skip navigation

Once a Fan, Graham Slaggert is Now an NTDP Player Himself

By Becky Olsen, 12/02/15, 8:00AM EST

Share

Slaggert and Dad Used to Drive to Michigan to Watch Team USA


Photo by Rena Laverty

Before Graham Slaggert accepted his invitation to join the USA Hockey's National Team Development Program, he remembers driving with his dad from their home in South Bend, Indiana, to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to watch Team USA in action.

“I remember coming to USA games with my dad, and I would get to give the players knuckles,” Slaggert recalled. “I remember watching the future of the NHL and seeing the players and jersey was very special.”

Those trips with his dad, Andy, helped Graham decide to join the NTDP himself.

“It’s unbelievable to wear the jersey,” said Slaggert, now a member of the U.S. National Under-17 Team. “It means so much for the chance to represent my country. It means that I have worked enough to make it to this point, but I know I still need to improve.”

Hockey came naturally for Slaggert. After all, he pretty much started skating as soon as he could walk.

“Growing up, I was always around hockey,” he said. “As soon as I started walking, my dad put me in skates, and that was where it all started.”

Andy Slaggert, the associate coach at the University of Notre Dame, has been coaching at the school for more than two decades. However, he never pushed his son in the sport.

“He has always been there with some little pointers, but he stayed out of the way and let the coaches do their job,” Graham, a 5-foot-11, 184-pound forward, said. “He was able to be on the bench for some of my spring tournaments. He didn’t treat me any differently. It was always nice to see him on the bench, and I think it was a cool experience for me.”

Two Fighting Irish players also had a major influence on Graham.

Anders Lee was a big role model for me,” Slaggert said of the former Notre Dame and current New York Islanders winger. “He showed me the ropes, and I learned how to handle things. 

“[Notre Dame senior] Mario Lucia, whose dad is the coach at Minnesota, has shown me what it means to have a dad who is coaching. He has really helped me along my path and is willing to give back. Mario’s advice to me was to enjoy the ride and experience with the USA jersey.”

Slaggert joined the NTDP after playing the 2014-15 season with the Chicago Mission midget program.

“The development both on and off the ice was important to me,” he said of the NTDP. “It was the best opportunity for me to grow as a person and a hockey player. It was definitely a lifelong goal to play for this team.”

The transition from playing midget hockey to junior hockey in the United States Hockey League can be difficult, but Slaggert said the NTDP helped ease the learning curve.

“It hasn’t been too bad,” he said. “It’s definitely a step up, but the atmosphere and coaches have helped make the transition smooth. The coaches have done an unbelievable job in helping us learn the ropes. It’s great to watch how much the practices can transition onto the ice. I can definitely see the difference each week. It’s the little things that we do off the ice that translate on the ice for us.”

Slaggert and his U17 teammates return to USHL action on Thursday against the Bloomington Thunder at USA Hockey Arena before heading to Muskegon on Saturday. That leads into the team’s second international tournament, the Four Nations Tournament in Slovakia. Slaggert believes the team’s USHL experience will help internationally.

“It’s a different style. The players are bigger and the game is played at a faster pace,” he said. “It helps us with the physical aspect when we play in our own age group. In international play, we can slow the game down and look for the plays.

“You can’t take any games off. It’s important to improve with each game. We need to take the experience from the U17 Challenge and use it.”

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.

NTDP News & Features


Photo by Rena Laverty

Graham's Favorites

Favorite NHL Team
Detroit Red Wings

Favorite U.S. Player
Keith Tkachuk

Favorite Goal Celebration
"Part the Sea"

Favorite Movie
Miracle

Favorite TV Show
30 for 30

Favorite Music
Eric Church

Favorite Book
Moneyball by Michael Lewis

Favorite Food
Pine Nut Pasta

 

NTDP News & Features