
The
2009 Philadelphia independence is proud to announce another addition to our staff ....
Director of Player Development - Eric Tufman.
Eric Tufman
After trying many sports, Eric stumbled upon hockey after falling in love with the ice at a public skating event. He started playing for the Wintersport Royals at 10 years old. From there, his passion, and therefore skill, developed quickly and he was playing AAA for the Philadelphia Little Flyers Bantam Major team. After being the leading scorer for his two years of AAA hockey, Eric leaped into the junior ranks. There, he was a three-time Atlantic Junior Hockey League All-Star and the team leading scorer for the Philadelphia Little Flyer’s Junior A team from 2003-2007. He was selected to represent the league in numerous league showcase tournaments, including the prestigious Minnesota Jamboree Showcase in 2006. Following his junior hockey career, Eric made his commitment to the University of Massachusetts-Boston. In his freshman season, he set a record of six Rookie of the Week awards and was selected to the All-Rookie Team. Throughout his career, he was a two-time team MVP, two-time Joe Concannon award finalist, awarded the best American born college hockey player in New England, two time Codfish Bowl and Stovepipe Invitational All-Tournament team, ECAC All-Tournament team, 100 point club, UMASS Boston Athlete of the Year, and received All-American honors his senior season. In addition, Eric was selected to represent his country in 2008 in an international tournament in Israel. With a mixture of college and professional players in the tournament, Eric elevated his game as a top point getter for the gold medal-winning United States. After his college career, Eric received many professional hockey offers but due to injury, he was forced to retire from playing.
To appease his passion, Eric coaches and teaches his skills to aspiring hockey players through his company,
86 Hockey. The vision for his company, which began three years ago, came from his drive to keep the main focus on the individual through a small student to teacher ratio. This view allows his students to receive the attention they need to excel, both mentally and physically, at their own pace. His unique style of training forces the student into uncomfortable scenarios where they learn what it takes to not only be a better hockey player, but how to handle the success, failure, and adversity that life can bring.
We are excited to have Eric oversee the development of the players of the Philadelphia Independence. Welcome Aboard Eric!