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The Florida Eels are to finish their appearance in the Chowder Cup series at the Pro Am Junior Chowder Cup this weekend. The Eels have made appearances at both the Mini Chowder Cup and the Senior Chowder cup over the past few weeks, and are excited about another completive weekend of hockey.

The Eels will begin their showcase run, with a practice and scrimmage to better prepare players for the upcoming games. The Eels staff have been working long and hard, at evaluating players from around the globe and helping them advance their careers both at the junior level and collegiate level. With a highly qualified staff, the Eels are able to help players find the best place for their future hockey dreams.

As participatants of the Junior Chowder Cup gear up for the weekend, we urge that you continue to check the official Pro Am Chowder Cup website, for game updates and changes. As game times, locations and opponents are subject to change per the Pro Am Chowder Cup administration discretion. You can continue to check for updates at:

https://proamhockey.com

The Eels look forward to finishing strong in the Chowder Cup series this weekend. Let’s Go

Florida Eels take part in the 40^th Anniversary of the Pro Am Senior Chowder Cup Series in Massachusetts. The Florida Eels have three teams participating in the Pro Am Senior Chowder Cup Summer event, one in the Junior A Division and two teams in the College Open. Players from around North America and Europe come together to showcase their talents for the Florida Eels, Junior Coaches, and College Scouts.

Players for the Eels teams began yesterday with a series of practices and scrimmages to help better prepare them for the weekend events. Games for the Pro Am Senior Chowder Cup began today, Thursday, July 18th, 2024, with the Championships on Sunday, July 21^st, 2024. The Florida Eels expect to be competitive in the showcase.

The Florida Eels have been a staple in the Pro Am Chowder Cup series, dating back to the General Manager, Frank Scarpaci’s, participation with the Rhode Island Sharks and the Jr New England Whalers in the early 90s, before entering the Florida Eels teams over the past decade. General Manager Scarpaci states, “it’s an honor to be part of such an exceptional event. The Pro Am Chowder Cup Series provides a great opportunity for the Eels coaching staff to see and evaluate players from all over the world, while providing participants with continued exposure to colleges.” The Eels are known for their high-level competitive play and their advancement of 100s (365 with the Florida Eels Junior Hockey program alone) of players to college. General Manager Scarpaci states, “my players continue to have great success through their ability to showcase their talents in the Chowder Cup, allowing them incredible exposure to a plethora of college coaches, giving them a further advantage. In fact, 29 of our players advanced to college hockey this season.”

General Manager Frank Scarpaci and six of the Florida Eels coaching staff are present for the event, and look forward to seeing the participates of the Florida Eels Junior A and College Open teams compete over the next few days. Although, the Eels always aim for success, they measure their success not just by the scores on the scoreboard but by the number of players they have placed in college over the years. They are excited to see who will be added to this “score card”.

The Florida Eels have put a record number of players in college and university hockey over the last decade, 365 to be exact. This year alone the Florida Eels have placed 29 players in NCAA, ACHA, and AAU collegiate hockey. The Eels are an esteemed organization that is known for their player development, and ability to find the right fit for their players post junior hockey.

Although, highly competitive, having made over 7 USPHL National appearances finishing either as Semi-Finalists, or Finalists in the last four years, the Eels pride themselves on something even greater: preparing players for their future hockey careers. The Eels have no doubt been very successful and are ranked highly in North American Hockey, drawing players in from all around the world: Sweden, Czech Republic, France, China to name just a few, they are also amongst the top at college placement.

The Florida Eels competitive in nature sit in the top tier in the country and in the Southern Region of Hockey. The United States Premier Hockey League, like the Florida Eels, prides itself in its ability to help players fulfill their college dreams. This 2023-2024 season, the USPHL has placed 319 players in NCAA, ACHA, and AAU hockey (252 from the Premier Division and 67 from the Elite Division).

The Eels are thrilled for another great season and getting our players ready for their futures.

