Ted McGeen: A Shining Example Of Perseverance

If you had asked many in the hockey world only a few seasons ago where Ted McGeen would end up, they probably would not have guessed he’d be on a full ride to St. Lawrence University, an NCAA Division I hockey program.

Cut from his Major Midget ‘AAA’ team midseason, and then released from Junior B the following year to play for the Junior C Blenheim Blades, McGeen’s prospects didn’t look promising. The Windsor product however, used these experiences to his benefit, rebounding the following year with the Chatham Maroons, taking the lessons learned, and climbing from here.

“I think a huge part of a hockey career is the ups and downs that come year to year with new teams and new coaches,” McGeen explained of overcoming adversity. “I’ve always found it important to have faith in something larger than yourself and know that every minute you are playing hockey is a gift. The toughest thing for a young player in AAA or in the first few years of junior is playing for a coach that doesn’t appreciate your game or doesn’t have confidence in your ability to move onto higher levels.”

McGeen bounced from the Windsor ‘AAA’ program, to the Blenheim Blades, Chatham Maroons, Powell River of the BCHL, and back to Chatham where he blossomed, before breaking out for a dominant season with the OJHL champion Wellington Dukes.

Through his early struggles, McGeen found himself lacking confidence, and trying to make his game resemble what he thought coaches wanted, instead of playing to his own strengths. It wasn’t until he met then Chatham coach Tyler Roeszler, that McGeen felt his game and prospects took a positive leap forward.

“I cannot express enough how much Roz (Tyler Roezler) influenced my hockey career. I don’t think I’d be in the place I am today without having him in my corner. He never for a minute doubted that I could play at the NCAA level and did everything he could to make sure I developed as much as possible as a player.”

In his final Junior campaign, McGeen scored 35 goals and 56 points in 46 games for the Junior A Wellington Dukes, a season which earned him a scholarship with St. Lawrence.

Through his Junior career, McGeen never took his eye off his goals, and followed a path to teams where he felt wanted and where coaches instilled confidence in him, as is the case now with St. Lawrence.

“Moving through a junior hockey career it is important to keep your sight on your goals,” said McGeen.

“Junior hockey can be a huge stepping stone for a lot of players hockey careers and it’s important that if moving on in the game is a goal of yours, that it is on you to make sure you are doing everything you can to develop and make your game better. I have had a unique career path thus far and have been extremely blessed to have had the experiences that hockey has given me.”

That positive outlook has kept McGeen working, improving, and now, has him in a place he loves at St. Lawrence Univerity

“My early NCAA experience has been great,” said the Riverside Secondary graduate. “You can feel that we’re building something special here at SLU, although we have a young team our leadership group is tremendous. With 10 freshman and 11 sophomores it’s apparent to me that we are growing together every game. It might not happen overnight, but our team is determined to bring SLU back to where it has been in past seasons. From a personal standpoint I feel that every game I’m feeling more and more effective at this level. I’m excited to continue progressing and learning from the coaches and upperclassman here at St. Lawrence.”

McGeen’s desire to continue learning, to overcome obstacles, and to reach for higher levels has served him well to this point, playing in his first season of NCAA hockey. For the local hockey product, however, he hopes this isn’t the last step on his hockey journey.

“Looking back on it now, it’s been a crazy journey to get to where I’m at now, playing college hockey, and I sure hope it doesn’t stop here.”