Quick Q&A: Mitch Reinke, Stillwater hockey

STILLWATER, SR.

HOCKEY

A puck-moving defenseman with better-than-average speed and an innate hockey sense, Reinke has verbally committed to Michigan Tech.

What have you been doing with your summer? I've been working at the lumber yard and playing hockey, going to a few USHL camps.

What are your junior hockey options? I was thinking about playing for Cedar Rapids in the USHL. If not there, I could play for Aberdeen (S.D.) of the NAHL.

Are you coming back for your senior season? Yes, I am going to play high school hockey. I know I need to get bigger and stronger to play college hockey, but I think I can do that here at Stillwater.

Why did you decide to come back to high school hockey? I like playing with the boys I grew up with. It would be a lot of fun to lead them to Stillwater's first state tournament ever.

Why Michigan Tech? I'd been talking with four or five other schools, but when I took a visit there, I really liked the campus and it's an up-and-coming program. The coach there [Mel Pearson] is great. I got a great offer.

Will you play junior hockey before college? Yeah, I'll play one, maybe two years of junior hockey after high school. I haven't decided how long yet.

What is coolest place hockey has taken you? When I was 10 years old, we played in a tournament in Edmonton and stayed at the West Edmonton Mall. The tournament was actually at the rink at the mall, so we spent pretty much the whole week inside the mall. We left for maybe an hour or two.