The best of a brilliant lot: Young Winnipeg hockey player stars in international surroundings

By: Mike Sawatzky | Posted: 7:00 PM CDT Thursday, Apr. 8, 2021

They've come to this hockey hothouse in South Dakota from seven U.S. states, Russia and Latvia.

And the lone Canadian, a skinny kid from Winnipeg, might be the best of the bunch.

Jayden Perron has only been playing in the U.S. for five months, but he's already having a transforming effect on his team, the Sioux Falls Power 16U, which plays at the top level of American AAA hockey.

"This guy is a culture-changer," says his coach Noëlle Needham. "How he plays, how he performs, how he trains, how he respects the game and how much he loves the game and is obsessed with it — it's transformed how the rest of the kids on our team approach it as well.

"When he goes on in the ice, he makes people around him not only better but he makes the game easier for them. He plays the right way, he's an honest 200-foot player and yes there's always going to be things he can do to continually improve. But, at this level, the way his brain works, the type of teammate he is, he is a very unique and special individual."

Talent evaluators have been aware of Perron's skill set for some time. An explosive skater and playmaker, the shifty centre averaged almost three points per game with the Winnipeg Warriors in 2019-20.

In the spring of 2020, Perron was the No. 2 overall pick by the OCN Blizzard in the MJHL Draft and chosen 23rd overall by the WHL's Portland Winterhawks.

Through it all, Perron and his family made it clear the NCAA was their preferred route for development.

The Winterhawks couldn't be faulted for hoping for a change of plans, but when the pandemic stalled Perron's season with the Winnipeg AAA U18 Bruins in fall, it accelerated his plans to play south of the border and it wouldn't be in Portland, where all hockey activities were on hold through the winter until last month.

South Dakota, meanwhile, remained largely free of major restrictions.

"I had the opportunity to come here at the start of the year but I decided to stay home for one more year," says Perron, who turned 16 on Jan. 11. "But basically as soon as the season (in Winnipeg) got shut down, I decided to come here."

Perron believes heading stateside has opened up a world of opportunity.

In fact, a month after joining the Power, the USHL’s Chicago Steel forfeited a first-round draft pick to sign Perron to a tender agreement in December and now he’s considered a big part of the club's plans for 2021-22.

USHL rules require tendered players to play at least 55 per cent of a team's games.

Doreen Perron says her son decided to accept the Power's invite to play on a Tuesday and by Thursday, she was delivering him to his billet's house in Sioux Falls. Two days later, the team was on a flight to Texas for a weekend series in Dallas.

Read the full article at https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/junior/the-best-of-a-brilliant-lot-574165122.html

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Sioux Falls, SD - The Sioux Falls Power Hockey Tier 1 Program is proud to announce the hiring of Brandon Wildung (Edina, Minnesota) as Program Goaltender Coach.  He will also serve as an Assistant Coach on the U16 team.

Coach Wildung, a native of Nassau, MN, played for junior hockey for the Minot Minotauros (NAHL), and played collegiately at Mercyhurst University (NCAA Division I).  Wildung also played professional hockey in the East Coash Hockey League (ECHL) before recently retiring.

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Sioux Falls, SD – Sioux Falls POWER U16 goaltender, Hobie Hedquist, has been selected for the 2019 U.S. Under-17 Men’s Select Team that will compete at the Five Nations Tournament in Füssen, Germany August 13-17th. .

 In addition to the U.S., the 2019 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament will also include teams from Switzerland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Germany. Each country will play each other once. For the complete U.S. roster, click here.

Hedquist, (6’2” 170lb), a native of Heron Lake, MN, is entering his third season with the Sioux Falls POWER Hockey Tier 1 program. He was recently drafted 20th overall in the USHL Phase I Draft by the Dubuque Fighting Saints and is committed to Colorado College (NCHC).

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Emily Kaplan
ESPN
Jun 21, 2019

Noelle Needham's hockey journey almost ended on her family's cow farm.

When knee injuries and surgeries cut short her playing career at Minnesota State Mankato in 2007, the 21-year-old figured she should try the family business. So she returned home to Elkton, South Dakota, and took out a "beginning farmer" loan. Then she and her mother drove seven-plus hours to Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota, hand-selected 100 heifers and trucked them back home.

