All About Hockey
There are hockey prospects. Then there are the best of hockey prospects.
Butler residents Brody Simko and Nathan Dickey, Chicora's Liam McClaine and Cranberry Township's Dom Dezort fall into the latter category.
All four play for the Esmark Stars organization, based in New Kensington. Simko, a left wing, and McClaine, a defenseman, play for the Esmark U-16 team. Dezort, a winger-center, and Dickey, a goaltender, play for the U-18 squad.
Each were selected to play in the North American Prospect Hockey League (NAPHL) All-Star Games recently in Dallas, Texas. It marked the first all-star appearance for all four.
“It's a tremendous honor to be picked for all-stars,” Esmark U-18 coach Dave Kosick said. “Each (all-star) team takes 12 forwards, six defensemen and two goaltenders. They have 19 teams to choose from.
“It's a very select group.”
Esmark's U-18 team is 22-12-2 so far this season. The U-16 team is 18-10-1 on the year.
Dickey is 9-3-1 between the pipes, sporting a 2.06 goals-against average and two shutouts. He has a save percentage of .924.Dickey, a senior at Butler Area High School, has been tendered a contract by the Kenai River Brown Bears, a North American Hockey League franchise in Alaska.“I went out there for their camp in October,” Dickey said. “It's a beautiful part of the country. Yeah, it's a long way from home, but I've been around Butler most of my life.“I'm looking forward to getting out there and seeing what I can do.”The NAHL is a junior league. Hockey players generally play a few years in juniors before moving on to collegiate play.Dickey has been playing for Esmark since age 12.“My dream is to play Division 1 college hockey someday,” he said.Kosick believes the 6-foot-1, 170-pound netminder can get there.“He's an athletic kid who likes to get out and challenge the puck,” the coach said. “His reflexes and agility are excellent and he's off to a great start this year.”Kosick considers goaltending “my passion.“People think it's stressful, but I love the independence of it,” he said. “You have to depend on yourself.”Fellow Butler resident and goaltender Connor Strobel has been returned to the Esmark Stars by the NAHL's Johnstown franchise.“I believe we have the best (amateur hockey) goaltending tandem in the country,” Kosick said.
Dezort is the second leading scorer on the team with 16 goals and 23 points. He has a team-leading five power play goals and a plus 18 (18 more goals scored than the opposition when he's on the ice).He has not been tendered an NAHL contract yet, but that day may be coming.“Dom does a tremendous job,” Kosick said. “He's not a 6-4 power type forward and he's not a really fast skater. He just knows how to use his skill-set.“We're trying to sell the work ethic he has along with his production to NAHL suitors.”A North Catholic senior, Dezort also plays hockey for the Trojans in the PIHL.“I need to work on my shot and becoming a faster skater,” Dezort said. “I definitely want to play junior hockey somewhere next year.“I've been a winger, but they moved me to center for a few games. It's different ... you can use more of the ice and you have to be able to set your teammates up more.”Whether he's tendered a contract for juniors or not, Kosick is convinced Dezort will get a shot.“He'll wind up in some team's camp, one way or the other,” the coach said. “The ability is there.”
Simko leads the Stars' U-16 team with 17 goals, including seven power play goals. He has 26 points.“There's no secret what Brody needs to work on — and he knows it,” Stars U-16 coach Yuri Krivokhija said. “He needs to gain speed in his skating. Other than that, he's got the hands. He's got the shot.“He's a pure goal scorer — and that can be a valuable thing.”This is Simko's first year with the Stars. He previously played for the Armstrong Arrows.“I've been playing hockey since I was 3 or 4,” Simko said. “I started out with dek hockey for three or four years, then figured I may as well switch over to ice.“Hopefully, I can develop into a Division 1 college player. That's my dream. But I know I have a lot of work to do to get there.”Krivokhija knows something about what it takes. He was a 10th-round draft choice of the Montreal Canadiens in 1981 and enjoyed an 18-year pro career.“He's tough with the puck and Brody can play a physical game,” the coach said. “He just needs to work on his stride when he skates. He's a vocal guy, a team leader, but everyone is looking for speed in the game now.”Team success means a lot to Simko as well.“I want to continue to be our leading scorer ,... but I want to do it on one of the top 35 teams in the nation.”
A defenseman in his second year with Esmark, McClaine has tallied a goal and five assists this season. Most impressive is his plus 16, one of the best on the team in that category.He is a captain on the team as well.“At 5-9, he's a tank,” Krivokhija said of McClaine. “Liam is a good skater and very strong. You don't want a defenseman to get beat one-on-one and he rarely does.”“I feel like I'm a good skater with a long stride,” McClaine said. “There's a lot of decisions to be made with the puck and you have to be smart about it.”Krivokhija believes that decision-making process will improve with time.“He's still a young player,” the coach said. “He's still learning to read the game ... whether to step up on a play, back up, move the puck forward. A lot goes into that position.”McClaine's goals in hockey are the same as the others: Get to juniors, go from there.“This is the year to get my name out there,” he said of his junior hockey prospects. “I just want to progress the best I can.”
