2026-27 USPHL Premier Season Preview: Florida Conference
The 2026-27 USPHL Premier Season Preview Series continues with a look at the Florida Conference.
The Florida Conference once again features a mix of established programs, returning talent and players looking to use the Premier level as a pathway toward the NCDC and college hockey. This season also brings a new addition to the conference with the Florida Surge beginning their first campaign in Jacksonville.
Here is a team-by-team look at the Florida Conference entering 2026-27.
Coral Springs Jr. Cats
General Manager: Rett Vossler
2025-26 Record: 30-14-0-0, 60 points – Florida Division Champions
The Coral Springs Jr. Cats enter 2026-27 after finishing atop the Florida standings last season, and Vossler believes scoring depth will be one of the team’s biggest strengths.
A significant portion of this year’s roster will come from within the organization, with 16 players making the jump from the Elite level to Premier.
Dylan Bairstow, Tim Sander and Kenny Carpenter are among the players expected to make an impact for the Jr. Cats this season.
Coral Springs plans to establish an aggressive identity built around speed and pressure.
“We want to be fast, in your face and fun to watch,” Vossler said.
Consistency will be critical in a Florida Conference that rarely provides an easy night.
“You have to show up every night in this division,” Vossler said. “Consistency is key.”
Player development remains central to the program, with the Jr. Cats utilize individual development plans both on and off the ice.
Florida Eels
Head Coach: Cale Cookenmaster
2025-26 Record: 26-16-2-0, 54 points
The Florida Eels enter the season with a roster Cookenmaster believes can adapt to different styles of play.
“This year I think we are built to play any way you want,” Cookenmaster said. “We have a great mix of skilled, finesse players and players who aren’t afraid to grind in the corners and go to the dirty areas.”
The Eels also expect strong competition in goal throughout the season.
Gavin Meisner, Wade Jollimore and Riley Cronin are among the returning players expected to take larger roles after making significant progress at the Elite level last season.
“They all showed incredible improvement last season and became really big pieces down the stretch,” Cookenmaster said. “I fully expect them to come in and make an impact on Day 1 this season.”
Logan Cameron is one newcomer to watch after producing at the USPHL Elite level.
“He put up incredible numbers at the Elite level last season, and I anticipate he will be able to carry that scoring prowess into the Premier level,” Cookenmaster said.
The Eels placed a particular emphasis on strengthening its goaltending during the offseason while building a team capable of playing a complete game.
“We can play with speed or we can play with grit, but most importantly we will play defensively sound hockey,” Cookenmaster said.
The Eels know what to expect from the conference schedule.
“Every game in the Florida Conference is a dogfight. There is no such thing as an easy game,” Cookenmaster said. “We have to bring our A-game every night.”
With an NCDC team now providing another step within the organization, the Eels believe their development pathway has become even stronger.
“The Florida Eels have always had a long track record of developing players and sending them to college hockey,” Cookenmaster said. “Now having an NCDC team, that will only help strengthen our development pathway.”
Expectations remain high.
“Every year for the Florida Eels, the mentality is National Championship or bust,” Cookenmaster said. “This year is no different.”
Florida Jr. Blades
Head Coach: Noah Wild
2025-26 Record: 12-28-2-2, 28 points
The Florida Jr. Blades enter 2026-27 with a returning core they believe can help the program take a step forward.
“We have a good core of returners coming back to build around,” Wild said.
Lucas Bruce, Dylan Micozzi and Zachary Barta are three returning players expected to take on increased responsibilities.
“We have three strong players that will take a big step,” Wild said.
Among the newcomers, Domino Costa and Reese Jackson are two players the organization believes can make an immediate impact.
The Jr. Blades are also eager to see how their goaltending group develops throughout the season.
On the ice, the organization wants its identity to revolve around its team-first culture.
“The team culture and style is truly family-based, willing to work and battle for the person next to them,” Wild said.
Grit and competitiveness will be essential within the Florida Conference.
“The biggest key is grit and the competitive nature always being a factor in every practice and game,” Wild said.
The Jr. Blades organization also provides Premier players opportunities to earn exposure at the next level.
“We give our players the best chance to showcase their games to see who is progressing and able to get some NCDC exposure,” Wild said.
For the Jr. Blades, success will come through competing consistently while helping players improve throughout the season.
