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***sköldpaddor*** · 02-09-2020, 09:49 PM

Gunnar being good at hockey as a little kid was all well and good, but there was a definite tipping point in the family commitment sometime in his early teens when it became apparent that he had enough talent to make an actual go of it if he wanted to. He and his mother spent a lot of late nights sitting up talking about the sacrifices that would need to be made, the dedication that would be needed from the whole family (or at least the ones still living at home) if he was going to really try to have a career in the sport. His mother, sisters, and step-father were all in, but it was Gunnar who wanted to make absolutely sure he was good enough to make it worth the investment from his family. Once he made up his mind, he still tried to keep his head down and make an impression on the score sheet first. He was never especially eager for the spotlight, but he did end up drawing it upon himself a lot of the time anyway due to how outspoken he was with his work in the community and with his activism in the causes that continue to be important to him.

***luke*** · 02-09-2020, 09:56 PM

Over in Czechia I was still playing for my team club, I was working on my skills and my teamwork. I remember staying late with my teammate working on my puck handling and my stickhandling as well. At home I was practicing skills that you dont need ice for, hand eye coordination, reflexes with my brothers and my father. Every night for 30 minutes we worked on that, knocking down hockey balls and deflecting balls into the net. I remember all the dents in our house we made practicing this. But my father knew that if we had a chance at trying to make it to the czech pro league we will need these skills practiced at a young age. On ice it was starting to show, as my brothers and I were great at deflecting the puck around the net, and as we started to get noticed more, we went to the gym more until we were noticed by some scouts from the Czech pro league, the finnish league, and a scout from the SMJHL.

***Hallsy*** · 02-09-2020, 10:04 PM

Teenager Hugh Jazz wasnt the best hockey player in the world due to his size, it took some time to fill out his frame and he lacked a lot of balance on the ice and was very easy to get knock off the puck, he wasnt a great passer, and was known for shooting the puck on net and trying to score goals. He developed a great shot, and that gave him a lot off pride and cockiness off the ice. He was a laine type player, that really was just a power-play specialist, he didnt play defense at all and was quite lazy in his own end. But when it came to shooting the puck, he could score. He would often score 5+ goals but be a -3. His offensive skills were out of this world and him scoring all these goals showed a lot of potential to be a successful player. scouts could see his potentially he just needed to become a more mature player.

168 words

***ProjectSaint*** · 02-09-2020, 10:18 PM

EVO: I know it has been a long time since I pointed on this. In fact, I haven't came back to my youth since I first joined the SMJHL. Another fun fact is that I joined the SMJHL at age 20 and only played for a team competitively at age 15. Age 13 was when I started playing hockey for fun. It was was early january when one of my friends invited me to an ice hockey party, where we just hired some stick and pads and tried our damn best to swing a stick whilst not ending with our asses on the ice.

Pretty different to how others spent their times at 13, don't ya think? Whilst you have your Super Saiyan Goku Muertos nuking the Norwegian ice hockey scene, you have guys like me who just discovered the game of ice hockey. Of course, it would take me another 2 years to find out that I had a knack for the game, but hey, different people have different progression.

MrStennett · 02-09-2020, 10:24 PM

NSFL PT Affiliation

**JaytheGreat** · 02-09-2020, 10:31 PM

After establishing himself has one of the youth hockey players in Russia, Jakub turned the corner in his teenage years to become one of the hottest prospect in the world. His coordination that helped him stand as a kid was now matched with big time athleticism and a pro level work ethic. Since his parents were big time athletes they were able to set up training regiments that were specifically designed to increase stamina, speed, agility and acceleration. It's no surprise that Bruchevski would blitz past opponents in games, with the opponents sometimes being three years older then him. By this time Jakub was the undisputed best teenage player in the St. Petersberg area and was considered top 5 in all of Russia, with Bruchevski being the yongest player on the list. It was around the age of 17 when scouts from the SMJHL were noticed coming to his games.

Rest In Peace Dangel

1st SHL Goal - S52 Game 1 vs Tampa 3. New England Wolfpack , Jakub Bruchevski 1 (Eko Van Otter 1, Delver Fudgeson 2) at 8:10

Scarecrows

DaftRaincloud · 02-09-2020, 10:48 PM

As a teenager in Norway, Jonas Larsen didnt get a lot of attention from the traditional hockey outlets. When he finally got to play for an organized team he was in the bottom division of Norwegian hockey. Skien Ishockeyklubb never won many games or got even national attention, and while Jonas was never a superstar on the ice his innate ability to put the puck into the back of the net caught the attention of some WHL scouts looking for underrated talent that they could secure in the later rounds of the WHL draft.

