Knights’ Mickelson brings work ethic, leadership to desert
A Minnesota native, Jared Mickelson is well immersed into the hockey lifestyle.
Now a key cog with the Phoenix Knights, Mickelson has brought that knowledge to the desert and is forging a desirable season with the Western States Hockey League (WSHL) club.
“He’s definitely one of our more talented players and comes from a very structured hockey background,” said Phoenix coach-GM Mike Bowman. “Jared is a player that everyone on the team likes and gets along with, and it is easy to follow his work ethic on the ice.
“He really represents what we’d like this program to be like on the ice. We hope to be able to fine-tune some of his skills and promote him onto the next level.”
An alternate captain, Mickelson said he has never been a captain in the hockey realm, but has playing other sports growing up back home.
“It’s a privilege to lead your teammates,” said Mickelson. “As a younger team, the vibe here is always very energetic.”
The 19-year-old Mickelson, from Inner Grove Heights, Minn., has played in a warm climate before, kicking off his junior hockey career in 2014-15 in Tampa, Fla.
He’s more than excited to be spending this current season in the WSHL.
“First off, I really love the area and it’s been truly amazing living in Arizona,” Mickelson said. “I’m always looking forward to coming to the rink to see the boys and practice. It’s been a very good and fun season so far for me and I want it to continue that way.”
With one more year of junior eligibility after this season, Mickelson is in no rush to see his future set in stone. Instead, he has reasonable goals.
“My main goal is to get better every day and with school, I’m not 100 percent sure what I want to pursue in college yet,” said Mickelson. “For our team, the goals are very simple – we just want to win as many games as possible.
“We need all the points we can get.”
— Matt Mackinder