Burnsville Natives Take Hockey Careers to Next Level

With two Minnesota state championships under his belt, Burnsville native Ben Gislason will be writing the next chapter of his hockey story in Wisconsin.

Gislason, a standout at Breck High School in Golden Valley, is one of a handful of young men who call Burnsville home who are now playing in the North American Hockey League.

All five of them—Gislason, Jace Childs, Bodhi Engum, Mick Dockry and Sean Madigan—were in Blaine last week to compete with their respective teams in the NAHL Showcase, an annual event where all of the league's teams gather at the Schwan Super Rink, with each team playing four games in four days in front of a large array of college scouts.

Gislason is in his second season in the NAHL, and said the second go-round is a lot easier than the first.

“I remember my first year, a lot of nerves; legs shaking, wrists going,” Gislason said. “The second year you know what the speed of the game is going to be like, and you know what you're going to need to bring to the table to be successful.”

Gislason's coach with the Coulee Region Chill, Garrett Strot, said Gislason brings a lot to the table.

“He's smart with the puck, makes good decisions. He makes good first passes, which is what you want from a defenseman,” coach Garrett Strot said of Gislason. “He was with us last year, and he's been pretty mature from the beginning. This year his confidence is higher.”

Dockry, a first-year player, is dealing with being away from home for an extended period for the first time. And while he said he hasn't had time to get homesick yet, the transition has been tough on his mom.

“She's calling me every day, sometimes a couple times a day,” he said.

Dockry is also dealing with an injury. He had surgery to repair a torn labrum —a cartilage in the shoulder socket — and is just getting back into playing shape.

“I'm not 100 percent yet, but I can play and stuff,” he said.

Bismarck coach Lane Sedevie likes what he's seen so far, in spite of the limitations because of Dockry's injury.

“He skates very well,” Sedevie said. “He's got good vision and the skill set to make plays.”

Two other Burnsville natives are both playing in Chicago, and both should make immediate contributions.

“Jace (Childs) has solidified himself as a top-three line player,” Chicago coach Brent Agrusa said. “He's talented with the puck and good around the net, and hopefully he's going to be putting a lot of pucks in the net for us.”

Madigan is expected to contribute on both ends of the ice.

“He's a good skating defenseman,” Agrusa said. “He's going to be a good guy for us on the power play, and he's going to score a lot of points on defense.”

The other four Burnsville natives have stayed relatively close to home, but that's not the case with Bodhi Engum, one of the newest members of the Alaska Avalanche.

“It's beautiful in the valley, in the mountains. I've seen a lot of wildlife, but I haven't seen a moose yet.”

Engum said the prospect of playing so far from home was never an issue.

“It's a place to play. This is a great experience no matter where I'm playing.”

Engum is also staying positive about the crowded situation in goal for the Avs. After being “the man” for his high school team, he now finds himself splitting time three ways.

“I think they're going to keep three for injury purposes,” he said. “(Splitting time is) not that difficult. It makes it more competitive at practice.”

The North American Hockey League, now in its 36^th season, is the largest USA Hockey-sanctioned Junior A circuit with 28 teams. Traditionally, the Combat Hockey/NAHL Showcase Tournament attracts over 5,000 people in overall attendance, including more than 200 college and professional scouts.

The Janesville Jets were crowned champions of this year's Showcase. Like Janesville, the Fresno Monsters and Fairbanks Ice Dogs went 4-0 in the tournament, with the Jets winning on tie-breaker criteria.