Being on the ice and on skates was something that Jake Goldowski was not interested in early on in his life. It was actually his sister, who was a figure skater, and a family friend who coached hockey that finally convinced him to give it a try.

“It took me a while, almost six months to get on the ice,” explained Goldowski on his initial reluctance when he was three years old. “For some reason one day, I decided to go out and skate and I just loved it.

“I think it was the puck. It was always moving around. Being with hockey friends and having fun playing the games.”

Goldowski’s sister Rylee has been a huge inspiration for him when it comes to hockey.

“She was really the one who got me involved,” he explained. “She has taught me a lot. She has been a big inspiration for me. She has helped me with school and skating. She is a freshman in college right now at Robert Morris. She was able to come watch me play in Johnstown.”

While growing up in Thornhurst, Pennsylvania, hockey started to play a major role in Goldowski’s life. He and his dad would attend the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton games.

“We had seats behind the goalie,” he said. “When the playoffs would come, we would go. When hockey got more serious, we decided to take it off.

“It was so much fun [going to those games]. It was like a get-together. When you are walking around and getting something to eat, you would always run into some you know. It was a good vibe. I just loved going there.”

Goldowski was on the way home with his parents, Frank and Danielle, when he received the call that he had made the U.S. National Team Development Program. He was beyond excited for the opportunity.

“It was right after top 40 camp which was good,” said Goldowski on that call. “I was surprised and couldn’t believe that it was really happening. I had lost so much energy and slept the whole six hours on the way home. I was so excited and really thankful to be called up for this team. My mom was crying when I first found out. My dad not so much — he’s not really a crier.”

Then he packed up and moved to Plymouth, Michigan to join the NTDP in late August. It was tough at first, especially when it came to school.

“I was homeschooled for two years for hockey so this is my first high school experience,” he remarked. “It’s my first time moving away from home. My billets have been great — they remind me of my own parents. School has been difficult because there are so many kids there. It has been a good experience.”

One thing hasn’t changed, and that is just how much the 6-foot-2, 175-pound forward has learned about himself and his game in the last few months. He has posted six goals and 11 points in 25 games to date.

“I have learned I can get through adversity,” he stated. “It’s been a hard couple months but it’s been fun and fulfilling. I’m enjoying myself very much.

“My skating and shooting has been getting better. My overall game has been getting better. I’m getting pucks to the net and I’m moving my feet more and driving the net.”

He has taken to heart some advice from Under-17 head coach Danton Cole that resonates with him when he is out on the ice.

“Stay in straight lines. Get the puck to the net and keep working. That is all he says to me. I just love it since I always want to keep working. He is a good inspiration to me right now,” Goldowski said.

That advice should come in handy as Goldowski and his U17 teammates head to Monthey, Switzerland, this week for the squad’s second international tournament — the Four Nations. Team USA will face Switzerland, Russia and Slovakia in the round-robin event. He plans to use the team’s first international tournament — the U17 World Challenge — as a learning experience on what the team needs to do.

“We need to be more aggressive at the start,” explained Goldowski, who will be heading overseas for the first time in his life. “We were very competitive throughout the whole game but we decided to turn it on in the last 10 minutes [against Sweden]. We always came back. We learned from that. We need to get to them. I hope we can win a lot of our games.”

Plus, he understands what it takes after playing in the USHL this season.

“Moving the puck fast [is a big lesson],” he said. “They are smarter and older so you need to move the puck quicker. You need to get open space. The two wins we have — those were our hardest working games so far. We have been doing okay but we need to keep working at it.”

One thing is for certain – Goldowski looks forward to wearing the colors of his country, especially in international play.

“It’s unbelievable,” he said. “There are no words to describe what it feels to put that jersey on. To play for our country and to play in international tournaments against your rivals, whether it is Canada, or Sweden or Russia. It’s a great feeling.”

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.