Cooking, laundry and simply balancing school with hockey are just some of the adjustments that come with the junior lifestyle. That’s along with living with a billet family, as the 18-year-old goaltender finds himself in his first full USHL season with the Omaha Lancers.

The jump to the USHL is an adjustment for every player. However, Hendrickson has handled that adjustment with flying colors so far.

“You’re a little timid the first few weeks because you’re living with a new family and you don’t know the customs around the house, and the hockey is an adjustment in itself. But I feel like I’ve really settled in,” Hendrickson said. “I know we haven’t had the most amount of success yet, but each week I think we’re building and the culture is great. And we’ve got a really good group here.

“I’d say the biggest thing has been the trust and dedication we have in each other. The boys give their all for me when I’m in net, and I know I have to leave everything out there for them. So, it’s just been really fun.”

It’s been an interesting fall for the reigning Frank Brimsek Award winner, as the Lancers made a coaching change just four games into the season. Omaha (5-9-2) currently sits seventh in the eight-team Western Conference and has scored the USHL’s fourth-fewest goals (36).

Finding his footing
Hendrickson’s season got off to a shaky start, too, as he allowed six goals on 26 shots in his first start at the USHL Fall Classic on Sept. 19.

However, the UConn commit has excelled from there and is currently 3-3-2 with a .916 save percentage and 2.53 goals-against average. Two of those three wins were also shutouts, as Hendrickson has made 228 of a possible 249 saves this season.

“I’ve just really tried to keep things simple,” he said. “Honestly, I didn’t know much about the organization or junior hockey in general until last year, but Omaha has been nothing but good to me.

“I was grateful enough to get some games and get some experience here last year, too, and I was able to pull away with a few wins. And I think that was a huge step towards getting acclimated to the league and having success this year. It’s a fast league and there are a lot of growing pains, but you have to grow up quick. I think as a team we’ve done a good job of holding each other to a high standard.”

Kam Hendrickson started playing hockey as a 6-year-old kid and rotated playing goalie with his teammates. Hendrickson said he truly committed to playing goalie full time around age 10. “Most kids probably don’t want to play goalie and get hit by pucks, but I enjoyed the thrill of it and I guess I had the natural talent for it,” he said. (Photo courtesy of Kam Hendrickson)

If you talk to anybody around the Lancers organization, the first thing that stands out is Hendrickson’s competitive nature. The 6-foot, 171-pound goaltender is a good skater and pairs that with quick hands and a good IQ at the position.

He’s also continued to make timely saves and give his team a chance every night – something Hendrickson said he prides himself on.

“I believe the person makes the player and every single day he brings the intensity and the willingness to make everyone around him better,” said Omaha coach Colten St. Clair. “He’s just a competitor and he understands what he needs to do to be successful. And whether we’re in the offensive zone and the other team gets a breakaway or we’re trapped in our end, he knows he has to make a save.

“No matter how dangerous the chance is, he knows he has to make a save, and that’s his mindset. He has a one-shot mindset, and he finds a way to keep us in every game, and I think that’s the best compliment you can give a goalie.”

Added Sean Bloomfield, Hendrickson’s coach at Chanhassen High School: “Kam’s a competitor, that’s the best word to describe him, and he’s just clutch back there. It didn’t matter if it was practice or in the state championship in front of 20,000 fans, he competes for every single puck, and he’s a vocal leader. And every game he makes a few saves that you look at the other coaches and shake your head in shock. You’re just thankful to have him back there.”

Playing for Chanhassen was a ‘blessing’
Hendrickson joined Chanhassen before the 2022-23 season after spending his freshman and sophomore years at Holy Family. Hendrickson won 40 games over his two seasons and helped the Storm reach the Class 2A state championship game last March, ultimately falling to Edina.

Kam Hendrickson went 23-6-0 for Chanhassen last season with a .951 save percentage and 1.01 goals-against average. “He won the Brimsek Award as the best goalie in the state, and he truly was. His numbers speak for themselves, and when the lights were at their brightest, he was at his best. That’s what you want out of a goalie, and he’s someone that hopes to play the game for a long time.” (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Hendrickson said the move to Chanhassen was “one of the biggest blessings” of his life, and his game continued to improve at the school.

“I’d say the biggest growth we saw was with his consistency,” Bloomfield said. “Not that he was necessarily inconsistent his first year with us, but he dealt with an injury and he just continued to work on his craft, and he’s got a really good mental side of his game too.

“He’s never been a kid that gets down on himself and loses confidence, but I actually think it makes him better. He takes it personal every time he gets scored on and he locks in from there, and he’s a tough kid to beat. I think he’s someone that has a lot of fun out there, too, and that’s what makes him so fun to coach. We’re happy to see him having the success he is because he’s earned it.”

Hendrickson’s high school experience has paid dividends this season too.

