USHL: QA with David Gerths

Lincoln Stars forward David Gerths is a study in humility and strength. Reticent to talk about himself too much, the 18-year-old is quick to credit others for his success, but all one has to do is watch the winger play or read his resume to realize he plays a bigger part in his accomplishments than he gives himself credit for. The Ankeny, Iowa, native was amongst the leading scorers at the 2008 World Junior A Challenge with 4 goals and 3 assists in 5 games, played for the West Division at the USHL Prospects/All-Star Game, and committed to Notre Dame before ever skating a minute in the USHL. Gerths may speak softly, but he carries a big stick in the form of a consistent two-way power game driving the net, laying out hits, and displaying his hand-eye coordination.

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey recently had the opportunity to talk with Gerths. The young forward discussed his adjustment to the USHL, skating in the USHL Prospects/All-Star Game, playing for Team USA at the World Junior A Challenge, his time at Culver Academy, his commitment to Notre Dame, the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, and the possibility that he could become one of the few, the proud, the Iowans who have been drafted by NHL teams.

McKeen's: We're 50 games into the USHL season and tonight aside, you guys (the Lincoln Stars) have had a reasonably successful season as the first team to clinch a playoff spot. What have been the keys to that level of success for the Lincoln Stars?

Gerths: Just, basically, working hard. Unfortunately, we didn't see it tonight. But, that's what our team does, we work hard. We outwork other teams, beat them to the puck, win one-on-one battles, and it works for us.

McKeen's: Moving to you personally, how do you feel your rookie season in the USHL has gone and why?

Gerths: I've been doing good, but it's not just me, I've got a lot of help here. It's irreplaceable.

McKeen's: Previously, you played hockey at Culver Academy. So what have been the biggest adjustments going from Culver to the United States Hockey League?

Gerths: Well, at Culver we don't play as many games. We play about a 40-45-game schedule, and obviously we're at 50 right now here in the USHL. So, I'd say that's the biggest thing. Guys are faster and stronger, older.

McKeen's: You know that's the case when you step onto the ice and see guys in half-shields.

Gerths: Yeah (smiles).

McKeen's: In a semi-related area, what are some of the areas you've been focusing on improving this year with the Lincoln Stars?

Gerths: I've been trying to get (pauses), learn how to get open, make sure I'm always an outlet for my linemates, taking quick shots, getting it and getting it off real quick. Basically, anything you can think of, I'm trying to do it better.

McKeen's: On the flipside, what would you say are the strengths of your game already and the style of game that you like to play?

Gerths: (Pauses, Gerths' humility kicks in) I don't really know. I guess I see the ice alright, have a good shot. (Smiles and chuckles)

McKeen's: Might be a bit too humble for that question. Now, not to go to a negative note, recently you've been a little snake-bit offensively…

Gerths: Yeah.

McKeen's: … with the points. What's been happening during that stretch?

Gerths: It's back to the first question, just wasn't working as hard as I should have been. It's got to stop at some point, if you want to be successful.

McKeen's: Obviously you've had some measure of success this year, since you were named to play for Team West, or Team Reebok I mean.

Gerths: Something like that.

McKeen's: Yeah, something like that, at the Prospects/All-Star Game. Tell me about how you found out about that, who told you, and your reaction.

Gerths: My roommate told me. I had no idea.

McKeen's: Roommate is?

Gerths: Kevin Murdock.

McKeen's: Oh, okay.

Gerths: I had no clue what was going on. He got home, got on his computer, and it was on USHL.com. It was nice, because he ended up going to the All-Star Game, too. So, we didn't have any bad feelings between roommates or anything.

McKeen's: How did the two days for the All-Star Game festivities go for you and how did the play in that game compare to what you play during the regular season?

Gerths: It's nowhere near what we play, actually. It's pretty lackadaisical. Everyone's just trying to make everything pretty, no hitting. It doesn't mean it's not fast. It's still fast, but just not as fast as we saw tonight. But, there were some good players out there.

McKeen's: Like a really skilled game of pond hockey.

Gerths: Yeah, basically. Yeah.

McKeen's: The USHL All-Star Game isn't the only big event you've been a part of this season, you also played at the World Junior A Challenge. Similar question, how did you find out you'd made that team, who told you, and what was your reaction?

Gerths: Actually, I don't even know. I think my dad told me that USA Hockey wanted to talk to me, and obviously it sparked my interest right away. Later that night, about 15 minutes later, he called me and told me. I was pretty excited. Obviously, who wouldn't be? After that, just kind of looking forward to it, I was a little nervous, too. It's kind of scary.

