Lucas Punkari
Although he can’t say anything yet about where he’ll be playing hockey next season, Fort Frances native Jordan Larson is already getting excited about the 2012/13 campaign.
“Thing are looking very good for where I stand right now, and I’m looking forward to it,” Larson said.
“Right now I really can’t talk about what is out there for me at the moment obviously with what I’m looking at…but it is pretty exciting for me,” he added.
The 17-year-old is coming off a stellar rookie campaign with the Fort Frances Lakers in the SIJHL, as he picked up 69 points in 54 games on his way to earning the league’s rookie of the year award.
“Winning that award was pretty high up there in my hockey career, but I would of taken the league championship over anything else,” Larson stressed.
“I was pleased with how I adapted to the league pretty fast, as I got off to a pretty hot start, and going to Calgary the Canada West camp and then to Langley, B.C. for the CJHL Top Prospects game were great in helping me get used to the junior game.
“Overall, I think the whole experience with the Lakers this year was really good, as I learned a lot by going all the way to game seven in the championship series, and while we didn’t get the one thing that we all wanted, it was still one of the best seasons that the team has ever had,” he added.
Another unique experience for Larson this season was the fact that he got to play in his hometown once again, after playing previously with the Thunder Bay Kings organization.
“To play in front of my family and friends here once again after being away from home for a couple of season was pretty sweet,” he enthused.
“The amount of fans that came out to support us last year was great to see, and I really couldn’t ask for anything more,” Larson added.
Having already been drafted in the 2011 OHL priority selection by the Soo Greyhounds in the 12th round, Larson found himself with another possible option for his hockey feature in late May, as he was selected in the 16th round of the USHL entry draft by the Des Moines Buccaneers.
“Last season I had gone to a Fargo Force camp, so I really didn’t know what was going to happen heading into the draft,” Larson recalled.
“But the night before the draft, Des Moines gave me a call around 9 p.m. or so, and they asked me if I would report to them if I got drafted.
“I wasn’t paying to much attention to the draft as it was going on, and I wasn’t even at home when it was going on, so when I got a text from my mom telling me that I had been drafted, it was pretty exciting,” he smiled.
One of the first people to contact Larson following his selection was local hockey player Mitch Cain, who played in Des Moines for two season before joining the NCAA’s Bemidji State Beavers.
“He was giving it to me a little bit on Twitter,” Larson laughed.
“He said that I had took his number (71) when I was playing for the Lakers here, and that he thought that the number 27 (Cain’s number when he played in Des Moines) would look good on me down there,” he added.
Larson had his first chance to show what he can do in front of the Buccaneers brass from June 13-17, as he took part in the team’s rookie camp.
“It was by far the biggest camp I had ever been at,” Larson, who played in five games during the course of the camp, stressed.
“There were about 200 kids there divided into 10 teams, and you had guys who had played in the BCHL, NAHL, Midget ‘AAA’ teams, along with guys who came all the way from Russia.
“The talent that was there was very good, but I think that helped me get into that competitive edge, and I thought that I did pretty well when I played,” he added.
With many options available for Larson next season, he is already getting prepared for wherever he will be suiting up come this winter by working hard in the weight room.
“I have been training with Terry McMahon for the last three summers, and I’m working on improving my strength with him right now,” he noted.
“People always say that I need to be faster in my first two strides, so I will be working hard this summer in improving that part of my game,” Larson stressed.
