March 13, 2008

Kevin Wey
McKeen's Hockey Prospects Staff

Omaha Lancer Patrick Wiercioch is not the first Canadian-born player to come to the USHL and utilize it as a bridge to his college hockey career and a selection in the NHL Entry Draft, but he is the latest. Canadians Brock Bradford, Eric Gryba, Danny Hobbs, Brad Malone, and Jason Gregoire have all turned USHL action into selections in the NHL Entry Draft the past three seasons, and Wiercioch is almost a certainty to follow in their footsteps. If he were born four days later, the 17-year-old would not be eligible for the 2008 Draft, but he is, and the 6-foot-2 Wiercioch could have a big future. McKeen's recently had the opportunity to talk with the Omaha Lancers defenseman and discusses his recent commitment to the University of Wisconsin, the broken thumb that set him back earlier this season, his adjustment to the USHL, his efforts to add size to his 178-pound frame, his season in the BCHL, and his development through the ranks back home.

McKeen's: First off, I should ask, what is the proper pronunciation of your last name?

Wiercioch: Americanized?

McKeen's: Well, I understand you are of Polish decent, is that right?

Wiercioch: Yeah.

McKeen's: I took two semesters of Polish in college, and what I have heard certainly would not be Polish.

Wiercioch: Veer-chiohkh (soft "kh"), and Americanized would just be Wier-koch. It's kind of what the teammates prefer.

McKeen's: I suppose it is a little bit easier for them. With that established, you recently committed to the University of Wisconsin. When did that process start when you started talking with coach [Mike] Eaves and his staff and describe the recruiting process that they led you through and what it was about Wisconsin that seemed right?

Wiercioch: It was fantastic. As soon as I got on the campus, it just really hit home. Everything about it, the surroundings, and the layout, most importantly though, kind of knowing some of the guys that are going there: my roommate Matt Thurber and a really good friend of mine, Kyle Turris. If they're recruiting guys like that, then the program is kind of distinguishing the kind of players they want to bring in, and the coaching staff's record speak volumes for what they do with players in trying to develop them for levels above.

McKeen's: There are certainly a number of players in the NHL or on the cusp of the NHL right now from Wisconsin. Are you leaning toward 2008 or 2009 to go to school?

Wiercioch: That's going to be a decision that they're going to make. It depends on their roster and what kind of money they can open up. Either way, I'm excited just to become a Badger one day.

McKeen's: If I may ask, what were some of the other programs that took interest in you and that you considered?

Wiercioch: I was a really big fan of Michigan going in. I appreciate everything they did for me. I got a chance to go onto the campus and another school, Denver, brought me to their campus. Those are the three main, big ones. New Hampshire and Boston College were also in there.

McKeen's: Great programs all. You recently returned from an injury that happened here in Des Moines Nov. 30. How did that injury happen and tell me about the news you learned over Christmas break and the subsequent recovery?

Wiercioch: Yeah, it was kind of a shock to me. Two minutes left in the game, went into the wall, took a slash, and I knew right away that it was broken. About three weeks into the healing process I went back home to try and get a letter to clear me to play and they decided it was in the best interest for me to step back because the risk of me tearing a tendon in my thumb were too great, so they opted to have surgery with it.

McKeen's: I understand they put in a plate and some pins?

Wiercioch: There's about seven pins from what I understand. The x-ray kind of shocked me looking at it, but it's still in there. You just get more accustomed to it and they say after two years you can take it out, but at that point you're probably going to be used to it enough that it's not going to bother you that much.

McKeen's: You have put up some pretty good numbers since your return. What's helped you go on that offensive tear so soon off of that injury?

Wiercioch: The biggest thing, I think, is just stepping back into the line-up with a team that's pretty hot. I'm a huge believer that individual success comes off of team success. When you're riding 12 games right now, it really helps guys that are popping in from injuries or guys that usually aren't seeing as much ice time, just trying to get the flow of things, and it just seems like the bounces are going the right way. We're getting the goaltending we need at the times we need and everything else is taking care of itself. Another big thing is our powerplay is starting to click, something we've struggled with all season. We knew that we didn't have to click and knock 'em over, but coming into playoffs, that's when we really need everything to be firing.

McKeen's: Offensively, you did not get off to a lightning start. What were some of the biggest adjustments you faced coming from the BCHL to the USHL?

Wiercioch: Probably the style of play, with the amount of systems that were played. It's (the USHL) a lot more of a structured league, so it doesn't really give a guy much time and space to think about the creative play to make. It's kind of, you've got your options and you kind of have to know where they are and make your best decision from those, because every team in this league is so competitive and there's video and they pretty much know what you're going to do.

