The Birmingham Unified Hockey team has high hopes as the 2011-2012 season approaches, and the team may has a new look to them.
With an overall record of 11-12-3 last year, the team started off slow but ended the season with a solid 10 game winning streak and falling just short to St. Claire Shores in the Regional Title game with a score of 3-2. BU hopes to build off of last year’s momentum and make an even deeper run into the playoffs than they did last year.Even with the loss of seven seniors including star captains Kevin Wilberding, Chris Donnellon, and Brad Almeter, BU brings back a solid roster including a JV team that won the Michigan Interscholastic Prep Hockey League Playoff Championship.
But the players who are being brought back from last season are the least of the buzz during this year’s off-season.
According to Seaholm athletic director Aaron Frank, former Detroit Red Wing hockey player Petr Klima brought over 14 talented Czech hockey players to Michigan this past summer in hopes of playing AAA hockey for the U18 midget major Honey Baked hockey team.
Senior forward Drake Braun also heard about this.
“I heard that Petr Klima, the former Detroit Red Wing, was bringing over some Czech players, but I heard from another player that some of them were ineligible to play AAA travel hockey and that if they got cleared by Aaron Frank that they could play for BU,” said Braun.
AAA hockey is the highest level of hockey one can play before the age of 18.
The Honey Baked hockey team has also been known as one of the best travel hockey teams in Michigan every single year.
Fortunately for Seaholm, two of these Czech players, whose names have not yet been disclosed for now, found out that they were not allowed to play for Honey Baked this season.
“Two of the guys were ruled age ineligible for the[Honey Baked] team,” Frank said when talking about them wanting to play for Honey Baked. “I saw the email [from Groves athletic director Tom Flynn] saying they were eligible to play [for BU].”
An email was sent to the MHSAA to see if these players would be allowed to play for the BU hockey team. According to Frank, these players were granted eligible to play and will be allowed to play for BU this upcoming season.
“I am looking forward to meeting these guys and seeing the skills that they have,” senior forward James Bertrand said. “I hope they can add on to the solid group of seniors that we have already. Only rumors have been going around, but supposedly they are very good.”
If everything works out, BU will have two great players to add to their hockey squad this season.
“Hopes are high and hopefully we can live up to the hype,” Bertrand said.
