as
coaches and officials for Sunday‘s games.
Bailey Kaiser takes off toward the
net with a Barracuda on his tail.
Everybody‘s having fun,
a tenet of USA Hockey‘s
―Red, White & Blue‖
program.
Fast and hard-hitting action from the Cake division.
Florida Youth
Hockey Report
following youth hockey in the Sunshine State
FLORIDA YOUTH HOCKEY REPORT
Published by:
John Conley
Oviedo, FL
Phone: (407) 542-6943
E-mail:
floridamitereport@gmail.com
The Florida Mite Report was founded in Summer 2009. After a very successful one year
run, the newsletter was rebranded to include Squirts for the upcoming 2010-11 season.
Subscriptions are FREE, issues are released monthly during traditional hockey season and
less frequently during Summer. Communicate program information and promote events
here by contacting the Editor/Publisher.
JOHN CONLEY WAS ADDED TO THE S.A.H.O.F. BOARD IN EARLY 2010—OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THE
FIRE DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THOSE OF S.A.H.O.F. OR USA HOCKEY.
368 Subscribers
Tell a Friend!
League Standings
CFHL Mites
FAHL Squirts
Raiders
4
0
0
Eels
4
0
0
Everblades
3
1
0
Hurricanes
3
0
0
Titans
3
1
0
Panthers
2
2
0
Flames
2
2
0
Blackhawks
1
1
2
Knights
0
4
0
Toros
1
1
1
Bulls
0
4
0
Golden Wolves 0
3
1
Breakers
4
0
0
CFHL Squirts
All the state‘s leagues
have begun play
Flames
4
0
0
Scorpions
4
0
0
Titans
3
1
0
Bulls
2
2
0
Knights
2
2
0
Everblades
1
3
0
Lightning
1
3
0
Raiders
1
3
0
Colts
0
4
0
SFHL Squirts
Raiders
3
0
1
Barracudas
3
1
0
Blackhawks
2
1
1
Bulls
1
0
3
Panthers 01
1
2
1
Lightning
1
3
0
Panthers AA
0
1
1
Everblades
0
3
1