The Shreveport Mudbugs won the NAHL Robertson Cup on Monday. Captain Dominick Procopio was one of the players who helped the rebirth of hockey along the Red River.
Roy Lang III
Two years ago, Dominick Procopio knew nothing about Shreveport, but the Grosse Point, Michigan, product, at the worst, knew his time in town would be short. However, he quickly embraced the city, the people and the team that gave him a second chance at junior hockey – the Shreveport Mudbugs.
Procopio also embraced the mission to rekindle the magic of the Mudbugs, a team that captivated the community for 15 years, but faced skepticism following a five-year respite.
An immediate fan favorite because of his long hair and aggressive play, Procopio quickly became so much more – an ambassador for the franchise’s rebirth and the captain of the team.
During this year’s final celebration on George’s Pond at Hirsch Coliseum, a Game 5 victory against Lone Star that sent Shreveport to the Robertson Cup semifinals in Minnesota, Procopio donned appropriate headwear – a 10th anniversary Mudbugs hat circa 2007.
The message was clear – he appreciated the history, but wanted Mudbugs fans to understand they didn’t have to rely on the good ol’ days.
“The past here is awesome, but since Day 1 last year we’ve been focused on laying down a foundation of culture and it carried onto the ice,” Procopio said. “I couldn’t be luckier.”
Eight days later, a Procopio shot in the third period of tie game was deflected into the net in Blaine, Minnesota, sending the Mudbugs to a North American Hockey League championship.
With a Robertson Cup and an average of 3,000 fans per game, second best in the league, Shreveport has quickly become a force in junior hockey.
“It’s awesome to be here,” Procopio said. “To anyone that’s thinking of playing junior hockey – USHL, North American league, I think this place is the ultimate place to develop and grow as a person, not just a player.”
Half of this season’s roster, including Procopio, was on Shreveport’s inaugural NAHL squad. The foundation built — and the buzz generated — by the new generation of Mudbugs will be crucial in the midst of the Robertson Cup glow.
Of the 25 guys on the 2018 playoff roster, there’s a chance only five could be in uniform when the 2018-19 season begins.
Eleven champion Mudbugs were born in 1997, and will be too old to play in the NAHL next season. Seven players are expected to give the United State Hockey League, the country’s lone Tier-1 junior league, a shot. Forward Jake Transit is expected to attend Ferris State University, while goaltender Gustavs Grigals may begin his career at Alaska-Fairbanks.
“What we’ve done as an organization to bring hockey back to Shreveport, to refurbish the Hirsch Coliseum, what we’ve done with growing youth hockey and everything else to win a championship … it’s not going to be a problem anymore of trying to recruit people to Shreveport,” Mudbugs owner Tommy Scott said. “They are going to be banging on our doors wanting to come to Shreveport.
“It says a lot about our fans. I mean it’s a total package, it really is. If you’re playing in front of 300 people in Shreveport, it wouldn’t be very cool, even if you are winning. The fact that we have so many awesome fans and corporate partners, it’s amazing. It’s a fun place to play.”
Could Karlis Zirnis be a question mark? He may be in Detroit when main camp starts in July, but that’s not a given. When you parlay Zirnis’ credentials in international hockey – Latvian assistant coach at the Olympics, head coach of U20 national team — with his remarkable job in Shreveport, he’s certainly a target for other teams and leagues.
The same goes for Cole Quisenberry, a seventh-round draft pick in the USHL, and many of his teammates.
“Shreveport took me in this year and I couldn’t be luckier where I ended up,” the Cherry Hills Village, Colorado, product said. “I had never even saw Shreveport on the map at the beginning of last summer, and by the end there I am in Louisiana. I couldn’t be happier with things how they worked out and Shreveport is my home.”
If things don’t work out in the USHL, there will always be an opportunity with the Mudbugs.
Assistant coach Jason Campbell has seen nearly every up and down of Shreveport hockey. He arrived in town from the University of New Brunswick in 1999 and proceeded to win a couple of Presidents Cups.
He’s confident the franchise is on solid ground.
“The sky is the limit,” Campbell said. “These guys love where they play. The guys who move on are going to hate to go, but they’ve done exactly what we’ve asked them to do. They put their heart into it and connected with the community.”
Zirnis believes the feats accomplished by the Mudbugs who took the ice at The George and made themselves prevalent in the community over the past two years will make transitions — like what Shreveport faces this summer — as smooth as possible.
“These guys established the question, ‘What do the Mudbugs stand for?’ There are choices you have to make on and off the ice to succeed. You can’t create that in one day. We compete and work hard every day.
“If you’re on board, let’s get you down here.”
Future of 2017-18 Mudbugs
Includes players on playoff roster.
Jonatan Asplund, may have USHL opportunity
Roberts Baranovskis, will not return, age
Ryan Burnett, will not return, age
Jaxon Castor, will not return, age
Jack Clement, may have USHL opportunity
Derek Contessa, may have USHL opportunity
Cameron Cook, will not return, age
Kieran Durgan, will not return, age
Andrew Erwin, expected to return
Jordan Fader, will not return, age
Gueorgui Feduolov, expected to return
Jay Feiwell, may have USHL opportunity
Gustavs Grigals, could enroll at Alaska-Fairbanks
Brendan Gysbers, will not return, age
Jacob Holmers, will not return, age
Jack Jaunich, expected to return
Nikolai Jenson, drafted by USHL (4th round)
Andrew Lane, will not return, age
Warren Natyshak, expected to return
Dominick Procopio, will not return, age
Cole Quisenberry, drafted by USHL (7th round)
Jacob Skolnik, expected to return
Jake Transit, expected to enroll at Ferris State U.
Brendan VanSweden, will not return, age
Matt Weber, drafted by USHL (10th round)
Twitter: @RoyLangIII
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