Nathan Smith was the first player drafted in the NHL who came from the Tampa Bay Lightning’s High School Hockey League. Smith’s succcess is a major win for the grassroots movement of hockey in Tampa. [The Athletic]
The now Lightning-run high school hockey league has 17 teams (six junior varsity), attending five national tournaments a year. The organization’s “Build the Thunder” program has put 84,000 street hockey sticks in kids hands the past three years. A few charter schools have added hockey to sports like basketball and soccer.
It’s Seldo’s turn for our Secret Santa Series at Raw Charge.