Kornacki: How a Love of Ice Hockey, U-M Fueled the Connor Legacy
4/12/2016 12:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey
April 12, 2016
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- It's difficult to establish a lasting legacy during one season in a college ice hockey program, but Kyle Connor did just that.
Connor, who signed a three-year contract Monday (April 11) with the Winnipeg Jets, led the nation with 35 goals and 71 points while playing on the CCM Line that sparked Michigan to the Big Ten Tournament championship and a spot among the elite eight teams in the NCAA Tournament.
He won the Tim Taylor Award as the NCAA's top first-year player, and was the Big Ten's Player of the Year as well as its Freshman of the Year.
Connor won virtually every award attainable to him except the Hobey Baker Award as the nation's top player. However, he was one of three Hobey Hat Trick finalists for that honor won by Harvard senior Jimmy Vesey. Connor finished as a runner-up in his bid to become only the third freshman among the Hobey's 36 winners.
He was electric with a hockey stick in his hands and a dazzling skater.
Connor ended up showing everyone why Wolverine coach Red Berenson was confident enough to make him a scholarship offer at age 15 and why the Jets made him their first-round pick in 2015.
"He's been a special player and he's played with two special players (JT Compher and Tyler Motte)," said Berenson. "Kyle's a gifted player, but there's no question his season was the combination of the three of them together."
Connor was the left wing on a line centered by Compher (16 goals, 63 points) and right wing Motte (32 goals, 57 points), who signed last week with the Chicago Blackhawks.
"Kyle played like an upperclassman," said Berenson. "He separated himself every time he got the puck on his stick. He either knew what to do with it or made a mature play, rather than just getting rid of it like a younger player. Kyle's vision was special, and when he got the puck he knew whether it was on the net or on somebody else's stick right away.
"His offensive skills, vision and his head for the game were exceptional. And then the other thing that separated him was his speed. He had those first couple steps and could just take off at high speed, and everyone else is chasing him."
Prior to Connor signing with Winnipeg, Berenson said, "I think he can see himself playing in the NHL, and I can, too ... He's just about been too good for his age."
It's always been that way for Connor, who played in his first league at age four with older boys, and still stood out.
Michigan and hockey have been Connor's passions for as long as he can remember.
He came to Michigan because he'd always loved the school, just as his father did, and didn't consider other programs when Berenson offered him a scholarship at 15.
"We try to pin-point players who will be successful here," said Berenson, "and Kyle was that kind of player. You can see now the player he has become, but he was a younger version of that player. He was already fast, he was smart, he was a goal-scorer and really good with the puck. He was a good student, he was a perfect kid and from a good family. He's a Michigan kid, and this is the kind of kid you want to come to Michigan. You'd hate to see him go to a competitor's school. And look what's happened since."
Berenson said the only other 15-year-olds he has offered scholarships were Jack Johnson and Mike Cammalleri -- each of whom has gone on from Michigan to long, accomplished NHL careers.
"We recruit only the high-end players at that age," said Berenson, "but I think we made a good decision with Kyle Connor."
Connor said, "I was honored because it was such a good program with a history of many NHL players. It was crazy to think that it could be me playing at Yost (Ice Arena)."
Joe Connor (left) and son Kyle after a Belle Tire game at Progressive Field in Cleveland.
How his Father's Love of Hockey and the Dream Ice Rink Fueled Connors' Game and Passion
He became enamored with hockey through his father, who is completely absorbed with the sport and had one primary consideration in selecting a house in Shelby Township, Michigan. It had to have a large backyard so he could flood it and provide his sons a sizable rink to play on each winter.
"It was just a lot of run," said Joe Connor, who also coached his sons. "When you make the ice, you get so excited and it's just, 'Wow, I've got ice in my backyard!' "
It was the hockey version of baseball's "Field of Dreams."
"It was awesome to have that huge rink back there ever since we moved there when I was in the first grade," said Kyle. "Having that available was special. I had so much fun and learned to be creative with the puck playing with my brothers and friends."
Joe would form the rink with long, wooden boards, place a tarp inside the area, and turn on the hose. Floodlights made it possible to play well into the night.
"Kyle would go out every day before school and sometimes after school," said Joe. "Before practice and after practice, he'd go out there and shoot again. He'd skate around some cones, stick-handle himself and snipe some shots.
"Then he'd say, 'OK, I want to play,' and invite friends over. Sometimes, friends would spend the night and they'd play again after breakfast. Three-on-three was the biggest we could do it for games. I usually made it 88 (feet) by 44 (feet). I have some old eight-millimeter tapes that I went up on the roof to videotape them from above. Now I just have to find something to play those on."
