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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016 02-26 College men's hockey: UMD’s Sampair young for his age - Duluth News Tribune 2/26/2016 College men's hockey:UMD's Sampair young for his age I Duluth News Tribune College men's hockey: UMD's Sampair young for his age By IMatt Welllleirns on Feb 25,2016 at 11:59 p.m. f u 0 About seven months from now, the Minnesota Duluth men's hockey program will welcome a pair of 18-year-old freshmen who will still be able to remember their high school graduation as if it was yesterday because, well, it was. Those two youngsters — Joey Anderson of the U.S. National Team Development Program and Riley Tufte of Blaine High School and the USHL's Fargo Force — will be among the minority in NCAA Division I men's college hockey. Most of their other fellow freshmen will be 19, 20 or even 21 years old. What's even more rare than an Anderson or Tufte, though, is a player like Charlie Sampair, the Bulldogs' senior who will suit up as a fourth-line wing in an NCHC series vs. No. 3- ranked St. Cloud State at 8:07 p.m. today and 7:07 p.m. Saturday at Herb Brooks National Hockey Center. Sampair and fellow wsenior wing Austin Farley were both 18-year-old freshmen in the fall of 2012, but Farley played a year in the USHL before coming to UMD. Sampair came to the Bulldogs right out of high school after playing three varsity seasons at Hill-Murray in Maplewood, Minn. For Sampair, there was no flipping back and forth between juniors and high school like Tufte http://www.dul uthnewstri bune.com/sports/hockey/3956669-col I ege-m ens-hockey-um ds-sam pai r-young-his-age 1/5 2/26/2016 College men's hockey:UMD's Sampair young for his age I Duluth News Tribune has this season. Junior Willie Raskob of noted hockey factory Shattuck-St. Mary's is the only other current Bulldog who didn't play any juniors. "Nowadays coming out of high school, you need that junior experience," Sampair said. "It's not a bad thing for anyone. Looking back, I wish I could have played juniors. Hearing stories and other guys' experiences, I wish I had experienced that myself." Sampair, a native of White Bear Lake, Minn., said he didn't have much of a choice in May 2012 when the Bulldogs extended a scholarship offer to him. UMD had a late opening in its freshman recruiting class after transfer Aaron Jamnick, a forward from Hibbing who already had sat out a season after playing at Providence, was ruled academically ineligible. So UMD gave the the 6-foot-1, 190-pound, Mr. Hockey finalist and Hill-Murray captain a "take-it-or-leave-it" offer to jump straight to the NCAA. Sampair was a straight-A student who posted 30 goals and 21 assists in 31 games as a Hill-Murray senior. He helped lead his team to the Class AA state championship in 2013. Physically, Sampair seemed ready according to high school coach Bill Lechner (a former St. Cloud State forward) and UMD coach Scott Sandelin. "It was a huge jump from him," Sandelin said. "He was probably one of the most physically ready, size-wise, strength-wise and skating-wise. Now mentally, I don't think he was ready and I think that showed. I think he would admit that. "Charlie, he was a big player on their high school team. He scored goals. He gets chances with his speed and he's stronger than most kids at the high school level. Here he brought the http://www.dul uthnewstri bune.com/sports/hockey/3956669-col I ege-m ens-hockey-um ds-sam pai r-young-his-age 2/5 2/26/2016 College men's hockey:UMD's Sampair young for his age I Duluth News Tribune same thing, but the game is different. He wasn't used in those roles right away and fought a confidence thing. Over the time he's been here, he's learned to deal with that and he's become a more effective, consistent player for us." As a freshman and sophomore, Sampair played in just 35 games, tallying a total of two goals and six assists. He's mustered only two goals and two assists as a junior and senior, but is now a regular on the fourth line. He played in 30 of 40 games last season and 27 of 30 this year. Sampair said that fourth-line role is not what he expected when he came to UMD. But over the years, he's grown into it very well and accepted it, he said. "I take pride in it," Sampair said. "I like going out there and giving our team energy and get into guys, doing what I can to give any sort of life to this team. It's not necessarily about production being on the fourth line, so I don't worry about that too much." Hard work and never taking your spot in the lineup for granted is what has made Sampair a regular, he said. "Looking back, when I was working my hardest, I was in the lineup," Sampair said. That spot in the lineup when the Bulldogs are healthy — like this week— is alongside senior center Cal Decowski, who came in the same season as Sampair but as a 20-year-old. Sandelin said Sampair and Decowski will be together tonight—the coach is hoping to "rekindle some of the magic" between the two — along with freshman wing Billy Exell. http://www.dul uthnewstri bune.com/sports/hockey/3956669-col I ege-m ens-hockey-um ds-sam pai r-young-his-age 3/5 2/26/2016 College men's hockey:UMD's Sampair young for his age I Duluth News Tribune Sampair said he's always enjoyed playing alongside Decowski because of their chemistry. Decowski said the same, but he's also a fan of Sampair's speed. "He's such a strong skater. He's the most technical. He's just a great skater," Decowski said. "He flies around the ice. I've played a lot with him here. It's been a blast playing together. We work really well together because he is always so fast getting to pucks and winning battles. He wins battles really well." Decowski describes Sampair as a quiet person off the ice and said Sampair was even more quiet as a freshman. Sandelin said the same thing. Sampair was very quiet and soft-spoken initially, but with every year-end interview, Sandelin said he saw a more mature player. "The beauty of college hockey is watching kids mature over their time here," Sandelin said. Sampair, who will graduate this spring with a degree in accounting, said he also remembers being a nervous and shy freshman. He said that shouldn't be a problem for the Bulldogs' next pair of 18-year-olds —Anderson and Tufte — and it has nothing to do with their path to Duluth versus his. Anderson and Tufte —who are both projected to go early in the NHL draft this spring — both have "a little bit" more skill than he did coming in, Sampair said. "I don't think they have to worry too much," Sampair said. "I would just say for advice,just be confident right away. Don't feel like you're any less than the other guys because I struggled with confidence right away. I think they'll do a great job here. They are great players." http://www.dul uthnewstri bune.com/sports/hockey/3956669-col I ege-m ens-hockey-um ds-sam pai r-young-his-age 4/5