Tampa Bay Region To Host Advanced Hockey Camp

WESLEY CHAPEL, FL – Sixteen years ago, it would have been unfathomable for an elite-level youth hockey camp to take place in the Tampa Bay area, let alone anywhere south of the Mason-Dixon Line.

Fast forward through the years, from the Tampa Bay Lightning capturing the Stanley Cup in 2004 to J.W. Mitchell High School becoming the first-ever USA Hockey High School National Champion from Florida in 2015, the Tampa Bay region now has the honor of hosting the first ever V-Red Prospects camp in the United States.

The World V-Red Prospects Advanced Camp is set to take place July 16-20 at the Florida Hospital Center Ice in Wesley Chapel. The prospect camp for major, junior, college and elite programs is geared toward hockey players with AA or AAA experience.

“The V-Red Prospects program, in its 16 years of existence, has produced and been a part of producing many young hockey players to a level where they’ve never dreamed possibly of getting,” said Roger Shannon, the director of operations for the Moncton Wildcats of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Based in Canada, V-Red Prospects has produced 436 CHL draftees, 73 AHL players, 49 NHL draftees, 29 players on Team Canada and 23 NHL players, including Gabriel Landeskog, Jake Allen and Jaden Schwartz.

Aside from Shannon, nine other instructors have signed on to appear at the World V-Red Prospects Advanced Camp, including:

• Gardnier MacDougall – Head coach of the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds hockey team and co-founder of the V-Reds Prospects program
• Darren Rumble – Stanley Cup Champion with the Tampa Bay Lightning and current head coach of the Moncton Wildcats
• Jimmy Waite – Stanley Cup Champion and goaltending coach with the Chicago Blackhawks

Two more members of the Lightning’s Stanley Cup championship team are scheduled to appear as special guest instructors at the camp: Jassen Cullimore and Stan Neckar. World-renowned skills expert Marcin Snita, who has worked with Steven Stamkos and more than 80 NHL stars, is also scheduled to instruct at the camp.

Camp attendees will be “drafted” onto one of four teams, which will compete in a four-team medal round tournament to decide the gold medalists. Aside from on-ice activities, campers will also participate in classroom sessions.

The camp will be divided into two groups: The World Junior V-Red Prospect Advanced Camp for players born between 1998 and 2002, and the World Intermediate V-Red Prospect Advanced Camp for players born between 2003 and 2005. Both camps are $1,150 plus tax, and include full meals and accommodations at the Saddlebrook Resort. Non-camper attendees can stay at Saddlebrook for $750 for the week.

For more information or to register, visit http://www.floridahospitalcenterice.com/sports/v-red-2017/.

Video and images via the Florida Hospital Center Ice YouTube channel