Stanislav Micha, public relations director for Košice in the Slovak Extraliga, relayed that defenseman Colton Saucerman “is a good guy and a perfect team player. Košice fans love him, as he is always smiling.”
It’s high praise for someone who, at that point, had been a part of the organization for only a dozen games. Yet, talking to Saucerman, it is easy to believe the compliments. Pensive, amicable and forthcoming, it is evident that the 29-year-old Northeastern University product appreciates what hockey has been able to give him.
Saucerman grew up a Colorado College Tigers and Colorado Avalanche fan in Colorado Springs. With a grandfather and father passionate about the game, it was a near guarantee that he would spend a lot of time in rinks.
As he reached his teenage years, he pursued higher competition. He was given that chance in the USHL. Although the 17-year-old didn’t expect to have much of an impact, injuries on the blue line gave him a chance to earn his stripes and gain valuable learning lessons as he continued to develop.
“I was still caught in that age,” he said. “The mental maturity in terms of my game wasn’t quite there.”
Saucerman worked on that and more as he battled in the junior system, splitting time between Des Moines, Dubuque, Corpus Christi and Lincoln. His performances steadily improved, drawing attention from colleges. Originally, he anticipated matriculating at UMass Lowell. However, when the coaching staff that was pursuing him was let go, he reconsidered.
Yet, he didn’t look very much farther. Intrigued by Hockey East and the Beanpot, he opted to play at Northeastern.
“My philosophy always was I just wanted to play for somebody who was interested and wanted me. My final year in Lincoln, Jerry Keefe basically sold me on that I would be an important piece. I think, as a player, you just want to hear that you’re going to be a part of something. I was going to be a part of (Jim Madigan’s) first recruiting class. So, I knew that they were taking a lot of time and putting in a lot of effort to try and get a solid first-class under their belt in terms of recruiting.”
Saucerman would be as solid as they come, although there was a little concern in the beginning. “I had a short season in Lincoln there because I tore my ACL,” Saucerman recalled. “My rehab took a long time. My first actual skates were the captains’ practices. There were times that I didn’t practice on like a Monday after losing two games in a weekend. I was in so much discomfort just from trying to get the knee better.”
“Going from junior to college is a crazy jump,” he shared, adding that it is the biggest gap of any levels he has experienced. “At the same time, getting thrown into the fire is kind of like what I’ve always been about. You learn your best when you just get thrown into situations. I made mistakes for sure. I learned a lot about myself. I felt like my game progressed a lot quicker.
Whatever his personal assessments, the numbers don’t lie. In Boston, Saucerman led all Huskies defensemen in scoring as a freshman. He quickly established himself as a key part of the team’s back end.
His personal play contributed to what Saucerman felt most proud of about his time at Matthews Arena. “My class helped turn the culture. Losing was a habit. We were competitive at times with BC, BU. When you finally believe that you belong in the same arena, everything is different. In my class, most of us feel a sense of pride that we helped turn that around. The coaching staff deserves a lot of credit. They recruited the right guys, guys that turned out to be really, really good players. You could argue that Northeastern’s a tournament team every year.”
It is tough to argue with that evaluation. The last time Northeastern finished under .500 was Saucerman’s freshman season, and they’ve been a competitive threat ever since.
Saucerman was not delusional about his professional prospects. He admitted to a limited NHL possibility. Still, Saucerman was more than willing to follow a passion to a paycheck.
“I just wanted to keep playing,” he said after his senior season, 2015-16. “We had done so well battling back and making the tournament (senior year) that I was still motivated to go play. With an injury and an opportunity, I ended up being a big part of the (South Carolina Stingrays) going down the playoff stretch, and we made it all the way to the Eastern Conference finals.”
Again, Saucerman was thrown into the fire — and found a way to thrive.
Not necessarily pursuing the NHL, Saucerman chose to enjoy the experience and swings that the minor league circuit had to offer. There were bus rides and redeye flights, appearances for eight teams in both the AHL and ECHL (including the Monarchs, Thunderbirds and Bruins), and playoff appearances in all but one of his five seasons. Through it all, Saucerman was able to keep a positive perspective.
“If you’re not drafted, it’s very difficult to make it,” he said. “It’s hard to get those opportunities. And rightfully so. If I was drafted, I would want those opportunities. I’m definitely not complaining about that. There’s hundreds of guys that can be playing. Everybody has a small chance of making it. Whether I was up in the American League or down in the ECHL, I just enjoyed the ride. Love doing it. You’re not going to be able to do it forever. You might as well just enjoy it whether you’re making a million dollars a year or 900 dollars a week.”
When Saucerman found a second love, he tweaked his mindset. He had been content with the grind of the minors as a single guy. When he had to begin thinking for two, he started seeing a broader picture. In his last North American season, he even resisted AHL call-ups for the sake of some consistency in his home life. After years of sacrifice for his teams, he decided on some compromise for his future.
“I’m going to be a little more picky about it and try to be in one place for the year,” Saucerman acknowledged about his future in the game. “The competitor in me still wants to reach the highest level. My fiancée and I have a pitbull, so we have to be choosy about which countries we go to because they’re a little different about their dog breeds. The process, at least the first two years, has been: I get an offer, she looks it up, if she likes it, and I like it, then we go. That’s how the process will probably be for the rest of my time playing.”
Always a strong skater (his ability to skate backward is how he ended up a young defenseman), the larger ice of Europe held some intrigue. Like many North Americans, the 5-foot-9, 194-pound blueliner had to relearn his angles.
“(UMass) Amherst and UNH were the big rinks in Hockey East. It was just learning, positionally, how to play defense on that again. It took about a month until we had kind of played everybody once to get my feet under me.”
While adjustments had to be made, some of them were welcomed. “The thing I think that wears on guys is the physicality,” he said. “The constantly taking a beating every single night when you’re in the American League. You almost can’t go out of your way to hit a guy here because you’re caught on the outside. When you’re an undersized defenseman, it’s just like an absolute bulls-eye for guys coming in on the forecheck. Later in my career now, it’s nice not getting smoked every single shift.”
Saucerman began with a strong foray into the European hockey scene. In Innsbruck last season, he finished with 29 points in 41 games. He liked the city and was tempted to stay. However, the persistence of Košice flattered him.
“They were on the phone with my agent calling me probably twice a week for almost a month. That’s being wanted. They were putting in an effort to get me here. This year’s the 100th year of professional hockey in Košice. I thought it was just a cool year, and the setup here is fantastic.”
The smooth-skating defenseman admits he and the team are still in the adjustment stages. Personally, he has had to adapt to a league that employs the trap (more than he would like). Yet, there are plenty of positives.
“I had heard that it was a very competitive league,” he said. “Slovak guys are fast. The great trait that they have is their speed. The skill of some of them is through the roof.”
As the team approaches the 20-game benchmark, Saucerman is optimistic it will prove a significant turning point.
“We have a lot of high-end talent and skill. Our coaching is fantastic. It’s different because we have a Finnish coach. Most of these guys have not played for a coach other than a Slovak coach before. We’re still in that situation of grasping the system and understanding it completely and executing it. I like where we’re heading. We’re definitely a resilient team. We possess the qualities of a championship team. It’s never how you’re doing in October and November that really matters. You just need to be in the mix. I wouldn’t want to play us in the playoffs.”
The organization already has praised the energy he brings. They’ll certainly admire his production too. Opening with nine points in 15 games, Saucerman is the driving force from the blue line the team had wanted. How far Košice will go might be determined by his presence.
However things play out, you can bet Saucerman will embrace it with a smile.
