When Blake Wheeler dons his red, white and blue uniform for the United States in theWorld Junior Hockey Tournament, it will send a chill or two up his spine.
It began in 2003 when he was a junior at Breck School, when he not only totaled an astonishing 45 goals and 55 assists for 100 points but led the Mustangs to a 28-1-2 record and the Class A state championship.
Thrill No. 3 arrived in June when Wayne Gretzky of the Phoenix Coyotes stepped to the podium with the fifth overall pick in the NHL draft and announced Wheeler was his choice. But Gretzky was not prepared to rush Wheeler into pro hockey, saying at the time: "He's got the rest of his life ahead of him. It's not a race to get to the Phoenix Coyotes. Let's let him finish at least Grade 12, and we'll go from there."
Wheeler's head was spinning. "Being in the organization with the greatest hockey player that ever lived is a great honor," he said at the time.
Such notice and expectations would seem a heavy burden for a 19-year-old, but the 6-foot-4, 219-pound Wheeler seems to carry everything with a smile.
Before Wheeler arrived at Minnesota, Coyotes personnel said his hockey future might be better served by him playing at a higher level instead of at Breck as a senior. So the gangly kid from Plymouth, a former tight end for the Breck football team, left his home, his friends and his family to play for the Green Bay (Wis.) Gamblers of the U.S. Hockey League. He lived with a host family there.
After struggling some, Wheeler said, he learned "to play the whole game" rather than simply offense. By season's end, he led the Gamblers in scoring with 47 points (with 19 goals) and appeared set to make a splash as a Minnesota freshman.
"It kind of really hit home, both in the first exhibition game and first real game, skating around and hearing the band," he said. "It was really cool being a Gopher."
Wheeler, who has added about 30 pounds since his junior season at Breck, scored a goal in each of the Gophers' first two games and has four goals and 10 points in 18 games. He appears more comfortable in every game, and he said he feels more confident by the day.
"He's a big boy. He's a man," Gretzky said then. "We're pleasantly surprised by how far he's come along. We're happy we made the selection."
"He's in one of the best programs you can be in, as far as amateur hockey goes," said the Coyotes' owner-coach, who recently took a leave of absence to spend time with his seriously ill mother before she died. "At the rate he's going, we expect him to be in a Coyote uniform."
The only time Wheeler seems to be in a rush is when he is carrying the puck toward the net. It's a long-range goal to play in the pros, but it can wait. "These are supposed to be the best years of your life," he said.
Before he gets back to the Gophers, however, Wheeler has this little detour to play for Team USA in the world tournament, which starts Monday and runs through Jan. 5 in British Columbia. He pumped, he said, but he's also focused, a trait he has acquired over a whirlwind three years.
Expect defensemen on the international scene to learn what defenders in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association have started to learn, that a freewheeling Wheeler is just about impossible to hold back.
"He's gotten a lot bigger and stronger in the past year or two," Lucia said. "Boy, when he wants to go to the net, he's awfully hard to stop."
Bruce Brothers can be reached at bbrothers@pioneerpress.com .
This is cache, read story here
