Jake Borgida '17 Recruiting Profile

I started skating when I was two years old. After all, I do live in Minnesota!  In the winter, I live only a few blocks from outdoor skating on Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis, or the two-rink arena at Parade Ice Garden, home of the Minneapolis Hockey program. I could not wait to play for Minneapolis Hockey and started at age 4 with the Mighty Mites and then the Mite programs. My very first coach was Mike Fidler who played college hockey at Boston University and then played in the NHL with the Minnesota North Stars and Chicago Blackhawks. Early on, I was drawn to hockey because I loved skating and playing with my friends. I also found that I really enjoyed watching college and NHL games on TV. Then and I now, I watch these games and learn from the players who are playing at the highest levels.

I continued to play for Minneapolis Hockey and played defense for Squirt A which made it to the sectional finals for state. Jake McCoy, who played on the 1960 U.S. Olympic hockey team, was my coach. I continued to play for Minneapolis Hockey and played two years of first-line defense for Peewee A hockey. I spent my first bantam year playing for my school, The Blake School, and played first-line defense. But Blake played at the Bantam B1 level and I wanted to play against stronger bantam competition before starting high school hockey. So in my freshman year I returned to Minneapolis Hockey to play defense for the Bantam AA team for my second and final year of Bantam hockey, where I was coached by Alex Bisbee.

When I was not playing for Minneapolis Hockey, I spent time training with the Minnesota Made hockey program in Edina, MN, run by Bernie McBain. It was clear that this non-association AAA hockey program was offering the kind of advanced training and competition that I felt would really help my game. Over for the next seven years I played defense, first for three years with Minnesota Made and their AAA Deuce team.  I continued in AAA hockey playing one year for the Velocity Hockey program in Edina (Noel Rahn, coach), and then 3 years playing for the Reebok Nationals team, coached by Stephen Yurichuk, which included tournament play at the Nike Bauer tournament in Chicago and other regional tournaments in the Upper Midwest. Some of the players on the Deuce and Reebok teams have remained my good friends and most if not all of them are now playing high school hockey. Playing on these teams and the comradery with my teammates has been great, and competing and even winning now and then is satisfying.

In my sophomore year at The Blake School and I played defense on varsity hockey (Jon Sturgis was my head coach). I played top 4-defense for most of the season and played in all 28 games. The competition and level of play was elevated and challenging. I loved the atmosphere and felt pumped up and motivated. I also felt that I developed as a player during the season. I became more confident offensively with the puck and more physical defensively. After the season ended, I committed to rigorous off-season training. I have been lifting and conditioning at Blake with their trainer, and I also work out with a personal trainer. I tried out for and played in the Red and Black spring league sponsored by the NAHL Minnesota Magicians team, and I also tried out for and made MAP, the Minnesota Advancement Program, which is the elite hockey training program at FHIT Hockey where I currently train during the week. I also was invited to and attended the 2015 Hamilton College Prospect camp, July 8-11. The camp was great for me because I could size up my game against East Coast players and I felt more confident about my skill level and skill set. The camp really motivated me even more to want to play college hockey. I learned a lot about the rigor and challenge of playing college hockey from the college coaches at the camp.

In my junior year, my goals were to be more physical in the D zone and to be even more offensively minded in my game. I thought I had a really productive year on the blue line. I started scoring and my shots were more consistently getting through from the point. I was a regular on the PK and our efficiency for the season was close to 90%.  At the end of the season I was voted Captain by my teammates and the coaching staff.  During summer 2016 I will continue to train in the college tier at MAP and work out on a weekly basis at The Blake School.  I will be attending the National Hockey Training Camp at The Berkshire School, and also the prospect camps at Hamilton College, Princeton University, and Middlebury College. 

I am hoping to have a very strong senior season and to put myself on the college radar screen. We have a new head hockey coach at Blake, Greg May, and I am excited about his approach and leadership for my senior year. I hope to go to an academically strong college or university and play D3 or D1 college hockey. I am open to a PG year or to playing juniors. As a high school student-athlete who is strong in the classroom at a leading independent school, I feel that I will be able to continue my academic success at the next level, and hopefully while I am playing great hockey.

Postscript to senior year:  I was accepted early decision to Colgate University in December 2016; was nominated for the 2017 Reed Larson Award which honors the top senior boys' high school defenseman in Minnesota hockey;  I was 2017 Honorable Mention All-Conference for the IMAC; I started 2017-2018 with the Merritt Centennials in the BCHL and since late September I have been playing for the Fairbanks (Alaska) Ice Dogs of the North American Hockey League to play for Coach Trevor Stewart.