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Youth Tier I 16U Notebook: Cal Foote Learning From Dad

By Greg Bates - Special to USAHockey.com, 04/07/14, 8:30AM MDT

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GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Cal Foote grew up watching and idolizing his dad, Adam.

Adam Foote, the former 19-year veteran of the National Hockey League, was an enforcer on the ice, playing 12 seasons with the Colorado Avalanche.

“The older I got, the more I wanted to watch him and the more I wanted to go to the games,” Cal said. “Not just him, but all the NHL. I try to watch as much as possible to learn as much as possible.”

Now that Cal is older, he’s trying to follow in his dad’s footsteps on the ice.

Cal just turned 15 and was a valuable piece to the 16-and-Under Colorado Thunderbirds team that placed runner-up in the Toyota-USA Hockey Tier I Youth National Championships.

Cal, whose full name is Callan, is tall like his dad, over 6-foot, but is still filling out his lanky frame.

“He’s learning how to adapt to his body and trying to get stronger along the way,” Adam said. “With a December birthday, he’s got time to develop, and he’s hanging in there playing against the older ’97 boys who have more speed and power.”

Adam played 1,154 games in the NHL and tallied just 66 goals. His job on every team he played on was to be a physical presence, always getting in the face of his opponents. Early on in Cal’s career, he’s taking a different route than his dad.

“I like to try and be physical like him, but I play more of the numbers game and percentages,” Cal said.

Cal, who picked up one assist at nationals, has started to garner interest from colleges. The University of Denver is checking him out, as well as other Division I schools. Adam is confident that colleges are recruiting his son for the player he is and not the name on the back of his jersey.

“This is his time, it’s not the name,” Adam said. “He deserves to get whatever looks he’s getting. There’s been some interest for sure, but he’s in the development stage where he can take his time and try to make the right decision.”

Just Like Mom

Dylan St. Cyr is just 14, but he is playing up a level at 16U. Facing superior athletes is nothing new for the Honey Baked (Hazel Park, Mich.) goalie.

All his life St. Cyr has been playing up, and he’s always come up big. He’s very similar to his mom, Manon Rheaume, who 22 years ago became the only woman to play in an NHL exhibition game.

“There’s obstacles for both of us, and it’s not an easy thing to follow in her footsteps,” St. Cyr said.

He’s certainly lived up to his mom’s reputation as a great goaltender. At nationals, St. Cyr stopped 76 of 79 shots and registered one shutout.

“I think he has every coaching tool possible,” Honey Baked assistant coach Kevin Hatcher said. “He’s got a good goalie coach back home, he’s got a mom that’s been there. It can really teach him how to deal with the pressure of playing in big games, and I think she’s been a good advantage for him.”

As a youngster, St. Cyr played goalie and forward before having to make a decision about seven years ago about which position he would stick with. He made the clear-cut choice to be a goalie and has never looked back.

At 5-foot-7, St. Cyr isn’t the prototypical netminder, but he still sees the puck well. He also is a great stick handler after all those years playing forward.

“He handles the puck as well as any ’99 goaltender I’ve seen, and that’s a huge asset to our D,” Hatcher said.

Scoring Leaders

It was a tight race for the scoring title at 16U. Five players tied with eight points apiece: St. Louis Blues’ Zachary Solow; Colorado Thunderbirds’ Troy Terry; Team Wisconsin’s Ty Pelton-Byce; and Long Island Gulls’ Adam Fox and Dante Palecco.

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.

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