CJ Erickson (Photo provided)
LAKE PLACID — Despite being a Boston Bruins fan, Lake Placid native CJ Erickson has always looked up to three-time Stanley Cup winner and former Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews, even though one of Toews' Stanley Cup wins came against the Bruins in 2013.
“He was a Blackhawks player and a rival of sorts, but he was one of the players I looked up to and idolized.” Erickson said.
Erickson, the son of Lake Placid residents Katherine and Chris Erickson, will follow in his idol's footsteps this fall when he enrolls at Shattuck St. Mary's School in Faribault, Minnesota, to play high school hockey — the same school where Toews played his senior year. Erickson, 15, was one of just three hockey players born in 2009 given a chance to join the team next year.
The school has produced over 100 NHL players, including superstars Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon, and is home to Shattuck St. Mary's alumni Macklin Celebrini, who is expected to be the first overall pick in the next NHL draft.
“The list of alumni is impressive.” Erickson said. “It's really cool to go to the same school they went to and see them now playing in the NHL.”
Eriksson also hopes to pursue some form of professional hockey career, and while he's still at least three years away from considering a professional career, his passion for hockey and playing at the highest level has led him to the same place Toeth and so many others were at his age.
“Hockey has been my sport since I was 3 or 4 years old.” Erickson said.
He dabbled in lacrosse and youth soccer, but nothing could compare to his love of hockey.
He started playing youth hockey in Lake Placid but took it a step further about four years ago when he was selected for the Clifton Park Dynamo's AAA team.
The 250-mile round trip to Clifton Park wasn't exactly ideal, especially considering he had to practice two or three times a week, but his parents were fully supportive of his hockey journey.
For the past two years, Erickson has played for Northwood School in Lake Placid. While he had limited playing time on the ice as an eighth-grader at Northwood, he practiced with the team daily and continued to play for the CP Dynamo. During his freshman season, Erickson appeared in nearly all of Northwood's 60 scheduled games.
While still playing AAA hockey, he was named to the CP Dynamo's top line and was selected as an all-league player, which led to an invitation to CCM 68 Camp, which invites 68 14-year-old male hockey players from across North America to a week-long camp in Chicago with scouts in attendance.
Shattuck St. Mary's was one of the prep schools that sent scouts who used game film and what they saw at camps to determine if he would be a good fit for their program.
“When we visited Shattuck, he hadn't actually skated there. They had all the information they needed, so all it took was an interview with him and us.” Chris Erickson said. “We spent about eight hours on campus and then left.”
A few months later, Chris was picking up CJ from school when he got a call from an unknown number. “Faribault, Minnesota.”
“We both said, 'Yeah, let's check it out right now.'” Chris said. “The coach called me and told me he'd made the team and his spot was reserved. We were high-fiving in the air and I was grabbing him by the shoulders and trying to shake him. I was so excited I was trying not to make any noise. I didn't want to seem too excited.”
The decision to leave Northwood and attend Shattuck St. Mary's was not an easy one, considering it was 20 hours away from home and in another state, but with several friends already on the Shattuck St. Mary's team, he decided it was the best school for him.
“It was a pretty big decision for me and my family.” CJ said. “I know this is going to be a big change for my entire life. Overall, I was very excited and looking forward to what was to come.”
The school has produced numerous NHL and PWHL alumni and has a long history of success: Its hockey program has won 36 national championships, including four last year.
The school, located about 45 minutes south of Minneapolis, has two full-size skating rinks and a practice rink on campus, as well as a weight training and conditioning facility.
“It was completely different to what I had imagined.” CJ said. “Every aspect is professional level. The training facilities, the rink, the coaches. Everything is professional level. It's pretty amazing.”
Shattuck St. Mary's has approximately 450 students in grades 7 through 12. Hockey players spend seven months on the ice, six days a week, practicing and competing in 60 games against teams from across the U.S. and Canada. Shattuck's teams are divided into U14, U15, U16, U18 and Prep classes and are coached by 17 coaches.
When CJ arrives at Shattuck St. Mary's in August, he will try out for the school's boys team and, based on age alone, will likely make the school's under-15 team.
For now, he's excited to play hockey in Minnesota, the only U.S. state that has ice hockey as its official state sport.
“I've seen videos and pictures and been to games with the crazy atmosphere and student seating.” He said. “When you go out on the ice and have so many people cheering you on, it really changes the atmosphere of the game.”