Still, the father can see Kyle from those days in his memories.
"He started skating when he was four," said Joe. "At the lessons, he immediately took off and was skating like the kids two and three years older than him. He started with his older brother, Brendon, playing mini-mite hockey on the Mt. Clemens Cobras. He had it right from the start."
Kyle said he would pretend to be Pavel Datsyuk, his favorite Detroit Red Wing, in those backyard games.
"I watched the Wings a ton and Datsyuk was just incredible with the puck," said Kyle. "He was amazing. Every kid growing up envisions himself being his favorite player, and Datysuk was my guy."
Kyle also played golf, baseball, football and basketball before focusing on hockey in his early teens.
When the Connors lived on the other side of Detroit, in New Baltimore, Joe flooded that smaller yard for a rink, and also painted the basement floor to look like a hockey rink, complete with fans and boards painted on a wall mural.
"Kyle would whip around the basement on his rollerblades," said Joe, a quality engineering manager at ZF TRW, a company in Washington that produces seat belts, air bags and steering wheels. "By the time he could walk, he could skate. He was just real coordinated. My wife said he walked before any of our other kids."
Kyle never had to imagine playing hockey. The game was everywhere he looked. His father grew up rooting for the Montreal Canadiens and Guy Lafleur, but eventually latched onto the Red Wings when Steve Yzerman came along and Stanley Cups followed. Joe grew up in Sterling Heights, playing in house and travel leagues.
"And I always liked Michigan hockey," said Joe. "Kyle just kind of fell in love with it, too, with those great helmets and the competitive hockey they played with highly skilled players. He just fell in love with it."
Kyle said, "My dad influenced my love of hockey a lot. He showed me how to play the game and shared that passion with me. It's where I get it from."
Berenson and his coaching staff got in touch with Kyle and his parents when he was 15, and he committed to Michigan as soon as they offered a scholarship. His good buddy and Belle Tire teammate, Dylan Larkin, then 16 and now a rookie star with the Red Wings, had committed two weeks prior to Michigan. Zach Werenski, who just signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets after two standout seasons as a Wolverines defenseman, also was on that powerhouse Detroit area team that won a national championship in 2011.
Kyle played for Belle Tire teams from the time he was five years old until moving onto the United States Hockey League's Youngstown Phantoms at 16.
His college recruitment began with Wolverine assistant coach Brian Wiseman inviting Kyle and his parents "for a little meet-and-greet" and tour of the campus and athletic facilities in the fall of 2012. Joe noticed that every reference by Wiseman was along the lines of "this is the dorm where Kyle will be living" and so forth. So, Joe called Wiseman the next day to clarify whether a scholarship was in the works, and Wiseman told him, "Yes, that's what we're offering."
Wiseman encouraged them to take their time, and Joe noted that Kyle had visits planned to Boston College, Notre Dame and Miami of Ohio.
"But when I told Kyle that Michigan had offered," said Joe, "he said, 'I want to commit right now.' "
His parents encouraged him to at least wait until the weekend was over. But Kyle wasn't budging, and he called Berenson early the next week to accept. North Dakota called that January and was surprised to learn it was already too late on a player who had turned 16 the month before.
"I didn't really want to look at any other place very much," said Connor. "Michigan was always at the top of my list, and it was an easy decision. And me and Dylan and Zach were good buddies back in the day. To picture ourselves all playing together at Michigan was cool."
This season, everyone saw what all the interest was about, and Connor was the talk of college hockey.
Connor was joined for the Hobey Baker Award festivities in Tampa, Florida, along with Berenson, his parents, Joe and Kathy, and three siblings, Brendon, 21; Jacob, 16; and Krystal 14.
"This was by far the most fun I had playing hockey," said Connor. "I learned a lot and it's been exciting. It's been a fun year."
That "fun" side of it meant so much to his father.
"Taking a step back and looking at it from a pure hockey standpoint," said Joe, "I just loved watching our whole team play. They were electric and entertaining, and the atmosphere at Yost was amazing. So, was the camaraderie. That was gratifying itself, a pure joy. I always pushed him to compete at the highest levels, make his teammates better and have fun. The thing I loved about his game this year was, that kid smiled a lot, didn't he?
"And now to see the success that your boy had was just crazy. I still think I'm dreaming it."
The Connor family at the 2015 NHL Draft in Sunrise, Florida, where Kyle was taken in the first round by the Winnipeg Jets. Jacob (from left), Brendon, father Joe, Kyle, mother Kathy and Krystal.
