Jr. Blues give hockey players from around the globe a chance to shine 

Petr Kuznetsov doesn’t say much.

“Hockey is my life,” he says, summing up why he made the 5,000-mile journey from his hometown of Moscow, Russia, to play for the Springfield Jr. Blues.

Kuznetsov is one of the dozens of hockey players who come to Springfield from all over the world to take their game to the next level, both literally and figuratively. The Springfield Jr. Blues hockey team is an incubator of sorts, taking talented players and honing their skills in preparation for bigger goals.

The Jr. Blues got their start in 1993.

The franchise is part of the North American Hockey League, which is designed for players aged 16 to 20 who are preparing for college or professional hockey careers. Each team in the league can have up to 23 players, four of which can be “imports” – players from other countries.

Kuznetsov, 18, is currently the only import playing for the Jr. Blues, but the team recently had more players from Russia who have since gone home to play for university or professional teams. A sixfoot-four-inch defender, Kuznetsov hopes to someday play professional hockey, either in the U.S. or in Russia. He began playing hockey when he was just three years old.

“It’s a fast game,” he said. “I like it.” Owner Dan Ferguson moved to Springfield from San Jose, California, where he was previously a magazine publisher. He bought the Jr. Blues in 2012. Ferguson says the Jr. Blues have relationships with agents all over the world who scout talented players and send them to Springfield for further development.

Because the purpose of the Jr. Blues is to make good players even better, Ferguson says the team often loses players who move up to higher leagues.

“If they lose a player, they’ll come to us looking for the next best thing,” Ferguson said. “We trade them up, which can hurt us. But who am I to stand in the way of a kid on the ladder of development?” Currently, the Jr. Blues have 10 players committed to Division I colleges, as well as two players on the National Hockey League’s annual list of players to watch – which can be a precursor to being drafted to a professional team.

One of those players is 17-year-old goalie Tommy Nappier of St. Louis. Like Kuznetsov, Nappier began playing hockey at age three.

“I just think it’s the best sport,” he said, adding that defending against flying pucks can be scary at first. “Once you get used to it and start to believe in your pads, it’s a lot of fun.” 

Nappier says being scouted as a potential draft pick can be stressful.

“It’s a big pressure because there are teams coming to watch you every night, and you have to perform,” he said. “But it’s nice; it’s an honor.”

Erich Fear, an 18-year-old defender from Chicago, tries not to let the pressure get to him.

“It’s an exciting thing, that you can be a prospect, but it doesn’t mean a lot,” he said. “You still have a lot to prove. It’s more of an open door.”

Fear, Kuznetsov and Nappier all say they love hockey because of the quick pace and the camaraderie.

“You just fall in love with the game,” Fear said.

Trevor Stone, a 19-year-old forward from Pleasant Plains, is the only current Jr. Blues player from the Springfield area. He’s on track to set a record in January for most games ever played by a Jr. Blues player.

Head coach Tony Zasowski says it’s fitting that he would end up coaching in Springfield. The first junior hockey game he ever saw was a Springfield Jr. Blues game, and when his former team, the Green Bay Gamblers, won the national championship in 1997, it was in Springfield. It was also Zasowski who urged Ferguson to buy the Jr. Blues. The team’s season began in October, and so far, their record is 10-3.

“We really like our team this year,” Zasowski said. “We’re looking to build on success.”

Contact Patrick Yeagle at [email protected].