Leading the way
Steel profiles
A closer look at some of the Chicago Steel players
Mathieu De St. PhalleForward, 5-9, 160 pounds
Stats: 20 goals, 20 assists in 34 games
Hometown: Glencoe; Committed to: Wisconsin
Started skating: 4 years old.
Influenced by: His dad, who played at RPI and Wisconsin
Did you fall in love with hockey right away? "Right away. (One time) it was me and my brother, and he started crying by the door (trying to get off the ice), and I was just wheeling around, falling and knocking into people."
Player you idolize: "Patrick Kane. My dad always loved him and told me to watch him and I tried to model my game after him."
Favorite team: Blackhawks
Other sports he plays: Golf, Lacrosse
Best thing about junior hockey: "The camaraderie of my teammates. We call ourselves 22 brothers. We get really close and I love them all."
Toughest thing about junior hockey: "Being consistent. Having a consistent mindset and a consistent motivation to come to work every day and get better."
Brendan BrissonForward, 5-11, 177 pounds
Stats: 17 goals, 19 assists in 30 games
Hometown: Manhattan Beach, Calif.; Committed to: Michigan
Started skating: 3 years old
Influenced by: His dad, Pat Brisson, an NHL agent who represents Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Andrew Shaw.
Other sports you played: Roller hockey. "That's how my parents met, on the beach."
Player you idolize: "Patrick Kane. Watching what he does with the puck, it's just mesmerizing. You want to do the things he's doing on the ice. And he's come to the house a couple times. Just the way he holds himself away from the ice is really cool to see too."
Favorite team: L.A. Kings
When relaxing I love: "Going to the beach with my friends. Surfing or playing volleyball is kind of what we do."
Best thing about junior hockey: "Just being with the guys. You form so many relationships, (which) includes the coaching staff. ... You never know if they're going to be your coach or if they're going to be in the organization that you're going to be with in a few years."
Toughest thing about junior hockey is: The travel.
Sean FarrellForward, 5-9, 175 pounds
Stats: 12 goals, 30 assists in 30 games.
Hometown: Hopkinton, Mass.; Committed to: Harvard
Started skating: 3 or 4 years old
Why did you decide to come to the USHL? "The Steel have a great program here, great coaches and really talented players. It was a pretty easy decision for me to want to come here and be part of what could be a really special season."
Player you idolize: "Patrice Bergeron. Really talented player and plays both ends of the rink really well."
Favorite team: Boston Bruins
When relaxing I love to: Play video games and Ping-Pong.
Best thing about junior hockey: "The relationships you build with your teammates throughout the year. We're all in the same boat - away from home - so we become really tight because of that."
Toughest thing about junior hockey: "The day-to-day grind. Sometimes we can be tired, just from working so hard. I guess that's a good thing and we'll get better because of it."
Owen PowerDefenseman, 6-5, 211 pounds
Stats: 9 goals, 24 assists in 34 games
Hometown: Mississauga, Ontario; Committed to: Michigan
Started skating: 3 years old
Influenced by: His dad. He played growing up and having a backyard rink helped.
Why did you decide to come to the USHL? "My big thing was to play in college and I felt like this was the best spot for me to develop to get to Michigan. My parents are big on going to school, so they got quite a bit of say in that (laughs). But I did always have my mind on playing college hockey."
Player you idolize: Sidney Crosby
Favorite team: Toronto Maple Leafs
Other sports you played: Lacrosse, golf, basketball, volleyball. "I love golf. I'm not very good, but I try and get out there as much as I can."
Best thing about junior hockey: "The lifestyle. I do online school, I'm at the rink pretty much all day. I skate two hours a day sometimes. Can't get much better than that."
Toughest thing about junior hockey: "Every night you've got to show up. Every team's good. You can't really take a night off and expect to win."