By Bryan Fongers -

June 30, 2013 is a day that will live in the back of Ben Storm’s mind for the rest of his life.

It was like any other ordinary day for a hockey player in the summertime as Storm spent his Sunday at a usual place – the golf course.  Little did he know that he would get some life-changing news about his potential hockey future; he had been drafted by a National Hockey League team.

Why the golf course on Draft Day?  As the Calumet, Michigan native explains, he wanted to get away from all commotion and just enjoy his day on the links near the St. Cloud State University campus.

“I found out that I was picked by my phone blowing up with all my friends and family texting me at the same time,” Storm said. “I was nowhere near a TV at the time because I was trying to keep my mind off it. After I had found out that I was drafted, it was like a dream come true and an unbelievable feeling.”

Storm was drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in the sixth round,153^rd overall, in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.  As the former Muskegon Lumberjacks defenseman explains, he was privileged to be drafted by two former Avalanche greats who now serve in their front office in Patrick Roy and Joe Sakic.

“It is an honor to be drafted into an organization with a rich hockey tradition in the Colorado Avalanche,” said the 6-foot-6, 213-pound defenseman.  “It is exciting to know that I could one day be playing for both those guys who have already done a lot for that community on and off the ice.”

This past season, Storm played in 55 games for the Lumberjacks, totaling 12 points (two goals and 10 assists) to go along with a plus-8 rating.  Over the course of the past season, Storm developed into a solid contributor on the Lumberjacks’ blue line and says that while it was a gradual progression, he was very pleased with how the season went.

“The beginning of this past year was tough as I was struggling to consistently make game night lineup and was barely seeing any playing time in the USHL,” said Storm.  “However, I kept working hard on my game to improve every day and was able to finish the season strong.  It was a great feeling.

“As the season went long, my confidence continued to grow by the day, and I was having more fun on the ice,” said Storm, emphatically.  “When you are more confident in yourself, the game tends to slow down and you make better decisions with the puck.”

(Michael Caples/MiHockey)

As Storm’s confidence grew, so did the interest in the big, tall defenseman, as he said that more than just the Avalanche was knocking on his door.

“As the draft drew closer, I had about six other NHL teams that were contacting me expressing their interest,” said Storm.

The hockey journey for the Calumet native now takes him about 700 miles west to the great hockey state of Minnesota.  Right before this past season began, Storm accepted a scholarship to play collegiate hockey in Saint Cloud, Minnesota for the Huskies.  Storm recently enrolled on campus and is already working out with the team to get ready for his upcoming freshman season.

“I have been doing the captain’s workouts with the team along with skating every day to try and get prepared for the beginning of my college career,” said Storm.  “I came to campus about a week ago, and it is already everything that I dreamed about with the updated facilities along with great teammates and coaching staff.”

Storm says that he has not yet heard from the Colorado Avalanche, but plans on hearing from them within the coming days in terms of participating in their development camp.  As of right now, the former Calumet Copper King plans on continuing to get ready for the upcoming season with St. Cloud State.

Overall, Storm says that being one of three Lumberjacks selected in this year’s draft – joining Michael Brodzinski and Connor Hurley – is an honor in itself and shows how the USHL continues to be a solid product to develop future athletes on and off the ice.

“Playing for the Lumberjacks this past season was a great experience, and I wouldn’t change it for the world,” said Storm.  “Muskegon is a great organization that helps prepare their players for the college and professional ranks.  The USHL is a great and challenging league that helped prepare me for the future in college and hopefully the NHL”

Bryan Fongers is the director of media relations/broadcasting for the Muskegon Lumberjacks.