Strobel moving upward
JOHNSTOWN — Adjust and keep climbing.
That has been goaltender Connor Strobel's mantra for years now.
The Butler graduate played youth hockey, was a standout netminder for the Golden Tornado varsity team and went on to shine for the Esmark Stars travel team, based in New Kensington.
Strobel, 18, is now finding his way with the Johnstown Tomahawks of the 27-team North American Hockey League.
“Everything is much faster here,” Strobel said. “They play a lot more physical and they know how to move the puck quickly.
“I just have to settle down, find my groove and play as well as I know I can play.”
In his first two NAHL games, the 6-foot-3 Strobel was 1-0-1 with a 3.47 goals-against average and .892 save percentage.
With Esmark last year, he was 27-3-4 with a 1.78 GAA, seven shutouts and a .936 save percentage. He was also a PIHL All-Star while playing for Butler.
“Connor was phenomenal with us,” Butler coach Mavrik Goepfert said. “He was the best goalie in the league.”
Strobel has been working with Johnstown goaltender coach Nick Mish, now an assistant coach with the Tomahawks. He described Mish as “a real asset” to his development of late.
“Esmark has been a bit of a feeder system for Johnstown's program,” Strobel said. “Coach Mish came down and worked with me for a while last year.
“I never considered going to any other NAHL team except this one. I'm having a blast with Johnstown. I wake up, play hockey, work out, then hang out with friends. It's been great.”
Strobel and a Johnstown teammate are staying with a host family in town. The Tomahawks are a month into the season, which involves a 60-game schedule.
Strobel has been splitting time with Sam Evola, a goaltender from Rochester, Mich.
“I don't know if the two of us splitting time is the actual plan for the season, but that's the way it's gone so far,” Strobel said.
The Tomahawks are off to a 3-0-2 start and are in second place in the NAHL's East Division. Strobel believes the team is among the league's best.
“I don't look too far down the road,” he said. “All I'm worried about now is winning games for this team and helping us go as far we can.
“The immediate goal is to win the league championship. That's everyone's goal, of course.”
Goepfert, for one, is not surprised at Strobel's progress as a goaltender.
“When he played for us last year, the (USHL's) Youngstown Phantoms borrowed him for a weekend,” the coach said. “That rarely happens to a high school goalie.”
The age range for NAHL players is 16 to 21. Strobel is hopeful of playing for Johnstown again next season.
After that, who knows?
“Ultimately, I'd love to play professional hockey. If that doesn't happen, I'm hopeful of getting a (Div. 1) college scholarship,” Strobel said. “Either of those things is a ways off yet.
“You can always improve all of your skills in hockey. Right now, I'm looking to build confidence in myself. I know I can play here. Now I have to prove it.”
