September 26, 2007
The Central Scouting branch of the United States Hockey League has secured some of the top players in the state of Florida for a pair of exhibition games on Thursday, September 27. The games will be played at the Pembroke Pines Ice Arena in Pembroke Pines, Florida.
"The game of hockey today is more global than it has ever been before. As a result, scouts need to do a better job of uncovering talent, and this means going into areas that aren't known as traditional hockey hotbeds and finding kids that can play," said USHL Central Scouting Director Bob Turow. "In the United States, one of those areas is the sunbelt, and Florida has an ever-increasing number of kids starting to play. Some of them are very talented and small events like this will allow them to be seen more ably by scouts, including our guys in the USHL."
The games will feature players born from 1991 through 1994. It will be run in cooperation with the Golden Wolves, the Junior Everblades and the Junior Panthers.
"These groups are instrumental in the development of players in eastern Florida, and the people in charge realize that the best players need to participate in events like this in order to be seen and ultimately, advance to the next level," Turow said. "They've been extremely cooperative and are looking forward to seeing what the best can do against the best from this area."
The event was organized by Tim Kyrkostas, who scouts the southeast United States for the USHL. The games will be played 7:15 p.m. (bantam age) and 8:30 p.m. (midget age). Prior to the games, USHL Central Scouting will conduct a seminar and question-and-answer session for the players and their parents.
"The seminars might be even more important than the games, to be honest," Turow said. "There's so much misinformation out there, and too often people don't understand the USHL or the NCAA and how drafting and recruiting works. We like to take the time to talk with them and answer every question they might have so when the time comes for them to make decisions on their future, they can do so in an informed manner."
For more information contact Bob Turow, Director of USHL Central Scouting and Recruiting, at 519-893-6005 or send a message.
