Players at USA Hockey Player Development Camps receive age-specific on-ice and off-ice training amid an extremely competitive atmosphere which showcases the players and their skills.

The boys are getting these opportunities while staying local and playing through USA Hockey’s development model, Heather Schoegler said. 

Playing hockey closer to home has helped avoid burnout, too, she added. They’re right in the middle of their hockey marathon, and the kids still love the sport and get excited to go to practice.

The boys each forged their own paths from various backgrounds in hockey. Carter Schoegler’s and Wallace’s parents did not play hockey, while Drouin’s father played at Cornell, a few games with the Boston Bruins and in the minors, including a stint with the Fort Wayne Komets of the ECHL.

Having the Komets in town, “it feels like the entire community grows up going to watch hockey games,” Heather said. She took Carter to Komets games when he was a toddler, and he tracked the puck throughout the game.

“Then from that day, he just was obsessed with hockey,” Heather said. “He would wear socks on his hands for gloves. Anything that could be a stick became a hockey stick.”

As Carter grew, he got started with Learn to Skate programs at the local hockey rink. Drouin and Wallace also got involved in those programs to develop their skills at young ages. 

As former Komets players stuck around the community, they invested in youth hockey, too, with a former Komet taking over as the youth hockey director. They started using the American Development Model just as the three boys were coming into their 8U year of hockey.

The families relied on advice from others to help pave the rest of the way for the boys’ hockey development. They knew families from Fort Wayne with older children who left the local program at 10 or 12 years old to play for teams in Chicago or Michigan. Those players had a one-way commute of three hours multiple nights a week just to reach a higher level of hockey.

The Drouins, Schoeglers and Wallaces collectively made the decision to focus on their sons’ hockey development through the Fort Wayne program.

“We just kept receiving advice from people we trusted that said, ‘No, if they’re getting the right development, they will be fine,’” Heather said. 

Carter Schoegler has enjoyed staying close to home and getting to experience games with his family. 

“Some of the kids that leave early kind of miss out on that, not having all the family members there,” Carter said. “I think at least when I was a kid, those were some of my favorite games when all my family members were there.”

The boys still played against competitive opponents, and paired that with off-ice development through a training partner at the local ice rink, and it’s turned into an amazing experience.

The Indiana State Hockey Association formed coming out of the pandemic, allowing Indiana teams to create their own league. The association created Indiana Elite Hockey, offering elite, Tier I-level hockey to kids in-state, instead of having to travel to Chicago or Michigan. 

The boys moved up to Indiana Elite, the Tier I path for those who are ready for that next step, when they were 12 years old.

“It’s super fun for us to do it at home because Indiana’s not really known as a hockey state,” Carter said. “To go against that narrative and suiting up with all the Indiana boys every weekend puts a chip on our shoulder to try and be better than the stereotypes. That’s one thing that our coach says to us all the time: ‘They’re not expecting much from an Indiana team,’ and it’s always nice to go out there and play better than what people think we are.”

Even traveling to the Indiana Elite games is still about a 90-minute drive. But the families usually only travel one to two nights a week and with a shorter commute than if they would have joined hockey programs in a different state. 

“They get a really nice work-life balance,” Heather said. “It complements school as well. It’s just been a really great opportunity for us.”

They’re all busy, so having the boys stay home to play hockey works well for family life. The parents work full time, meaning staying in Fort Wayne avoided some tough decisions or sacrifices, too. The boys participate in non-hockey activities, other sports and can cheer on their school’s teams.

Hockey programs and players all have their unique differences, but Heather offers the advice their families were given if others are wrestling with similar decisions: “There isn’t a need to rush.”

“If your player is developing, there will be opportunities for them, whether it’s this season or next season or a season down the road,” she said. “Players develop at different times.”

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.