Feature Story

From the B-team to the NHL

 

By Steve Carroll

 

It’s not your typical journey to the National Hockey League, but then again Andrew Alberts is not your typical hockey player.

Alberts, a 26-year-old from Eden Prairie, is a defenseman with the Boston Bruins, although he’s been sidelined since mid-December while recovering from post-concussion syndrome.

Like most Minnesota hockey players, Alberts grew up dreaming of playing in NHL. He had images of winning the Stanley Cup dancing through his head while spending countless hours playing shinny on his backyard lake.

But for the dream to become reality, Alberts had a ton of work to do. He spent most of his youth hockey days playing at the B-level. He tried out for the high school team as a sophomore and was cut from the program. He was assigned to a Midget B team and considered quitting.

“Getting cut down to the Midget B team was real tough for me to go through,” Alberts said recently from Boston.

But he decided to play with his neighborhood buddies. They ended up having a great time and a lot of success which helped rekindle Alberts’ love of the game.

“I almost had more fun that year than I ever had,” he said. “My eyes got big again.”

And he also had a burning desire to play prep hockey, so he transferred to Benilde-St. Margaret’s in St. Louis Park.

It was there, that his hockey career began to skyrocket.

Red Knights Head Coach Ken Pauly and assistant Jack Blatherwick saw tremendous potential in the newcomer and welcomed him to their program.

After an “OK” year as an 11th grader, Alberts grew 5 to 6 inches during the summer between his junior and senior year. He was now 6-3, 165 pounds.

“Andrew was the clumsiest skater I’ve ever seen at 17 years old — having grown tall so quickly,” said Blatherwick, a player development expert who helped Herb Brooks train the 1980 U.S. Olympic gold medal winning men’s hockey team. “However, he had great hands, an incredible shot, and was a tough, smart competitor, and when I told him he could be a college player and eventually an NHL’er, he was shocked. Everyone before failed to see his assets — only his weaknesses.”

Alberts vividly remembers that early morning meeting with Blatherwick.

“I started laughing when he said that,” Alberts recalled. “There I was 6-3, 165 pounds and could not even bench 125 pounds. But Jack said I could play in the NHL and he knew I could. He kept telling me that.”

So he kept working out with Jack and continued to get bigger and stronger.

“He competed hard, had great rink sense and an unquenchable thirst to be a great player,” Blatherwick said. “These are – by far – the most important things to look for to determine potential. In fact, nothing else matters.”

As a senior, Alberts collected 10 goals and 25 assists in helping the Red Knights capture the 1999 Class A State High School title with a 4-2 win over East Grand Forks.

“For us to go there and actually win it – it was a lot better than I ever could want it to be,” Alberts said.

Coach Pauly was impressed with how much improvement Alberts had made in just two seasons. He was truly a late bloomer.

“He had a frightening slap shot and he always was a tough competitor,” Pauly said. “It’s interesting that we had three other defenseman who were much more ‘highly touted’ than Andrew. I’m convinced that a large part of his success was his complete focus on the present.”

Alberts also has an unbelievable work ethic.

“Andrew worked super-hard — skating, sprinting, lifting weights and doing skating jumps — not for just a summer, but every month for the next six years,” Blatherwick said. “Improvement of this magnitude is not an overnight project. Andrew spent hours at a time, three or four times per week, never stopping for years.”

He turned down a Division III hockey opportunity to play two years with Waterloo in the USHL.

His hard work  paid off again when he earned a Division I scholarship to play hockey at Boston College. He was drafted by Boston in the sixth round of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft.

“He is living proof that it is never too late to learn to skate, to improve fundamentals like posture, agility, balance and power,” Blatherwick said. “But keep in mind he had the main ingredients: he competed hard and smart – and he had excellent stick skills.”

Alberts still works out with Jack during the off-season.

Alberts played in 149 games during his four seasons with BC, scoring 16 goals and 50 assists. He earned his college degree while playing minor league hockey and is now in his third year with Boston, where he is making more than $1 million this season.

“What is, and was, most impressive about Andrew is just what a quality person he is,” Pauly said. “He never once worried about the ‘next level’ – his full consideration was how to help the team. No ego. Just a great person. He still comes back to skate with the guys in the summer. It’s a thrill for everyone. When he comes back this year, he can visit the ‘Alberts’ Bruins jersey in the display case!”

One can sense just how proud the Benilde coaches are of this young man.

“Look at his career. He finished his high school career at BSM, he finished his junior career at Waterloo, he finished his collegiate career with Boston College – there’s a lesson in there for anyone who is paying attention,” Pauly said.

Before getting injured, the 6-5, 218-pound Alberts had played in 181 games in the NHL.

“It’s surreal, it’s weird to be living out your dream in the moment,” he said.

Andrew Alberts, a perfect example of a Minnesota hockey player who believed in himself, had others believe in him, and never gave up on his dream.

 

 

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