(above) Jason Zucker will arrive at DU in 2010From: Las Vegas Sun
by Ron Kantowski
DU recruit Jason Zucker is the first Nevadan to play for the USA hockey national development program. Technically, he’s not a native Las Vegan, but he moved here with his parents — his dad, Scott, is a construction designer for Station Casinos; mom Natalie is a Wells Fargo Bank teller — from Newport Beach, Calif., when he was 2. So nobody is going to hand us a two-minute minor if Las Vegas claim him as one of ours.
“Jason has high character, a high work ethic; he’s highly talented and is an intense competitor,” says John Hynes, the Team USA Under-17 coach. “He’s been a leader for us in every facet — during off-ice conditioning, on the ice and as an assistant captain.”
At the 2009 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Port Alberni, B.C., over the New Year’s holiday, Zucker was named Team USA player of the game three times in six games. He’s Team USA’s leading goal scorer with 18 in 34 games and notched a hat trick in the team’s 6-4 victory over the North American Hockey League’s Alpena (Mich.) Icediggers Saturday night.
Rob Pallin, a former Minnesota-Duluth player and now conditioning coach, was introduced to Zucker when the latter was 12. Zucker’s older brother, Evan, played for the Las Vegas Icecats, the touring team that Pallin coached, and he said you could tell right away from the way he skated with the big kids that Jason was going to be special.
A lot of kids have raw talent, Pallin says. Both Evan and Jason have it, and are fierce competitors on the ice. But he said Jason’s willingness to improve his game when the crowd’s not cheering and hats and octopuses aren’t being throw onto the ice — “an unbelievable desire to get better,” is what the coach calls it — is what sets Jason apart.
Zucker was home recently and Pallin put him through a rigorous two-hour workout. Then the next day, Zucker called Pallin and asked if he would meet him at the rink. So they went for another two hours.
The first day was Christmas Eve. The next day was Christmas.
“Those are the kids that make it to the next level,” Pallin says.
“Jason has high character, a high work ethic; he’s highly talented and is an intense competitor,” says John Hynes, the Team USA Under-17 coach. “He’s been a leader for us in every facet — during off-ice conditioning, on the ice and as an assistant captain.”
At the 2009 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Port Alberni, B.C., over the New Year’s holiday, Zucker was named Team USA player of the game three times in six games. He’s Team USA’s leading goal scorer with 18 in 34 games and notched a hat trick in the team’s 6-4 victory over the North American Hockey League’s Alpena (Mich.) Icediggers Saturday night.
Rob Pallin, a former Minnesota-Duluth player and now conditioning coach, was introduced to Zucker when the latter was 12. Zucker’s older brother, Evan, played for the Las Vegas Icecats, the touring team that Pallin coached, and he said you could tell right away from the way he skated with the big kids that Jason was going to be special.
A lot of kids have raw talent, Pallin says. Both Evan and Jason have it, and are fierce competitors on the ice. But he said Jason’s willingness to improve his game when the crowd’s not cheering and hats and octopuses aren’t being throw onto the ice — “an unbelievable desire to get better,” is what the coach calls it — is what sets Jason apart.
Zucker was home recently and Pallin put him through a rigorous two-hour workout. Then the next day, Zucker called Pallin and asked if he would meet him at the rink. So they went for another two hours.
The first day was Christmas Eve. The next day was Christmas.
“Those are the kids that make it to the next level,” Pallin says.
2 comments:
Looking forward to seeing Zucker at DU.
Is DU still in the running for Jeremy Morin, or has he already committed to another school? I haven't heard anything about him, although I thought he was a blue-chipper type.....
I think Morin is leaning toward major junior (OHL) in Canada and if he chooses to go the NCAA route the rumors are BU. If he is picked high enough in this spring's draft he may turn pro and forgoe any more amateur hockey. Wouldn't suprise me to see him stay non-committed until after the NHL draft.
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