Brick by brick, Columbus youth hockey continues to impress

With more than 800 stores and restaurants, the West Edmonton Mall is an experience in and of itself.

But for those 10-year-olds who are lucky enough to carry a hockey bag into the venue’s ice rink for the upcoming Brick Tournament, there’s an extra special place they'll get to see.

In one of the hallways between the locker rooms and the ice surface, below a banner that says “They walked this hall...” is a list of every player to take part in the famous event. And considering the prestigious tournament counts such names as Zach Werenski and Johnny Gaudreau as alums – not to mention Connor Bedard, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and Jack Hughes, just to name a few – you can’t get very far without seeing a reminder of what it means to take part.

“It’s such a cool thing to have your name on that wall,” said Joey Nahay, coach at the Battery Hockey Academy in Plain City. “It’ll never go away. You just walk the hall and you see Patrick Kane and Connor Bedard, all their names are on this thing, and you’re wearing the same jersey at the same tournament. It’s just such a cool feeling.

Starting tomorrow, five youngsters from The Battery will get the chance to add their names to the list, making it a banner year for Central Ohio at the event. Twin brothers Colton and Tyson Steckel as well as Caeden Broccoli, Evan Gardner and Isaac Cantrell qualified for the tournament and will get to test their skills against the top 10-year-olds from across North America.

“Probably playing in the small ice rink and high-fiving the fans,” Colton Steckel said when asked what he’s looking forward to most. “Playing in a big mall, playing with my friends – and being in the hotel mall.”

“When I get to hit people,” Broccoli said when asked the same question.

Taking part in the event could be a sign those players have hockey stardom in their futures, or it simply could be a chance for a bunch of kids to travel across the continent and take part in a truly special weekend. No matter what the future holds, though, memories will be made that will last a lifetime.

“It’s a huge event,” said Dave Steckel, the Ohio State alum and nine-year NHL player who is the father of Colton and Tyson. “From a fun aspect, the glass is shorter, you can high-five after you score goals. I’ve watched it on TV. I’ve watched exhibition games. I watched Cooper (Hackett) play last year, and I'm really excited to be a part of it.”

And as Steckel mentioned, Central Ohio sending players to take part in the event is becoming much more common. Columbus-area native Cooper Hackett went to the tournament each of the past two years and, after scoring 10 goals in six games last year, is tied for the third-most goals all-time at the event. His teammate Liam Sinha joined a year ago as well, while former Blue Jackets Jack Roslovic and Kole Sherwood are Brick alums as well.

For the Battery to send five players to this year’s event, a little bit of history is being made, and it’s a testament to the Columbus hockey community that such growth is possible.

“Honestly, a lot of the credit goes to the resources that we have in Central Ohio, and the different coaching staff and the programs,” Nahay said. “One thing that Columbus hockey does very well and different than other areas is they work together. All of the programs have one goal, and that’s to make the best athlete that they can and make sure they have a great experience, they’re having fun and growing and developing.”

While all five have been playing at The Battery (and will soon have the chance to move on to the AAA Blue Jackets program), they qualified through Team Pennsylvania, which brings together the best players in the region to take part. Each of the players were evaluated throughout the season and took part in showcase events leading up to the March tryouts, and once they qualified, they’ve headed to a trio of training camps in Pittsburgh to get ready for the event.

Steckel and his former Ohio State teammate Pete Broccoli, Caeden’s father, are actually coaches for their 2014 birth-year Battery squad, and Steckel will be on the bench with Team Pennsylvania during the tournament. To see the dedication their sons, as well as Gardner and Cantrell, put in to make it to the event is an especially proud moment considering they’re not just coaches, they’re dads.

“It’s pretty awesome, to be honest with you,” Pete Broccoli said. “To see all these boys get together and make this team, it’s incredible. It's just a testament to The Battery and the kids that they are developing.”

Both young Steckels are forwards, as is Gardner. Cantrell actually lives in the Cleveland area but chose The Battery for his hockey development, and he lines up on defense along with Broccoli (the irony that both Steckel twins as well as Caeden Broccoli ended up following in their fathers’ footsteps and play the same position as they did is not lost on the dads).

Colton and Tyson Steckel as well as Caeden Broccoli all said they hope to play in the NHL one day, but that’s a long time down the road. In the meantime, they’ll get to take part in an event they’ll remember for the rest of their lives.

“It’s a cool experience,” Pete Broccoli said. “That’s what we’ve experienced with the showcases that we’ve gone through already. Talking with Cooper and his dad and Liam’s dad, they say you’ll have a blast, the kids will have a blast and the hockey is top of the line.”