Friday, August 23, 2024
Jr. Hunter Turkstra was in disbelief walking into his AAA locker room on gameday for the first time. From freshly painted walls, brand new carpet, jerseys hung neatly over each stall, and the name plate above his locker, Turkstra made sure to soak everything in. After warmups, Turkstra and the rest of his teammates began to gear up. While lacing his Bauer skates and putting on his brand new red, white, and blue Fox Motors AAA Hockey Club jersey, nerves began to take over Turkstra’s body. As puck drop neared, the once thunderous music abruptly became silent as head coach, Travis Richards walked in to give a speech.
Richards said, “You guys only have one chance to make a good first impression, so make it a good one and be yourselves.”
Turkstra and his teammates made a great first impression as they started off strong and scored quickly. Nearing the end of the first period, Turkstra found himself on a breakaway and knew it was his time to shine. At the hashmarks, he sniped the puck top left and scored his first AAA goal. Full of excitement, Turkstra made his way through the handshake line, receiving a ton of fist bumps and “congratulations” from his teammates and coaches. Turkstra’s outstanding performance helped pave the way to a 6-0 win over the Fury.
AAA hockey is the highest level of youth hockey in the United States. There are several AAA hockey programs throughout the country; however, only the elite have the opportunity to play. Most NCAA D1 commits and NHL players have played at the AAA level during some point in their careers. A few notable alumni from Fox Motors Hockey Club include Hunter Ramos (Lake Superior State), Dominic Elliot (Michigan State), and Cole Knuble (Notre Dame). Arguably the biggest upside in playing AAA hockey is the exposure to scouts that represent top tier programs throughout the world.
Up until three years ago, Turkstra’s aspirations of playing AAA hockey seemed nearly impossible because Turkstra played house hockey for many years.
Turkstra described house hockey as a massive level down when it comes to competition and facilities.
“Looking back on my time playing house hockey, it’s crazy how bad most players were. Many could hardly handle the puck, nor even skate.”
“The facilities when I played house hockey were awful compared to what they are now. We used to get dressed in public locker rooms with no cool features, but now my AAA team has a private locker room with an equipment room, showers, kitchen, and individual stalls.”
In September of 2021, Turkstra decided to take the next step in advancing his hockey career by trying out for the West Michigan Ice Dogs’ Bantam AA team. Compared to his previous teams, the facilities and competition were significantly greater.
After years of using the crusty public locker rooms, Turstra couldn’t fully grasp how amazing his new locker room was. Behind the door was a spacious room painted red, black, and white, including showers and a stall he could call his own.
“The locker room my Bantam AA season was far less from what I have currently; however, it felt good having my own stall and working showers instead of worn benches and showers that didn’t turn on.”
The game’s competitiveness and speed was also vastly improved. Travel hockey is a completely separate game from what Turkstra was used to; however, this didn’t seem to affect him as he would go off for an amazing season. His Bantam AA season, he tallied 17 goals and 23 assists: 40 points. These impressive numbers were near the top of his team, which caught the attention of scouts and coaches.
When making the transition to travel hockey, Turkstra openly admitted that adjusting to the quicker paced game was by far his biggest struggle.
“My biggest challenge making the jump from house to travel hockey was without a doubt the speed of the game. Before, it was easy for me to go coast to coast and put up great numbers, but in travel hockey, everyone was much faster, so I had to change my play style to succeed.”
After his successful Bantam AA season, Turkstra took another step in advancing his hockey career. As a freshman in 2022, Turkstra tried out and made West Ottawa’s varsity hockey team. It’s uncommon for players as young as Turkstra to have an important impact on their varsity teams; however, Turkstra did. In 26 games, Turkstra notched two goals to go along with three asists for a total of 5 points; however, it was his lock down performances on defense that helped the Panthers compete and win.
The following season for West Ottawa, Turkstra continued his dominance. In 27 games for the Panthers, he put up five goals and nine assists, good for 14 points. Not only did Turkstra up his point total by nine, but he also earned honorable mention for All-State.
Panther’s assistant and defensive coach Dan Carrey believes Turkstra’s on ice success is largely due to his work ethic and desire to succeed.
“Hunter is a hard working individual both on and off the ice. He does the necessary things that are often overlooked or viewed as a waste of time such as weight lifting. Lifting helps Turkstra elevate his game and separate him from the rest.”
When not on the ice, Turkstra can be found in the weight room. Turkstra makes it a necessity to lift at least three times a week. His max numbers are 300 lbs on squat, 180 lbs on bench, and 385 lbs on deadlift. His efforts in the weight room are a key component of his success, since strength and agility are foundations for great hockey.
Hunter’s father, Chase Turkstra, praised his son’s work ethic while at home.
“Hunter is always practicing to perfect his game. Every day, I find him outside lifting weights, shooting pucks, stickhandling, and sprinting. He’s always trying to be one step ahead of his competition.”
Turkstra shoots 500 pucks and stickhandles for 15 minutes each day. By the end of the week, Turkstra’s hands are bruised and full of blisters. Turkstra’s drive to get better every day, even while at home, is yet another key component of his success.
With his inaugural AAA season just underway, Turkstra has already begun to see his dividends paying off. So far, he has one goal along with five assists in just six games. His team’s current record is 3-3 with their next event, the USHL Classic taking place September 20-22 in Pittsburgh, PA.