“Being competitive in every game and progressing our players’ individual games from Day 1 to our very last game,” Wild said.
Florida Surge
Assistant Coach: Mac Diver
2025-26 Record: First Season
The Florida Surge begin their first USPHL Premier season in 2026-27, bringing junior hockey back to Jacksonville with a roster built around experience, culture and development.
“We’ve got a great base of guys with either junior experience or championship-level experience at the youth level,” Diver said.
The Surge believe their depth at forward can become an early strength.
“We feel our forwards will be able to just keep coming in waves,” Diver said.
Among the newcomers, Jacob Douglas brings multiple years of junior hockey experience, while Liam Campbell joins the Surge.
“Jacob has experience for a few years at the junior level, and we are very excited to bring him back with the Surge,” Diver said. “He is a forward that has incredible ability and can make plays like very few I’ve seen.”
Campbell brings another element to the group.
“He is shifty and one of the hardest workers you will see, making opponents struggle to contain him,” Diver said.
As a new organization, the Surge made culture a priority throughout the recruiting process.
“Our organization really focused on putting culture at the front end of our recruiting,” Diver said. “We know that building a first-year program is something that takes a lot of time and dedication, and we wanted to ensure that we did this the right way.”
The goal is to build an identity centered around continual improvement and players pushing one another.
“We want to build a group that is all working towards a common goal,” Diver said. “That goal is to improve every single day and push each other to be the best.”
Matching the physicality and intensity of the Florida Conference will be an early challenge.
“The Florida Conference has always had such a great mix of grit and skill, and we anticipate this to continue,” Diver said.
The Surge will also operate with advancement in mind from the beginning.
“As a new program, our goal is to prepare each player in our system for the opportunity to play at the next level,” Diver said.
For the organization, success in Year 1 begins with establishing an identity that opponents notice.
“Establishing ourselves as a team that forces other teams to be uncomfortable,” Diver said. “We feel we have the ability to compete with anyone, just a matter of proving it.”
The new program also represents the return of junior hockey to Jacksonville.
“Bringing junior hockey back to Jacksonville is something we’re very excited about,” Diver said. “We know this community deserves a group they can support.”
Tampa Bay Juniors
Head Coach: Filip Kuba
2025-26 Record: 25-18-0-1, 51 points
Tampa Bay Juniors enter the 2026-27 season looking to build on a 25 win campaign from a year ago while continuing to strengthen their development pathway within the organization.
With the addition of an NCDC team, Tampa Bay now offers Premier players a direct opportunity to advance within the same organization. The connection between the Premier and NCDC levels gives players another step in their development while allowing them to compete for increased opportunities throughout the season.
The Premier team will look to remain competitive within the Florida Conference while continuing to emphasize player growth, preparation and advancement to higher levels of junior and college hockey.
Typhoon Hockey Club
Head Coach: Matthew Maniglia
2025-26 Record: 11-31-1-1, 24 points
Typhoon Hockey Club enters 2026-27 believing its depth, competitiveness and combination of experienced and younger players can help the team continue progressing throughout the season.
“Our biggest strengths are our depth and competitiveness,” Maniglia said. “We have a good mix of experience and youth, and we believe this group has the ability to continue getting better as the season progresses.”
Rather than identifying roles before camp, Typhoon plans to make players earn their opportunities.
“We have several returning players who will have opportunities to take another step this season,” Maniglia said. “Ultimately, those roles will be earned through consistency, preparation and performance once we get together.”
That same philosophy applies to the incoming group.
“We brought players in who we believe fit what we’re trying to build, but everyone will have to earn their role once camp begins,” Maniglia said.
During the offseason, the organization focused on raising standards throughout the program.
“We wanted to raise our standards, strengthen our overall structure and continue creating the best possible environment for our players,” Maniglia said.
On the ice, Typhoon wants to combine competitiveness with discipline and structure.
“We want to be competitive, disciplined and difficult to play against,” Maniglia said. “We expect to play with pace, structure and attention to detail.”
Consistency will be critical against the rest of the Florida Conference.
“It’s going to be a competitive conference, and we need to bring the same level of preparation and compete every day while continuing to improve throughout the season,” Maniglia said.
For Typhoon, the ultimate benchmark will be how much the group improves between the beginning and end of the year.
“If our players develop, our team continues improving and we’re playing our best hockey when it matters most, we’ll consider that a successful year,” Maniglia said.