McKeen's: What are some of the areas that you have really been focusing on improving this year with the Lancers?

Wiercioch: Definitely one-on-one play. I think the biggest issue with me is my d-zone coverage, and playing a man-on-man system kind of gives you the chance to work on your gap night-in and night-out, and practicing with some of the best players in the league, probably the most in the league. It gives you a chance to work on that night-in and night-out.

McKeen's: Talking with coach Hastings, it sounds like you're also on a quest, so to speak, to gain more size. You definitely have a good frame to you.

Wiercioch: Yeah, just not filling out quite like a balloon like I want to. I keep praying that one day it'll come. As for now, I'm just trying to get as much strength during the season that I can and work hard in the off-season and kind of build the strength and muscle that some guys have ahead of me.

McKeen's: It's difficult to gain size during the season. Most people are trying to maintain or reduce losses.

Wiercioch: It's very difficult, but the facilities that we have in Omaha and the trainers that we use, [David] Noonan, who's the athletic trainer for UNO, really focuses on the guys that really need it, too. So, getting specialized treatment like that always helps you. Plus, having a weight room at the rink and then every day, even game days, you can get in a quick lift. That's some of the things that we try and do as a team, try and maintain and some guys try and get ahead.

McKeen's: You definitely have a nice facility. What do you feel are some of the strengths of your game already?

Wiercioch: I definitely try to make the players around me better. I try and move the puck, distribute it, make that first pass, as well as I can, and help as much as I can on the powerplay, I think. I try to find guys open, especially when there's a man short, that kind of gives me an opportunity to look for guys that would have a little bit more time and space to shoot the puck in the net.

McKeen's: Tell me about your season with Burnaby last year, your first and only season in the BCHL, where you finished second on your team in defense scoring, but my understanding is that you weren't a regular in their lineup until a little ways into the season, is that right?

Wiercioch: It was about Christmas time. I tore my hamstring, it was a fluke accident, it happened in practice. So, when I got back in December, it was kind of a decision whether I wanted to stay up or head back down to a league where I'd be playing a little bit more. The coach, Rick Lanz, a phenomenal coach, to this day I have a huge respect for him and what he did for me, working me in as a 16-year-old into positions where I'd be able to play. He started small and then worked away and by the end of the season I had an enormous amount of confidence coming out of it and I owe a lot of that to him.

McKeen's: When did the hamstring injury occur?

Wiercioch: It was three games into the season. I think it was on an off day where we just kind of got out on the ice and scrimmaged. I was kind of shocked to head home that day and know that I was out for a little while.

McKeen's: What were some of the biggest adjustments you faced coming out of major midgets to the BCHL?

Wiercioch: The amount of skill. There's a lot of skilled kids in the "BC" league, and they had a very strong 1989 class that was playing in the league with Turris, [Riley] Nash, and [Casey Pierro-] Zabotel, just trying to keep your eyes open, don't blink with those guys on the ice. That was a huge adjustment, especially going back to the puck where one second they're behind you and the next they're in front of you. That was a huge step I had to make. Another thing was, probably, playing with guys older than me. You have to hold respect for the guys who have been playing more than one year and you hold respect for the guys who are trying to make it their first year. So, trying to fit into a group of guys that might be four or five years older than you, trying to fit into the locker room. I think that's a huge part of hockey that's not really recognized, is the off-ice part of it, trying to fit in.

McKeen's: Obviously, I would be remiss not to ask you about Kyle Turris, your teammate in Burnaby on the Express. What were your impressions of him and his game?

Wiercioch: He's just a phenomenal athlete. It speaks volumes with what he does on the ice but also the type of person he is off the ice. He's one of the most humble kids I've ever met, especially for the amount of success that has come to him so quick. I'm honored to be able to say that I've lined up with him and that we'll be friends for a while.

McKeen's: I understand from your bio that you were the defensive scoring leader for the BCMML in 2005-06 and that that was your only season of midgets?

Wiercioch: Yeah, it was my only season of midgets. Because of a rule, no 16-year-olds in junior hockey, my mindset was to try and make it to the NCAA. You had to play a year of major midget and after that you're free to do whatever you want. You can go stay in the league, go junior B or go junior A.

McKeen's: What was the team that you played for?

Wiercioch: The Northeast Attack.

McKeen's: What were some of the highlights of that season for you?

Wiercioch: Fantastic season. Our team was really good. We didn't pull through in the playoffs, but I guess it kind of gave me an idea how success can really, we had a very successful team up until the first round of the playoffs, so it kind of gave you an idea how to deal with success early on.

McKeen's: What were some of the other organizations you skated for coming up through the ranks?

