Austin Saber of Goodrich has been selected to participate in one of hockey’s most honored events, the 14 select program.
Travel hockey players from around the state, including the Upper Peninsula, are eligible to go through the tryout process. There are scouts/evaluators that evaluate the players throughout each round. Round one for players living south of Genesee County was held in Hazel Park, while the round for players north of Genesee was held in Saginaw. Round two, for players chosen to move on, was held in Farmington Hills.
After a weekend of intense hockey, the evaluators then chose 20 players and three goalies to represent Michigan in the elite select camp in Rochester, NY the week of July 19-25. Here, they will be mixed with players throughout the rest of the United States, practicing, playing games, and living in dorms with their selected roommates. They will play in front of Junior, OHL and college scouts. Parents are not allowed there except to watch the games.
Saber plays for the AAA Honeybaked Hockey Club in Detroit. Last year, he scored 45 goals and 42 assists for a total of 87 points in 50 games.
He often misses playing in school sporting events, such as football, and just hanging out with his friends, since hockey takes up a large amount of his time for 11 months out of the year. However, he has no regrets.
‘Hockey is my life,? Saber said. ‘My goal is to someday play college hockey, and my dream would be to someday play in the NHL.?
This past winter, the Honeybaked Club played a team from Toronto at the Ohio State University rink. After their game, they watched Ohio State play Western Michigan.