USHL: QA with Josh Birkholz

Fargo Force forward Josh Birkholz grew up a big fan of the "Russian Rocket," and the resemblance in Birkholz's and Bure's games is plain to see. In the spirit of Pavel Bure, perhaps a nickname such as the "Minnesota Missile" would be fitting for Birkholz. The Maple Grove native has speed in spades and can beat most any USHL defenseman wide, turn the corner, and drive the net. His speed has helped him contend for first in Fargo team scoring, propelled him to represent his country twice, and placed his name among those likely to be selected in the early rounds of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey recently had the opportunity to talk with forward Birkholz. The young forward discussed his selection to the USHL Prospects/All-Star Game, his season with the Fargo Force so far, playing, representing his country at several tournaments, his high school career in Minnesota, committing to the University of Minnesota, and a few NHLers he respects, including Pavel Bure.

McKeen's: The latest and greatest news with you is that you were named to play for Team West in the USHL Prospects/All-Star Game on February 4. So, how did you find out you were named to that team, who told you, and what does that mean to you?

Birkholz: Actually, I was just doing some homework and wanted to take a break and looked on the USHL website and it was on the front thing, the latest news pop-up, just looked at it and saw that my name was on there. Kind of felt very honored. To see all the guys that are on that list, it's something special to be a part of.

McKeen's: You're in your first, and probably only, season in the USHL, and you're kind of in a race with teammate Matt Leitner to lead the Force in scoring. So, with that, how would you say your transition from high school hockey with Blake School to the USHL has gone and what have been the biggest changes for you?

Birkholz: I think it's gone well, a little bit better than I expected, actually. I started off pretty well, felt more comfortable than I thought I would have in the first game. The biggest change is, probably, everything is just one-step ahead of high school hockey. Everybody's a little bit stronger, everybody's faster, everybody's either fighting to hopefully get drafted in the NHL, depending on their age, or fighting for college scholarships. So, everybody's there for the same reasons, whereas in high school, some people are just playing just because they need to get some requirements done for school and stuff. But, I had a great time, obviously, in high school hockey, playing with my buddies and stuff. But, here, it's all hockey, you're getting better every day both on and off the ice. I'm really liking it so far.

McKeen's: That goes perfectly into my next question, along those lines, what do you feel are the areas of your game that have improved the most so far this season and what have you been focusing on improving?

Birkholz: Just focusing (pauses), I had good speed in high school and stuff. At the beginning of the year, I did a lot of training this summer, coming into the season, getting better on my skates, not getting knocked around and stuff, and continuing on getting faster. Those first couple of games, I was using my speed very well and it was helping me a lot. So, the summer really paid off. So, I'm just really focusing on getting pucks to the net, driving the net with my speed around the corner, and also I want to keep improving my defensive game, be that all-around player. So, lately, in practice, just really trying to focus on along the wall, getting pucks out, and kind of being that well-rounded guy that teams look for, for both offense and defense.

McKeen's: Right, that way you're one of the guys on the ice in the final minute of a close game. You've hit on my next question a little bit, but expound a bit more on the areas you feel are the strengths of your game.

Birkholz: Like I said, I think my speed and my shot are probably my greatest assets. I'm a decently-sized kid (6-foot-1, 185), too, so getting in there and throwing the body around, too, play a little gritty and get into those hard areas, and that's something I'm trying to improve on. But, just that speed and driving the net and using my shot.

McKeen's: In the times that I've been able to see you, it seems like you're one of the fastest player in the USHL. So, when did it become apparent that you had that exceptional speed and tell me more about how you developed it and how much of it was natural, if you've always been a bit faster?

Birkholz: Growing up, I've always had good speed, but it's definitely something you work hard at off the ice with lifting weights and plyometrics, stuff to get that quickness, north and south and also east and west, those side-to-side movements. But, going into the Fall Classic at the beginning of the year, I didn't really know what to expect, I'd just played high school, I'm still a senior in high school, playing with guys 18, 19, 20 years old. So, I just kind of wanted to go out there and work as hard as I can and hopefully good things will happen. After a while, I started to realize that I can blow around a lot of these guys. So, just get to the bench, kind of realizing it was just working, keep doing it. So, it's something I've really been focusing on using, because if I don't do that, I'm only hurting myself and my team. So, I'm just focusing on using that speed every night going offensively and also coming back to help out defensively.

