By: Justin Bradford

The 2020 edition of the Elite Edge Hockey Showcase has come and gone. With it, over 150 athletes take with them a valuable experience that will help them come back next year stronger, smarter and with even more to prove. In the Future division, Team Gold stormed away with a victory in the championship game. For the Junior division, it was a close battle that saw Team Black edge out Team Silver for the win.

Every athlete is taking away an experience that will help them grow. And especially with the times the world is going through right now, these athletes have a greater appreciation for their sport. Now, they will rejoin their teams and share their Elite Edge experience.

"It's fun, a good challenge," said Ethan Pustizzi, a four-year veteran of Elite Edge from Brentwood, TN. "There are a lot of good players and teams are loaded with players from all over the place. You get challenges to give you the experience if you want to play at the next level and the talent you would play against. You also get seminars from guys that have experienced it and learn about different leagues and things we need to know."

For Pustizzi, there were plenty of familiar faces on the teams he faced this week as many of them are his teammates on the Brentwood High School hockey team.

"It's a challenge and I get to still have fun and mess around with them," said Pustizzi on playing against his high school teammates at Elite Edge. "Between whistles I'm just messing around with them, but during play, I'm trying to get them, chirp them and get in their heads."

A big part of the experience for the week is making connections. Not only are the athletes networking with coaches from around the continent, but they're also forging new friendships. Christopher Zhang, of the championship Team Gold, hails from Birmingham, Alabama and will be playing in the Indy Fuel junior program next season. He enjoyed the overall experience of the week, especially making new friends and winning at the showcase.

"It's been great having fun with the boys and making new friends while playing hockey," said Zhang. "It's been the best. We pulled through really well. Right off the hop, we were pressuring pucks in the first game. We were dominating every team and working hard."

Being from Birmingham, Zhang is aware that it's still a non-traditional area for hockey. He takes pride in it though. It's one of the reasons why his favorite player is Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Matthews, who grew up in Arizona, represents talent coming from a previously considered non-traditional market.

"He doesn't play like me, but I just really look up to him and his background, and how he came from a non-traditional hockey market like me," said Zhang. "I just want to be like him. Representation inspires people and really wants me to make myself better. It shows you can do it no matter where you come from."

That's what makes Elite Edge so special. There are young athletes from all over the country coming to Nashville to gain experience about hockey. Nashville continues to grow as a hockey market and Elite Edge is a premier showcase for talent from previously non-traditional areas. It's helping players like Zhang and Pustizzi receive feedback so they can go on and be not just better players, but better members of their communities.

"The coach's evaluations stood out the most to me," said Pustizzi. "They notice stuff that I didn't notice about my own play. One thing that stuck with me is that when you look up with the puck, you have a mental picture. If you don't like that picture, you change. If you do like that picture, then you go with it and keep it. That really stuck with me."

Everything from the evaluations to seminars to practice to games provide a lasting experience. It's not just about reaching young adults about hockey. It's preparing them for their future. Seeds have been planted on how to be better human beings, how to get along with others, how to come together quickly for a common goal and so much more.

"If I'm talking to someone that has never been to Elite Edge before, I would tell them it's a really fun experience," said Pustizzi. "You get to learn what type of player you are and how you fit in with a team of other types of players. You're challenged to keep up and excel and stand out. You might even get an offer from a place you want to go to."

It just proves that while some may think of these young athletes as kids, many of them are already thinking about the big picture. The Elite Edge Hockey Showcase encouraged that forward thinking.