“It’s helped me a lot, especially considering we played in a lot of big games and with the talent and work ethic we had at Chan every day,” Hendrickson said. “You don’t get that many games in high school so you have to compete and make the most of it, and you have to be at your best – which is really important (in the USHL).

“You don’t see too many Minnesota high school goalies coming straight to the USHL – I know there’s been a few recently, but I feel like before people kind of looked over Minnesota kids, too. So, I just want to prove a point that Minnesota high school goalies can produce and play at this level.”

As the calendar churns through November, Hendrickson is enjoying life in the USHL, but he knows there’s a lot of season left.

He was one of six active USHL goalies to land on Central Scouting’s Preliminary Watch List late last month and hopes to hear his name called during the 2025 NHL Draft.

Kam Hendrickson has shared the Omaha crease with New Jersey draft pick Mikhail Yegorov this season and the two hope to back-stop the Lancers back to the playoffs. “They have such a great relationship but with Kam specifically, he’s earned his opportunity to play big minutes, and he’s such a great human being,” said Omaha coach Colten St. Clair. “He’s had a good start and we want him to stay in the moment and keep that competitive drive, and we know Kam’s going to do exactly that.” (Photo courtesy of Omaha Lancers)

Hendrickson was also named to the U.S. Junior Select Team earlier this week and will represent his country next month at the World Junior A Challenge.

As he looks ahead at the rest of this season though, his mindset goes back to a message one of his coaches instilled in him at a young age — one shot, one period, one game at a time.

“I just want to help my team the best I can,” Hendrickson said. “One of my goals this year is to be the best goalie in the league but more than anything, I just want to win. I want to be the best I can be every night, and I know there’s still a lot I can work on and get better at, but you can’t get caught up in everything. You can’t get too high or too low.

“At the end of the day, it’s the same game. You’ve just got to keep it simple and have fun each day.”

The post Kam Klutch appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

The post Gallery: Class 2A Boys State Championship appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

“It’s fun to watch yourself up there,” Bertram said, after a 2-1 win over Chanhassen for the Class 2A boys’ state hockey title on March 9.

Bertram delivered 33 saves and had a .971 save percentage as he helped the Hornets bounce back from a 2023 state championship loss against Minnetonka by the same 2-1 score. In addition, he matched the achievement of his father, Matt Bertram, who helped Edina win it all in 1988.

“He’s always had that one up on me with the state championship, and now I’ve got it, so I’m right there with him,” the younger Bertram said.

Edina goalie Joe Bertram made 33 saves in net during the state championship game. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Hornets coach Curt Giles liked how Bertram withstood a flurry of shots for Chanhassen in the final minutes. The Storm skaters, down a goal, couldn’t find a way past Bertram to knot the game up.

“I’m glad he saw [the puck] like a beach ball because that looked like a peanut to me,” Giles said.

Bertram felt locked in. The Storm had 10 third-period shots and outshot Edina 34-23 for the game.

“You know, it actually went by pretty quick,” Bertram said, of the final minutes. “When the game is happening so fast and with them putting pressure on, I wasn’t looking at the clock too much. It’s just worrying about the puck.”

Bertram kept Chanhassen from writing a perfect finish to a storybook state tournament appearance. The Storm captured the state’s attention with a 2-1 upset of once-unbeaten Minnetonka in the Section 2 title game on Feb. 29 to reach the program’s first-ever state tournament.

“From the first game they played, two or three years ago now, they competed,” said Chanhassen coach Sean Bloomfield. “A passion allowed them to learn the game really well. They embraced how to become a better hockey player on and off the ice. That’s why they got to where they did.”

Chanhassen looked poised to finish the story with a perfect ending after a defensive first period. The Storm broke through for a goal by Tyler Smith in the second period. Chanhassen outshot Edina 24-14 through two periods, sparked mainly by a 14-5 second period.

Edina committed penalties in the first two periods, but the Hornets killed both power plays. Bertram had his hands full in net with numerous close calls, but his teammates helped prevent another puck going in.

Chanhassen’s Tyler Smith celebrates scoring a goal for a 1-0 lead in the state title game against Edina. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Chanhassen’s Gavin Uhlenkamp gave the Hornets defense trouble in the first two periods with five shots on goal, and Andy Earl had eight shots on goal. Mason West had the most success attacking the net for the Hornets with four shots on goal.

Edina broke through early in the third period as Robby Hoch found a seam to fire the puck through. The Hornets sniped a second goal with Bobby Cowan firing a power-play goal with 6:55 remaining.

“I always shoot the puck. If you don’t shoot it’s not going to go in,” Cowan said. “This one got the better of him, but props to him. He played great, too.”

Chanhassen didn’t have an answer after that point. Edina players really wanted to put the sting of last year’s title game loss behind them in the process.

