Zachary LaBella and Jordyn Kimmel will represent the Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning at USA Hockey’s 2026 National Player Development Camps in New York and Ohio. The 15-year-old players advanced through state and Southeastern regional camps after being identified among the top players in Florida.
LaBella, a defenseman, is attending USA Hockey’s 2026 National 15 Camp in Amherst, New York. The camp began Wednesday during the week of July 15, 2026, while Kimmel, a forward, will attend the 2026 Girls National 15 Camp in Oxford, Ohio, beginning Sunday.
The players will train and compete with top players from across the country in their age group in on-ice and off-ice disciplines. Selection to the camps could lead to future invitations to represent Team USA at international tournaments.
LaBella and Kimmel advance to national camps
LaBella began playing hockey in the Tampa Bay area at age 4. His Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning team is Tier 1 National qualified, and he said the opportunity allows him to represent Florida on a national stage.
“It’s a big honor to be selected to that camp. It means a lot to be able to put myself out there, put myself on the map and represent Florida,” LaBella said.
Kimmel joined the Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning after previously traveling across Florida to play for another travel team and leading a separate Lightning development team the previous season. Her Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning team is Tier 2.
“I’m so proud I get to do this,” Kimmel said.
First-year Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning program reaches national stage
The Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning program is in its first year and began with tryouts in April. It provides three training sessions per week and national tournament opportunities for players in age groups from 9U to 16U.
LaBella and Kimmel begin their competitive season in August 2026. The season runs through March and includes nearly 50 games in weekend tournaments.
The program is operated by the Tampa Bay Lightning community and hockey development team and includes Lightning alumni as coaches at multiple levels. Tampa Bay Lightning director of hockey development Josh Dreith said having representatives from both the boys’ and girls’ programs at the national level is significant.
“With having boys’ teams and girls’ teams and having one representative on both sides to represent the Lightning and the Jr. Lightning at the national stage, it’s huge,” Dreith said.
Braydon Coburn, a Lightning alumnus and Kimmel’s Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning coach, said the program is creating more local opportunities for girls hockey. “The fact that these girls can get great training, play on a great team and have that whole atmosphere right here in Tampa is huge, and it’s only going to get better,” Coburn said.
National camps could lead to Team USA opportunities
USA Hockey’s camps can serve as an early step toward future Team USA opportunities. Those international events include the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, the U17 Four/Five Nations Tournament and the USA Hockey Women’s National Festival.
“You can play hockey in Tampa, Florida and be successful,” Dreith said. The camps give LaBella and Kimmel an opportunity to continue their development alongside players from across the country.
Source: Original report