First Light - An Exclusive Q&A with Jack Peart

ST. PAUL, Minn. –

‘On the Horizon: First Light’ is a summer Q&A series with select Minnesota Wild prospects.

Wild.com: What was life like growing up in Grand Rapids, MN?

Peart: “It was awesome. My childhood dream was to win a state tournament, but sadly that never happened. Hunting and fishing are two of my biggest passions being all the way up there. Hanging out with high school buddies and elementary school buddies. It's cool. You get to start in kindergarten and Mites. Then you work your way all the way up to high school together. You're playing with the same guys the entire way. I loved my time there and hopefully I'll be back living there eventually.”

Wild.com: What was a game night like for you at the IRA Civic Center?

Peart: “Yeah, really cool. Show up probably an hour and a half before the game. It's a little different than college and pro, but the skate out to the rink with all the fans going crazy as the school song is playing. That's probably one of the coolest things that I remember from playing there. You just get goosebumps every time you run through the tunnel and take a step out on the ice. There’s the old roof and the banners that are hung up in there. They have pictures of pros that have been there in the past. There's a lot of tradition that goes on there and I'm glad I could keep it going just a little bit.”

Wild.com: You spent the past three seasons at St. Cloud State. What are some of your best memories at SCSU?

Peart: “There's a lot. No, for sure. Some of the guys I've met, like freshman year living in the dorms with. I had a class of four, so it was a small class. We became really close. I think that's the cool part about college hockey is that you are living with each other every day. You're doing everything together. You're always with each other. You're at the rink working out together. You bleed together, you sweat together, all the cliches. It's kind of a brotherhood and yeah, it was a great three years of my life. I'll always remember those three years.”

Wild.com: How do you think you developed as a defenseman at SCSU?

Peart: “Well, my first year there was tough playing on the big ice. You’re defending bigger, faster, stronger guys. You definitely have to learn how to play the D side of the puck. I think playing on the big ice definitely helped my skating, so I think that was huge for me. I think the training staff and the weight room, that was another huge aspect that helped me a lot. Getting a routine of how much you should be working out and what a schedule looks like at that level of hockey. I think that opened my eyes and helped get me better and get me ready for the next level.”

Wild.com: What’s your interaction with Development Staff look like during the season?

Peart: “So when I was in college (at St. Cloud State), it would be after every weekend we'd send a report back of how we thought we had played and then they'd respond. And so that goes on pretty much the whole season. Once a month, or so, they'll give me a call just to check in. There's definitely a lot of communication back-and-forth, which is good. They also did good job of staying out of the way while still working with St. Cloud coaches too.”

Wild.com: You had the opportunity to join the Iowa Wild at the end of last season. What was it like getting a taste of the AHL?

Peart: “So it was definitely different. You have to have your own routine. You have to be dialed in to what you need to get ready for the games, and I was lucky that St. Cloud had taught me to get into my own routine and develop that. So yeah, it was definitely a different pace. Players are, again, bigger, faster, and stronger. It was a really good experience for me just to get those nine games and get my foot in the door to pro hockey.”

Wild.com: Two points in nine games in Des Moines. What confidence did you get out of getting on the scoresheet?

Peart: “For sure. Last game of the year and hadn't scored a goal in a while, so it gave me a lot of confidence. It felt really good and opened my eyes to see I can play at this level. No, I think that was huge for me.”

Wild.com: At this point, what do you think you need to do to get to the next step of your hockey career?

Peart: “I think it's a lot in the weight room. I think there's still room to grow. The pro guys are so dialed into every little detail every day. I think that's one of the things that I've got to keep growing on and getting better at. And yeah, it's a work in progress and I think that'll take my game to the next level.”

In his off time this summer, Jack says he spent most of the month of May out fishing on Lake Winnibigoshish, which is just west of his hometown of Grand Rapids, MN. After that it was back to St. Cloud where he did most of his summer training, along with some time out on both the golf course and pickleball court. In August, Jack is spending some time working out and skating at TRIA Rink in St. Paul to get ready for Training Camp in September.