How an Arlington Heights native has rebuilt the Chicago Steel hockey team
For many, leaving the comforts of home can be difficult.
Often, the first foray into independence arrives when kids get dropped off at college.
For some - like those playing junior hockey in Geneva for the Chicago Steel - this experience is thrust upon them a year or two earlier.
Although somewhat disconcerting at first, it normally doesn't take long to realize that an incredible support system is in place - one designed to turn them into better players, of course, but also one that allows them to mature as students and as upstanding members of their new community.
Along the way, incredible friendships are formed.
"We call ourselves 22 brothers," said Glencoe's Mathieu De St. Phalle, who leads the team with 20 goals. "We get close and I love them all."
The Steel is enjoying a record-setting season in the United States Hockey League, going almost two months between losses. But it's what the organization stands for and how far it has come in a short time that sets it apart.
"I couldn't be in a better spot," coach Brock Sheahan said. "A lot of times at the junior level, they're cutting corners for financial reasons. That's not the case here. That's what attracts the high-end players we have.
"For the coaches it's a great place to learn and get better. You have a lot of support to do what you need to do."
Reborn in Geneva
The Steel came to life 20 years ago, but the franchise experienced a rebirth when it was purchased by Arlington Heights native Larry Robbins in 2015. Robbins played youth hockey for the Glenview Stars, was part of the construction crew that worked on Arlington Park after the infamous 1985 fire and went on to become portfolio manager and CEO of Glenview Capital Management.
Robbins first moved the team from The Edge in Bensenville and to the nearly 3,000-seat Fox Valley Ice Arena, which better aligned with USHL standards.
Robbins spared no expense and gave the Steel a Chicago Blackhawks-like facelift during a frenzied summer.
"It's not my line but I love it: '(We were) changing the tires on the car while the car was still moving," said Steel President Dan Lehv, who was running the USHL's Dubuque Fighting Saints when Robbins made him one of his first hires. "In an ideal world, we would have come in a couple years ahead. ... (Instead), we showed up in August and were playing hockey games in September."
In addition to purchasing an impressive scoreboard that, as Lehv said, "sticks out like a sore thumb in a recreational rink," Robbins provided resources to improve scouting, installed a ticketing system and improved the player experience.
"The bus rides (can be tough) on other teams," said forward Brendan Brisson, who was traded to the Steel by the Green Bay Gamblers last season. "We get top-of-the-line busses here and the food that we get (is great). We're always prepared for the bus to make the best out of it."
Why the USHL?
Elite hockey players have many options when deciding where to go.
Some will opt for the Ontario Hockey League (which Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane tore up) or the Western Hockey League (where Kirby Dach, Marian Hossa and Duncan Keith all played).
The allure of the USHL is kids keep NCAA eligibility.
"That's our biggest selling point," Lehv said. "Ninety-six percent get Division I opportunities."
Getting there takes a special kind of dedication, though, because most players take online high school or college courses. Only three attend brick-and-mortar schools.
It's for this reason the Steel's management takes special care when assigning Billet (or adoptive) families to their players, who hail from nine different states and four different countries. There's also an education coordinator that helps kids pick their courses and is available for 1-on-1 time during study hall.
The coaches also play a role.
"Our head coaches have been unbelievable at not only prioritizing school work, but working with the players," Lehv said. "We also find tutors for them if they need them.
"It doesn't do us or the player any good if the player advances to college and can't hold a grade-point average."
If that's not enough, the Steel has kids doing volunteer work for organizations like Feed My Starving Children, the Northern Illinois Food Bank and the Kane County Forest Preserve. There are also signing sessions with fans, and potentially nerve-racking interviews with NHL scouts or media members.
Oh, and then there's the hockey - a 62-game regular season that includes bus rides to places like Cedar Rapids, Green Bay, Madison, Sioux Falls, Lincoln and Omaha.
There's a lot on the players' plates. In the end, they figure it'll be worth it.
"Sometimes we can be tired just from working so hard," said Sean Farrell, who admits waking up at 7 a.m. to attend Geneva High School can be rough. "But I guess that's a good thing and we'll get better because of it."
A record run
The Steel won 15 of its first 20 games, and faced a dose of potential adversity when head coach Greg Moore was hired by the American Hockey League's Toronto Marlies Dec. 1. Management had thought ahead by hiring Sheahan as associate head coach in July 2018.
All Sheahan did was lead the Steel to 12 straight wins, 5 of them by 4 goals or more.
Sheahan, a Lethbridge, Alberta, native whose brother is Kris Versteeg's best friend, played at Notre Dame from 2004-08 and then spent five professional seasons in the AHL, ECHL and in Europe.
He continues an impressive run of coaches hired since Robbins purchased the team. The first was Dan Muse, who led the Steel to a Clark Cup championship in 2017 and is now an assistant with the Nashville Predators.
Sheahan has a roster with three potential first-round picks in June's draft, and a potential top-5 selection in the 2021 draft in 6-foot-5 defenseman Owen Power.
The Steel (27-6-1) leads the USHL in goals per game (4.8) and also has the top power play (25.5 percent) and top penalty kill (89.1 percent).
De St. Phalle (20 goals), Sam Colangelo (19), Gunnarwolfe Fontaine (17) and Brisson (17) rank in the Top 10 in goal-scoring, while Sean Farrell (12 goals, 30 assists) is tied for the league lead in points.
Meanwhile, Power is tied among D-men with 9 goals and is No. 1 with 24 assists.
One mock draft released a week ago has Farrell and Brisson going 28th and 29th overall. Colangelo could also go in Round 1.
But that's all down the road.
Right now, Sheahan just hopes the Steel bounces back from back-to-back losses to Cedar Rapids last week.
"The positives, if you're going to look into it, is you have to go through adversity to get better," said Sheahan, who coached at Holy Cross for two seasons before coming to the Steel. "If you keep winning (and) something like this happens in playoffs, you don't have anything to look back on ... to work through a process like this.
"I do think in the end it'll be good for us."
The Steel next plays Friday against Madison and Saturday against Des Moines. Both are 7:05 p.m. starts at home.