By From the State of Hockey to the Sunshine State
In Minnesota, hockey isn’t just another sport. It’s part of the culture.
Winters revolve around frozen ponds and outdoor rinks. Kids spend countless hours skating before or after school, often playing multiple sports throughout the year.
Brett Strot has lived both worlds – from growing up in Minnesota’s hockey culture to playing hockey professionally, and now developing the game in Florida as coach and owner of the Tampa Bay Juniors.
Growing up in that environment shaped Brett Strot’s understanding of hockey long before he dreamed of playing professionally.
“Hockey was just part of life,” he recalled.
Minnesota’s hockey culture encouraged athletes to compete in several sports rather than specializing too early, creating more complete athletes and better hockey players. That philosophy carried Strot through junior hockey, to the University of Minnesota, and eventually into professional hockey. But it also gave him a blueprint for building a hockey community.
Growing Hockey in Florida
When Brett Strot brought a junior club to Tampa Bay nearly 17 years ago, he wasn’t simply relocating a franchise.
He saw a region where the game was growing rapidly, powered by the success of the Tampa Bay Lightning and increasing youth participation. What Florida lacked wasn’t enthusiasm.
It was a clear pathway.
Many families had never heard of junior hockey or understood how it could help players reach college hockey and beyond.
“It was tough just to get the word out that, hey, there’s actually junior hockey,” Strot said. “A lot of people were like, ‘What is junior hockey?’”
Because junior hockey had changed his own life, Brett understood its importance. It had allowed him to continue developing before going to the University of Minnesota. Now he wanted to create that same opportunity for young athletes in Florida.
Nearly two decades later, the Tampa Bay Juniors have become part of that development pathway.
Development Comes First
While championships matter, Brett measures success differently.
“Our mission is to help unlock the player’s potential,” he said.
His coaching philosophy combines hockey skills with athletic development. Speed, movement, and decision-making are trained as carefully as skating and puck handling. Drawing on sports science, he believes adolescence offers a critical window to develop athleticism that can shape a player’s future.
“Every player can get faster,” he said.
That philosophy extends throughout the organization, from youth players to junior athletes, and even NHL professionals who train in Tampa during the offseason.
From Nontraditional Market to Hockey Destination
Today, players from across North America and Europe come to Tampa Bay to continue their development. Junior hockey has become an established step for many athletes pursuing college hockey.
Brett Strot believes that growth didn’t happen by accident.
Organizations throughout the Southeast worked together to strengthen the game instead of competing against one another.
“We knew that we needed each other to succeed. We wanted to put a good brand of hockey out,” he said.
More to the Story
For Brett, the journey from Minnesota’s frozen outdoor rinks to Florida’s year-round hockey community has come full circle. The lessons he learned growing up in the “State of Hockey” continue to shape how the Tampa Bay Juniors develop players today, helping a new generation pursue opportunities at the junior, collegiate, and professional levels.
But there’s much more to Brett’s story.
In the coming weeks, Tampa Bay Sports Journal will publish additional features from our conversation, exploring player development, the science of speed, coaching philosophy, the Olympic journey, and the mindset required to compete at the highest levels of the game.
The complete interview with Brett Strot will also be available on the Hockey on the Beach podcast, streaming on Apple Podcasts, where listeners can hear the full conversation in his own words.
