Steele County Blades Players Find Hometown Connections in Owatonna

The roster for the Steele County Blades junior hockey club features players from as far away as Australia and Belarus, but also players from Owatonna and Faribault. One player is a second-year defenseman who is also a second-generation skater on the Four Seasons Centre ice.

Anders Thorager calls Stillwater his hometown. But his father, David, played for the OHS Indians and helped put a banner or two above center ice. Anders' grandparents are regulars during Blades' games. He said, "It's just fun, tracing back his steps. Being in the same place he was. Playing on the same rink."

Hear a full interview with Anders below.

Blades player Anders Thorager

Defenseman Jordan Nawrocki is also in his second season with Steele County. He skated for the Blades last season before his senior season began for the Faribault Falcons' high school team. "It was a game changer. It was a different experience to come and play junior hockey. And it really opened my mind to wanting to play hockey after [high school]."

Nawrocki said he had a great time while playing more than 20 games last winter. Listen below.

Steele County player Jordan Nawrocki

Current Owatonna High School senior Tanner Stendel played with the Blades until the prep season began a few weeks ago. Hear an interview with Stendel here.

Connor Lee is from Sydney, Australia but has become an Owatonna fixture, in his fourth and final season with the Blades. You'll notice his positive attitude, and an accent, in this interview.

Steele County lost 7-2 to the Minnesota Moose Sunday night at Four Seasons Centre. The Blades play in a Chicago showcase December 16-18 before going on a holiday break. In early January the team travels east for another showcase.

The next games in Owatonna and January 14-15. Steele County will face the Minnesota Mullets in the first-ever junior hockey game to be part of Hockey Day Minnesota on Sunday, January 23 at Blakeslee Stadium on the campus of Minnesota State University-Mankato.

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