The Palm Beach Breakers hockey team has a history rooted in the development of hockey in Florida. The story of hockey in Florida began long before the Breakers, with the first ice hockey game in Florida played on December 10, 1938, when the Miami Clippers edged the Miami Beach Pirates 3-2 in the opening match of the minor professional Tropical Hockey League.
Hockey resumed in Miami on July 14, 1940, and a so-called Miami Amateur Hockey League started up, continuing until January 1941. A new version of the Tropical Hockey League was played in June and July 1941. After a hiatus of over a decade, the sport returned to Florida in 1952, the South Florida Hockey League being formed at the Coral Gables Coliseum. Hockey was again dormant in the state until the fall of 1963, when the South Florida Hockey Association began play at the Winterhurst Arena in Fort Lauderdale. The association was divided into Pee Wee, Junior, and Senior leagues.
It was active until 1965, when the arena closed down. The Jacksonville Rockets joined the Eastern Hockey League in 1964-65, calling the Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum their home, though they also played some home games in St. Petersburg (starting in 1965-66), West Palm Beach (in 1967-68) and even Macon, Georgia (in 1968-69). The club folded in 1972.
История Советского ХОККЕЯ С ШАЙБОЙ. History of Soviet ice hockey
The first hockey games at the West Palm Beach Auditorium were played on October 17 and 18, 1967, with the Columbus Checkers beating the Canadian All-Stars 9-6 and 8-7. The Miami Screaming Eagles were Miami's first attempt at a professional ice hockey team. They were set to play in the World Hockey Association for the 1972-73 season, but could not find a suitable arena to play in and were running out of money from their player signings, so they moved to Philadelphia and became the Philadelphia Blazers.
The Atlanta Flames beat the Minnesota North Stars 3-2 at the Lakeland Civic Center on September 26, 1975, and defeated them again by a score of 5-2 at the same venue on September 22, 1976. The New Jersey Devils edged the Minnesota North Stars 6-4 at the Orlando Arena on September 24, 1989. In another Orlando game, the USA Selects beat Sokol Kiev 5-2 on December 19. On September 19, 1990, a crowd of 25,581 packed into the Suncoast Dome in St. Petersburg to see the Pittsburgh Penguins defeat the Los Angeles Kings 5-3.
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The Tampa Bay Lightning became the state's first National Hockey League franchise in 1992-93. The next season, the Florida Panthers, based in the Miami suburb of Sunrise, joined them in the NHL. The Lightning have enjoyed significant success, winning three Stanley Cups.
The Sunshine Hockey League and the West Palm Beach Blaze
Playing out of the West Palm Beach Auditorium, and coached by former Montreal Canadiens skater Bill Nyrop, the Blaze went a scorching 38-6-1 during the 1992-93 inaugural SuHL season, which put them a whopping 31 points ahead of the second place Bullets at the end of that first campaign which saw the St. Petersburg Renegades join late and get in 20 games before disbanding.
Former Western Michigan University center Scott Garrow led the league in goals (41), assists (45) and points (86) while Rob Celotto (38) and Jim Duhart (32) also broke the 30-goal barrier. Kevin McKay’s 44 assists were the second-highest total in the league. 1993-94 saw the birth of the NHL’s Florida Panthers a little further south and the Blaze follow-up its initial on-ice success with another first place finish. This time, the club posted a 37-14-1 record They won another Sunshine Cup by sweeping Daytona Beach in two and the Bullets in three a second-straight time. Experienced ECHLer Brent Fleetwood led the team in scoring with 34 goals and 82 points. Celotto was right behind him with 32 goals and 80 points.
The 1994-95 season was the final campaign under the Sunshine League moniker and saw the original four joined by the Fresno Falcons, formerly of the PSHL, who played 16 experimental regular season games before joining the Western Coast Hockey League the next year. The Blaze recorded a 38-15-4 record and again finished comfortably ahead of the second place Bullets.
West Palm Beach duplicated ts playoff performance from the prior season with a two-game sweep of the Sun Devils and a three-game sweep of tough-luck Jacksonville in the championship round to win a Sunshine Cup. Czech-born forward Roman Hubalek, who put up 45 points in ‘93-94. exploded for a team-leading 38 goals and franchise-record 95 points. In addition to Hubalek, the Blaze boasted seven other forwards who scored 21 or more goals, including mainstay Celotto.
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The Blaze, who became the West Palm Beach Barracudas after an ownership change, also needed a new identity in 1995-96, when the four Florida-based banded together with the new Winston-Salem Mammoths and Huntsville Channel Cats in a new entity called the Southern Hockey League. Unfortunately, the Barracudas, now coached by Phil Berger, couldn’t keep the championship run going. They finished in fifth place with a 26-32-4 record, two points behind Huntsville, who claimed the last spot in the postseason and went on to win the only Southern League crown before the league went belly up.
Swampscott, MA native Angelo Russo, in his second season with the team, notched a team-leading 36 goals and 65 points. Marty Gareau, who played on all four WPB editions, was right behind him with career-best totals of 23 goals, 40 assists, and 63 points while defenseman Chic Pojar, who spent some time in the ECHL, chipped in 57 points from the blue line.
