Utah Report


Entry into PHL a score for Regulators program U


By Matt Mackinder


tah isn’t what one would call a hockey hotbed, but the Team Northwest Regulators organi- zation will hear no such chatter. With two AAA teams (16U and 18U), as well as


18U AA, 14U AA and 12U AA squads, the Regula- tors boast talented rosters and are one of just a handful of organizations in the West with AAA teams not located in Colorado, Arizona or Califor- nia.


The Regulators’ 18U AAA team was accepted


into the North American Prospects Hockey League (PHL) this year. “As an organization, we’re excited for the sea-


son,” said 12U head coach and 18U AAA assistant Steve Metcalf. “Providing opportunities for play- ers and moving them on to higher levels is our pri- mary goal. If players work hard throughout their high school years, many will have the chance to play college hockey and we want to help them do that.”


“We’re obviously not a big hockey state, but


we’ve pretty much taken it on our shoulders to grow the high-level game here and get as many Utah kids involved at that level as possible,” added 18U AAA head coach Mark Adamek. “We lose Utah kids every year to surrounding


states, and that’s to be expected; we know we can’t keep everyone. But we want to keep increasing our numbers and see more Utah kids on our rosters. Right now, we only have a couple on each team


and we’d like to see those num- bers increase.” Hockey started to garner quite


a bit interest in Utah after the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. The Utah Olympic Oval, where many of the hockey games were contested, is used by the Regulators and is a great sell- ing point to prospective players. “The Oval has recently part-


nered with the ECHL’s Utah Griz- zlies to help growth with the be- ginning adult player,” explained Metcalf. “The other area of growth has been in the learn-to-play and Mite age groups. “Park City, Salt Lake, Ogden


and Davis Counties, as well as the Olympic Oval, are reaching out to all 8U players and providing great opportunities.” Sufficient ice time, though, is a


challenge. “Rinks are pretty much tapped


Defenseman Logan Krebs and the rest of the Regulators’ 18U AAA team will ben- efit from the added competition and ex- posure they’ll receive as members of the PHL. Photo/Christine Ferrario


out and can only expand by extending the season,” Metcalf added. “USA Hockey’s (American Develop- ment Model) has provided better ways to utilize ice and increases the number of players who can be on it at the same time, but it’s still difficult.” Adamek feels that with his team skating in the PHL this year, the Regulators will get some much-


needed and well-deserved expo- sure to more junior teams and possible college scouts. “The name of the game is de-


veloping our players for the next level,” said Adamek. “We know that, in the PHL, there are no ‘gimme’ games. With 18 teams in our division, the competition will be outstanding. “We’re improving every day as


a unit and, as we find ways to win hockey games, I think more peo- ple will watch. Scouts want to see good hockey and, if we can play as a team on a consistent basis, they’ll see it from us.” Adamek, though, realizes it’s


his and his staff’s responsibility to prepare their kids to play with a mindset to win. “I’m a firm believer that the


chips fall where they do for a reason and that the hockey gods watch over everyone,” he said.


“Even if a player doesn’t make a (North American Hockey League) or (United States Hockey League) team next year, they still have time to keep im- proving. “At the end of the day, it’s not about wins and


losses as much as it is providing our players the opportunities to keep playing.”


Ogden, Salt Lake aim for improvement in WSHL N


By Matt Mackinder


either the Ogden Mus- tangs nor Salt Lake City


Moose had very good sea- sons last year in the West- ern States Hockey League (WSHL), but as is the case with down seasons, both teams are hoping for a dras- tic reversal of fortunes. That’s the mindset both


team’s coaches have as the AAU-sanctioned WSHL sea- son gets underway. The Moose played last


year as the Park City Moose and the Mustangs were a first-year team, having relo- cated from Bakersfield, Ca- lif. Combined, the two teams won just 18 games (five for Park City, 13 for Ogden). Getting players to venture


pretty nice. “We have kids


from Slovenia, Slo- vakia, the United Kingdom, Florida, California… really from all over the world. We’re trying to create a culture here and trying to find that total pack- age. We’ll know what we have soon enough.”


Kinslow coached


Park City last sea- son and expects his team to put more wins on the board in 2012-13. “We obviously


to Utah to play junior hockey can be a chore, but both Ogden coach Jake Laime and Salt Lake City bench boss Aaron Kinslow believe they have the right pieces in place to start the new year. “Our players come from a mosaic of back-


grounds,” said Laime, who coached the past two seasons in Florida. “Our guys have a lot of talent and we even have two kids from Utah, which is


18


Second-year Mustangs forward Kody Rodriguez, from Center- ville, is one of two Utah natives on the team’s roster this year.


want to have a better year than last year,” said Kinslow. “We had a full summer to


recruit and a lot of prospects to choose from. “We obviously don’t have any Sidney Crosbys,


but we certainly have a lot of talented players who can do their jobs and should be able to put this team in a good position come playoff time.” With the state of hockey in Utah in need of a jumpstart, Kinslow is hoping two junior teams within minutes of each other can help revitalize


the sport in Utah. “Hockey is definitely on the rebuild here,” said


Kinslow. “More rinks are being built and there’s a lot of positive excitement in the air. We’re not Min- nesota yet, but I believe we’re on our way. I think having the Winter Olympics here in 2002 really helped put the shine on the Utah hockey commu- nity.”


Laime, who’s aware it can take time to build a


successful program the proper way, is nothing but excited about the roster he’s assembled this sea- son.


“The 25 kids I picked for this team are the 25 I


really wanted,” said the coach. “We had a four-day camp in August and there was a lot of team-bond- ing and getting to know one another. I think when the kids know each other off the ice, it helps the chemistry on the ice, too. “I’ve always been a proponent of tough hockey


and I know all the players on my team have each other’s backs; I know that the 25 kids on the roster will go to bat for one another, and that’s important when it comes to creating a winning culture.” As for the obvious Mustangs-Moose rivalry? Yeah, it’s there, too. “After our games, we’re all friends and what


not,” said Kinslow. “During the game, though, we want to win and I know Jake will have his team ready. It’s a big rivalry and we’ll play some heated games, that’s for sure.” “We’ll have some good battles,” added Laime.


“It’s exciting to build a rivalry with someone just down the road. We’ll be ready.”


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20