UPSHL Midwest’s Motor City Rebrands, Signs New Rink Affiliation and is Joined by Red Wings Alumni to Fill Development Positions

Team Moves to Troy Sports Center, Welcomes Bertuzzi to
Player Development Post

March 19, 2018 – TROY, Mich – After the team’s first trip to the USPHL Premier Hockey Nationals in Boston, the Motor City Hawks have come home to announce a new rink, a new brand and some huge additions to its coaching and consulting staff for the 2018-19 season.

The Hawks have shed the Chicago Black Hawks logo and name to become the Motor City Hockey Club (MCHC), better affiliating with the Detroit area and the team’s heritage.  The team also announced it will move from Fraser Hockeyland to the Troy Sports Center beginning with 2018-19 tryouts on April 21 and 22. MCHC sees the move to Troy as a means of showcasing a state of the art facility that has a long history of hosting national-level tournaments and a more centralized Detroit area location to draw local talent to the team.

Solidifying head coach Jason McCrimmon’s relationship with the city and Detroit Red Wings alumni, the team has added former Red Wing, Todd Bertuzzi as Director of Player Development and will join the team on the ice during practice sessions this season.   Bertuzzi finished his NHL career with the Red Wings in the 2013-14 season and has remained in the Detroit area after a career which saw him play on the Canadian Olympic team and a first team All Star nod while with the Vancouver Canucks. “Todd and I have developed a great relationship over the past few years and he jumped at the chance to help MCHC with our player development,” said McCrimmon. “He has a real passion for helping kids get to the next level of hockey.”  

The team also announced that Mickey Redmond, a former Red Wing 50-goal scorer and award winning broadcaster and Trevor Thompson, a reporter and anchor with Fox Sports Detroit will serve as team consultants this season, helping Motor City establish added visibility in the community as well as with opportunities for MCHC players to move on to either higher leagues or colleges.  The Motor City Hawks and the former Monarchs have been leaders in both the MWJHL and USPHL in sending players to college hockey programs.

“These moves we’re announcing have been in the works for months and we’re so excited to enter next season with a new brand, new rink and some great Red Wing alumni additions,” said MCHC General Manager Mark Gilman. “Reaching the USPHL Finals in our first year in the Premier Division was a great accomplishment for us, but we also felt we hadn’t reached our full potential in league performance and player movement to colleges.”

A featured part of the MCHC team hitting the ground early and running into the 2018-19 season, the team also announced that feature sponsors, JJ Curran Crane Company and Affinity Electronics, Inc. have already renewed their commitment to the team.

The Motor City Hockey team will be hosting tryouts at the Troy Sports Center on Saturday, April 21 (2:15 to 4:15 pm) and Sunday, April 22 (12:10 to 2:10 pm) for the 2018-19 season. Cost for participation is $125 for the weekend.

No sooner did the 2017-2018 Season begin the Detroit Fighting Irish coaching staff and administrative set their focus on the 2018-2019 Season establishing a development plan that not only becomes dependent on the clubs affiliate organizations but is also designed to help those organizations maintain their brands and promote their programs.  

Establishing reciprical relationships with our affiliate programs give us and gives our affiliates the true spirit of a partnership and we believe that in order to be successful in today's hockey world these partnerships are essential. We have been fortunate to have an NCDC affiliate like the Islanders Hockey Club whom not only share this belief but continue to go the extra step to make sure that as an affiliate organization that we are able to rely on their guidance and as give our players and staff an opportunity to showcase and possibly have an opportunity to play for the top club. Most organizations look at an affiliation as an opportunity to move players to a higher level however we don't look at it at at just that with the Islander's have believed since day one it is a cultural change , a business model , a marketing model, and a player advancement opportunity says team owners Mark and Lisa Cruz "we feel every conversation that we have we have an opportunity to learn from them on how to be successful at every level of the game while we also offer them a birds-eye view of the uniqueness of the game it's opportunities , it's obstacles and how it effects the entire hockey development machine hear in the Midwest. Just recently the Islanders had Fighting Irish players Josh Weber and Dean Buckholz spend a week with the NCDC club in Massachusetts  as they prepared for  a weekend series with Syracuse. The players had an opportunity to practice with the club and take part of all of the team's weekly preparation. The call up  resulted in Weber playing in one of the weekend games with the "Big Club"  Weber made the best of the opportunity scoring twice in the game hoping to gain an opportunity to be invited back for the team's tryouts for 2018-2019. Buckholz also had a great week with the club and hopes to have an opportunity as well. Plans are also being made for the Islander's to participate in the Irish tryouts in the Spring to give the players at the camp an opportunity for to get on the NCDC clubs radar as well as to share development ideas with the Irish Staff. 

Another affiliate organization is the Elite Brigade Development program which is a relationship that continues to redefine itself this past season several players whom participated in Elite Brigade program signed with the Detroit Club. Elite Brigade Director Chris Slater was impressed at the development philosophy of the Irish and as well of he commitment of the Irish ownership and staff to explore opportunities on how the two programs can expand and support the program. The Brigade program is a pre-post program geared toward Michigan High School Players the Irish will place prospect teams in the Elite Brigade tournaments that has benefits for both the Brigade program and the Irish. Although the Brigade program is a program for non graduated High School player the Irish teams wll have older players which is a benefit to the Brigade programs player development and program goals. Players 16-18 years old can register to play in the Brigade Program by going to www.elitebrigadehockey.com

The Irish have just announced their spring and summer program which will allow all participants interaction with both programs

For More Information go to

www.detroitfightingirish.com