Wiercioch: Coming up through the ranks? There's been a few. I started locally in the Ridge Meadows Minor Hockey Association and had a chance to play the Burnaby Winter Club, because I was born out there. Playing for a private club kind of gives you a chance to play with guys who are focused, more driven on hockey. I was there for two years, then I moved to the North Shore Winter Club, to be a part of a peewee Quebec tournament, and that was literally the only reason I tried out. We were the first team to win it, and to this day it's been the best highlight of my career, playing in that coliseum with 16,000 fans. I don't even know the age, 12 years old, that was the age, I guess? Moved back to Ridge Meadows in bantam, and then ended up going through the junior ranks and major midget and the two junior leagues I've played in.

McKeen's: What was your age when you first started skating and when you first started playing defense?

Wiercioch: Oooh, started skating? Probably at the age of five or six. I think enrolled in hockey at the age of six. I was a forward for about a year and a half until, mathematically, I learned there's only three sets of "d" and four lines of forwards. When you're a young kid, you didn't think you'd be playing, because you're that far ahead, so you're just trying to enjoy as much of the game as you could at a young age.

McKeen's: Obviously, there was interest by major junior teams in you. You were drafted by Medicine Hat and they traded you to Portland, but obviously you decided to go this route. What was it that made you decide to come the Tier II, Tier I, collegiate route?

Wiercioch: First of all, I have nothing bad to say about the WHL. I think it's a fantastic league. I've got the majority of my friends going there and every night I get a phone call from one of them just asking why I didn't go. But, to be honest with you, it was just the decision I felt would be best for me because that frame that we were talking about won't fill out when I was 15, 16, or 17. I was hoping for 18 or 19. That's the opportunity that college hockey is going to give me, to get another couple years of size and strength under me.

McKeen's: Definitely, with college hockey, any player looking to buy time in any area of the game?

Wiercioch: Exactly, you're buying time while getting a great education, no matter what school you're going to.

McKeen's: Who are some of the people that have been most important in your development as a hockey player?

Wiercioch: Most important, hands down, has to be my family. My father and mother and brother and sister, they supported me throughout minor hockey. Moving from association to association was hard on them, because I wasn't home a lot. So, my parents didn't get to see me a lot because of the travel. They were an inspiration even coming down to give me the opportunity to move away from home at an age of 16. I've had a lot of coaches that were influential. Rick Lanz (now a scout with the Colorado Avalanche) is one of them, Jon Calvano kind of developed me in the summer, and Craig Millen, who's kind of a personal instructor that I had growing up. To this day, he's a great friend of mine. He's always taught me the game. He's actually giving me a chance to kind of give back to the community as an instructor in the summers, giving me the chance to show kids what hard work can give you one day. I remember growing up I saw Brendan Morrison at the camp, and him teaching me, and thinking, "Wouldn't it be great to be one of those guys?" A short time later, it'll happen.

McKeen's: You are on various lists for the 2008 NHL Entry Draft at different rankings. Do you ever think about the draft and monitor your rating at all, because in all likelihood your name will be called in Ottawa?

Wiercioch: It would be fantastic to be called. I don't think about it that much. It's in the back of your mind because it's such an exciting time for a player. You grow up thinking about it, dreaming that you're name is going to be called. Everyone who used to play ball hockey, eventually they want to be that first round pick, even in ball hockey. I don't really focus on it much, especially on the team that we're with. We're trying to win a championship here.

McKeen's: You are number 71 with Omaha. Is there some history to that? Is that something you requested or that they assigned you?

Wiercioch: I originally wanted 17. That's the number I had grown up wearing and one of the players here already had it (Ben Arnt), so they gave me the opportunity to put the numbers backwards. I think [Brock] Bradford was the only other player, who got to switch his 19 to 91, to wear a number over 35 for this organization. So, I felt honored and special that they would do that.

McKeen's: Maybe that will prepare you to be drafted by a team like the Canadiens, who have all sorts of high numbers on their roster. Lastly, who were some of your favorite players growing up and why?

Wiercioch: Growing up?

McKeen's: Well, which is still happening?

Wiercioch: Yeah. Well, I was a huge Gretzky fan. I have enormous respect for a guy like that. I sent him a letter when I was 8 years old, I believe, and he sent it back for Christmas with a signed photo. So, the amount of class the guy has is something that I try to model myself to be on and off the ice. Modernly, everybody has to be a fan of Sidney Crosby for what he's doing to the game. Myself, I think I watch Nick Lidstrom a lot, and try and see what I can do that he does, especially because I think we're both a similar style and that's the kind of style I want to play.