By Blaine McCormick- WCSN

Photo by Taylor Clark

          TEMPE- Arizona State club hockey center Wilson Housley was born with ice in his veins. The junior has been around the game of hockey ever since he was a youngster and is not straying away from it any time soon. 

          Housley is a native of Minnesota, where more than 6,500 students play in high school leagues. In fact, hockey is a religion in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, and Housley was baptized into it. In fact, four out of the six letters in “hockey” can be found in Housley. Coincidence?

          “I started skating around three or four years old,” Housley said. “Then I started playing mites around seven. That was my first team.”

          Housley played all through his youth and competed at the high school varsity level as well. Throughout his career, he has played as a center or forward and continues the trend as the one of the four men to take the faceoffs for the Sun Devils.

          Housley mentioned how the game has given him good memories and great friends along the way. Fellow teammate and first-line companion Austin Ehrlich is one of those friends. Because the two share a similar style of fast-paced play, they feed off one another.

          Ehrlich gathered 35 assists, the second-best on the club team last season. Housley was second on the team with for goals scored with 22. Ehrlich acknowledged that skill was not the only thing the two presented out on the ice.

          “I attribute a lot of that to just our hockey IQ,” Ehrlich said. “Overall we’re both smart hockey players and we knew where each other were going to be on the ice at all times. That really helped us put up the points that we did.”

          The two also mentioned that the speed of the game contributes a lot to their style of play. With their ability to slow down the game, they are able to find each other more easily.      

          The one characteristic about Housley is that he is very easy to adapt to. Ehrlich and Housley have connected well both as friends and as teammates even though they’ve only known each other for one year.

          Head coach Josh Brown has had the same easy connection with Housley. In his first year as head coach, Brown has already identified that Housley has the skills of a first-line starter through his general hockey sense and his ability to create plays.

          “He’s a guy we are definitely counting on,” Brown said. “Those guys (Ehrlich and Housley) have the ability to slow down the game and just find each other.”

          That same hockey sense and skill has been presented from that first line. Coach Brown saw that from Housley during the club Maroon and Gold scrimmage Friday.

          Housley gives a lot of credit to the forwards. Their skills during the preseason have been seen as great precision passing and clutch scoring.  

          “I think our forwards are going to be great,” Housley said. “Our goalies will be able to make those big saves. Our top two lines could be number one any given night.”

          Not only did Housley recognize the offensive power of the first two lines, but also the defensive presence that they bring. The center adds to that presence.

          “I love the speed of the game, you are always doing something,” said Housley. “I’m a really good two-way forward so having that pace and being able to shut down a top center man is key.”