The Florida Eels continue to bolster their line up with the announcement of returning Eels veteran CADEN TCHOP. Caden came to the Eels last season originating from his high school and midget programs in Superior Wisconsin. We scouted him the previous season and liked what we saw in his skill set, his enthusiasm and the extra step in his game. Caden was always first on the puck; he drove to the net with a degree of abandonment….. We liked that edge. The fearless in him. We call this heart, says Eels Premier coach Frankie Scarpaci.

When he arrived with the Eels last Fall, he initially was placed on the USP3 team. Clearly after 8 games we saw he was the best player on that squad and earned a chance to be brought up to the Elite team. GM Frank Scarpaci echoed, he just played that much harder. He had leadership and brought the intangibles to the team. But we knew he should be brought up and we never looked back.

In 36 games on the Eels’ Elite squad he scored 6 goals and 10 assists. Coach Frankie Scarpaci noted, “Caden brought so much energy to his line. His aggressive fore-check caused opponents to turn over the puck and created puck possession for us. He frustrated the hell out of opposing players and coaches. His tenacious back-checking was equally critical for us as it shut down forwards on the line rushes and shut down sustainable attacks to our goalies…. the key to so many wins night in and night out. “

Moreover, one stat that is not shown is Caden’s statistical database was his “plus minus” contribution. GM Frank Scarpaci says he was amongst the top in the league in that department.

Caden had many options this year but he wanted to come back to complete his goals. First win a national title. That is fore most on his mind. He believes in his coach and knows he is 100 committed to help charter the team to that end. Second, He believes in his teammates. These guys are a special group of players and the camaraderie is unparalleled. Third, Caden is hell bent on sharpening his skill set to elevate him to the Next Level and that is NCAA College hockey. Caden like so many of the players we have in the program is very determined and dedicated. He tirelessly works at his game spends 4+ hours each day practicing on and off the ice and shooting 100+ pucks each day to enhance his scoring skills.

It is players like Caden with unqualified strong character, who not only have the skill set, but possess the intangibles such as heart and will win and the commitment to take us to the Next Level that makes the Eels such a unique program. We are more than excited to proudly announce his return to the Eels.