McKeen's: With the World Junior A Challenge, tell me about that loss the first game, the loss against Germany, and then also how things changed for you guys to win the gold in fairly convincing fashion.

Gerths: Well, that was about our (pauses), I want to say our third day there. We weren't that close yet, we were still finding each other on the ice, we had trouble with that, and getting used to each other as linemates and d-partners. The first night, we struggled. I can't (pauses), it happens to everyone, to every team. But, after that… (pauses), I'm still really close to all those guys and we came together really quick after that loss. We figured it out really fast. We had to.

McKeen's: Right. I think maybe it was Josh Birkholz who told me, "We quickly figured out we didn't want to be the joke of this tournament."

Gerths: Yeah, exactly.

McKeen's: And obviously you guys weren't. You yourself scored 4 goals and 3 assists, which was pretty good. So, how did you feel the tournament went for you and how did that tournament play compare to what play every night in the USHL?

Gerths: I thought I did well, but, once again, hats off to my linemates (Mike Cichy and Patrick Mullane), making me look good, making me look better. They're great guys on the ice and off the ice. They helped me out when I was down. As for the pace, it was kind of like the All-Star Game, but a little more physical, a little faster, but it was on an Olympic sheet, so there's a lot more ice, you had a lot more time to see the play. Here, it's as hard as you can go and try to make something happen. There, you know, you can take a few strides off and glide for a little bit, look for the play. It was kind of tough coming back here, because I had some bad habits.

McKeen's: Tell me about your linemates, who I've spoken to this year, but tell me about them, your guys' chemistry, and then your role on the team.

Gerths: Before hand, I hadn't known Pat Mullane. I hadn't known Patty. I had met Mike [Cichy] before. We were at a USA Select Festival together, and we actually sat next to each other in the locker room. So we knew of each other. We weren't really buddies yet, but (pauses)… we got along together. We found each other on the ice every time we got the puck. It was great. I couldn't ask for better linemates for a week.

McKeen's: Mike Cichy's definitely had that effect this year.

Gerths: Yeah (chuckles). He's having a great year.

McKeen's: Regarding your teammates up there, who were some of your teammates at the World Junior A Challenge that impressed you the most and why?

Gerths: Umm, obviously all of the draft picks (Matt Donovan, Danny Kristo, Nick Larson, and Max Nicastro). It was good to see what level you need to be at to be drafted. Mike Cichy, obviously, and then Mike Lee as well. He played outstanding in net, hats off to him especially, because he played great. It's not an easy thing to do against world competition.

McKeen's: As we mentioned earlier, you played for Culver, but that was after skating in Des Moines, Iowa. At what point did you leave the Des Moines Youth Hockey Association and start playing elsewhere?

Gerths: I left after my eighth-grade year, enrolled at Culver as a freshman. It's a military school, so obviously the first year there was pretty rough. Not only that, but it was my first year of Triple-A hockey, so I had to make that transition as well. I think it worked out for the best. It was a smart move. I'm glad my parents sacrificed a lot to make it possible.

McKeen's: Tell me about that decision to leave friends and family at a fairly early age to pursue your hockey goals.

Gerths: You know? It's tough. But, I mean, if you want it bad enough, you can sacrifice anything for it. Obviously, I still live in Ankeny. I can go back and see them (friends) during the summer, it's not that big of a deal. For me, being away from my family was kind of tough, because last year my mom actually got cancer, so I was pretty worried about that for a little while. But, she's done with it now, she had it cured. So, that was pretty much the only thing I had to worry about, as far as, like, leaving my family, not really sure if anything was going to happen to my mom. Other than that, I didn't struggle with it. It's nice living by yourself.

McKeen's: That's a tough thing to go through, a parent with cancer. With moving from the Des Moines area (pauses), not a lot of players have gone from the Capitals or the Oak Leafs to the USHL. Derek Elliott did, but other than that, most of the guys have had a tough time, recently. Chad Costello went to Culver.

Gerths: Nate Dewhurst went to Culver.

McKeen's: Yeah, that's right. Costello went to Team Illinois.

Gerths: Yeah.

McKeen's: He went to TI.

Gerths: Then (pauses), what's the goalie's name? For the Devils, he just did really well.

McKeen's: Yes, Clemmensen.

Gerths: Clemmensen. Scott Clemmensen. Yeah, he went straight from a high school program to the Bucs and then to wherever he went.

McKeen's: Boston College.

Gerths: Yeah, Boston College.

McKeen's: Back to your time at Culver, what were some of the areas of your game that improved the most?

