Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Hockey (B)

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Blaine junior's goals within reach

By David La Vaque, Star Tribune

Nick Bjugstad. Photo by Marlin Levison, Star Tribune

Nick Bjugstad's hockey life mirrors his skating stride. You don't realize how fast he's moving until you get close.

"He has a burst," said Joe Dziedzic, a former Gophers and NHL player and Bjugstad's coach on Team Northwest in the Upper Midwest High School Elite Hockey League. "You see him pull away from kids who are six inches shorter."

Maybe if Bjugstad was not a 6-5, 190-pound center, he would make a more gradual and less trumpeted climb through the ranks. Humble by nature, he is nonetheless poised to become this state's latest preps today, pros tomorrow standout.

The process involves following through on a series of important decisions that will shape the rest of his young hockey career. Bjugstad, a 17-year-old junior, trains or plays games six days a week. He is accelerating his education in hopes of graduating from Blaine next spring and joining the Gophers next fall.

CLICK HERE to read the full article. Courtesy: Star Tribune