Nicolas Yzaguirre '15 Recruiting Profile

Sports have been a part of my life since I was a young boy.  I started tee-ball a little while before I started playing hockey and then in third grade I joined my school's basketball team as the point guard.  In fourth grade I joined football and I became quarterback for my school team. When I reached sixth grade I started playing softball and volleyball with my school teams, and I began playing golf recreationally.  Because I played all these sports I became a very athletic and coordinated kid.  I played all of these sports up until the summer before I went into eighth grade when I told my parents that I wanted to focus on hockey and that it was a sport that I wanted to make a career out of.  

Hockey has always been an important part of my life and a game I love to play.  I have been playing hockey for ten years and I am hoping that I can use the skills I have gained throughout those ten years to get me a great education.  My dream has always been to play professional hockey, but I know how important an education is in case that doesn't work out.  When I started playing hockey I was playing at a house level up until my Bantam Minor year.  I played AA Travel hockey for my Bantam Minor and Major years and then moved on to play Varsity Hockey for Notre Dame College Prep.  

I can not say that I did not have any help when I was trying to become a better player, but a lot of it had to do with myself putting the time, effort, and heart into practice.  I am a very hard worker and I enjoy being a leader and the person my teammates can look up to.  I am considered a play-maker but that does not mean I won't do the dirty work to win games.  I love getting into corners for puck battles and fighting for position in front of the net just as much as I love scoring goals.  A couple things that separate me from many hockey players is that I get emotionally involved and I will do ANYTHING to help my team.  I speak up when I think it is necessary and I am always making sure I try to lift my team up instead of drag them down.  The most important thing about me as a player though is that I want to be a difference maker.  I want to be the person that coach puts on the ice to score the game winning goal and I want to be the one everyone looks up to to score that goal.

My parents have made it very clear to me that academics always come first and that if I want to participate in any kind of sport I have to have the grades that they think are acceptable.  I have attended private school my whole life, from pre-school to present time.  My parents send me to private school so that I can get the best education possible and achieve future goals.  I understand what I need to do to have good grades and that without them I may not be able to make anything of myself in the future.  I work very hard in the classroom to keep my grades up and I am a very involved person during classes.  I always have my work done on time even though I might put it off until the last minute to do it.  I would like to go to a school that will push me just as hard in the classroom or even harder than my coaches do.  I would like a school where the teachers will let me get involved in class and will take the time to step aside with me if I need help.  I want to go to school that will give me the best opportunity to obtain a degree that can help me later on when I am looking for a career.