USPHL Premier 2023-24 Florida Division Players Of the Month: February 2024

Limited March regular season games were also taken into statistical account.  

Selection Process: The league media office sends top candidates to divisional coaches for review and coaches either approve or challenge the nominations.

Summaries By Joshua Boyd / USPHLPremier.com 

Forward: Dario Zitko, Florida Eels

Zitko (‘03/Port Moody, B.C.) finished his regular season with a run of seven goals and seven assists for 14 points in eight February games – and all of that came in a string of five multi-point games to close the season. Zitko, a third-year junior player, finished with 34 points in 42 games in this, his second season with the Eels. 

Forward: Oscar Moritz, Bold City Battalion 

Moritz (‘04/Umea, Sweden) was a goal-per-game performer for the eventual Florida Division Champion first-year Bold City Battalion. Along with his six goals in six games, he added seven assists for 13 points in six games. His +9 was good for the team lead in that category, as well, during February and early March. He joined the Battalion from the Potomac Patriots in December, and finished with 30 points in 38 games. 

Forward: Livio Azevedo, Tampa Bay Juniors 

Azevedo (‘03/Switzerland) closed his Premier regular season career with seven goals and four assists with 11 points in eight games. After a 53-point season in 42 games last year with Charlotte, he came back this year with 43 points in 37 contests. He put up a +8 to stand as one of two leaders in plus-minus. During February, he saw an 11-game scoring streak snapped, one that had begun at the USPHL Tampa Showcase on Jan. 5 and finished on Feb. 11 with 13 goals and eight assists for 21 points. 

Defense: Emil Grinsvall, Bold City Battalion 

Grinsvall (‘04/Goteborg, Sweden) had yet another fantastic month for the division champions who are going into their first USPHL playoffs series against the Atlanta MadHatters. He scored a goal and added 11 assists for 12 points in nine games in February, and his 17 blocked shots were first on the team. His 25:16 of average ice time were good for second on the team. His final regular season total was 41 points in 42 games. 

Defense: Brayden Goddard, Florida Eels 

Goddard (‘03/Vancouver, Wash.) put up more points this season than in his first two Premier seasons combined, by posting 43 points in 43 games. He had 34 points in his first two years, and he went to the 2023 Nationals with the Eels, as well. In February and early March, he had three goals and eight assists for 11 points, and his +15 was No. 1 for the Eels. He also led his team in average ice time with 23:50, as well.  

Goaltender: Tresor Wotton, Florida Eels 

Wotton (‘03/Foxwarren, Man.) went 4-1-0-0 with 110 saves on 115 shots, giving him a .957 save percentage. Wotton shut out Bold City (21 saves), the Jr. Blades (21 saves) and Palm Beach (16 saves) during the course of the month, not bad for just having entered the league in seven games. He finished the season with a 5-2-0-0 record with a .921 save percentage.