Sophomore Jackson Chuck is currently undergoing the process of moving to New Hampshire to play for the Northern Cyclones Hockey Organization. Chuck plans to further improve his skills on the ice so he can become a more well-known prospect for college hockey teams.
Chuck has been playing hockey for twelve years and he is committed to enhancing his abilities in hockey as well as enjoying his upcoming season with the Cyclones. Chuck listed his expectations for the new hockey program by stating, “I want to have fun, I want to get better at hockey, and I want to get good grades.” Chuck is confident the program will benefit him in multiple different ways.
Located in Hudson, New Hampshire, the Cyclones are dedicated to benefiting their players on and off the ice. They have many types of facilities on their campus but their main priorities are to improve their hockey players skills and provide support in their schooling. Their main campus offers classrooms, dormitories, and gyms for their players. Cyclones’ arena is home to two NHL-sized rinks to maximize player experience.
Sophomore Chuck stated that the program will help to benefit his future in hockey by, “putting me out there more and letting me play more games than I would in Arizona.” He goes on to say that the program will also help to increase his chances of playing college hockey by, “putting me on the map and letting more colleges look at me.” Chuck plans to maintain his schooling while also improving his hockey skills in order to prepare him for a successful future.
Chuck explained the process of getting into this type of program which involved being scouted by a coach, who had personally reached out to Chuck, through an app called NCSA. Coach Scott Lundahl explained the reasoning as to why many Arizona hockey players choose to take similar opportunities and routes. He stated in his interview that, “Arizona is not really known for hockey yet, so that’s why most people are leaving.” Arizona does not provide as many hockey opportunities and programs as other states would for aspiring hockey players.
Lundahl further explained that AAA hockey, also known as triple A, is the highest level one can play while in high school, Lundahl then commented on the fact that Arizona only had, “one triple A team, and that’s the Junior Coyotes… so if you don’t make that team, that’s it.” Lundahl then went on to explain that, “Jackson Chuck’s next move would be to play Juniors…where you would get more exposure.” To summarize Lundahl’s statement, many players choose to move states in order to better their chances of getting on to higher-level teams and become more recognized in the realm of hockey.
Chuck continued on to say to those who are interested in taking a similar route as he is to simply, “Go for it.” Opportunities such as these can benefit not only hockey players but aspiring athletes as well. Chuck is committed to becoming a well-known and excellent hockey player through this new experience of traveling to play hockey.
