University of Minnesota Athletics
Around the Rink: Tyler Sheehy
12/1/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS (GopherSports.com) - After leading the freshman class in points last season, sophomore Tyler Sheehy is continuing to find the net as his sophomore campaign gets underway with the Maroon & Gold.
A native of Burnsville, Minn., the forward currently leads the Gophers with 15 points in 12 games after scoring 30 points in 37 games as a rookie in 2015-16.
GopherSports.com recently caught up with Tyler to talk about his performance and how he has found success in helping lead the Maroon & Gold this season.
GopherSports.com: You had an outstanding freshman season, and there's a lot of excitement around you this year continuing to help lead this team. What did you learn from your first year as a Gopher and take with you going into this season?
Tyler Sheehy: Looking back, one thing I really learned from my first season here is the preparation that goes into being a college hockey player. From the diet, the good night's sleep, and everything throughout the week that goes into being prepared for Friday and Saturday night, it can be a lot. It was definitely a great experience to learn about everything that goes into being ready every weekend.
GS: It can be a long summer for a team that is anxious to get back on the ice and showcase their talents. What did you do to prepare this offseason to get ready for another year?
TS: I focused a lot on my diet, which was very important for me. Aside from that, my footwork and skating was another focus that I dialed in on a bit too. Overall, staying active and hitting the rink as much as possible was important.
GS: In the first weekend of the year you earned B1G First Star of the Week. Is that a nice checkpoint to see your hard work paying off, or do you try not to think about the external accolades much?
TS: Anytime you start off hot, it's good for yourself individually. At the same time, I wanted to make sure I pushed that away and focused on the team aspect of everything. Making sure that we're winning and doing things the right way is the most important.
GS: You're leading the team in points with 15 (five goals, 10 assists) through 12 games, most of which have been against highly successful programs. Does that early success change anything in your mindset moving forward in the season?
TS: It's nice to have a hot start, but continuing to perform as a team is the main goal. We've been up and down with our consistency, something we are working on together. Not too much is different for me, just continuing to help the team as much as possible. Scoring goals and tallying points is fun to do but when it comes down to it, we want to go out every weekend and get two wins, not just one. Any way I can help out the team is the most important, whether it be points or setting up a scoring play. But every guy in this program has one end goal, and if we all buy-in to that goal we will find success.
GS: The fans were very excited about the North Dakota series, as well as the nonconference schedule as a whole. Can you talk about playing a tough nonconference schedule and how that has helped the team prepare for conference play?
Yes, we did have a tough schedule. Any time we get the opportunities to play good opponents, it prepares you well for anyone. We had a lot of good teams that we played, a lot of strong, nationally ranked teams. Any time you can go out and perform well against those teams, it really gives you some confidence going into the rest of the season.
GS: The current rankings suggest that the Big Ten Conference is looking like it might be more competitive than recent years. Moving out of the nonconference schedule for a while, what are you looking forward to most about starting conference play this upcoming weekend?
TS: It was nice to get the nonconference games out of the way, seeing how we matched up with them. When you get into conference play, it's really the bulk of the season, and all games matter when you get closer to the NCAA tournament. We have twenty games in our conference and starting off hot is really important. Going into a home matchup here at Mariucci against Ohio State is exciting and it's a great opportunity to get two Big Ten wins.
Quick Hits: Tyler Sheehy
Favorite NHL Player: Tyler Seguin
If You Played Another Sport: Football and Baseball
Favorite Food: Steak
Funniest Guy on Team: Brent Gates Jr.
Who Plays You in a Movie: Bradley Cooper
Favorite Hockey Movie: Miracle
Favorite Hobby: Water Skiing
Best Road Trip: Any Cabin Weekend
Best Sports Memory: Winning the Anderson Cup
Desert Island Partner: Eric Schierhorn
Smartest Guy on Team: Connor Reilly
Favorite Christmas Present: Vapor 20 Hockey Stick
