Blaine junior's goals within reach

The process involves following through on a series of important decisions that will shape the rest of his young hockey career. Bjugstad, a 17-year-old junior, trains or plays games six days a week. He is accelerating his education in hopes of graduating from Blaine next spring and joining the Gophers next fall.

He likely will leave college early as well, because NHL draft experts project him to be a first-round selection in June. Four teams already have sent representatives to interview him. By comparison his uncle, Scott -- a former North Star and Gopher -- did not hear much from the NHL until his senior season (1982-83) in college.

Such is the enviable yet hectic life of a modern elite hockey player. Bjugstad tries to stay in the moment and enjoy the daily grind.

"There are tough days where I feel like I need a break," he said. "But you look ahead and you think about how much you have going. I try to take all this in a good way."

Bjugstad has been skating in the fast lane for several years. He made the Blaine varsity as a freshman and led the Bengals in scoring as a sophomore with 31 goals and 27 assists in 31 games. He finished both seasons with trips to the hallowed state tournament.

Along the way, he impressed scouts with his size, reach and speed. Kyle Woodlief, head scout and publisher of the Red Line Report, projects Bjugstad to go No. 13 overall in the NHL draft.

"He's a prototype of the modern power forward," Woodlief said. "He has the size to pound in the corners and go to the net. Plus he has soft hands and good hockey sense."

A sense of loyalty kept Bjugstad from leaving his high school teammates after one season. In the summer of 2008, Bjugstad and his parents, Mike and Janeen, declined an invitation to join USA Hockey's National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, Mich.

The decision was not easily made. But in explaining himself, Bjugstad's value system became clear. He would stay home, but he would stay hungry.

"He said, 'I'm going to do everything I need to do here to be successful,'" Janeen said. "He said, 'I'm going to work with a nutritionist. I'm going to work out as much as they do in Ann Arbor. I'll play in the Elite League.' It really hit me that he meant business. That's the first time I heard him say, 'I really want this.'"

Then this summer, Gophers coach Don Lucia approached the Bjugstads about having Nick accelerate his education to potentially join the Gophers a year ahead of schedule. They agreed. Bjugstad took two online classes during the summer and is currently taking an online class in addition to his regular class load. Bjugstad, whose rights are held by Sioux City (Iowa), hopes to avoid going to the United States Hockey League.

"He may still go to the USHL, and that would be a good experience," Mike said. "But Nick is really driven to play for the Gophers next year."

Blaine's varsity season starts in about one month, but last Tuesday's captains practice provided a glimpse into Bjugstad's hockey inner-circle. When Bjugstad arrived, he spoke with Chris Carroll, a trainer who works with Blaine's hockey program, about how to avoid aggravating a leg bruise he suffered during a recent game. After hearing from Carroll, Bjugstad shared the opinion of the trainer who works with his family adviser, former Gopher and NHL player Chris McAlpine. Blaine coach Dave Aus wondered aloud if Bjugstad's circle is growing too large.

"There's a lot of information being sent to me," Bjugstad said. "I listen to what one person says, take what another person says and put it all together."

To polish his skills, Bjugstad practices with Team Northwest on Wednesdays and plays games on Saturdays and Sundays. Dziedzic marvels at his overall ability.

"He's got what I call the five S's," Dziedzic said. "He's got size, skill, sense and he can skate and shoot. I think he knows he could have a great future, and I think you'll see him rise to the challenge."

In August, he played in a tournament in Slovakia. Early next month he is heading to Finland. NHL representatives from Edmonton, Los Angeles and Toronto met with Bjugstad last Saturday. On Sept. 30, Bjugstad met with two representatives from the Columbus Blue Jackets for his first NHL interview.

Bjugstad completed a personality test, asked and answered questions and received advice about his game. The meeting was a complete success. Almost.

"They asked me who the coach was and I didn't know," he said. "I probably should have researched the team a little better."

Wild assistant general manger Tommy Thompson said players of Bjugstad's caliber "can't look at seniority. You have to force a college team to recruit you and play you, and you have to force a pro team to sign you."

Bjugstad promises to assert himself while helping his buddies at Blaine compete for a state championship.

"I'm ready for it," he said. "I want to be a leader on the team, but I don't want to get over my head and think I'm better than the guy next to me who is working just as hard."