BY CODY HAISLIP

Putting him one step closer to the National Hockey League (NHL), senior and former FHN student Trevor Gorsuch was drafted by Omaha, a junior team in the United States Hockey League (USHL). However, before the season was set to begin he was traded to another USHL team, Tri-City Storm. After putting extensive thought into whether or not he should leave home to go play hockey with Storm, Trevor decided that it was in his best interest to leave home and move to Nebraska to play for Storm.

Since then, Trevor was drafted to the Michigan Warriors, a team in the North American Hockey League (NAHL).

“Trevor’s goal has always been to play at the highest level of hockey he can make it to,” FHN coach Bruce Racine said. “This is a major stepping stone for him and a great opportunity for him to achieve his goals.”

Trevor has been playing for the Warriors for about a month, and the team maintains a record of 16-16 as of press time. Their next game is Jan. 20 against the Kalamazoo Junior K Wings.

“It’s unbelievable,” Trevor said in regards to playing for Storm. “We play in a building that seats 4,400 people, and we are mostly full every night. The fans are amazing, the coaches are great, and the team is one of the greatest group of guys I’ve ever played with. They made me feel welcome and part of the team right away.”

Trevor began skating at three-years- old and began playing hockey a year later.

“Once I started skating I knew I wanted to be a hockey player,” Trevor said.

After Trevor started playing hockey, he sought motivation and support from his dad, Jack Gorsuch. Jack was always there to travel with him to away games and tournaments, cheer him on during his games and take Trevor to games an hour in advance to have some extra warm-up time before the rest of the team arrived.

“I love to see that he’s going after his dreams at the highest level possible and putting everything he’s got out on the table,” Jack said.

Trevor’s strong will and determination has played a major role in getting him to where he is today. He has pulled out all the stops practicing for hours on end and running game situations through his head time and time again to be absolutely sure he is as physically and mentally prepared as he can be for anything that can be thrown at him.

“Trevor would make a mistake in a game or practice and come to me and ask me to shoot pucks for him to block,” Jack said. “We would practice until he had blisters so bad he couldn’t stand them anymore, and until then he wasn’t satisfied. Just so he knew he’d make the play next time the situation was presented.”

Although Trevor’s decision to leave his family for months on end, Trevor is happy with his choice. Because of the NAHL, Trevor is able to play at NHL game pace with much more competition and career opportunities. After graduating from high school, Trevor hopes to take classes at a college while continuing to play for the Warriors.

“I played because I love the game,” Trevor said, “and I just flat out love playing.”