University of Minnesota Athletics
A Lifelong Journey: Junior Forward Jake Fleming
1/8/2004 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far I could.
~ Robert Frost, "The Road Not Taken"
There are certain significant times in life when decisions have to be made. Options can be weighed, opinions taken into account, but eventually a choice will have to be made. Once a step is taken, it is impossible to back track. Events are set into motion and whether the resulting feelings are of satisfaction or regret, what might have been cannot replace what actually is.
Jake Fleming was at a crossroads. He had just completed ninth grade at Osseo High School and his first year of varsity hockey. His season numbers totaled 28 goals and 25 assists, and he was only looking to increase those numbers.
Then an invitation arrived. He was selected to try out for the U.S. National Development Team. If he wanted to take his game to the next level, this was where to begin. While he heard instinct saying to take the opportunity and go, Fleming stood looking down two different paths.
Since he was five-year-old Mite, Fleming had possessed a knack for offense. In Peewees he started to pull away from the pack. By the time he reached the Bantam level, he was dominating. And that description is not an exaggeration. He could do whatever he wanted. After all, he was 5-8, about 135 pounds and only 13-years old. Players were intimidated by his size, and he used it to his advantage. He single-handedly ran circles around defenses, averaging three or four points per game. At the end of his second Bantam season, Fleming tallied about 240 points in 70 games, from what he can remember, and the state title.
Fifteen-years old and trying to determine his future development in the sport of hockey, Fleming had to make a choice. Which road to choose? In one direction was Osseo High School; in the other was Ann Arbor, Mich. The National Development team would most likely challenge him to build a more well-rounded game and compete on an national and international level. He could also remain at home in high school and continue racking up the points, maybe produce a few state tournament runs and make a name for himself in the State of Hockey.
Words of advice and opinion came from all directions. Coaches, teammates, parents, friends, and family weighed in. In the end, the only word that mattered was Fleming's. With his stick in hand, he strapped on his skates and took his first step down the road to Ann Arbor.
.Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh.
Fleming knew that Ann Arbor would be a complete change, a new home, new school, new teammates, new coaches. But it would also rock the foundation of his game. He says it is where he "learned to play" the game of hockey. No longer was it just about getting the puck in the net. It was now about speed and strength. It was about stick skills and puck handling. It was about balancing offense with defense.
"When you move to the junior level like that, you play more of a systematic game," Fleming said. "You have certain areas of the ice you have to cover and you are accountable for defensively. In high school you just go play and have fun, skate around. When you start to get older, it's the same as in college, you start to play within the format that is given to you."
While he finished his first season second in scoring on the Under-17 team with 22 goals and 38 total points, Fleming was no longer seeing the ice the same way. He not only wanted to put up points for his team, but now he was equally focused in preventing the opponent from scoring. The increase in competition forced him to build his skills on both sides of the puck if he wanted to consistently step on the ice.
"It changed me to be a good two-way center, instead of just offensive," Fleming remarked. "Not that I was pure offensively before, but now everyone was playing at a more equal level and you had to be able to play at both ends of the rink. You have to be able to do other things then just try to skate up the ice and score. There are more things to the game than just that."
Fleming's second season in Ann Arbor did not have the same offensive dominance that had been there before. He completed the Under-18 season with only nine goals in 52 games. Those who had warned him that going to the National Development Team would take away his offensive game sat back and smiled. `Told him so. He should have listened to me.'
Thank goodness he didn't. Ignoring those who warned him not to go allowed him to turn his attention to his National Development coaches' words. From them he learned the little things that make a good hockey player great. He was taught the keys to the game that every successful hockey player is expected to know but never told. He now could analyze power plays and penalty kill strategies. Sure his offensive numbers had decreased, but he was now aware of all aspects of the game. Maybe he only had nine goals, but now he had a more complete game. As a result, Fleming was selected to play in the 2000 U.S. Junior Under-18 World Championships Team.
.Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
After competing for two years with the National Development Team, Fleming continued his athletic journey by taking the road west to Omaha, where he played for the Lancers of the USHL. Now that he had a well-rounded game, he wanted to be physically ready to continue to be a competitive player. While his 5-8 frame was overpowering in Bantams, it was no longer intimidating to his 17 to 20-year old junior hockey opponents. Size is a limiting factor with which not much can be changed. Instead of looking at it as a hindrance, Fleming tailored his game to make the most of it. Knowing how to battle when physically out-manned only made him a more complete player.
