By CRAIG HARVEY
OBSERVER Sports Editor
Cody Fleckenstein's hockey career is certainly off to an impressive start at just 15 years old.
Article Photos
By CRAIG HARVEY
OBSERVER Sports Editor
Cody Fleckenstein’s hockey career is certainly off to an impressive start at just 15 years old.
The Fredonia native is described by many as a 5-foot-11, 180-pound defenseman who is a strong blue liner, has a rocket for a shot from the point, likes to body check, clear the puck and controls the boards exceptionally well.
It has been those characteristics which have landed the Fredonia native to the USA Hockey National Select U-15 Player Development Camp.
To make the camp, Fleckenstein had to advance through difficult tryouts against the country’s best 15 year-olds. First came the Western Region tryouts. There, only seven defensemen, 11 forwards and two goalies advanced to the state tryouts. Fleckenstein made the cut and joined more than 500-750 other players in the state tryouts. Players from the Western, Central, Adirondack, Catskill and City regions came to Cicero to compete for the coveted roster spots. There, only seven defensemen, 11 forwards and two goalies were selected to the USA Hockey National Select U-15 Player Development Camp to represent New York State.
See FLECKENSTEIN,
Page B2
At the National Development Camp, scouts from some of the top Division 1 colleges, Eastern Coast Hockey League, United States Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Major Junior Leagues were in attendance.
“Basically, I am in the top less than 1 percent of all hockey players born in 1997,” Fleckenstein proclaimed. “This is the first step into the USA National team which starts next year. They select 50 kids to go up to Ann Arbor, Mich. and from March to February, they run a camp. They prep you for the U-17 National team which plays overseas. That is what I am hoping to accomplish. Then you try out for the U-18 team which plays top notch college teams.”
The U-18 team would be the same team which played in Buffalo in 2011 at the International Ice Hockey Federation Junior Championships.
Of that team, 17 of the 22 players were drafted to the National Hockey League.
“It’s obviously a struggle,” Fleckenstein said. “You have to keep working. Nothing is going to get handed to you. You have to keep busting your butt. I’m very self motivated. I want to get to the best, personally. I love playing this competition. To be out there with the best kids and throw your body around was great. You get to connect with kids all over the country and play some quality hockey. I loved it. I like to shoot big and go for the stars. To wear a USA jersey is an honor.”
Fleckenstein began his hockey career at Steele Hall with the Northern Chautauqua County Youth Hockey Association. He then went on to play for the West Seneca Wings’ 97 AAA team to build a foundation before joining the Buffalo Regals’ 97 AAA, elevating his skill set. The Regals’ 97 AAA team ranked 11th in the nation among teams in the country this past year. This past season, while playing for the Regals, he was also one of three freshman who played for the St. Francis Club team.
“I think he will fare very well,” said St. Francis Club coach John Cloudin. “He may not be the best skater, but he sees the ice very well. He has a big determination about him. For a freshman, he mixed it up with seniors. He is very physical and a hard-working kid — a very a hard-working kid.
“The coaches watched him last year and kept an eye on him to see how he fared,” Cloudin continued. “We like to take more promising freshmen onto our Club hockey team and see how they play against the older kids. He did very well and handled himself very well. He is a good bench guy. For a young guy, he showed good leadership skills. He is very talented and good in the locker room. For a freshmen, if they can do that early on, you know they will be a good leader as a junior. That will be the guy everyone looks at.”
This coming year, Fleckenstein has the potential to make the St. Francis Prep team, coached by Scott DiBold.
“He has a lot of skill and good size,” DiBold said. “He has good hands for his age. This year, he will be playing playing 18-19 year olds at 15. It’s pretty rare. It’s going to be a challenge. The kids will be physically and mentally stronger, but that will help him grow.
“He has a good head on his shoulders,” DiBold added, as indicated by Cody’s 90 average this past year as a freshman at St. Francis. “His family has a good barring on where Cody’s talent is and where they are coming from. He is a good kid. He is buying into St. Francis. He works hard at academics. He seems like he will be a well-rounded kid. He knows what he has and is just a good kid from a good family.”
Fleckenstein’s accomplishments has become possible thanks to his father Bill and mother Darla who have helped with equipment fees and done all the traveling.
“We wouldn’t trade it for the world,” Bill said. “It opens up a lot of opportunities for him. We have friends and parents who say they don’t know how we do it. We want to give your son every opportunity to succeed. Last year, Cody had over 225 ice times. He did homework on the way up to practice. It helps him with structure and focus. If he wanted to play at that level, we wanted to give him the opportunity to do it.”
