At the start of each season, most teams have their leadership group in place with captains and assistant captains.

This year for the Western States Hockey League’s Phoenix Knights, Jim Ericsson wears the ‘C’ and Davis Dryden, Vojtech Zemlicka and Dominik Synek are the assistants.

Ericsson said he knows his role and relishes it to a ‘T.’

“As captain, I definitely feel added pressure to perform,” said Ericsson. “If something needs to be taken care of, the assistants all know how to handle it, too. This season has been fantastic. I used to watch the Polar Bears when I was younger and I grew up wanting to play for them, so when (Knights coach-GM) Chris Walker asked me to be the captain of this team, I was honored.”

“Jim is what every team needs in a captain,” added Walker. “His work ethic and leadership skills are second to none and the rest of the team really follows his lead. I wish I had a whole team of Jimmy Ericssons.”

Last season, Ericsson left home to play for the Vermont Lumberjacks in the Eastern Hockey League, but returned to Phoenix for his last year of junior hockey eligibility.

“We have such a well-run organization,” Ericsson said. “We have a great fan base and the support we get from the boosters and families is incredible. I like that the whole team gets along. I’ve had a lot of fun with the guys on and off of the ice, whether it’s at practice or meeting at somebody’s house for a barbecue.”

Long term, Ericsson has aspirations to be an EMT, but until that time comes, his goals this season with the Knights are within reach.

“We’ve started to put the puck in the net,” explained Ericsson. “At the beginning of the year, we had a lot of shots, but we had trouble finishing. We’ve been able to figure it out and start scoring enough to win games. Come March, I hope we’ll be in one of the top seeds for the Thorne Cup playoffs.”

— Matt Mackinder