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Chad Kolarik
He's
made his own path, instead of following the one his brother paved.
Chad
Kolarik is the leading scorer on the U.S. under-17 team, which hosts the
Four Nations tournament at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube next week.
Kolarik, a 16-year-old forward from Abington, Pa., has 16 goals and 15
assists.
Last
year, Kolarik played hockey at Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts. His
older brother, Tyler, a junior forward at Harvard, finished his prep
career as Deerfield's all-time leader in career points (150) and became
the first American-born player drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets (150th
overall in 2000).
Tyler
turned down a chance to join the U.S. national development program when he
was at Deerfield, but Chad didn't pass up the opportunity when he was
asked this year.
"Deerfield's schedule consists of 22 games," Chad said. "We've already
played 34 games. That was definitely a big reason."
But
the biggest reason Kolarik left his comfortable surroundings was a chance
to make his own mark.
"I was
going back and forth all summer," Kolarik said. "All my buddies are at
Deerfield. I had a girlfriend. But something happened when I talked to
some of the guys on the (under-17) team.
"Just
the opportunity to play a lot, practice every day, work out every day.
It's preparing you for college. I feel I've gotten 10 times better and
I've only been here four months."
He
said playing for the U.S. team gave him exposure Deerfield could not. He
already has committed to Michigan, even though he isn't scheduled to
finish high school until the spring of 2004.
"At
prep school," he said, "I probably wouldn't have gotten a look until my
senior year."
Also,
he said that if he would have stayed at Deerfield, he likely would have
tried to sign with Boston University or Boston College.
He
went to a U-M football game and was sold when he saw the U.S. under-18
team play the Wolverines at Yost Ice Arena.
"I got
the chills when they played 'Hail to the Victors,' " Kolarik said.
His
family wasn't surprised either time he chose Ann Arbor over the East.
"He
goes against the grain," Tyler Kolarik said of Chad. "He's an original
kid."
His
mother, Kathy, agreed.
"Chad's a different guy," she said. "He does his own thing. He wanted to
make a statement."
Kolarik hopes to makes another statement next week. Although he has played
well against older competition in the North American Hockey League, he
knows his coaches judge the team's success on the results in international
competition.
Under-17 coach David Quinn said Kolarik had shown the ability to be a
special player. What he needs to improve on in the next 1 1/2 years is
being consistently special.
"What
we have to do is get him to understand that to be a special player, you
have to do that every night," Quinn said. "I expect him to be the best
player on the ice. I don't care where we're playing or who we're playing."
Playing at home gives Kolarik and his teammates extra pressure.
"We're
at home; now we're the favorites," Kolarik said. "It's going to be
nerve-racking."
Just
another curve on his new path.
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