These teams contributed to the rich history of hockey in Florida, paving the way for future generations of players and fans. The Palm Beach Breakers continue this legacy, fostering a love for the sport in the Sunshine State.
Palm Beach Breakers Today
The Palm Beach Breakers are currently part of the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL). The USPHL is an American ice hockey league founded in 2012, and from 2013 to 2017, USA Hockey sanctioned the Premier, Elite, Empire, Midwest, and USP3 Divisions as Tier III junior leagues. In 2017, the USPHL added a higher level junior league named the National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC) for the 2017-18 season.
The Breakers play in the 18U AA division. The team is based in West Palm Beach, FL, and their colors are not specified. Henrik Samuelsson is the head coach, with assistant coaches Anthony Day, Brendan Donald, Ryan Sittler, and Robin Whyte.
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Here is the current roster for the 2024-2025 season:
| # | Player | Position | Born | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | Tytus Janke | Goalie | - | - |
| 1 | Rhys Whyte | Goalie | - | - |
| 77 | Leon Gerchikov | Defenseman | - | - |
| 14 | Nicholas Kiraly | Defenseman | - | - |
| 9 | Asher Levitt | Defenseman | - | - |
| 2 | Jack Mackey | Defenseman | - | - |
| 65 | Matias Roy | Defenseman | 2007 | Ottawa, ON, CAN |
| 11 | Camden Sevald | Defenseman | - | - |
| 88 | Connor Barnett | Forward | 2008 | - |
| 23 | Noah Goulet | Forward | 2007 | - |
| 93 | Tyler Hoglund | Forward | 2007 | Baltimore, MD, USA |
| 81 | James Janotik | Forward | - | - |
| 8 | Jack McCarney | Forward | - | - |
| 15 | Michael Melby | Forward | - | - |
| 21 | Cobalt Polischuk | Forward | 2007 | - |
| 86 | Petros Sagas | Forward | - | - |
| 7 | Kyle Sorenson | Forward | - | FL, USA |
| 10 | Rowan Whyte | Forward | - | - |
The team plays its home games out of the West Palm Beach Auditorium.
The emergence of teams like the Palm Beach Breakers and the establishment of leagues such as the USPHL reflect the growing popularity and development of hockey in nontraditional markets. These developments provide opportunities for young players to hone their skills and pursue their hockey aspirations within the state of Florida.
The USPHL has seen several changes and expansions over the years. In 2020, the USPHL Premier added several teams from the Western States Hockey League, and for the 2022-23 season, several new teams joined the USPHL.
The USPHL also includes youth divisions, such as the High Performance Youth Division, which features teams for various age groups. These youth divisions help develop young talent and provide a pathway for players to progress through the ranks.
Through various leagues, teams, and dedicated individuals, hockey in Florida continues to thrive, offering opportunities for players and fans alike to experience the excitement of the sport.
The Daytona Beach Sun Devils played three seasons in the Sunshine Hockey League, from 1992-95. The team had a losing record and was eliminated from the playoffs in the first round each year.
For the 1995-96 season, a new franchise - the Daytona Beach Breakers - was born into the start-up Southern Hockey League. They posted the city's lone winning record (33-20-7) under coach Walt Poddubny but were also eliminated in the opening round.
The league, which also had teams in Jacksonville, Lakeland, West Palm Beach, Winston-Salem (North Carolina) and Huntsville (Alabama), suspended operations after that season.
The Breakers scored 297 goals during the 1995-96 season, a clip of almost five per game. Right wing Bryce Davidson, just 20 years old at the time, became a cult hero for his pugilism. He led the league, by a long way, with 413 penalty minutes.
Kelly came to Daytona Beach in 1992 as the franchise came to fruition under the ownership group of brothers Dominique and Didier DeLannoy. After his playing days, Kelly opted to stay in the area, working as a referee for a time and ultimately pursuing his dream to work as a firefighter with the Ormond Beach Fire Department. He continues to play in a recreational adult league at the Daytona International Skateway.
Inaugural captain Jeff Turcotte is a head instructor at the renowned Turcotte Stickhandling Hockey School in Canada. Another former captain, Danny O'Brien, works as a professional scout for the Dallas Stars. Poddubny, once a 40-goal scorer with the New York Rangers and the last coach in Daytona Beach hockey history, died in 2009. He was 49 years old.
Eileen Sheldon said the hockey team lost money. However, the financial losses were not the primary reason the franchise folded. Instead, she said, it was a lack of available winter dates.
Practice time was as tough to find. Eileen Sheldon said the team had to drive north to Jacksonville, sometimes twice per week, for ice time. Kelly said the team was at a competitive disadvantage without a reliable practice facility.
The Breakers finished the 1995-96 season with the league's second-best record but fell in the first round. The next summer, the league folded. Eileen Sheldon said the ownership group explored other possibilities, but described the situation as a “lost cause.”
According to hockeyDB.com, the Sun Devils averaged more than 1,400 fans during their tenure. The Breakers drew 1,452 fans in their lone year.
Ocean Center Director Don Poor said there have been no inquiries from prospective ownership groups to put a team back in Daytona Beach in his seven years on the job. Additionally, Poor said the cooling system at the facility has long since been removed.
It appears as if, for the foreseeable future, hockey in Daytona Beach is nothing more than a memory frozen in time.