That scouting panned out and Jonas was selected to become a member of the Portland Winterhawks. While in Portland he again never became a superstar player, but he was a top six player that would put up thirty or more goals every season playing on the wing. In Portland is where Jonas was able to develop his play more and put on more muscle as well which helped him hold his own in the defensive zone.

shutdown · 02-09-2020, 10:49 PM

Well, as I said in the Anthology Vol. II last week Connolly started playing hockey at a later age than most. He started in his teens and immediately was able to excel in the sport, being a naturally gifted athlete. He put in the time and effort to catch everyone who had years and years of a head start and then subsequently pass them in skill level. He’s always been a hard worker and is driven by his competitive nature to be the best at everything he does. Because of his late start, Connolly was under scouted coming into college and it didn’t take long for him to gain some traction in terms of being drafted. His freshman year he dominated his competition no matter what wing he was played on. His relentless back check mixed with his fluid skating ability and good stick handling was enough to turn a few heads when it came to the draft.

5ympathies · 02-09-2020, 10:50 PM

Dick clapper writes his anthologies like he does everything: by procrastinating. Even as a young player he was always leaving things to the end. Whether it be showing up for practice or on game days, or submitting assignments so he wouldn't fall behind in school, he was just always not great with managing his time. What he was great at, however, was playing hockey and teams could overlook his brutal time planning or the occasional late appearance at practice in exchange for playing some great hockey, scoring goals, and cashing cheques. Clapper was brilliant on the ice, super awkward off of it (he had not yet learned how to interact with girls properly) but once he showed up, he always gave it his all and when they needed it, he would put the team on his back and carry them to victory.

Stay tuned for Vol. III where we go deeper into the next chapter of his story: early adulthood (where he is now) playing for the New England Wolfpack.

Thanks to JSS for the signature

Wiad · 02-09-2020, 10:54 PM

Although it may be hard to believe, young Ulrik Bergstrom showed no natural talent for hockey and there was little to indicate his potential of becoming an SMJHL All Star. Growing up in Sweden, he had of course learned to skate from an early age but was by no means the fastest or most agile person on skates. Standing at 4 foot 8 inches and 70 pounds, Ulrik was also fairly undersized entering into Middle School. While he enjoyed watching hockey, he had no real aspirations of becoming a hockey star. A studious lad, if asked what he wanted to do when he grew up, he would likely answer that he wanted to become an author or a college professor.

Upon entering Middle School, many of his friends joined a travel hockey team and he decided he would join with them. He made up for his skating and puck handling deficiencies with quick thinking, strong positional play, and a high hockey IQ and excelled on defense. Ulrik experienced a tremendous growth spurt upon entering High School, shooting up over a foot taller in 2 years. That was about when some early talent scouts began to take notice. Ulrik made the varsity hockey team and became captain of the team in his senior year. He led his team to the championship where they lost in a rout 6-1. But Ulrik had made a name for himself and grabbed the attention of scouts around the world.

tedlamotors · 02-09-2020, 10:57 PM

I can't say I regret my past, but I definitely wish put more effort into hockey. Like I said in vol. I, I loved a whole lot of sports. Can't fault my parents for this, but they wanted me to make school a priority as well. Balancing all of it was a bit hard and I even considered dropping hockey entirely at one point. If I knew I'd become an SHLer, I'd probably put way more effort into hockey (I had to fine-tune so much in the J). Scouts weren't really looking at me until I was 16 and potentially a serviceable player for a 4-Star Cup Team. That said, who was I to be anything besides a modest "superstar". I'd love to talk my shit, but you also have to be *check notes* really good at hockey before that. It also didn't help that every time I'd go for a clapbomb, I'd miss the net. Can't really expect much from a late-bloomer though.

Nerio · 02-09-2020, 10:58 PM

Bobby Sharp was always a fluid skater as a kid, and hit a growth spurt relatively early on too. This had him playing in higher age bracket leagues where he was able to refine his skills even further. When he was 12 he played in the U18 leagues in Minnesota, matching up with some of the toughest talent in the country at the time. At 14, he went to a prep school in Minnesota and made the Varsity team during his freshman year. This is when his talent truly began developing and people starting taking notice of him. He recorded 35 goals and 75 assists his freshman year in 50 games, good enough for first place as a freshman and 5th overall in the league for points. His Sophomore year he exploded for 55 goals and 108 assists in 55 games. It wasn't long before he was getting letters from colleges and junior teams.

Glyc · 02-09-2020, 10:59 PM

It was always interesting growing up and playing hockey, it started out for me really making my name in the west with the Coquitlam Chiefs, the hometown team for young Sabo Tage. Only two seasons removed from his former team, he’s thrilled to still be playing in Vancouver as moving costs were null when you still live in the same house. It was interesting playing for the chiefs, it was always a dream of mine to play for my old home team and I can say that I took it and ran. I learned a lot during the time I was their and I’ll cherish it forever, especially when your family and friends can watch you play as easily as walking three blocks down the street. Entering my second year I started getting attention from scouts and then the next season before I knew it I was drafted first overall to Vancouver, Now playing in the platton I feel a bit but Im still happy to have been acknowledged by what I consider to be home. 176 words posted at 6:59 PST

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