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Date: Dec 03, 2010

Tough decision paying off

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Alexandria Blizzard defenseman Paul LaDue had a big decision to make prior to joining the organization this past summer.

The former Grand Forks Central star out of North Dakota won a state title with the Knights as a junior last season. With nothing left to accomplish at the high school level, LaDue wrestled with the decision on whether to return for his senior year or take the next step in his hockey career. His high school teammate, Casey Purpur, was going through the same thing before both decided to join the North American Hockey League (NAHL) with the Blizzard.

“It was really tough,” LaDue said. “But I’m always going to have my friends back home, and I knew that this was a better opportunity, hockey wise, to come here.”

It is a decision that has gotten him the recognition he was looking for. LaDue was one of seven players from the NAHL to be named to the NHL Central Scouting Bureau’s “Players to Watch” list earlier this fall. The “C” rating given to him by Central Scouting means they view him as a player who could be taken as a late selection in the 2011 NHL entry draft in June.

“It’s good for him,” his head coach on the Blizzard, Doc DelCastillo, said. “But I don’t think Paul snapped his fingers and became a good player. He’s put a lot of time into this, a lot of work, a lot of money, a lot of travel, so it’s good that he’s recognized. But even getting drafted isn’t the ultimate goal.

“There are a lot of guys who get drafted that never play in the national hockey league. Paul is recognized right now and the big thing is, he probably has five or six years from now until, if he is going to play at that level, he has to improve…it’s nice to get recognized, but yet, you have to keep it in perspective.”

LaDue knows how far he has to go to reach his goal of playing college hockey in the WCHA and possibly the NHL. He has struggled at times this season to play with the same confidence he had in Grand Forks.

Slowly but surely, LaDue is starting to regain that swagger. He had his best game of the season in a 5-1 win over Bismarck last Friday when he scored a goal and added an assist. Four of his seven points have come in three wins over the past two weekends.

“It’s obviously a lot different from high school,” LaDue said. “But Casey and [I], we’ve played hockey like this in summer camps and tryouts. But going through the whole season and practices, it was hard at first, just playing with the confidence that I had in high school wasn’t easy. But it’s getting easier as the season goes on.”

As a defenseman, LaDue’s importance to the Blizzard often goes unseen on the stat sheet. DelCastillo said his skill level is obvious when he steps on the ice.

“He’s one of those defenseman that if you watch our team, you’re going to notice him because of his skill level and his skating and his ability to get up the ice,” he said. “With him playing at our level and having the success that he’s had, I’m confident that he’s going to play Division I hockey.”

LaDue will have a chance to prove himself against players on that same level when he plays in the NAHL Top Prospects Tournament December 5-7. He and Blizzard teammates Alex Altenbernd, Tyler Swanson and Nardo Nagtzaam will all be in Walpole, Mass. looking to impress the many college and professional scouts that attend these all-star games. LaDue knows he has the chance to leave an impression with how he plays this weekend.

“I think I can definitely go out there and compete with the rest of them,” he said. “At least I hope I can. I am very excited. It’s a great opportunity for me and everyone who gets a chance to go out there.”

These are the kind of opportunities LaDue was hoping for when he decided to jump to junior hockey for his senior year. And all of this has come before he has even hit his stride in the NAHL. Once that happens, it should mean good things for him and the Blizzard organization.

“You’ve got to remember that he’s a senior in high school,” DelCastillo said. “If he was playing in North Dakota high school hockey or Minnesota high school hockey right now, he’d be a pretty darn good player. So it’s been a jump for him. I think he’s adjusted well, and I think he’ll really start to skyrocket here after Thanksgiving.”

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