SCSU's Casey Borer Relishes Playing For Both Huskies And His Country
St. Cloud State team captain Casey Borer |
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Jan. 11, 2007
By Tom Reale, SCSU Athletic Media Relations
Casey Borer has been the captain of the St. Cloud State Huskies for the past two seasons, but on more than one occasion in his hockey career, he's had the opportunity to represent his country on the ice.
"I grew up in Brooklyn Park and played hockey there through Pee-Wee, and then I kind of hit the road during high school. I went to Shattuck-St. Mary's for three years, and then after my junior year, I played for the US Under-18 Development Program."
Being named to the National Team Development Program, based in Ann Arbor, MI, is quite an accomplishment. Since its inception in 1996, it has not been uncommon for alumni of the team to eventually play in the NHL or even join the senior national team at some point in their careers. In the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, five NTDP alumni were chosen in the first round of the draft, including Erik Johnson, who became the second NTDP alumnus after goaltender Rick DiPietro to be drafted first overall.
The NTDP plays a unique schedule of games. Essentially an independent select junior squad, Team USA plays games against other junior teams from the NAHL, as well as against NCAA teams from both Division I and Division III and representing the country in international tournaments.
"We played against schools like Minnesota, Colorado College, Michigan, and Michigan State," says Borer. "We did some USHL road-trips too, where we'd go to Iowa for a week and play Waterloo and Cedar Rapids. And we also got to go overseas, we played tournaments in Russia, the Czech Republic, and Sweden.
"The international competition was great. We got a lot of experience going over there, especially playing against some talented players that are already in the NHL, guys like Alexander Ovechkin."
Games against college teams often assist NTDP players in finding a school which is a good fit for them. Although St. Cloud State was not on the schedule, Borer found what he was looking for on the banks of the Mississippi.
"From there I wound up getting recruited by St. Cloud and it was really the best fit for me of all the schools I'd seen. I pulled the trigger on that as soon as I could."
Borer became an immediate impact player with the Huskies, playing in 32 games during his freshman campaign. He collected eight assists on the season, and the Huskies were unbeaten when he scored a point. His high level of discipline was apparent from the start as Borer took only eight penalty minutes during that first year in St. Cloud. His efforts did not go unnoticed, and at the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, the Carolina Hurricanes made him their third-round choice.
His country would come calling again during his sophomore season.
"I was fortunate to play in the World Junior Championships in North Dakota, where I saw a lot of the same international guys again. Those guys were the elite of the elite."
During his time with the national team in North Dakota, Borer played alongside several other top young names in American hockey, including Ryan Suter, now of the Nashville Predators, Phil Kessel, of the Boston Bruins, and Dan Fritsche of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Among the opponents were two of the most talented young players in the NHL today - Alexander Ovechkin of Team Russia and Sidney Crosby of Team Canada.
"You look at the impact that they're already having on the NHL, and you can just imagine the kind of experience you get by playing against them. It prepares you for the style of play you find at high levels of competition, including here, because as good as those guys were, there are plenty of guys in the WCHA and even outside of the conference who can play at high levels like that. It prepares you to be able to compete with the Kyle Okposos and Brett Sterlings and Peter Stastnys of the league."
With two stints playing for the United States, Borer has come to appreciate the meaning of wearing the national colors in competition.
"It's an unbelievable honor to represent your country, and it's something that you can take with you for the rest of your life. Besides wearing the St. Cloud jersey, there's no better feeling than putting on the red, white, and blue, and that's something you'll hear from anyone who's had the privilege. You feel a great sense of pride and you want to do your best to represent your country in the proper way."
After returning to St. Cloud State and finishing up his sophomore year, Borer would find himself earning another accolade - this time, bestowed upon him by his teammates, who chose to call him their captain in only his junior year.
"The team voted before Coach Motzko came in," says Borer. "He decided to keep things as it was, and apparently my approval rating was enough that they asked me to do it again this year.
"It was a bit tough at first. I'm sure there were some seniors that were disappointed in not being able to wear the 'C.' It says a lot to me since it's voted on by the team - that kind of respect from the guys means so much.
It's a good group of guys that we've had over the last couple of years, so it really wasn't all that hard to be a leader. Everyone got along well and I didn't really have to get involved in discipline issues or guys not buying into the system. I had great support last year from Brock Hooton and Konrad Reeder, which really worked out well - some of the older guys, they could relate better to them, and that helped us be cohesive as a group that they could deal with that if there was an issue. It's almost the same way this year with Justin Fletcher and Andrew Gordon. We've got a great group of upperclassmen that take unofficial leadership roles just as a matter of experience, so it really helps make my job easy having guys like that around.
"We've even had freshmen and sophomores taking on heavy workloads and displaying their own kind of leadership. It makes for a very cohesive team. Being the captain of this group of guys is a great honor."
Borer has a simple philosophy as captain.
"You want your team to be successful on the ice. We had a pretty decent year last year and we're having a pretty good year so far this year.
"If things aren't going well, you could start beating yourself up and altering your game in the wrong way. Getting the guys prepared and maintaining a weekly routine, especially through establishing good practice habits and working hard in the weight room, is important to me. Instilling the belief in every member of this team that we're here to work hard and improve while taking things one weekend at a time is one of the things I take a lot of pride in.
"I'd like to do everything I can to keep this program moving in the right direction when I'm gone while we take care of business this season too."
Borer credits his family for helping his early growth in the game, but he is quick to point out the coaches who have guided him over the years to become the player he is today.
"My mom had the biggest impact on my hockey development, or so she claims. She took me to all of the skating lessons on the outdoor rinks - I don't really remember it, but she says she did, so I guess I'll give her credit for starting me off. From there, it was a combination effort between my mom and dad, and my grandpa and grandma's love hockey, so they did their fair share of driving too.
"Other than those four family members, I'd have to say that J.P. Parisé and Tom Ward at Shattuck really steered me in the right direction, and then coming here, the direction I've had from Coach Dahl and Coach Motzko has been amazing."
"Hopefully I'll still be involved in the game somewhere," says Borer. "Ideally I'll still be playing in five to ten years, but I'll have my degree this summer, so there are other options out there for me. I want to try and play a bit afterwards, but if that doesn't work out, I want to stay with the game in some form, whether it's as a coach, working with USA Hockey, anything really."
With the amount of success that Borer has found in the game so far, it isn't hard to imagine him being associated with it in some way for a long time to come.
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