KELLY CUP FINALS: Las Vegas, Florida more than just sunny climates for hockey ... - Naples Daily News

LAS VEGAS â€" In the lead-up to Monday night’s Game 1 of the Kelly Cup Finals, talk of similarities between the two teams came from both locker rooms. Both can score, both can play defense and both are hot at the right time of the season.

But the comparisons between the teams, and the cities, don’t just apply on the ice. Las Vegas and Fort Myers/Naples are both attractive cities for young players to begin their professional hockey careers â€" albeit for different reasons.

“Las Vegas is a great city with a lot of things to offer besides just the Strip,” Wranglers coach Ryan Mougenel said. “It’s a city with nearly 2 million people, and we see that when guys come here they like it and a lot of them end up settling here when their careers are over.”

While year-round sunshine and the lure of a big city have helped Mougenel lure players in the past, he said he learned quickly that it takes a certain type of player to thrive in Sin City.

“You don’t want guys who know they don’t have long left in the minors and just want to find a nice city to party and have fun,” Mougenel said. “We want guys who want to get to the next level and do so by playing well and developing.”

When people think of Southwest Florida, for many the first thought is of snowbirds. But there are also plenty of opportunities for young hockey players to get distracted. The beach and the lure of co-eds from Florida Gulf Coast University have served as roadblocks to Everblades success in the past.

Longtime Everblades forward and current radio analyst Ernie Hartlieb said when players first arrive from snowy locales in the Northern U.S. or Canada, it can be a challenge.

“The weather down here in the winter is amazing,” said Hartlieb, who still lives in Southwest Florida after retiring two years ago. “Sometimes guys don’t know how to handle it, and they don’t have the same enthusiasm to stay at the rink and work on their game.”

Players also tend to get comfortable in Florida and at the end of the grueling six-month regular season may not have the same enthusiasm to battle for a deep playoff run. That hasn’t been the case for Florida this season.

“I’ve seen the opportunities that winning a championship can open up for guys,” said Everblades defenseman Bobby Raymond, who won an American Hockey League title with Binghamton last season. “Everyone loves the weather and the beach, but winning is more important to this group, and I think that’s shown with how we’ve played.”

During a typical regular-season series, having home games in Las Vegas and in Florida usually benefits the home teams, as opposing teams have been known to tire themselves out away from the rink.

But this weekend, Florida players were in bed by 11, and Mougenel said his team will take a similar approach later on this week in Florida.

Despite having a group of 20-somethings in Las Vegas for nearly a week, Poss said he hasn’t had to remind his players what’s at stake in the series.

“You can go to Las Vegas anytime,” Poss said of his words for the team prior to the trip. “But I guarantee that this is the only time you can go to Las Vegas and win a championship.”