Over the past eight summers, the New York Mets have proven that minor league baseball can thrive in Brooklyn with the Cyclones. On June 17, an agreement was made to bring an Eastern Pro Hockey League team, the Aces, to Aviator Arena, successfully making the borough a two-sport town and effectively proposing another question:
Can a minor league hockey team survive in Brooklyn?
As of right now, all signs point to yes.
With about a month left to go before the season starts on November 8, fans and media alike are anxiously awaiting the drop of the first puck.
However, no one is more excited than the team’s coach, Chris Firriolo, who sees the Aces as a team that can not only win, but can also develop talented players in Brooklyn that go on to join the ranks in the ECHL, AHL and ultimately, the NHL.
Nevertheless, he does understand what his biggest goal for the season is.
“We are going to be a breeding ground for players to develop and move on,” Firriolo, who has coached several prospects and draft picks in the Chicago Blackhawks system that have gone on to spend time in the NHL, said. “At the end of the day, everyone wants to win and being in a market like Brooklyn, teams are expected to win here. We understand that, but we realize that next year, people aren’t going to ask who won the EPHL title. They’re going to ask how many guys did we develop or who got called up. I think ultimately, that’s our number one mission.”
Paying most of his attention on the development of his young team, Firriolo originally was hesitant about employing any type of coaching philosophy this season. Instead, intended to wait until he saw what his players were capable of, before taking the team’s inaugural season in stride. However, in his short time with the team, he sees a group of energetic and feisty players that are going to catch a lot of people by surprise this season.
That alone is making the upcoming season a very special one for him.
“At this level, most coaches have to adapt their philosophies to the player personnel they have because they don’t have the luxuries the other leagues have,” he said. “I think I got pretty lucky this year though because I think these guys are going to be able to play my style of hockey. My style has always been a high puck pursuit game, which is built on a lot of speed and puck movement. I like to open up the ice, but I make sure we always take care of things in our zone as well. I really think we have the horses this year to be really aggressive and we can really play that brand of hockey. ”
Brooklyn-natives will be happy to know that one of their own will look to be a pivotal part of the team as well this season.
“James Brannigan is a kid that left Brooklyn to go play in Cedar Rapids in the United States Hockey League, where he was very successful and then went on to play at Colorado College, which is one of the true Division-1 powerhouses,” said Firriolo, who was born in Manhattan and is currently a resident of New Jersey. “He’s probably one of the most recognizable hockey players from Brooklyn in the past decade. Because he’s a Brooklyn boy, he’s going to kind of be our poster boy. We’re excited to have him.”
Despite the excitement congealing around the team over the summer and early fall, Firriolo also knows that things won’t be easy. However, in a show of candor and confidence, Firriolo admitted that while he sees Brooklyn as more of a baseball town, he did say that he believes the Aces and hockey in general have a place in the Borough.
“I think, we can, in time, become a huge part of the Brooklyn culture,” Firriolo said. “The type of team and players were are building are trying to fit that mold and in a few years we hope people will feel that we are a part of the community and culture.”
Photo by the Brooklyn Aces
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