University of Minnesota Athletics
Around the Dasher: Hudson Fasching
11/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Hockey
Nov. 30, 2015 
MINNEAPOLIS (GopherSports.com) - GopherSports.com checked in with Minnesota alternate captain Hudson Fasching for last weekend's "Around the Dasher" Q&A.
A junior forward from Burnsville, Minn., Fasching has 64 points (30 goals, 34 assists) in 89 career games with the Maroon & Gold. The Buffalo Sabres prospect has eight points (four goals, four assists) in 11 games this season.
You were named an alternate captain before the season began. What does earning that distinction from the coaching staff and your teammates mean to you?
For me, the biggest part of being a captain is just looking at the history and all the guys that have been captains here before. We want to keep that tradition of excellence going and hopefully add to the history of this program. Also, it's really an honor to be a leader with this group of guys. We have a great group of guys in the locker room this year. They come to work every day, and it's really fun to be a part of that.
Pretty much since your first day with the program, your development as a hockey player has been a topic of conversation. How much does this new leadership role help that aspect of your development?
I think coming into my junior year that was one of things that I really wanted to focus on. Being a leader on this team and being able to develop that ability was huge for me. I've never really been one of the older guys on the team or even one of the more experienced guys on the team. I think it has been really interesting for me to take on that role. It's a challenge, but I am enjoying it.
Talk about skating with Leon Bristedt again this year and also mixing in Tommy Novak on your line. You seem to have found a lot of chemistry with those two, and you've skated with them most of the year.
Yeah, I like playing with those two guys. I played with Leon all of last year, so it's just a little bit of comfort staying with him again. But playing with Tommy, he's such a creative guy. He's sneaky out there. He'll be getting creamed then all of the sudden the guy who hit him is facing the glass, and Tommy's on the other side of him. He kind of slithers his way out of there. He's been fun to play with. I love playing down low with Leon too. He works so hard and has so much dedication. I respect that about him.
During the offseason, you went to Germany with Justin Kloos and former Gopher Brady Skjei as part of the University of Minnesota's study abroad program. What was that like?
It was a lot of fun. I was able to get away for a little bit and was able to experience a different culture. I have a lot of German heritage, so I've always wanted to go to Germany. It was really cool to be able to go there and explore. The rich history there is incredible. It was really cool to see all the different historical aspects of the country.
Aside from your success in hockey, you won two state soccer titles at Apple Valley High School and you also had an impressive tennis career. Obviously, you're a gifted athlete, but does this stuff just come naturally to you?
I definitely wouldn't attribute it to talent. I don't think I was ever really gifted in either sport. I always say that the first day I got on the ice, I was probably one of the worst skaters out there. I was falling all over the place, but I think my mentality going into it was that I was going to get better, and I was going to master it. I think that was the mindset for me. I wanted to get better and to win more than any kid out there, whether it was hockey or soccer. As a kid, I'd be screaming at the other kids to try harder because I'd be so mad that we were losing.
What's your dream activity for an off day?
Especially in season, I like to sit on the couch, play some video games, hang out with some of the guys, watch TV. With last weekend off, a lot of the guys got together and went to the new Hunger Games movie. It's been one of our house's favorite series, and we were all really excited to see it. We bought tickets ahead of time and showed up early so we had the best seats in the theater.
A junior forward from Burnsville, Minn., Fasching has 64 points (30 goals, 34 assists) in 89 career games with the Maroon & Gold. The Buffalo Sabres prospect has eight points (four goals, four assists) in 11 games this season.
You were named an alternate captain before the season began. What does earning that distinction from the coaching staff and your teammates mean to you?
For me, the biggest part of being a captain is just looking at the history and all the guys that have been captains here before. We want to keep that tradition of excellence going and hopefully add to the history of this program. Also, it's really an honor to be a leader with this group of guys. We have a great group of guys in the locker room this year. They come to work every day, and it's really fun to be a part of that.
Pretty much since your first day with the program, your development as a hockey player has been a topic of conversation. How much does this new leadership role help that aspect of your development?
I think coming into my junior year that was one of things that I really wanted to focus on. Being a leader on this team and being able to develop that ability was huge for me. I've never really been one of the older guys on the team or even one of the more experienced guys on the team. I think it has been really interesting for me to take on that role. It's a challenge, but I am enjoying it.
Talk about skating with Leon Bristedt again this year and also mixing in Tommy Novak on your line. You seem to have found a lot of chemistry with those two, and you've skated with them most of the year.
Yeah, I like playing with those two guys. I played with Leon all of last year, so it's just a little bit of comfort staying with him again. But playing with Tommy, he's such a creative guy. He's sneaky out there. He'll be getting creamed then all of the sudden the guy who hit him is facing the glass, and Tommy's on the other side of him. He kind of slithers his way out of there. He's been fun to play with. I love playing down low with Leon too. He works so hard and has so much dedication. I respect that about him.
During the offseason, you went to Germany with Justin Kloos and former Gopher Brady Skjei as part of the University of Minnesota's study abroad program. What was that like?
It was a lot of fun. I was able to get away for a little bit and was able to experience a different culture. I have a lot of German heritage, so I've always wanted to go to Germany. It was really cool to be able to go there and explore. The rich history there is incredible. It was really cool to see all the different historical aspects of the country.
Aside from your success in hockey, you won two state soccer titles at Apple Valley High School and you also had an impressive tennis career. Obviously, you're a gifted athlete, but does this stuff just come naturally to you?
I definitely wouldn't attribute it to talent. I don't think I was ever really gifted in either sport. I always say that the first day I got on the ice, I was probably one of the worst skaters out there. I was falling all over the place, but I think my mentality going into it was that I was going to get better, and I was going to master it. I think that was the mindset for me. I wanted to get better and to win more than any kid out there, whether it was hockey or soccer. As a kid, I'd be screaming at the other kids to try harder because I'd be so mad that we were losing.
What's your dream activity for an off day?
Especially in season, I like to sit on the couch, play some video games, hang out with some of the guys, watch TV. With last weekend off, a lot of the guys got together and went to the new Hunger Games movie. It's been one of our house's favorite series, and we were all really excited to see it. We bought tickets ahead of time and showed up early so we had the best seats in the theater.
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