SENIOR BROCK HOOTON "SHOOTIN' " THE PIPELINE
There are some hobbies and interests in life that leave people scratching their heads. Senior alternate captain Brock Hooton is no exception to that statement. Open up a St. Cloud State hockey media guide or dig out a program from the Huskies home series and two glaring things stick out for a 22-year old who plays hockey in Minnesota.
In the media guide, Hooton, a native of Nanaimo, British Columbia, states one of his hobbies is "shootin' the pipeline at Long Beach" and in the program in which he was profiled he admits, "he would also like to move to Indonesia and surf." That's right surf. It is not really a "normal" interest for a state that offers lakes and rivers, but no suitable conditions to shred a few waves. "It is impossible to do here in Minnesota," said Hooton with a laugh. "I wish I could surf more than I have been able to. I love it, it is awesome"
However, Hooton said whenever he gets a chance to get back to British Columbia he tries to do as much surfing as he can. "I live in basically the only place in Canada where you can surf," Hooton said of Nanaimo, which is about 50 miles west of Vancouver and 180 miles northwest of Seattle, WA. "But, with my hockey schedule and stuff this summer, I was not able to get back up there and do it."
Hooton said a vacation to an exotic loaction with roommate and senior goaltender Jason Montgomery gave him a chance to soak up surfing there. "Me and Jason went to Thailand this past summer," Hooten said. "We did a bit of surfing while we were in that part of the world. It was a rush and a good time. That is why I like it. But, I would ultimately love to make it a full-time hobby some day."
Hooton and Montgomery have been friends and roommates since meeting while playing in the British Columbia Hockey League for the Quesnel Millionaires. Montgomery said that the pair were decent friends at Quesnel, but became better friends when Hooten visited St. Cloud and they started playing for the Huskies. "Me and Jason are a bunch of clowns, it is a love-hate relationship, " said Hooton jokingly, who also was roommates with former teammate Peter Szabo. "We are like best friends. Roommates since day one."
A few problems arose for the duo's team while on the roster at Quesnel - namely playing through three different coaches in two years. "It was a mess up there," said Hooton who currently has 37 career points to his credit. " My first year, I had a great coach. I learned a lot from him, but he was an old school coach. Managment did not really like that. He was really hard on the players, but when we were winning it was fine." Hooton said despite that small problem, it was a great place to play and he enjoyed the experience.
There's no denying Hooton had success with Quesnel as he jumped from 38 points during the 2000-01 season to lead the team with 84 points the next year. Combined with that, he was selected as the BCHL All-Star game Most Valuable Player in 2002.
Hooton is the first to admit he gained more offensive skill from playing in the BCHL and had to adjust somewhat to that his first year as a Husky in the always rugged WCHA. "That was a league where you kind of honed your offensive skills," said Hooton half jokingly. "Coming from there to St. Cloud is kind of a contrast. It is definately a scorers league. "
However, Hooton said he's learned from that experience, which helped him become one of five players on the SCSU 2005-06 roster to be drafted by an NHL team. "I was a little more offensive when I came in (to SCSU)," said Hooton, who was drafted in the fifth round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators. "But, I would say with any freshman, particularly the guys who come out of the Canadian junior leagues who are so offensive-minded, you learn quickly about defense or else you don't play."
Montgomery felt that playing for former head coach Craig Dahl also may have served Hooton well. "he's learned a lot defensively here, and think playing for Dahl taught him a lot, " Montgomery said. "but, playing for (current head coach) Bob Motzko will help Brock too. I think it will enable him to use his speed a little bit more, because he's probably one of the fastest guys in the WCHA."
Hooton said being drafted by the Senators came as somewhat of a surprise. " I did not really think about being drafted. I played in a small hockey town and was just having fun playing hockey. Soomeone told me, ' you are going to get drafted' and I was like 'that's cool," Hooton said. "It is a good honor but it was not anything I was really expecting."
Hooton said without a doubt one of the biggest things he has learned playing for the Huskies is sound defensive skills, especially playing with the likes of former Huskies Matt Hendricks and current Pittsburgh Penguin Ryan Malone. "I would be sitting on the bench with Malone and he would just kind of break things down in a game, shift-by-shift. I learned a lot from Malone. I learned a lot from Hendricks too, just by the way he led he team. He was very vocal and that helped. "
Montgomery feels Hooton has also gained a few other things along his journey through collge hockey. "I think he's learned to compete a little bit more," Montgomery said. "At this level, hard work is a big key and he has made big strides in that." That may be one of the reasons why Hooton was named alternate captain this season by teammates. "It is a great honor to be voted (alternate captain) by the other guys," Hooton said. "I think a lot of other guys on the team are pretty deserving of it too, but it is pretty great. My main goal is to be supportive of the rest of the guys on the team. Whether that be on-the-ice examples or off-the- ice examples, I think I'm a pretty approachable guy and so I think the other players can come to me if they have any problems."
Unlike his surfing hobby, his leadership and his play on the ice don't leave anybody scratching their heads.
