Wolves star Vierling inspires young readers at Roselle school

Chicago Wolves forward Evan Vierling was peppered with all sorts of questions Tuesday from the inquisitive second grade students at Waterbury Elementary School in Roselle.

Vierling answered every one, from what’s his favorite book (the Harry Potter series) to his favorite dinosaur (Tyrannosaurus rex) to whether he has family members who are police officers or lawyers, and whether he’s been sky diving (No, no and no).

The 23-year-old hockey player from Toronto was visiting students to promote the Wolves’ “Read to Succeed” program.

“I think it’s very important,” Vierling said of the initiative. “When I was younger, this would have been something that I would have been so excited for, and I feel hearing (about reading) from someone a bit older than them and at school is just as important.”

Since 1996, the initiative has inspired more than 1 million students to make reading a fun and rewarding part of their lives, officials say.

It also inspired plenty of curiosity Tuesday from the Waterbury students, who asked Vierling, one of the Wolves’ leading goal scorers this season, whether he likes spiders (an emphatic “no”) and is aware of 6-7, the intentionally nonsensical internet meme and expression.

“Yes,” Vierling laughed as he answered to a round of cheers from the group.

And finally, how many teeth has he lost playing hockey?

“I have some fake ones now, but I think that I have lost three,” he said with a smile.