Amid the Gophers’ drive for a sixth NCAA title and the Wild’s push for the postseason, many may have missed the story of how a local player and great role model was rewarded for decades of hard work. 

On March 30th, Mark Van Guilder made his NHL debut with the Nashville Predators at the age of 30.  Van Guilder, who was an All-State athlete in football, hockey and lacrosse during his time at Roseville High School, has spent the past five seasons playing for Nashville’s top affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, in the American Hockey League (AHL).

To many, their first game in the NHL marks the achievement of a dream come true. It is a time of bubbling joy and endless pride.  For Van Guilder, perhaps the biggest emotion was shock, as he admitted on NHL Network that he never expected to make it to that level.

 “To be honest, when I was a kid, I wasn’t that good,” said Van Guilder.  “I think if you’d have asked my Peewee hockey coach, he’d say there’s not a chance this kid is ever making it. I never really thought, ‘Yeah, I’m going to play in the NHL.’ I just kind of took it one step at a time.”

The Roseville graduate’s modest attitude, especially considering his athletic ability, showcases how difficult it really is to make it to the pinnacle of the sport.  Even more importantly, his focus on maintaining balance between a high level of dedication and passion for hockey with becoming a well rounded individual and active member in the community is one that should be modeled at all levels of athletics.

During his senior year of college hockey at Notre Dame, Van Guilder was named one of the 10 finalists for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award which is given annually to the most outstanding student-athlete in four areas of excellence – classroom, community, character and competition.  He has won the Admirals’ Man of the Year award four seasons in a row in recognition for his outstanding contributions to the Milwaukee community and has been a finalist each of those years for the AHL’s Yanick Dupre Memorial Award.

For the full NHL Network interview, watch the video below.