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Campus Convos: Bryce Van Horn

By Craig Peterson, 11/07/17, 10:00AM EST

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"I think there was a point where people knew I could do it and I didn’t know it yet."

In our Campus Conversations, we sit down one-on-one with some of our alumni playing Division-I NCAA hockey. They offer candid comments and insight into the world of hockey after high school, including life in juniors and the process of getting to the next level. Check out their first-hand accounts of triumphs and successes as well as struggles and failures along their journey to playing college hockey.

This week, we feature Port Huron Northern alum and current Colorado College forward, Bryce Van Horn.

A 2014 graduate, Van Horn played two seasons of varsity hockey for the Huskies, leaving before the start of his senior season to play in the NAHL. He was named to the Division-II First-Team All-State team as a sophomore and again as a junior, totaling 40 goals and 84 points in 71 career games for Port Huron Northern. As a junior, Van Horn led the Huskies to their first ever Final Four, where they were eliminated 3-2 in overtime by Hartland.

With a junior team nearby, Van Horn made the jump to the NAHL and the Port Huron Fighting Falcons. As a 17-year-old, he played in 57 games for the Falcons tallying 13 goals and 27 points. Port Huron went on to win the North Division in 2013-14, before being eliminated in the quarterfinal round of the NAHL playoffs.

Van Horn switched leagues the following season, competing in the CCHL for the remainder of his junior career. There, he spent two seasons with the historic Carleton Place Canadians, finishing second on the team in scoring in 2015-16 with 37 goals and 70 points in 62 games and helping the team to their third straight league championship. At the conclusion of his three-year junior hockey career, Van Horn committed to Colorado College in the NCHC where he played in 34 of the team’s 36 games as a freshman. This season, Van Horn is one of 10 sophomores on a CC team that is totally devoid of seniors and ranks as one of the youngest teams in college hockey.

This Week’s Campus Convo with Bryce Van Horn:

Bryce Van Horn (Casey B. Gibson/Colorado College)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hub: Why did you choose to play for your high school?

BVH: “I never played Triple-A growing up and a lot of my buddies went there. We would always go to the games because they had some pretty good years and played some pretty good teams like Cranbrook and [Detroit] Catholic Central and those guys. I just thought that it’d be a good fit.”

Hub: Were you actively pursuing junior hockey while you were in high school? Did you look for camps or teams?

BVH: “I hadn’t really thought of it. It was still brand new to me. I knew Bill Warren who was the head coach of the Port Huron Falcons, and I also knew the assistant coach who was a substitute teacher at my school. I met him one time at the school and he thought it’d be a good idea for me to try out for the team.

“I just did really well and thought maybe I should start taking more interest in this and trying to pursue this a little bit more."

Hub: Was there ever a moment in time where it started to click for you and you thought junior hockey would be a viable option for you?

BVH: “Actually, I think it was that year. I went to their camp and I also got invited to a USHL camp and put in a good performance. It was like my first year I tried out for juniors, I was 16-years-old and I didn’t even know what the USHL was at that point.”

Hub: You made the change in leagues from the North American league to the CCHL, any major differences between the two junior leagues?

BVH: “For sure, I think the North American league is a lot grittier because you didn’t have any restrictions on how many over-agers you could have. Whereas the CCHL was a lot younger and fast-paced and a lot more skilled. I feel like that was something I really needed.”

Hub: How did you benefit from those changes in styles? Did it help make changes to your game?

BVH: “I feel like I kinda got the hard-working, gritty style. I learned how to play like that. Then when I went up to the CCHL, I needed to learn how to play a more skilled game and learn how to make better plays instead of just trying to run and take it to the net. I had to develop patience and poise and I think that’s what the CCHL really helped me with.”

Hub: Any regrets? Do you wish you would’ve played your senior year of high school or stayed in the NAHL? Anything you’d change about your journey if you could?

BVH: “Uhm… I mean everything worked out real well, I mean I probably could’ve done a lot of things different. It probably would’ve benefited me if I played some Triple-A hockey when I was younger just to get me going and push me more when I was younger. But no, I can’t really say that I regret anything, I’ve loved my time everywhere I was and I’ve learned something from every place I went to.”

Hub: What helped you set yourself apart from the rest?

BVH: “I think there was a point where people knew I could do it and I didn’t know it yet. I just had the right people along the way just pushing me and letting me know that I could do it. If I was slacking off one day, then they’d get after me and keep me on the right path to success.”

Hub: How do you combat that doubt? So many guys face that throughout the process doubting themselves and their abilities?

BVH: “I was not the most highly recruited guy, I didn’t play Triple-A and people didn’t really know about me. A lot of times when I’d show up to junior camps, they’d be like ‘we honestly didn’t know who you were before this but we really like what we see and we’ll keep an eye on you.’ It just kinda motivated me and pushed me at some of those points. It was kind of a downer but I just used stuff like that and it motivated me even more to go out there and prove people wrong.”

Hub: What’s next? What are your aspirations now at the collegiate level?

BVH: “Personally, I’d love to get my degree. Really, I’m just gonna try my best and whatever happens, happens. I’m not gonna try and force something but I’m gonna try my best if there’s opportunities after this, I’m for sure gonna pursue them.”