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Photo by Rena Laverty
It’s some pretty simple advice that Henry Thrun is embracing in his second season with USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program. After all, he understands just how important it is to have a positive mindset when it comes to practice and games.
“Coach Wroblewski talks a lot about embracing the grind and doing the dirty work first before you get to have fun and do the skill work,” explained Thrun. “I think that will help our team. We have guys who can play the skill game and we have guys who can play the grind game. If we play physical and get a grind going, it will show the skill after.”
Thrun and his Under-18 teammates still have five home games against college opponents. There’s no better time to ‘embrace the grind’ than during this stretch of college contests which also includes five road games, one of them a stop at defending national champion University of Minnesota-Duluth on Jan. 5.
“Once we get our guys back, that will help,” said Thrun. “Right now, we need to keep going out every day in practice. The coaches do a really good job of preparing us for the games on the weekend. We need to listen and stay at it during practice so we will be ready for the games.”
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound blueliner has already seen a difference in his game since his Under-17 season. One of the biggest challenges for him was adjusting to playing college opponents.
“For me, the college games were a huge adjustment,” he said. “Those guys are older and much faster and stronger than the [United States Hockey League]. Starting off with those big games against Minnesota and Michigan, it was a really big adjustment. I think our team has done a really good job with the adjustment and that has definitely helped my game too.”
More than anything, he credits playing college competition in helping him with the defensive side of the game.
“When you are playing in the USHL, you can get away some nights without being too physical. When we are playing college guys, you have to be very physical and play that way every night. It has helped me on the defensive side,” said Thrun.
For the Southborough, Massachusetts, native, there was one college game that really was a special moment for him. After all, he got to play against his future college team — the Harvard Crimson.
Favorite NHL Team
Boston Bruins
Favorite U.S. Player
Noah Hanifin
Favorite sports outside of hockey
Lacrosse, Soccer & Golf
Celebrity to sing carpool karaoke with
Kenny Chesney because I go to his concert every year
Favorite activity
Fishing
Favorite Netflix Binge
The Office
Favorite Book
The Boys of Winter
Fun fact
I love to collect things (especially hockey jerseys)
“It was super cool,” said Thrun on the 6-3 victory on Oct. 20. “I’m from Boston so I had a lot of family in town to watch us play. It was cool to get the full experience, coming into Cambridge and spending the night in the city. Coming in to play the guys and see Coach [Ted] Donato, it was a really fun game.”
Fun for Thrun, but his future college team wasn’t too happy with the outcome.
“Coach Donato called me after the game. During the game, they were not too happy as was to be expected with us winning,” said Thrun.
He did take away some important lessons after playing three college games in four days, which included a 5-4 loss to Boston University on Oct. 19 and a 6-4 win over Dartmouth on Oct. 21, namely the importance of being ready to play every night. He knows just how important this is, especially when it comes to international competition.
“You definitely learn to show up every night, especially for all 60 minutes,” explained Thrun. “When you play three games in four nights, or when you play internationally with four games in five days, it really makes you value the team and respect all your opponents. Any team can beat you, so you have to show up every night and be ready to play.”
Going into this year, people told me to really cherish it ...You have to value all your moments. You only get to play in some of those games once.
This is so important for him especially in his final season with Team USA. Thrun has taken some additional advice to heart.
“Going into this year, people told me to really cherish it,” he stated. “This whole year with all the games we are going to play internationally and against colleges, especially since this is my draft year. You have to value all your moments. You only get to play in some of those games once.”
This advice came in handy when he suited up for Team Jordan Leopold at the 2018 USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game on Sept. 19.
“I really took in the whole event,” said Thrun. “It was really cool. The Minnesota Wild did a great job in putting that game on. The players were really good. It was special to play against the best guys in the country all at once.
“We did get some grief from our teammates for losing the game 6-4. We had them going late into the game and then, [current U18 teammate] Matt Boldy put on a show and walked away with MVP. We have moved on for now and are focused on our season.”
Photo by Rena Laverty
Another thing Thrun often has on his mind is the pride that he has every day in being able to wear the red, white and blue.
“It was a childhood dream of mine to wear the jersey so every day — it is cool to be able to do that,” he said. “It really makes you value what you are doing. It really makes you realize that you need to put in the work every day and leave it all on the ice.”
Which only makes him realize just how important it is to have the right mindset, both on and off the ice.
Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.