Arizona Rubber

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Rogers excelling at Tahoe Prep after move from Montana

 

For Braylon Rogers, the opportunity to advance his hockey development and challenge himself academically at Tahoe Prep Academy was a no-brainer.

A 16-year-old junior who plays goalie for Tahoe Prep’s varsity team, he is in his first year with the academy after relocating from his native Montana and a little more than five months into his time in Tahoe, he feels confident he made the right decision.

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He previously played for the Billings Jr. Bulls in Montana’s largest city and was introduced to Tahoe Prep during a CCM Showcase event in Denver last year. After a visit to the magnificent lakeside campus, he knew he was destined to wear the purple and white.

“I really liked it right off the bat, and it felt like a good environment for me to continue to develop,” Rogers said. “I’d like to move on to the next level in my hockey career, and I knew that if I wanted to get serious about that, I would have to leave Montana to improve. I think that it has worked out really well. It’s a lot smaller here than Billings, but it’s the same type of environment living in the forest with tall trees.”

Rogers started playing hockey at the early age of 4, and first tried playing goalie during his Pee Wee years.

braylon_rogersOn the Tahoe Prep varsity team, Rogers said he’s enjoying the new level of competition in the Anaheim Ducks High School Hockey League and the San Jose Sharks High School League. In the Sharks league, he had played eight games through mid-February and had a record of 4-0-1 with 98 saves and a 2.42 goals-against average, and he has also excelled in the Ducks league.

“The hockey in these two leagues is five times better than it was in Montana – the competition is a lot faster and more skilled,” Rogers said, adding that being able to spend five days a week on the ice every week of the season has played a big part in helping him improve his skills quickly. “My strengths are angles and tracking the puck, and I know that I need to work on stick handling and playing the puck more.

“I’m kind of a rink rat, so being on the ice every day is perfect for me.”

Rogers said that the academic approach at Tahoe Prep has been a great fit for him as well. With a blend of traditional classroom learning at Tahoe South High School and online classes, he is able to keep up with his academic workload even with traveling all over California for games.

“My grades have improved since I’ve come to Tahoe Prep, and that makes my parents really happy,” Rogers said. “We get a lot of help from our academic advisors to stay on track, and I take advantage of our study halls. There’s just a lot more support here than you typically find at your average public school.

“Tahoe Prep is a good place to develop on the ice and off the ice. Being here has definitely helped me achieve my academic goals and my goals on the ice.”

Photo/Ed Fritz

— Greg Ball

(March 2, 2020)

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