McKeen's: Another McKeen's correspondent and I were talking at the Fall Classic and we thought that perhaps there should have been some sort of competition between you and Danny Kristo…

Birkholz: (Chuckles)

McKeen's: … beating people wide and driving the net.

Birkholz: (Chuckles a bit more)

McKeen's: Now, obviously, the Force are pretty young as USHL teams go. You guys only have a few guys that played together at this level, with Ohio, when they were with the Jr. Blue Jackets, and you guys started off a little slow. But, it does seem like you guys have picked things up. So, how do you feel the season has gone overall for the team and how the team's been improving?

Birkholz: Yeah, at the beginning of the year, obviously our record didn't reflect where I thought where our team was at, had the potential to be at. So, obviously that was kind of frustrating. You can't really get down and say, "Oh, that's the way the season's going to go." I think a lot of the guys started to really bear down and say, "We've got options. We can either stay at where we're at, and everybody's kind frustrated and not going to have the year that we have the potential to have, or we can really start working hard every single day in practice and refuse to be that lower team and not get knocked around stuff." I think everybody on our team bought into that concept. It keeps improving every single day in practice, and it's reflected in our games, as you can see. We're not that 2-8, whatever, 1-9 team that we were at the beginning of the year. We're near the top half, top of the league, well not top of the league, but in that upper group that can skate with anybody and has the potential to beat anybody. So, it's kind of up to us on how we want to end off the season, because we have all the tools and the right guys filling the right roles to accomplish something special.

McKeen's: Now, you missed a little time with the Force in November, but it was for a good cause, playing for Team USA at the World Junior A Challenge. So, similar to the USHL All-Star Game, tell me about how you found out you were named to that team, who told you, and what it meant to you to be selected.

Birkholz: (Chuckles). Actually, that's kind of a funny story. We were in practice and I came down, came down wide and shot the puck and missed it wide and coach [Dean] Blais kind of got on me and said, "You know? You're not going to help out that USA team missing the net." I looked at him and was, like, "What are you talking about? What USA team?" He was like, "Oh. They haven't called you yet?"

McKeen's: (Chuckles)

Birkholz: So, I found out that way. Kind of a good and bad thing on that one, but I got a call from a guy from USA Hockey a couple days later and was actually told by him instead of my coach. That was one of my goals coming into the season, to hopefully make that. When I got that call, I was very thrilled. Again, I felt very fortunate and very honored to be able to be given that chance, to represent your country and all those guys that have done it before you. So, that's something to be proud of.

McKeen's: Up in Camrose, who were your linemates at that tournament, tell me about your role, and how did you feel you did?

Birkholz: Nick Larson was one of my [linemates], from Waterloo, and Robbie Vrolyk, I played a little bit with, and Matt White. Rob's from Sioux Falls and Matt's from Des Moines. Again, like coming in at the beginning of the season, I just wanted to help out the team whatever way I could, whether that was as a third-line, fourth-line grinder-type guy or a guy that they're looking to, to score goals. I just wanted to do everything I could to help our team win that gold. That's the ultimate and most important thing. So, again, I just wanted to go in there working hard. I ended up kind of being a guy that scored some goals, too (3 goals, 1 assist in 5 games). I think I helped out our team both in our defensive zone and offensive zone, too, to win that gold. But that was something very fun, just meeting all those guys, becoming close in that first week, that only week that we were with each other. To win something like that with a group of guys, it's something you'll always remember.

McKeen's: Tell me a bit about your first game. You guys ended up winning the gold, but the first game did not go so well.

Birkholz: (Chuckles)

McKeen's: Tell me about your reaction after that first game against Germany.

Birkholz: I think that was something all the guys went in, didn't really know what to expect. There were a handful of guys that played on the team the year before and there were a lot of new faces, new guys, including myself, that didn't really know what to expect. I think with all the traveling and all the miscellaneous stuff that goes in before that first game outside of the rink, meeting the guys and all that stuff, kind of messes with your mind a little bit. I don't think we were as focused as we needed to be on what we were really there for that first game. So, it was an unpleasant surprise, but I think it kind of boosted our team to really bear down and really focus on what we're here for.

McKeen's: Then, also, tell me who some of your Team USA teammates at that tournament that impressed you the most and why?

Birkholz: You know? That's kind of a hard question, because all of the guys were picked for their own reasons, things they can bring to the team and stuff, and everybody did a very good job at it, clearly, with winning the gold. But, I think Mike Cichy did very, very well for us, obviously. If it wasn't for him, I don't think we would have been able to achieve what we did. But, again, I think everybody chipped in, in their own ways, either offensively, scoring a lot of goals, or really blocking shots, to making good passes or big hits, things like that. So, everybody chipped in, in their own way, and it showed.

