Hockey player stands out on the ice

The Blair Community ice hockey team is not affiliated or sponsored by the Montgomery Blair High School athletic program or Montgomery County Public Schools. The team is an independent group of Blair students.

Senior forward Neal Vasilak slashes through the Bethesda-Chevy Chase defense, maneuvering between several defenders to release a pinpoint pass to an open player in front of the goal. Vasilak has been frustrating opposing defenses all season with his quick skating and tricky stick work.

Vasilak always stands out on the ice. His skating and puck handling skills are levels ahead of any other players on the ice. The second he touches the puck, he is a threat to score and has defenders on their heels.

Vasilak is the second leading scorer, behind fellow senior Brad Gee, with six goals and three assists for the Blair Community Ice Hockey Team. However, Vasilak has only played in five of Blair's seven games because he has had conflicts with his club team. He is averaging over one goal a game.

Yet Vasilak's impact on the ice is felt through more than just his scoring. He wears down defenses with his quick moves and attracts attention from opposing defenses, which leaves his teammates open. Vasilak's passing ability creates numerous scoring chances every game for Blair as he is able to spot teammates in a crowd and deliver accurate passes. In games where Vasilak was absent, the Blair offense has struggled, and the team has yet to win a game without him present.

Vasilak returned to the team this year after not playing his junior year despite being one of the top players on the team as a sophomore. Part of Vasilak's absence last season and several games this year was due to his commitment to his elite travel hockey team, the Washington Junior Nationals. The team competes in the Atlantic Junior Hockey League, which includes teams from Maryland to Maine; they also compete in tournaments across the country against some of the top competition. During the club hockey season, which runs from Sept. to April, Vasilak is out of town nearly every weekend playing in games and tournaments.

Vasilak tried out for the Washington Junior Nationals a year ago along with 70 of the other top players in the area and made the competitive team after only one tryout. Vasilak has become one of the top scoring threats on the team and was ranked ninth in scoring for the entire league; he had 25 points in 23 games. The Junior Nationals began their season going 3-10 but have turned their season around by winning seven out of ten games through Dec. 5. Vasilak has been a key component in the team's turn around by generating much needed offense.

Most of the other players on the Junior Nationals are from private schools, like Dematha, that have top-notch hockey teams. However, Vasilak has overcome this by playing and working hard on his hockey game, which he started playing when he was five.

Next year, Vasilak plans to take a year of before attending college to play in the Junior A North American Hockey League (NAHL), which is the most competitive league outside of collegiate Division I. He plans on playing for either the Texarkana Bandits or the Helena Bighorns; he has already practiced with several teams in the league. The NAHL is the oldest Junior A hockey league in the U.S. and is intended to help players' transition from high school and club hockey to the collegiate level. The league is designed to assist in the growth of players through high-level competition and exposure to college and professional coaches. The league has 19 teams, which are divided into three divisions; West, South and North. Each team plays a 56-game regular season followed by a league-wide postseason.

Vasilak will live in either Helena or Texarkana from Sept. to April during the NAHL season in order to attend daily practice and games on the weekends. According to Vasilak, many players go onto play in the NAHL during and after high school before attending college. One player from his former club team played for Texarkana this season.

Vasilak hopes that playing in the NAHL will help him get recruited and earn a scholarship to play hockey at the Division I collegiate level. Ideally, he would like to play for an Ivy League school.

Until then, Vasilak will keep working on his game by playing as much hockey as he can for Blair, the Junior Nationals and in pick-up games. With Vasilak's presence, the Blair team is looking to continue their improvement from the past two seasons.