Samuel Bresnock '23 Recruiting Profile

An American poet named Maya Angelou once said, “You can’t really know where you are going until you know where you have been.” When I was little, I started playing house for many years in my hometown of Tonawanda, which is near the city of Buffalo, New York. Looking back I realized that there was one year that set me apart from the rest of the kids around me and that changed my mindset on hockey. From that moment on, I realized I had the potential to be different, so I started working and listening ceaselessly. I have played AA travel hockey in the WNYAHL since about 8 years old up until I was around 15. While I was playing AA hockey I learned lots of core values from the highs and lows of each season which include determination, integrity, discipline, class, respect, and how to be a leader. I was the captain of my AA teams for a majority of the time I played AA hockey. Recently I was able to make my current AAA team for the 2020-2021 season and take another step in my hockey journey. Based on the coaching I receive now, I can infer that in my past I was being trained just to play simple hockey for many years at the AA level. My peers, family, a few select coaches, but mostly my Dad have been the most influential people in my life to help show me the way to become a better hockey player, a greater person, and push me to be the best I can be athletically and academically. I learned that it wasn’t through being a naturally talented hockey player that I got this far, but it was through integrity and listening to the people that assisted me on my journey. I have always been thankful knowing that I can understand who I am, where I came from, and how I got this far. 

My academic goals for high school are pretty straightforward. I strive to do the best I can in all my classes at St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute, whether or not they are my honors and AP courses. I am on track to be in the National Honors Society once I reach that point in time of my junior year because I am now in my school’s top honors society called, “The Brother Pompian Honors Society.” For college I’m still deciding my major, but I know that whenever I come to a decision my goal will be to graduate with pride and go into life ready to be happy and successful, however that may be. One thing I would bring to the table of my future teams would be my penalty kill work and ability to be coachable. I love being on the penalty kill while having many shorthanded goals and always being able to block, tip away, and stop shots from the opposing power play. I feel that I am a very coachable and adaptable player. When I join a new team, or my coach changes our system of play, I am able to pick up on the details very quickly and understand my role. Likewise, when a coach tells me to do something different than what I am doing, I incorporate their words into my next play. I feel like I am different from other hockey players because I try my best and learn every time I touch the ice. I have a 4.0 GPA with honors classes while being busy with hockey and work. I am able to fix my mistakes and incorporate my coach’s advice the next time I get on the ice.