McKeen's: It appears as if karma has kind of come around and that Cichy will probably actually get to experience playoffs in the USHL, now that he's been traded to Indiana.

Birkholz: (Chuckles) Yeah.

McKeen's: Going back to last year, you kind of started emerging a little bit prior to 2007-08, playing for Team USA at the Five Nations Tournament. Tell me about being selected to that team and about that tournament and how you felt you did.

Birkholz: That was a long, whole-summer process, actually, making that team. So, that was kind of a grind in and of itself, trying to stay working hard every single time that you're playing with that talented of a group of kids at my age level. I really was just focused on working as hard as I can, having as much fun as I can. Part of that whole process is meeting so many cool kids, some from around the country and stuff, and developing those types of relationship. But, from a hockey standpoint, just trying to have fun and don't try to be something that I'm not. I'm a goal scorer, don't necessarily try to be the big bruiser, hitter-type guy. It's a showcase. So, show what my skills are, and I was just hoping that it would lead to that ultimate goal and making that Team USA, and fortunately that all worked out. That was a very good experience, met a lot of cool guys. Didn't end up with the gold, but it was good life experience going to see, never been overseas, to see Europe, the sites and stuff, and then also playing guys from all over the world, too, and kind of seeing where you're at. That's something I'll never forget.

McKeen's: Also part of the emergence was playing for Team Southwest in the Elite League, if I remember that right

Birkholz: Northwest

McKeen's: Northwest! Sorry.

Birkholz: (Chuckles) That's alright.

McKeen's: And you also put up 60 points, roughly (34 goals and 25 assists, to be exact), in 30 games for Blake, too. How did you feel that the combination of playing for Team USA and then the Elite League affected your junior season?

Birkholz: As soon as I got done with my sophomore season, that whole USA Hockey, the select process, kind of started. That's when I really started to try and improve my game off the ice in the weight room and stuff. I think just playing all that hockey, just continuing in developing my skills, both on and off the ice, kind of allowed me to have success during my high school season.

McKeen's: During your high school career, what are some of the accomplishments you're the most proud of, and what are some of your favorite memories?

Birkholz: Probably, to answer both of those questions, making the state tournament every year that I played high school hockey. It's kind of fun to look back and see what brought you success, the different guys and the different roles. Not just their roles, but the role you played on it. It's kind of fun to look back and be able to compare one to the other. So, that's definitely one of my greatest memories from high school hockey, those teams making it to state, then also the Breck-Blake rivalry. Those games are always pretty intense and probably the "funnest" game of the year. You get some big butterflies playing in front of your school, and the rival school kind of gives that extra boost, and it's always a great game. So, it's one of those games that you look forward to when the regular season starts.

McKeen's: Going back further to your youth, when did you get your start in hockey, how did you get that start, and what organizations did you play for prior to Blake?

Birkholz: My brother, I have an older brother, he plays at Hamline in the MIAC (Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, NCAA DIII). Growing up, I was always competitive with him. He's four years older than me, but I didn't really care about that. So, I always kind of wanted to do everything that he was doing and beat him out at that, even however young I was, just that competitiveness (chuckles). First hockey experience, actually, just rollerblading and stuff. I was three years old and I wanted to do it. My parents were a little hesitant, I'm only three. I kept falling down and stuff and they said I just kept getting back up and said I wanted to be better than Andrew. That's the first hockey experience. First team, was probably four years old just playing little, I don't even know what it was called.

McKeen's: Probably atoms or something like that.

Birkholz: Yeah. So, that was the first experience. That was in Maple Grove, where I'm from. All the way up until my freshman year, I played for Maple Grove from super mites to bantams, my first year of bantams.

McKeen's: And, obviously, you bypassed your second year of bantams with high school.

Birkholz: Yeah.

McKeen's: Going back to last season, you committed to the University of Minnesota. When did the Gophers start talking to you, describe the recruiting process that they led you through, and, as a Minnesota kid, this answer is obvious, but what made you decide to go to "The U?"