Junior hockey also prepared Fleming for the daily life that he would be responsible for as a collegiate player. He learned how to balance all areas of his schedule. He did not want to stumble along the road to competing at the collegiate level and capitalized on his junior hockey experiences on and off ice to equip him for the expedition.
"When I was playing juniors, it was pretty much the same thing as college. You miss class and you have to learn how to balance your time," Fleming said. "Sometimes juniors was actually more hectic than college because you're in high school all day, you go to practice until six or seven at night, and then you're on the road too. So it really did help me learn how to manage school and hockey. It puts you through that grind so that when you come to college, you're not suddenly slapped with all this responsibility. You already know how to handle it."
Fleming's final turn was down a road returning him to home, Minnesota. He survived the critics questioning his results and motives, having to make life-changing decisions and leave home at the age of 15, all the long, grueling hours of practice and learning at the rink, the physical and mental challenges he had to take head-on and persevere through. He not only survived, he thrived. He made it to one of the nation's top-collegiate programs. He earned the ultimate reward of pulling on the Maroon and Gold jersey and defending its rich tradition, lifting up the National Championship trophy, not once but twice, and playing for a team in which he could not imagine having more pride in.
"I've had a blast. The guys that I play with have been awesome ever since I came in as a freshman," Fleming commented. "I've played with some great players, but more than that, off the ice I don't think I've ever been part of a team that is so tightly knit. Everyone has had such a great time together. With hockey, coming to the rink everyday and hanging out on the weekend, guys just have a blast. I think that's one of best and biggest things about this team."
Throughout everything, Fleming has stuck true to himself. It is impossible to change time and see what would have been, for better or for worse, if he had not taken that initial step down the path to Ann Arbor. Maybe he didn't take the paths that others would have chosen, but he knows that his self-direction has led him to his desired destination.
"It's one of those things that nobody can say either way," Fleming reflected. "I'm here, right where I wanted to be. I didn't take the easy road. I could have stayed in high school and chalked up a lot of points. But I didn't, and I got to where I wanted to be."
.I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Written by Media Relations Student Assistant Courtney Walerius. She welcomes comments at gophers@umn.edu.
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far I could.
~ Robert Frost, "The Road Not Taken"
There are certain significant times in life when decisions have to be made. Options can be weighed, opinions taken into account, but eventually a choice will have to be made. Once a step is taken, it is impossible to back track. Events are set into motion and whether the resulting feelings are of satisfaction or regret, what might have been cannot replace what actually is.
Jake Fleming was at a crossroads. He had just completed ninth grade at Osseo High School and his first year of varsity hockey. His season numbers totaled 28 goals and 25 assists, and he was only looking to increase those numbers.
Then an invitation arrived. He was selected to try out for the U.S. National Development Team. If he wanted to take his game to the next level, this was where to begin. While he heard instinct saying to take the opportunity and go, Fleming stood looking down two different paths.
Since he was five-year-old Mite, Fleming had possessed a knack for offense. In Peewees he started to pull away from the pack. By the time he reached the Bantam level, he was dominating. And that description is not an exaggeration. He could do whatever he wanted. After all, he was 5-8, about 135 pounds and only 13-years old. Players were intimidated by his size, and he used it to his advantage. He single-handedly ran circles around defenses, averaging three or four points per game. At the end of his second Bantam season, Fleming tallied about 240 points in 70 games, from what he can remember, and the state title.
Fifteen-years old and trying to determine his future development in the sport of hockey, Fleming had to make a choice. Which road to choose? In one direction was Osseo High School; in the other was Ann Arbor, Mich. The National Development team would most likely challenge him to build a more well-rounded game and compete on an national and international level. He could also remain at home in high school and continue racking up the points, maybe produce a few state tournament runs and make a name for himself in the State of Hockey.
Words of advice and opinion came from all directions. Coaches, teammates, parents, friends, and family weighed in. In the end, the only word that mattered was Fleming's. With his stick in hand, he strapped on his skates and took his first step down the road to Ann Arbor.
.Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh.
Fleming knew that Ann Arbor would be a complete change, a new home, new school, new teammates, new coaches. But it would also rock the foundation of his game. He says it is where he "learned to play" the game of hockey. No longer was it just about getting the puck in the net. It was now about speed and strength. It was about stick skills and puck handling. It was about balancing offense with defense.
