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Sheehy Stands Out in Year Two as Captain
11/29/2018 7:05:00 PM | Men's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS -- Gopher Hockey senior captain Tyler Sheehy enters the weekend as the Big Ten First Star of the Week after leading the nation with four goals in last weekend's series with Michigan State. A native of Burnsille, Minn., Sheehy leads all active Gophers and is among the leading active NCAA skaters with 115 points (49 goals, 66 assists) in 122 career games with the Maroon & Gold.
GopherSports.com caught up with the senior forward to talk about his trip to Italy this summer, earning his degree from the University of Minnesota a year early and how he has changed following his first year as captain of Gopher Hockey.
Over the summer, you and Eric Schierhorn took part in a study abroad program in Italy through the University of Minnesota. What was the experience like and did you have a favorite part of the trip?
It was a really cool opportunity for us – the chance to go over to Italy presented itself in the middle of last year, and we jumped all over it. It was something we were both really excited to do, and getting to spend three weeks over there was the trip of a lifetime. It really felt more like vacation than a class…all of the things we got to see and do. It was really just a breath of fresh air – nice to take a break from hockey and have that experience. I really liked going to the beach in Cinque Terre – just a beautiful place. And the pizza and the pasta over there was absolutely unbelievable.
You're technically a senior on the roster, but you actually graduated from the University of Minnesota over the summer, and you're currently in a graduate program here. How did that all happen?
Our academic advisor does a really good job of setting us up for success and making sure we are on track to get our degrees. Getting my degree is obviously something I'm really proud of and my family is really proud of, and now I'm currently in a graduate program for human resource development.
You are the only captain to return from last year's team with Mike Szmatula and Leon Bristedt graduating and Ryan Lindgren signing a pro deal. This year you are joined by Brent Gates Jr. as team captain while Darian Romanko and Jack Ramsey are serving as assistant captains. How much change have you seen in yourself from your first year with a letter on your shoulder to now?
I'm a little more comfortable. It's a little easier to speak up and be a leader. A really good piece of advice I got last year was not to focus too much on making everyone happy…worry about yourself and the rest will come.
Your spent your first three years here with Don Lucia, and now you'll close out your collegiate career under Bob Motzko. How do the captains help when there is a coaching transition like this?
I think it was a little bit of a learning curve for everybody. Obviously there were some changes, but I think the older guys all did a pretty good job making sure everyone around the program was comfortable with the way things were going. It was a big change, but I think everyone involved dealt with the transition really well. The new staff has done a great job of taking the time to get to know us. We've had some time now to adjust, and I think you can tell that guys are really comfortable coming to the rink every day.
Your birthday was (last) Tuesday…do you find that you get more birthday presents since you typically see your family two days later for Thanksgiving?
No, but I almost never have to wait for birthday cards in the mail from my grandma or things like that. It's kind of nice being able to do everything on the same day.
GopherSports.com caught up with the senior forward to talk about his trip to Italy this summer, earning his degree from the University of Minnesota a year early and how he has changed following his first year as captain of Gopher Hockey.
Over the summer, you and Eric Schierhorn took part in a study abroad program in Italy through the University of Minnesota. What was the experience like and did you have a favorite part of the trip?
It was a really cool opportunity for us – the chance to go over to Italy presented itself in the middle of last year, and we jumped all over it. It was something we were both really excited to do, and getting to spend three weeks over there was the trip of a lifetime. It really felt more like vacation than a class…all of the things we got to see and do. It was really just a breath of fresh air – nice to take a break from hockey and have that experience. I really liked going to the beach in Cinque Terre – just a beautiful place. And the pizza and the pasta over there was absolutely unbelievable.
You're technically a senior on the roster, but you actually graduated from the University of Minnesota over the summer, and you're currently in a graduate program here. How did that all happen?
Our academic advisor does a really good job of setting us up for success and making sure we are on track to get our degrees. Getting my degree is obviously something I'm really proud of and my family is really proud of, and now I'm currently in a graduate program for human resource development.
You are the only captain to return from last year's team with Mike Szmatula and Leon Bristedt graduating and Ryan Lindgren signing a pro deal. This year you are joined by Brent Gates Jr. as team captain while Darian Romanko and Jack Ramsey are serving as assistant captains. How much change have you seen in yourself from your first year with a letter on your shoulder to now?
I'm a little more comfortable. It's a little easier to speak up and be a leader. A really good piece of advice I got last year was not to focus too much on making everyone happy…worry about yourself and the rest will come.
Your spent your first three years here with Don Lucia, and now you'll close out your collegiate career under Bob Motzko. How do the captains help when there is a coaching transition like this?
I think it was a little bit of a learning curve for everybody. Obviously there were some changes, but I think the older guys all did a pretty good job making sure everyone around the program was comfortable with the way things were going. It was a big change, but I think everyone involved dealt with the transition really well. The new staff has done a great job of taking the time to get to know us. We've had some time now to adjust, and I think you can tell that guys are really comfortable coming to the rink every day.
Your birthday was (last) Tuesday…do you find that you get more birthday presents since you typically see your family two days later for Thanksgiving?
No, but I almost never have to wait for birthday cards in the mail from my grandma or things like that. It's kind of nice being able to do everything on the same day.
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