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Trip Back Home an Early-Season Highlight for Trevor Janicke

By Becky Olsen, 10/11/16, 11:00AM EDT

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Minnesota native and NTDP forward gets to play on home ice

A seemingly normal weekend road trip will bear special significance for USA Hockey's National Team Development Program forward Trevor Janicke.

The Maple Grove, Minnesota, native will return to his roots in a two-game series against the Minnesota Elite League at New Hope Ice Arena — a place that holds many memories for him.

“It’s going to be awesome,” he said. “I grew up playing at the rink and I will get to see my family and friends. It will be special to wear the USA jersey. I have played with and against many of the players on the other teams [that are part of the Minnesota Elite League].

“I will probably have close to 100 family and friends there to watch us play. It will be fun. It’s about 10-15 minutes from our house. I definitely have some memories from my youth days at the rink.”

Janicke’s hockey career started when he was just two years old and it was a sport he fell in love with immediately.

“I started skating when I was two and started playing hockey when I was in kindergarten,” he said. “My dad played hockey at Notre Dame and he was the one that got me started. I have loved it ever since.”

It should be no surprise that it was an easy decision when it came to his college choice. After all, his dad Curtis played for the University of Notre Dame from 1989-1993, leading the Fighting Irish in scoring during his junior season with 50 points in 31 games.

“I’ve known the fight song since I was two years old,” he remarked. “My dad always talked about his experiences and I really like the things he told me. I grew up watching the football games and I even got to go to a few hockey games.

“It was my biggest dream as a kid. When I committed to Notre Dame, I was super excited. It was a no brainer — I always wanted to go there.”

Growing up, his dad served as his hockey coach, which is a special bond the two of them shared.

“He coached me until seventh grade,” he said. “It was tough but I loved having him as my coach. The toughest part of having him as my coach was that he pushed me harder because he was coach. He expected a lot out of me but I did appreciate it.”

He also taught Trevor some valuable lessons that he still carries with him today, one in particular.

“It was about hard work definitely. He told me that hard work can get you far. That was the biggest lesson he taught me and told me to try to be the hardest worker at anything you do,” explained Janicke on his dad’s advice.

For the 5-foot-9, 173-pound forward, his dad’s advice came in handy as he made the jump to the U.S. National Under-17 Team this year after playing for Maple Grove (Minnesota) High School one year ago.

“It was a big jump,” he stated on the transition. “I have a great situation with my billets so that was a big advantage. Hockey-wise, it was tough but I’m adjusting to the pace and the game right now. It’s fun and tough but it’s good.”

One thing has stood out to him from practice is the puck protection drills the team works on almost every day. It is something small that he believes will help him with his game.

“When I was growing up, I could stick handle through other players,” he stated. “It’s hard to do that now as we need to protect the puck. We have to use our body and our teammates, so it is something that we work on.”

One thing that never changes for Janicke is the feeling he gets when he sees his Team USA sweater hanging in the lockers.

“It was unbelievable to see the jerseys hanging up for the first time,” he remarked. “It was such a great feeling to see my last name on the jersey. You are playing for your country, not just for yourself. You want to play well to make your country proud. It’s still so unbelievable to put that jersey on every day. It’s surreal and something I will never take for granted.”

Janicke and his teammates will get their first opportunity to face international competition when the squad travels to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, for the 2016 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. It will be an opportunity to see where they stack up against other players in their age group.

“I always thought about what it would be like to play against Russia and Canada. It’s going to become reality in less than a month,” he said. “It’s crazy to think about. It will be fun to battle against other countries. It will be a difficult challenge but I’m super excited.”

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.

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Trevor Janicke with his father, Curtis, who coached him growing up. Curtis played college hockey at the University of Notre Dame, where Trevor is committed to play.

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