Needham loved life on the ranch, but soon realized that it wasn't going to fulfill her. "I just felt a calling," she says. "I had a hard time not being involved with hockey."

Needham's parents told her to do what made her happy. She sold the heifers.

Needham -- who had been recruited to Shattuck-St. Mary's, the country's top prep hockey program, at age 13 -- started offering private hockey lessons to young players, cold-calling families to ask for the opportunity to work with their sons and daughters. Needham was willing to do anything and go anywhere; if she had a 10 p.m. session in Minnesota and a student wanted to skate there again at 6 a.m., she wasn't above sleeping in her truck. (And she did, spending a handful of nights reclined in her Dodge 1500 Ram.)

Along with a friend, Ashley Munsterman, Needham started a summer camp for girls in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. That grew into Legend Hockey, an elite training and development program they co-founded in 2009, and the Sioux Falls Power, a Tier I club team. When the Power's under-16 boys' team suddenly needed a coach midseason in 2017, Needham stepped behind the bench.

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Sioux Falls, SD - The Sioux Falls Power Hockey Tier 1 Program is proud to announce that Maxwell Tobin (’02) of Sioux Falls, South Dakota has signed a tender agreement with the New Mexico Ice Wolves of the NAHL.

“Max Tobin, who is a late 2002 birth year, has really begun to hit his stride as a defenseman. He is mature for his age, takes his training very seriously and has great potential not only as a player, but also as a leader,” said 16U Head Coach, Noelle Needham.

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Sioux Falls, SD - The Sioux Falls POWER Hockey Program is proud to announce that 2001 born Forward, Brett Reed of Crosslake, MN, has signed a NAHL tender with the Maryland Black Bears. Reed becomes the 5th Sioux Falls POWER player to be tendered by a NAHL team in the ’18-’19 season.

Reed, who previously played for the U16 team, had a very strong season with the Sioux Falls POWER U18 team and finished the year with 39 points in 61 games and was a +9.

“Brett is a high-energy player that brings his best effort to each game,” said Maryland Black Bears Head Coach Clint Mylymok. Every time he steps onto the ice, he is engaged emotionally and physically. We are happy to add this type of player to our program.”

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Sioux Falls, SD - The Sioux Falls Power Hockey Tier 1 Program is proud to announce the hiring of Bryan Fuss (Edina, Minnesota) as Head Coach of the program’s U18 team.  

Coach Fuss, a native of Madison, WI, played for Des Moines and Sioux City in the USHL, played NCAA Division 1 for Lake Superior State, and briefly played professional hockey in the ECHL and CHL before retiring in 1999. Since that time, he served as an assistant coach in the USHL and has been a director and lead skill instructor for Minnesota Made in Edina, MN.  Coach Fuss has served as the head coach for the MN Machine AAA Hockey Club in Edina, MN, and most recently was with the Madison Capitols program.

“We are truly excited to have Bryan join our coaching staff.  We are fortunate to get a coach with his playing experience and extensive coaching experience,” said Matt Tobin, General Manager.  Fuss will join the program and take over the team immediately. 

The Sioux Falls Power Hockey Tier 1 program, based out of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, provides Tier 1 teams at the 14U, 15, 16U & 18U levels.

Follow the Sioux Falls Power Hockey on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: @SiouxFallsPower

Check out our website for updates: Sioux Falls Power Hockey

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Sioux Falls, SD – U16 Goaltender and Colorado College (NCHC) commit, Hobie Hedquist, has been named to the NTDP Evaluation Camp Roster. The NTDP Evaluation Camp will take place March 23rd - 27th at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan.

Hedquist is the first player from the Sioux Falls Power Hockey program to be invited to NTDP Evaluation Camp. He is in his second season with the Sioux Falls Power U16 team.

The Sioux Falls Power Hockey Tier 1 program, based out of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, provides Tier 1 teams at the 14U, 15, 16U & 18U levels.

Follow the Sioux Falls Power Hockey on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: @SiouxFallsPower

Check out our website for updates: Sioux Falls Power Hockey

 Source: https://www.usahockeyntdp.com/news_article/show/1003409

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Youth Hockey and Sports Medicine Make a Powerful Pair

Since its inception in 2014, Sioux Falls POWER Hockey has worked closely with the Sanford POWER team at the Sanford Fieldhouse. So close that this past off-season, they renamed their team from the Junior Stampede to their current iteration.

