The Success Starts Here series features profiles on SJHL Alumni who are currently, or have played hockey at a post-secondary institution. Check out the full interviews every Thursday on the SJHL Insider Podcast and check back at SJHL.ca for profile pieces Wednesdays.
It’s just human nature: whenever you see someone as big as Drew Kuzma on the ice, it’s hard to take your eyes off him.
As a 6-foot-6, 220-pound forward, the former Weyburn Red Wings and Flin Flon Bombers forward can’t hide for his NCAA Division I Lindenwood University, and now he’s about to take a big step up for them as well.
He was named captain of the club in late September and is joined by fellow Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League alumni Ethan Zielke (Humboldt) and Jake Southgate (Battlefords), who will also wear the letters for the Lions.
Zielke and Southgate were both captains of their respective SJHL teams.
“Yeah, I think it’s a great honour, I’m just so humbled and happy to be named captain, it means the world,” Kuzma says.
“(In terms of Zielke and Southgate) either one of them could be wearing the “C,” too, and I’d be proud to be under them as well. They’re two of the best guys. Not only are they great hockey players, they’re just great people. Guys in the room gravitate toward them—you want to hang out with them.”
Kuzma, now 22, was recruited by the Red Wings out of his hometown St. Albert Raiders U18s ahead of the Covid-shortened 2020-21 campaign. Though that was a tough season for everyone, Kuzma was able to blossom offensively and physically the following year, both for the Red and White, and then was pivotal, after a trade-deadline move, in Flin Flon’s run to the SJHL final and Centennial Cup quarterfinal.
Both of his coaches in the league, Cody Mapes of Weyburn and Mike Reagan of Flin Flon, had similar, effusive praise for the bruising winger.
“’ Kuz’ was extremely competitive on and off the ice,” says Mapes.
“He wanted to get better every day, on the ice and in the gym. He was a great teammate and led with his work ethic. It was pretty special to see him develop over the year and a half in Weyburn. You always knew Drew would find a way to have an impact every day.”
“The thing that made Drew so special is how coachable he was and how much he wanted to get better every day,” adds Reagan.
“He was playing meaningful games (for us) and that forced him to become more consistent.”
Kuzma is entering his fourth year at Lindenwood, a program in the St. Louis, MO, suburbs, which has been a Division 1 club as long as he has been there.
At the time of writing, he has played in 89 games for the Lions, scoring eight goals and accumulating 23 points.
Indeed, his size is something that benefits him in any hockey league. Still, the development of utilizing that size is something he acknowledges he received in the SJHL, from great coaches like Mapes and Reagan.
“COVID was definitely weird, but it helped in my favour,” he adds.
“I think I was a bit underdeveloped, so getting just a couple of games under my belt, let me practice more, train, and work out throughout the year—get stronger and faster for the next season.
“I think the SJHL being a more physical league, it has a good mix of physical and skill…prepared me for college. When I started practicing my first year, it was a big adjustment—you finish every check and play through the whistle. But I was already used to it from going against those strong farm boys back (in the SJHL). It made me feel ready for that level.”
As one of the founding members of the Lions’ NCAA D1 program, Kuzma feels a strong responsibility to increase awareness of the team in St. Louis and beyond.
Keith Fisher is Lindenwood’s new coach as of this past June, and he, along with his staff, has strongly impressed Kuzma so far.
“I think one thing is our coaching staff is top-notch,” Kuzma says.
“We have a new coach this year, Keith Fischer, and he’s done a tremendous job through preseason getting us ready. Our coaches really emphasize getting out in the community and skating with younger teams—that helps build a fan base. School-wise, we get a decent crowd. Our rink is about 5–10 minutes off campus, so this year they started a busing program, bringing students out on charter buses. That’ll definitely help. We get a decent crowd for sure.”
Kuzma cherished his time in the SJHL, from his development during Cody Mapes and company’s rebuild in Weyburn around and just after the Covid-shortened season, to the wild Flin Flon run that culminated in the national championship in 2022 in Estevan.
While at times he was undoubtedly a work in progress in our league, that he has arrived as a captain and key contributor in an NCAA Div I program straight from the SJHL is no surprise to Mapes.
“That Covid season we did so much puck protection stuff and skill stuff, and I think that played a huge part in his development,” said Mapes.
“He was always extremely competitive, so the ‘dog’ mentality came naturally to him, but learning to use his reach was a game-changer.”
He is a dog and a Lindenwood Lion; we in the SJHL are incredibly proud of Captain Kuzma.
Find the episode of SJHL Insider with the full interview with Drew Kuzma here.
