Constantly climbing
Marcus McCall plans to chase his dream of earning a roster spot for an NCAA hockey program.
First, the 2015 Butler graduate had to do his homework.
The path to college athletics is different for hockey players than for athletes of most other sports. Generally, hockey players spend two years after high school playing at the junior level before moving on to an NCAA program.
This is because players aren't ready for the physical challenge of college hockey coming out of high school. A pit stop at juniors allows them to develop their strength and skills.
McCall signed with the Jersey Shore (N.J.) Wildcats earlier this week.
The Wildcats are a member of the Tier III Junior A North American 3 Hockey League.
“I was trying to get the best fit for myself and best community and team that can better develop me as a player and person,” McCall said. “I want to get bigger, stronger and faster.”
Making the move to juniors often requires moving away from home, living in billet housing and sometimes switching teams on the fly.
Top players, like Center Township native Jake Hildebrand, who is now a standout goaltender at Michigan State University, end up in Tier I's United States Hockey League.
Others battle it out for spots Tier III, then try to climb to up to the Tier II North American Hockey League or the USHL. Tier III is pay-to-play, where players pay a fee to join the team and for housing.
Some Butler County hockey players made the transition in stride, found the right spot for juniors and moved on to successful college careers.
Others struggled before landing in a spot where they were comfortable.Not fitting the system is what has led to several changes for county players.Cole Hepler, a 2014 Freeport graduate, had to change up his plan after heading to Minnesota for a tryout with the North American Hockey League's Kennai (Alaska) River Brown Bears.Hepler didn't feel wanted and wasn't offered a spot by the team after try outs.“That's the way of life,” Hepler said. “You go in expecting better and it doesn't work out for you. It was an eye-opener. It made me realize you have to work for accomplishments and not everything was going to be handed to you.”While one opportunity dissipated for Hepler, he kept in touch with a coach from the Elliot Lake Wildcats of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League.Both of Hepler's brothers played junior hockey in Canada before moving on to Division III hockey programs.According to ScholarshipStats.com, there were more D-III men's hockey programs (76) than in Division I (43) and D-II (21) combined during the 2014 school year.Between all divisions, 4,360 men's players played varsity hockey last school year, about 12.3 percent of the 35,939 who play in high school.Hepler flourished in his new spot, registering 85 points (33 goals, 52 assists) in 62 games.The Wildcats made the playoffs and Hepler scored six goals in their 10 playoff games.Missing out on the Kenai River team fueled his season.“It's always nice to be wanted from the beginning, too,” Hepler said. “Hey they didn't look at me, I have something to prove this year. I'm definitely capable and they made a mistake not picking me.”While Hepler found a dream situation, Darrien and Devin Sroka of Seneca Valley had to dig their way out of a nightmare.The Srokas signed to play with the Walnut Grove Wolverines of the brand new Canadian Independent Junior Hockey League after graduating from high school last year.Before the Srokas made the trip to British Columbia, it was announced the facilities promised were unavailable and the league soon folded.They followed coach Krzysztof Oliwa, a former NHL enforcer, to play for the Kalkaska (Mich.) Rhinos in the U.S. Premier Hockey League as an independent League.“Honestly, we figured out that was a complete scam before we even went,” Darrien said. “We paid for tickets and everything for a flight. Our coach called and told us there was no facility at all built.”Once the team moved to Michigan, Oliwa led a program that focused on intense physical training. Days started at 8 a.m. with a two-hour practice.If players made a mistake on ice, they had to do 100 pushups and 100 squats on the ice.Following practice, there would be swim training before lifting and other hockey skill practice.All those practices were during the week, followed by games on weekends.“We didn't have very much recovery time, which wasn't good,” Devin Sroka said. “We only had overnight to recover before games. Most of the time everyone's legs were shot for games.”After playing around 20 games in Michigan, they decided to come back and play for the Pittsburgh Vengeance of the NA3HL.Oliwa said both players were released from the program, but declined to comment further.“They aren't bad players, (the program) just wasn't for them,” Oliwa said.The Vengeance had drafted the Srokas the year before and coach Dave Dorsey was looking for fresh legs for his team.He made them earn their spot and has been happy the Srokas contribution.“That happens all the time,” Dorsey said. “It happens more in our area than anywhere. Everybody thinks going away is a good thing, but most of the time it doesn't turn out very well. What happened to the Srokas is more common than when good things happen to people that go away.”McCall believes he found a perfect fit.He was approached by Wildcats coach Eric Brule after the 5-foot-9, 175 pound defenseman helped Team Pittsburgh win the America's Showcase tournament in April at the RMU Island Sports Complex.“Their coach came down to me and he's a great guy,” McCall said. “What stuck out to me was he wanted to develop me as a player and person.”Jersey Shore went 40-1 in the regular season last year on the way to winning the Western Division and NA3HL crowns.Brule, who is the coach, general manager and recruits 99.9 percent of his players personally, runs his team like a hockey academy.Players are on the ice from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and even have a built-in time slot to do online class work, which is required of his players.Helping his players jell as a team is something Brule has a lot of personal experience with.Brule had a nearly 10-year career with minor league hockey, playing with affiliates of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens. He also spent a season in Italy.Brule's team from last season featured kids from the Czech Republic, Israel, Canada and the United States.“I've seen different cultures. I've seen it all,” Brule said. “I've seen different coaches and personalities. This type of baggage I have, you could say, I bring it back to the kids. This is my approach, to give back to the kids with my experience.”Finding a variety of personalities and players is a part of Brule's recruiting plan.He doesn't want too many old players or too many young players. McCall stood out to him because of how he moves the puck.Brule was also looking to replace a similar defenseman, who was promoted to their Tier II Affiliate in Wichita Falls, Texas.The NA3HL had 63 players promoted to Tier II last season, according to its website.Forty of those players were called up during the season, while 23 were either tendered or drafted by NA3HL teams.After having a few meetings with McCall and his parents to discuss the fit, Brule felt it would be a good match.“He's a natural puck mover,” Brule said. “He had good puck possession and that fits well in our system. We're a puck possession and puck moving team, we don't get rid of the puck for no reason. It's important for the kid to fit in the same system.”McCall knows he fits the system. When he heads to New Jersey, he'll be chasing after his ultimate prize.“College is my goal, a NCAA program,” McCall said.
According to ScholarshipStats.com, 153 colleges sponsored varsity men’s hockey programs in 2014. Here’s a breakdown of the number of schools that offer the sport and players by classification:Level Schools PlayersNCAA I 43 1,172NCAA II 21 593NCAA III* 76 2,267NAIA* 5 140NJCAA 8 188*Do not offer athletic scholarships.