Birkholz: Growing up in Minnesota, it's always every kid's dream to wear that maroon and gold, and I was no exception to that. So, growing up, watching the games, and watching the [Thomas] Vaneks and the Keith Ballards and those kind of guys, just in awe of them. If you would have asked me four or five years if I would have been playing at "The U" next year, I would have probably laughed and said no. That whole process kind of started at that Select 16 Festival with USA Hockey. After a couple of the Festivals and stuff, playing against all the Minnesota kids, to make the Rochester team, they started talking to me after those. It was kind of just, "Hello. How are you doing? We're interested in you," just kind of trying to see what kind of person I am. They came to watch when I made the Czech Republic team, or the USA team that went over to the Czech Republic. Coach [John] Hill actually came and watched that. After that, they said that they liked what they'd been seeing over the past couple months and had me in on a visit and offered me a scholarship. I was kind of in awe and I didn't really know what to think. I wanted to say, "Yes, absolutely." But, obviously, that's kind of a heat-of-the-moment type of thing. When he said that, I knew that I was going to say yes, but it was just a matter of talking it over with my parents. They said, "Call us in a couple days on your answer or what you think." The next day, I told my parents I wanted to tell them. There was no doubt in my mind that's where I wanted to be, and to this day I'm still very, very happy with my choice and feel very fortunate to be able to wear those colors next year.

McKeen's: If I might ask, what other programs were pursuing you?

Birkholz: It was actually kind of a lot. I didn't really talk to a lot of teams at all before that Select 16 process. Fortunately, I was playing well and getting attention from a lot of teams from all the different leagues, from Boston College, Boston University, to Minnesota, Wisconsin, Colorado College, Miami of Ohio was a school that I was looking at pretty intensely. That was kind of something that was very fun and kind of stressful at times, because you're getting all this attention and stuff and you just kind of want to focus on keep playing hockey and focus on what you're doing that allowed you to talk to those teams. Once I committed to the University of Minnesota, it was actually a very good feeling to take a deep breathe and say, "Alright, now I can focus on what I need to do to keep progressing and achieve my ultimate goal of playing in the NHL." So, one thing after another, I guess, but that's why I play the game.

McKeen's: One step for a lot of players toward the NHL is the draft, although not always.

Birkholz: No.

McKeen's: But, Central Scouting has you ranked 33rd amongst all North American skaters, which if one factors in the European players and the goalies selected, if it were to follow CSS's lines, it probably put you in the second half of the second round, which is pretty good.

Birkholz: Yeah.

McKeen's: So, what does it mean to be ranked that high and to be ranked highly by a number of other scouting services, and do you ever envision draft day and, if so, what do you see?

Birkholz: It's always kind of in the back of your mind, but the real challenge is to put that aside and really focus on playing for the Fargo Force right now. That's the main thing, that's what I'm doing. That all will unfold as it should. It obviously feels very, very good to be ranked that high with that many amazing players that are out there. So, it's kind of nice to see your name that high. But, that's in the future. Right now, I just focus on playing with the guys on the team, achieving that goal of winning the division championship and ultimately a national championship in the USHL. That's my main focus right now, but, again, it feels good to see your name that high.

McKeen's: And even if you guys don't win the division, the Arizona Cardinals are more than proof that…

Birkholz: (Chuckles) Yeah,

McKeen's: That you guys could still go quite a ways.

Birkholz: Yeah, yeah, exactly.

McKeen's: Lastly, who were some of your favorite players growing up and who are some of your favorite players today and which players would you like to equate to, if those are different at all?

Birkholz: Umm, growing up my favorite player was Pavel Bure, the "Russian Rocket."

McKeen's: I can see the resemblance.

Birkholz: (Chuckles) Yeah. I just liked watching him and kind of try to emulate some of the things that he did. I liked watching guys like Thomas Vanek for Minnesota. To this day, I really like watching people like Jarome Iginla and Brent Burns, the Joe Thorntons, the guys that play with a lot of passion every night and are playing hockey for the right reasons. They're not playing for the money, they're playing for the love of the game. I think that's the most important thing. So, those are the guys that I look up to and hope to reflect and be like some day.

McKeen's: Well, Josh, thanks very much for all your time.

Birkholz: Thank you, thank you.

McKeen's: A good interview. I'm sure you'll do just great in the Combine interviews, too.

Birkholz: (Chuckles) They're a little more harsh than you, I'm sure. (Laughs)

McKeen's: Well, true. Now, if the Sharks ask you what the longest river in Canada is, which they have been known to do…

Birkholz: (Laughs)

McKeen's: It's the McKenzie River.

Birkholz: (Continues chuckling) I'll remember that.