“My part is to take every advantage of it, too,” Cody chimmed in. “My parents did their part. They made sure I had the equipment. Now it’s my part to go out on the ice and prove to them that I can do it. I’m thankful for it. It’s love. It comes from the heart.”
The Fredonia native is described by many as a 5-foot-11, 180-pound defenseman who is a strong blue liner, has a rocket for a shot from the point, likes to body check, clear the puck and controls the boards exceptionally well.
It has been those characteristics which have landed the Fredonia native to the USA Hockey National Select U-15 Player Development Camp.
To make the camp, Fleckenstein had to advance through difficult tryouts against the country's best 15 year-olds. First came the Western Region tryouts. There, only seven defensemen, 11 forwards and two goalies advanced to the state tryouts. Fleckenstein made the cut and joined more than 500-750 other players in the state tryouts. Players from the Western, Central, Adirondack, Catskill and City regions came to Cicero to compete for the coveted roster spots. There, only seven defensemen, 11 forwards and two goalies were selected to the USA Hockey National Select U-15 Player Development Camp to represent New York State.
See FLECKENSTEIN,
Page B2
At the National Development Camp, scouts from some of the top Division 1 colleges, Eastern Coast Hockey League, United States Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Major Junior Leagues were in attendance.
"Basically, I am in the top less than 1 percent of all hockey players born in 1997," Fleckenstein proclaimed. "This is the first step into the USA National team which starts next year. They select 50 kids to go up to Ann Arbor, Mich. and from March to February, they run a camp. They prep you for the U-17 National team which plays overseas. That is what I am hoping to accomplish. Then you try out for the U-18 team which plays top notch college teams."
The U-18 team would be the same team which played in Buffalo in 2011 at the International Ice Hockey Federation Junior Championships.
Of that team, 17 of the 22 players were drafted to the National Hockey League.
"It's obviously a struggle," Fleckenstein said. "You have to keep working. Nothing is going to get handed to you. You have to keep busting your butt. I'm very self motivated. I want to get to the best, personally. I love playing this competition. To be out there with the best kids and throw your body around was great. You get to connect with kids all over the country and play some quality hockey. I loved it. I like to shoot big and go for the stars. To wear a USA jersey is an honor."
Fleckenstein began his hockey career at Steele Hall with the Northern Chautauqua County Youth Hockey Association. He then went on to play for the West Seneca Wings' 97 AAA team to build a foundation before joining the Buffalo Regals' 97 AAA, elevating his skill set. The Regals' 97 AAA team ranked 11th in the nation among teams in the country this past year. This past season, while playing for the Regals, he was also one of three freshman who played for the St. Francis Club team.
"I think he will fare very well," said St. Francis Club coach John Cloudin. "He may not be the best skater, but he sees the ice very well. He has a big determination about him. For a freshman, he mixed it up with seniors. He is very physical and a hard-working kid - a very a hard-working kid.
"The coaches watched him last year and kept an eye on him to see how he fared," Cloudin continued. "We like to take more promising freshmen onto our Club hockey team and see how they play against the older kids. He did very well and handled himself very well. He is a good bench guy. For a young guy, he showed good leadership skills. He is very talented and good in the locker room. For a freshmen, if they can do that early on, you know they will be a good leader as a junior. That will be the guy everyone looks at."
This coming year, Fleckenstein has the potential to make the St. Francis Prep team, coached by Scott DiBold.
"He has a lot of skill and good size," DiBold said. "He has good hands for his age. This year, he will be playing playing 18-19 year olds at 15. It's pretty rare. It's going to be a challenge. The kids will be physically and mentally stronger, but that will help him grow.
"He has a good head on his shoulders," DiBold added, as indicated by Cody's 90 average this past year as a freshman at St. Francis. "His family has a good barring on where Cody's talent is and where they are coming from. He is a good kid. He is buying into St. Francis. He works hard at academics. He seems like he will be a well-rounded kid. He knows what he has and is just a good kid from a good family."
Fleckenstein's accomplishments has become possible thanks to his father Bill and mother Darla who have helped with equipment fees and done all the traveling.
"We wouldn't trade it for the world," Bill said. "It opens up a lot of opportunities for him. We have friends and parents who say they don't know how we do it. We want to give your son every opportunity to succeed. Last year, Cody had over 225 ice times. He did homework on the way up to practice. It helps him with structure and focus. If he wanted to play at that level, we wanted to give him the opportunity to do it."
"My part is to take every advantage of it, too," Cody chimmed in. "My parents did their part. They made sure I had the equipment. Now it's my part to go out on the ice and prove to them that I can do it. I'm thankful for it. It's love. It comes from the heart."