“This group of kids that we had this year was one of the easiest groups we’ve ever had to get prepared to play hockey. They wanted to win today,” Giles said. “They wanted to do it today. They had a desire. We could tell they wanted to win this very, very badly.”

The post Class 2A: Hornets Weather The Storm appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

“Right Back Where We Started From” by Maxine Nightingale, which was released in the 1970s.

Whether coincidence or part of a set playlist, the song seems fitting for a deep Minnetonka Skippers team that returned a bunch of key players from last winter’s dominant Class 2A state championship team.

Only two games in, Minnetonka turned in a couple of dominating efforts on its home ice, outscoring Rosemount and Andover by a combined 18-3 margin. The Skippers put up a 10-3 victory over Rosemount to open the season Friday before an 8-0 shutout of Andover, a program it met in last year’s state semifinals (though this time without the since-graduated line featuring Cooper Conway, Gavyn Thorsen and Cayden Casey).

With so many state champions – and multiple Division I commits – returning to Minnetonka’s squad this season, Skippers coach Sean Goldsworthy acknowledged that his team isn’t starting from square one.

“First off, they’re committed to each other,” Goldsworthy said. “So, when they all come back, it makes things easier on each other. We have a lot of returning kids from a team that had great success last year. So that matters.”

Minnetonka comes into the season as a top-ranked team, according to the preseason rankings from Let’s Play Hockey magazine, while Andover is ranked No. 10. And the Skippers shut out the Huskies while outshooting them 42-5 on Saturday evening.

Minnetonka and Andover boys hockey shake hands after the Skippers won 8-0 on Nov. 25, 2023 at Pagel Ice Arena as part of the Tonka Thanksgiving Preview tournament. (MHM Photo / Heather Rule)

Senior Javon Moore had hat tricks both days, giving him a team-leading six goals and 10 points through just two games. His effort against Andover was highlighted by a breakaway, shorthanded goal in the first period. His second hat trick in as many games came with just more than 10 minutes left in regulation, sending the game to running time with a 6-0 lead.

Moore is followed by the senior Garry brothers; Luke with two goals and five assists and Gavin with three goals and four assists. Against Rosemount, the Garry brothers scored goals 50 seconds apart for a 2-1 lead. Gavin recorded a hat trick, and senior Hagen Burrows added five assists on Friday.

Depth? They have that, too. A dozen players have at least a point on those 18 goals over two games.

The goal right now, Goldsworthy said, is to “get the fall hockey out of them,” which usually takes eight to 10 games, he added.

“I think what you’re seeing is these kids are committed to getting it out of their system in about four or five games,” Goldsworthy said.

Minnetonka lost only twice last season, to Chanhassen and Wayzata, on the way to a state championship. Even though it’s cliché, staying in the moment throughout the season helped drive that successful title run, Goldsworthy said.

“You’ve got to stay in the week,” Goldsworthy said. “That’s what we did last year. These kids know when they do that, our success came from living in the moment.”

Despite the shutout loss, Andover split its games in the Tonka tourney, defeating No. 3-ranked Chanhassen 3-2 on Friday behind a pair of Casey Rodgers goals. The Huskies came into the season looking to replace the production of its top line from 2022-23; Conway-Thoreson-Casey scored 65% of the team’s 167 goals last season.

Chanhassen, which fell an overtime-goal short of the state tournament with a loss to Minnetonka last year, starts the season 0-2 with a one-goal loss to Andover and a 2-1 loss to Rosemount on Saturday. The Storm, who hit the ice just before the school’s football team took the field at U.S. Bank Stadium on the way to a thrilling Prep Bowl championship, trailed the entire game before getting a goal in the final minute of regulation.

Thanksgiving means puck drop on boys hockey
Most of the boys hockey teams got started with their seasons over the weekend. After the turkey coma ends, hockey players and fans head to various rinks on Friday and Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend for regular-season hockey and various holiday tournaments.

On the same night that Edina’s football team suffered a heartbreaking loss to Centennial in the Class 6A Prep Bowl, the No. 2-ranked Edina Hornets – last season’s runner-up in hockey – shut out No. 8-ranked Maple Grove 3-0 in the Wayzata Turkey Trot at Plymouth Ice Center. Wayzata started its season off with a pair of victories against No. 7-ranked Moorhead (6-1) and Maple Grove (6-4) in its home Turkey Trot.

White Bear Lake opened its season with a 4-3 overtime victory over Duluth East at home. Nolan Roed scored a pair of goals, including the winner at 2:37 of the extra session.

In Class 1A, last year’s runner-up Warroad lost 3-2 in overtime to St. Cloud Cathedral. Griffin Sturm scored the winner just before the final horn in overtime. Murray Marvin-Cordes scored both Warroad goals.

The post Tonka Is Back appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.