The Florida Eels are excited to announce the college commitment of forward/defenseman and former Premier Captain Maverick Crupi to the University of Pittsburgh for the 2024-2025 season. Crupi played three seasons in the USPHL, the Charlotte Rush (21-22) before transferring to the Florida Eels mid-season, where he remained for the duration of his junior career (22-24). During his USPHL tenure Crupi stared in 124 games, had 41 goals, with 78 assists and a total of 119 points.

Crupi was the essential team player and truly played with tremendous passion, and heart each game. As Captain, Crupi lead the Eels Premier to a USPHL National appearance, where they finished as Semi-Finalists in 2023-2024. Crupi made additional appearances at the USPHL Nationals during his other two seasons with the Florida Eels. Crupi instilled the ethics, and morals of the Eels into the new players and returning players alike reminding them that it takes work, dedication, passion, and drive.

However, it wasn’t just Maverick’s on-ice presence that was felt by the Eels community, it was his charismatic nature with the young fans that was felt throughout the Eels Nation. Maverick often volunteered his time with the youth programs at the Fort Myers Skatium in Fort Myers, helping the hockey players of the future develop their skills, and passions. Crupi made an impact on all that came in his path and he will be missed by Eels Nation this season.

The Eels wish Maverick much success in his collegiate career at the University of Pittsburgh!

Florida Eels are excited to announce the college commitment of Dario Zikto to the University of Victoria in Canada for the 2024-2025 season. Zitko played two seasons in the USPHL Premier, Richmond Generals (22-23) and The Florida Eels (23-24). During his USPHL career Dario played in 60 games, scored 18 goals, had 22 assists, with a total of 40 points.

Zitko was a skilled forward for the Eels who trained hard and put in the work to continue his growth as a player. Dario the Canadian native will return to home to Canada to continue his hockey career at the University of Victoria. The Florida Eels wish him the best in his collegiate career.

The Florida Eels are excited to announce the college commitment of Premier Defenseman Landen Engles to Cleary University for the fall 2024-2025 season. Engles joined the Eels program in 2020 and remained an essential member of the Eels family for four seasons. Landen started his junior career with the Florida Eels Elite, where he became a grounding force and leader, earning the tile of Captain. It was with his determination, hard work, and skills that he worked his way to a top defensive spot on the Florida Eels Premier team. Although, a foundational member and leader on the Eels Premier, Engles continued to play a mentoring role amongst the Eels Elite, helping guide, motivate and inspire alike. Over the course of his four years with the Florida Eels Engles played in 121 games, scored 32 goals, had 72 assists with a total of 114 points.

Landen Engles states that he fondly remembers the time he spent with his teammates, and the memories he created with the boys. Engles appreciated the family like culture that the Eels cultivated, allowing the players to not only play the sport they love but truly feel like they are part of something bigger. It was that same culture that drew him to Cleary University. Visiting the campus, Landen quickly felt like it was “home”. It was then that he made his decision to join the University to continue his collegiate hockey career and gain an education in Business and finance.

Engles South Dakota original native, migrated to Southwest Florida with his family, where he joined the Eels program. Engles, is thankful for the tremendous support of his family, who continue to support his goals and dreams of playing college hockey. Landen knows that is because of their support that he was able to pursue the training and develop into the player he has become. Landen is excited about joining the Cleary family next season, and knows that his family will continue to support him, from Florida.

The Florida Eels know that Landen will continue to be an exemplary example of commitment, dedication, hard work and leadership amongst his new teammates. We wish him all the best in his colligate hockey experience and look forward to following his journey.

The Florida Eels coaches brought 3 teams to Massachusetts to compete in the Pro Am Pre Draft. The players get the chance to practice and scrimmage before the actual showcase games. The Eels brought its coaching staff as well as coaches from Canada and college coaches to assist with the weekend games. The players were not only there to compete on the 9 showcase games gaining exposure and visibility in front of over 100 college and junior coaches. The Eels also use this forum as a tryout for next season’s Eels Premier and Elite teams. The Eels coaches were extremely pleased with some of the players who joined us These were very tough games as the competition was against top teams in Canada and across the USA.