At only three years old, junior Connor Hagkull picked up a hockey stick for the first time and he hasn’t put it down since. His love for the sport was heavily influenced by his father who made sure he began playing at an early age.
“My dad was born in Minnesota and played hockey his whole life, so he kind of pushed me into it,” he explained.
Growing up in Iowa, Hagkull embraced the cold winters by practicing his skating skills on frozen ponds. As he grew older, he began to play in a Youth House League, where he developed an interest in playing as a forward.
“I tried defense when I was a kid and I hated it because I didn’t score a lot, so then I just stuck with forward,” he said.
This season, Hagkull is the Ice Hockey Bears’ leading scorer with a total of 15 goals and 14 assists. Last year proved to be equally impressive as he earned the All-Rookie title for the Capital Hockey Conference. The CHC is a competitive high school hockey league featuring various teams from schools in central Ohio.
Along with Hagkull’s significant achievements on the ice, the varsity team has also had a very dominant season so far and is looking to win a state title for the first time ever.
“We’re a good team this year. I think we can make a run at winning states. And I think as long as we stay healthy, we have a good chance to do that,” he elaborated.
Hagkull explained that the team is looking to build off of their momentum from last season where they clinched the Columbus Blue Jackets Cup in a close game against Olentangy Berlin.
Hagkull is not the only ice hockey bear in his family; his brother, Brady, a 2023 graduate, was a starting goalie for two years on the team. His father also leads the varsity team as the head coach. Their father-son dynamic is lighthearted, as Hagkull is often teased by his father in a competitive way. However, it does place pressure on Hagkull as his father tends to call him out more in front of the team.
“He gets on me a lot,” he said. “He definitely pushes me a little harder and is tougher on me than the other guys.”
When it comes to game days, Hagkull makes sure to stick to a strict routine before every match. He superstitiously drinks a Cherry Coke before warming up and listens to a mix of rap, rock, pop, EDM and house music. Finally, before hitting the ice, he makes sure to put on his jersey, helmet and skates in the same order before each game.
Once the game begins, Hagkull is prepared to play against intense competition that often involves relentless physicality.
“The refs in high school will let you get away with a lot more, like cross-checks after the whistle and things like that. You kind of just got to be more aware of that than [on] club teams,” he explained.
Oftentimes, this physicality can lead to injury which is seen as a very traditional aspect of ice hockey. As with many other players, Hagkull has had his fair share of injuries.
“I got a concussion this year, so that kind of sucked, but I came back and started playing really well after that,” he said.
Outside of hockey, Hagkull also spends his time playing golf and baseball. Each sport is a unique experience to him as he uses ambidexterity to get an advantage.
“In baseball I’m a righty and in golf I’m a righty, but in hockey I’m a lefty so there’s not really too much correlation between the three,” he explained.
Although Hagkull is unsure of where his hockey career will take him in the future, he has undeniably been a key asset to the team over the years and will continue to be a dominant player on the ice.
Hagkull emphasized that young athletes and hockey players should continue working hard and having fun in order to improve.
“Have fun and work on the sport you play outside of team practices,” he said.