Gerths: Patience, especially patience. I learned a lot about the game, the way it's played. I can't really explain it, just things that you can do on the ice, little things that you should do that make you better. Like always having your head up, finding someone, not holding on to the puck too long, or trying to hold onto the puck too long. Patience was the big thing, though, not just throwing everything around. Not only the puck, but yourself, being patient, staying in open areas. It's still something I'm working on now. You can never be good enough at it.

McKeen's: Tell me about how the military academy aspect of things also carries over and affects how you play or go about training.

Gerths: Yeah, my least favorite part (smiles). It wasn't that bad. Obviously, going in there, when you're a new guy, they have certain rules for you. You have to clean up the common areas and stuff like that, which, as a new a guy, being away from home…

McKeen's: It's like being a rookie.

Gerths: Yeah, it's like being a rookie. That's hard, but (pauses), whatever. It doesn't really affect your play. They're pretty lenient about it.

McKeen's: Did you ever consider any other prep schools besides Culver?

Gerths: Des Moines's not really that far from Shattuck, but I never really got into them, never really liked them too much. We played their Double-A team a few times during my bantam year. I was actually going to stay in Des Moines until Culver contacted me the summer before my eighth-grade year, and it just kind took off from there. I'm glad it happened.

McKeen's: That's always nice to be wanted, to have someone contact you.

Gerths: Yeah, yeah. It's great.

McKeen's: While you were at Culver, you committed to Notre Dame, which isn't too far from Culver.

Gerths: Yeah.

McKeen's: At what point did Notre Dame start talking to you, what was the recruiting process like with them, and what made you decide that becoming a Fighting Irish was right for you?

Gerths: I'd talked to them for a while. I was really comfortable with their coaches and everything that they had going on there. Growing up, you always hear Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Notre Dame, how great of a school it is, and with an up-and-coming hockey program like they have, they're fantastic. How can you turn it down?

McKeen's: Yeah. I don't know if you expected when you committed that they'd be battling for first or second in the nation this year, but, yeah, they're definitely really stepping it up. Miami of Ohio did it first, and now here's Notre Dame stepping up from the CCHA. If I might ask, what other programs were recruiting you?

Gerths: No one.

McKeen's: Uh!? That's interesting.

Gerths: I was talking to a few people, but I'd just like to keep that to myself.

McKeen's: That's certainly fine. We've touched upon the draft a tiny bit, and this is your draft year, and your name shows up on scouting lists. So, what's your reaction to that and do you ever envision draft day and, if so, what do you see?

Gerths: I don't know. Sometimes I don't like looking at that stuff, I tend to get satisfied with it. You can never be satisfied, especially in hockey. You've got to keep working hard, like I said. If it happens, that's great. I want it to happen more than anything, but at the same time, if it doesn't, I've always got the next year.

McKeen's: Right, and free agency if the draft never happens.

Gerths: Exactly.

McKeen's: Of course, it's special for any player to be drafted, but not a lot of guys from Iowa get drafted. Scott Clemmensen is the only one that comes to mind immediately. Tell me about that, about the possibility about being one of the very few Iowans to be drafted.

Gerths: You know? It'd be cool, but at the same time, no one in Iowa would really know about it.

McKeen's: (Laughs)

Gerths: Hockey's not that big there. But, it'd make my family proud. Obviously, they always are. It'd be nice.

McKeen's: I'm sure the families in the Des Moines Youth Hockey Association would be proud. Your name would be on the website for a long time. Back on track here, if I were a director of amateur scouting for an NHL team, what are some reasons I should consider drafting David Gerths?

Gerths: Oh, man. Can we skip this one? I don't know. I always try and work my hardest, never afraid to ask question so that I can understand things better and know what I need to do better, well-behaved, well-mannered, usually.

McKeen's: Nothing wrong with being a coachable player. Going back to your youth, when did you first start playing hockey and how did you get that start?

Gerths: I was three or four. My dad got me into it. He grew up in Minnesota and played high school with his two brothers. He came down to Iowa from Fargo. Well, he was in Duluth at first, then he moved to Fargo, and then Iowa. As a kid, I always remember him talking about Brett Hull, because he went to Minnesota-Duluth at the same time that my dad and my mom were living up there. It always kind of intrigued me.

McKeen's: Lastly, I guess, who are some of your favorite players and why and who are some players that you'd like to equate to, if those are different at all?

Gerths: Obviously Brett Hull. He's a great guy to look up to, a 700-goal scorer. I really like Jarome Iginla. I think he's a great player. He's never afraid to mix it up, but he can be finesse too at the same time. He's a captain, he leads his team. I like that. He's a good leader.

McKeen's: Definitely. Now he leads Calgary in pretty much everything. He's their top scorer all-time and the face of their franchise, both yesterday, today, and tomorrow, and will be a legend well into the future.