"When you move to the junior level like that, you play more of a systematic game," Fleming said. "You have certain areas of the ice you have to cover and you are accountable for defensively. In high school you just go play and have fun, skate around. When you start to get older, it's the same as in college, you start to play within the format that is given to you."
While he finished his first season second in scoring on the Under-17 team with 22 goals and 38 total points, Fleming was no longer seeing the ice the same way. He not only wanted to put up points for his team, but now he was equally focused in preventing the opponent from scoring. The increase in competition forced him to build his skills on both sides of the puck if he wanted to consistently step on the ice.
"It changed me to be a good two-way center, instead of just offensive," Fleming remarked. "Not that I was pure offensively before, but now everyone was playing at a more equal level and you had to be able to play at both ends of the rink. You have to be able to do other things then just try to skate up the ice and score. There are more things to the game than just that."
Fleming's second season in Ann Arbor did not have the same offensive dominance that had been there before. He completed the Under-18 season with only nine goals in 52 games. Those who had warned him that going to the National Development Team would take away his offensive game sat back and smiled. `Told him so. He should have listened to me.'
Thank goodness he didn't. Ignoring those who warned him not to go allowed him to turn his attention to his National Development coaches' words. From them he learned the little things that make a good hockey player great. He was taught the keys to the game that every successful hockey player is expected to know but never told. He now could analyze power plays and penalty kill strategies. Sure his offensive numbers had decreased, but he was now aware of all aspects of the game. Maybe he only had nine goals, but now he had a more complete game. As a result, Fleming was selected to play in the 2000 U.S. Junior Under-18 World Championships Team.
.Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
After competing for two years with the National Development Team, Fleming continued his athletic journey by taking the road west to Omaha, where he played for the Lancers of the USHL. Now that he had a well-rounded game, he wanted to be physically ready to continue to be a competitive player. While his 5-8 frame was overpowering in Bantams, it was no longer intimidating to his 17 to 20-year old junior hockey opponents. Size is a limiting factor with which not much can be changed. Instead of looking at it as a hindrance, Fleming tailored his game to make the most of it. Knowing how to battle when physically out-manned only made him a more complete player.
Junior hockey also prepared Fleming for the daily life that he would be responsible for as a collegiate player. He learned how to balance all areas of his schedule. He did not want to stumble along the road to competing at the collegiate level and capitalized on his junior hockey experiences on and off ice to equip him for the expedition.
"When I was playing juniors, it was pretty much the same thing as college. You miss class and you have to learn how to balance your time," Fleming said. "Sometimes juniors was actually more hectic than college because you're in high school all day, you go to practice until six or seven at night, and then you're on the road too. So it really did help me learn how to manage school and hockey. It puts you through that grind so that when you come to college, you're not suddenly slapped with all this responsibility. You already know how to handle it."
Fleming's final turn was down a road returning him to home, Minnesota. He survived the critics questioning his results and motives, having to make life-changing decisions and leave home at the age of 15, all the long, grueling hours of practice and learning at the rink, the physical and mental challenges he had to take head-on and persevere through. He not only survived, he thrived. He made it to one of the nation's top-collegiate programs. He earned the ultimate reward of pulling on the Maroon and Gold jersey and defending its rich tradition, lifting up the National Championship trophy, not once but twice, and playing for a team in which he could not imagine having more pride in.
"I've had a blast. The guys that I play with have been awesome ever since I came in as a freshman," Fleming commented. "I've played with some great players, but more than that, off the ice I don't think I've ever been part of a team that is so tightly knit. Everyone has had such a great time together. With hockey, coming to the rink everyday and hanging out on the weekend, guys just have a blast. I think that's one of best and biggest things about this team."
Throughout everything, Fleming has stuck true to himself. It is impossible to change time and see what would have been, for better or for worse, if he had not taken that initial step down the path to Ann Arbor. Maybe he didn't take the paths that others would have chosen, but he knows that his self-direction has led him to his desired destination.
"It's one of those things that nobody can say either way," Fleming reflected. "I'm here, right where I wanted to be. I didn't take the easy road. I could have stayed in high school and chalked up a lot of points. But I didn't, and I got to where I wanted to be."
.I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Written by Media Relations Student Assistant Courtney Walerius. She welcomes comments at gophers@umn.edu.