“We are grateful to have a partnership with Sanford Health,” POWER Hockey General Manager Matt Tobin said. “The relationship with Sanford Health and POWER gives our players a significant advantage in regards to sports medicine for our athletes, performance training, and nutrition counseling.”

What Off-Ice Training Does for Youth Hockey Players

Sioux Falls POWER Hockey teams train with Sanford POWER two or three times a week at the Fieldhouse, depending on their game schedule. Each off-ice training session is approximately one hour, and includes power development, speed training, strength training and recovery modalities.

“We perform exercises that focus on total body power development, strength training, mobility, flexibility and recovery,” said Brad Rilling, senior strength and conditioning specialist, who trains the 18U team. “Our exercises are athlete-specific, not necessarily sport-specific. 80 to 90 percent of what we do is the same from sport to sport.”

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Sioux Falls, SD - The Sioux Falls Power Hockey Tier 1 Program is proud to announce that Dane Montgomery (’02) of Grand Forks, ND, a member of the U16 team and a University of North Dakota commit, has been called up by the Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL) for the remainder of the 2018-2019 season.  Montgomery appeared in 26 games for Sioux Falls Power U16’s team and was a team leader with 12 goals and 29 points.

“Dane’s work ethic, drive and desire to be an elite player continues to push him to achieve new heights. Playing in the USHL has been a goal of his, and we are proud that our program has helped him reach that goal,” said Head Coach Noelle Needham.

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Sioux Falls, SD - The Sioux Falls Power Hockey Tier 1 Program is proud to announce Dawson Pasternak (’03) of Winnipeg, MB, has signed with the Portland Winterhawks (WHL).

“Dawson has had a big first half of the season and I expect him to be even more dominate in the second half. He is an elite playmaker with high-end skill who approaches the game with a resilient effort,” said 16U Head Coach, Noelle Needham.

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Sioux Falls, SD - The Sioux Falls Power Hockey Tier 1 Program is proud to announce that Brandon Benson (’01) of Blaine, MN, has signed a tender agreement with the Lone Star Brahmas of the NAHL.

Benson, a 6’4”, 195lb Goaltender, is in his first season with the 18U Sioux Falls Power team. 

“We are excited for Brandon to have this opportunity with Lone Star, especially with their success in developing and preparing goalies for the next level. Brandon Benson is an exciting prospect, “ said GM, Matt Tobin.  

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Sioux Falls, SD - The Sioux Falls Power Hockey Tier 1 Program is proud to announce that Braeden Bartoo (’00) of Maple Grove, MN, has signed a tender agreement with the Minot Minotauros of the NAHL.

Bartoo, a 6’1”, 195lb left-handed forward, is in his first season with the 18U Sioux Falls Power team. Through 27 games this season, Bartoo continues to be a top production player while establishing himself as a strong 2-way forward.

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Sioux Falls, SD - The Sioux Falls Power Hockey Tier 1 Program is proud to announce that Tyler Zahradka (’01) of Grand Forks, ND, has signed a tender agreement with the Northeast Generals of the NAHL.

“Tyler Zahradka is a wonderful young man that has truly earned this opportunity. He has taken full advantage of the ice hours, games and weight room regimen our program provides, which has allowed him to build on the solid hockey foundation he had when he joined our program,” stated Sioux Falls Power GM, Matt Tobin.

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Sioux Falls, SD - The Sioux Falls Power Hockey program has announced that U18 Head Coach Chris Blaisuis has been relieved of his coaching duties. “This decision was made for the best interests of our players, their development, and the overall direction of our program. We thank Chris for his service to our program and we wish him the very best,” said Matt Tobin, General Manager.

Sioux Falls Power Hockey has named Tristan King as the new Head Coach of the U18 team. Tristan is originally from Elk River, MN. He played four seasons in the Western Hockey League (WHL) before signing an entry level contract with the Dallas Stars (NHL) in 2010. Tristan retired from professional hockey after eight seasons. He represented Team USA in the Ivan Hlinka U18 tournament in Slovakia in 2007.

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