MONROE - There's a new hockey team in town - the Monroe Icebreakers Junior-A semi-pro team.
Junior teams are the unwritten route of players wanting to play college or professional hockey. In Wisconsin alone, there are numerous junior teams, with clubs in Eau Claire, Madison, Green Bay, Wausau and Stoughton. None of the players on the incoming team have been drafted by the NHL, though some players in the league have been heavily scouted throughout the professional and collegiate circuit.
Monroe's club's origins are in St. Louis and brings players in from all across North America, including goalie Nathan Maughan, an 18-year-old from Cremore, Ontario.
"I'm here to try and get a scholarship from colleges down here and to just improve my skills," Maughan said.
Many of the players on the roster have had families members who played in the NHL or college, or had people in their hometowns move on and have a career in hockey.
The team, filled with players ranging from 15 to 20 years old, will play a 60-game schedule with 30 home games at the StateLine Ice and Community Expo on Monroe's west side.
The team will have about 20 players on its active roster and will hold tryouts for local players before the season starts in October.
The Wisconsin Junior Hockey League plays by the rules of the NHL in which franchise director Scott Schwendeman calls quite the scrap on the ice.
Throughout the season, the team will hold clinics for the community, as well as volunteer for community service efforts. The franchise is looking into helping with Big Brothers Big Sisters, as well as other community charities.
"The guys are not only here to play hockey, but to grow as men. So we want to do as much as we can throughout the community," Schwendeman said.
The young men are also looking for host families to live with. Each host family will get $200 a month for rent and tickets to the games.
"In Eau Claire and all of our other franchises, the kids become a part of the family. A lifelong bond of friendship between the players and the family is made," Schwendeman said.
Tickets for each game are $7 and season tickets soon will be available on the league's Web site, www.wisjhl.com. Most of the team's games are on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the season.
Schwendeman said there is a possibility of current and NHL players making guest appearances this season.
"I've heard that some people complain that there is nothing to do in this area in the winter. Here is something to do, go to a pro hockey game right here in town," Schwendeman said.
Junior teams are the unwritten route of players wanting to play college or professional hockey. In Wisconsin alone, there are numerous junior teams, with clubs in Eau Claire, Madison, Green Bay, Wausau and Stoughton. None of the players on the incoming team have been drafted by the NHL, though some players in the league have been heavily scouted throughout the professional and collegiate circuit.
Monroe's club's origins are in St. Louis and brings players in from all across North America, including goalie Nathan Maughan, an 18-year-old from Cremore, Ontario.
"I'm here to try and get a scholarship from colleges down here and to just improve my skills," Maughan said.
Many of the players on the roster have had families members who played in the NHL or college, or had people in their hometowns move on and have a career in hockey.
The team, filled with players ranging from 15 to 20 years old, will play a 60-game schedule with 30 home games at the StateLine Ice and Community Expo on Monroe's west side.
The team will have about 20 players on its active roster and will hold tryouts for local players before the season starts in October.
The Wisconsin Junior Hockey League plays by the rules of the NHL in which franchise director Scott Schwendeman calls quite the scrap on the ice.
Throughout the season, the team will hold clinics for the community, as well as volunteer for community service efforts. The franchise is looking into helping with Big Brothers Big Sisters, as well as other community charities.
"The guys are not only here to play hockey, but to grow as men. So we want to do as much as we can throughout the community," Schwendeman said.
The young men are also looking for host families to live with. Each host family will get $200 a month for rent and tickets to the games.
"In Eau Claire and all of our other franchises, the kids become a part of the family. A lifelong bond of friendship between the players and the family is made," Schwendeman said.
Tickets for each game are $7 and season tickets soon will be available on the league's Web site, www.wisjhl.com. Most of the team's games are on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the season.
Schwendeman said there is a possibility of current and NHL players making guest appearances this season.
"I've heard that some people complain that there is nothing to do in this area in the winter. Here is something to do, go to a pro hockey game right here in town," Schwendeman said.
