Red Wings continue honoring special Youth Hockey Players of the Month

DETROIT -- The Detroit Red Wings have honored special Youth Hockey Players of the Game, presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, during every home game this season, and the month of December featured several young players with unique stories of perseverance.
The two rising stars who were selected as December's Youth Hockey Players of the Month -- 11-year-old Wyatt Taylor (honored on Dec. 4) and 10-year-old Henry May (honored on Dec. 18) -- share a common theme of overcoming difficult challenges in their young hockey journeys.

Taylor, a Woodhaven, Mich. native who plays center for Grosse Ile/Belle Tire Islanders, has had to learn to hone his energy and maintain constant focus on the ice.
His father, Dan Taylor, said it's been a joy to watch his son develop his game over the years, but his journey hasn't been easy.
Dan Taylor said his son loved practicing so much that games were almost boring to him because there was too much bench time. Games didn't have the pace he desired, so he'd lose focus, which troubled his coaches and forced him to change teams from year to year.
"Every player at such a young age has their challenges in finding their way in this sport and Wyatt was no exception," Dan Taylor said. "Wyatt always had tons of energy and just loves being on the ice and skating.
"Once he started getting that competitive spirit and knew the game was bigger than him and that his actions were affecting his team and his best friends, he began to grow into a very strong player. He's made lifelong friends, gained a whole new appreciation for the game and now understands that everyone has a role on the ice, and he takes it very seriously."

All of Wyatt Taylor's teammates were at Little Caesars Arena last month to watch him be honored on the videoboard, and his father said it was a moment his family will never forget.
"This was very special for us as parents, especially because his whole hockey team got to see it, too," Dan Taylor said. "To have his picture up there in his uniform put a huge smile on his face, which makes us as parents so happy and very proud. And the fact that the Wings fans went nuts for him was just the icing on the cake."

Dan Taylor said his son has big hockey dreams as he continues developing his game but noted that education is important as well.
"Wyatt's dream is to someday play for the University of Michigan hockey team. He takes education very seriously and wants to go to U of M regardless, but he'd love to play hockey at Yost (Ice Arena) for the Wolverines," Dan Taylor said. "He says making the NHL would be great, but he'd much rather get a great education, and if he can play hockey and get an education, it's a win/win."
December's other Youth Hockey Player of the Month is one of the few young goalies who've been honored this season, as May was celebrated on Dec. 18 when the Red Wings beat the New Jersey Devils, 5-2.
May plays for the Birmingham Rangers and recently switched to goalie after being a forward for the first few years of his hockey journey.

His father, Jason May, was hesitant about his son switching positions, but the young netminder quickly proved doubters wrong with an outstanding performance in one of his first tournaments between the pipes.
"I told him that he would need to work extra hard, as it's a tough position and many of the other goalies in his age group had been playing much longer," Jason May said. "Henry has worked extremely hard and in a recent tournament, he was awarded MVP and had two shutouts during the six-game tourney."
Jason May agreed that watching his son be honored at Little Caesars Arena was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and said his son has NHL dreams of his own.
"Watching your child on the jumbotron is a great thing to watch," he said. "Seeing the joy on their faces as the crowd cheers for them is the best.
"Henry loves playing goalie and his goal is to be an NHL goalie. I tell him to just keep being a good teammate and work hard. The rest takes care of itself."

The Red Wings will continue honoring a standout Youth Hockey Player of the Game for the rest of the season, as the organization maintains its commitment to growing the game for young people in metro Detroit.
"We think what the Red Wings do with Youth Hockey is second to none," Dan Taylor said. "From the Youth Hockey Players of the Game, Summer Hockey Leagues, Little Wings programs, it's just another reason why our family are such die-hard Wings fans. We can't thank the Red Wings organization enough for the opportunity to be the Youth Hockey Player of the Game."