Ice in his veins

Newcastle, Wyoming, isn’t a mecca for hockey lovers, so if a young man has a passion for the sport, how does he go about being able to play?

Well, 14-year-old Jaden McGuire, a freshman at Newcastle High School found a way, and between his own determination and the support of his family, he has also proven that he has a great deal of talent on the ice.

“Hockey has always been a part of my life,” Jaden began. “My dad grew up playing hockey and even played at the junior college level. My brother Ryan and my cousins of all ages play hockey. We would play together during Christmas breaks, and everyone always had fun. They talked about their teams, and I wanted to be a part of that, too.”

The love of the game began in Jaden’s youth and he reminisced of his introduction to the sport and the spark that ignited his passion for hockey.

“My whole family — my mom, dad, brother and sisters — used to shovel snow off an area on a lake and play for fun,” Jaden said, smiling. “We still play together on either the outdoor rink in Newcastle or on our home rink in our backyard.”

When Jaden was 10 years old, he and his brother started playing organized hockey in Rapid City. Scott McGuire, Jaden’s father, was an assistant coach for the junior varsity house team, which was a squad made up of 14- to 18-year-old players. 

Although he was four years younger than the minimum age, his family participation on the team offered Jaden the opportunity to skate and practice with the older players.

“I was good enough that I was told by the league organizer that I needed to move up to that older level when I was 12 years old,” the young man said, with a grin. “Then, last season from October to March, I was able to live with relatives in Bottineau, North Dakota, and play on their 13-and-under hockey team. Our team took fifth place in the North Dakota state tournament, and we even got to play a game in Canada!”

In 2023-2024, Jaden found a place closer to home to play hockey when he secured a place on the roster of the Rushmore Thunder Bantam B team in Rapid City. His talent on the ice landed him the center position, which one might compare to the point guard in basketball since his job is to set up the offense, run the offense, make passes to set up scoring opportunities and create scoring opportunities for himself.

The center is invariably one of the most talented players on the ice. He must be a strong skater able to handle the puck well, be a creative playmaker, and make great passes. He must also possess great “ice vision,” be able to win face-offs, and be a team player. 

Though the center is primarily an offensive player, he also has defensive responsibilities. His main job is to clog up the middle, take away passing lanes and attempt to intercept passes from his opponents. 

Jaden took on the weighty responsibility of the center with class and rose to the expectations of the position. At the end of the regular season, he was the top goal scorer and had the most total points in South Dakota for the Bantam B division. In 17 total games this season, Jaden accumulated 38 points with 21 goals and 17 assists.

Bringing his dream of playing hockey to fruition has not been easy. Scott described the dedication it required from the whole family in order to make it work.

“We went to Rapid City four times per week for practices, many of which took place late at night starting at 9 p.m. and lasting until 10 p.m. As such, we got home about midnight on Friday, Sunday, (some Wednesdays) and Monday nights,” Scott said. “On Thursdays we left for Rapid at 3:45 right after school, so we got home a little earlier, but it still makes for a long day.”

The Rushmore Thunder had a successful year, ending the season with 13 wins, two losses, one tie and one overtime loss. The squad also won the State Bantam B state title in the state tournament on Feb. 25 in Rapid City.

The road to the title began with a bye on Friday the 23rd, then they defeated Oahe (Pierre) 1-0 in overtime on Saturday. 

From there, they faced off against Brookings, South Dakota, in the championship on Sunday. The East River team came into the tournament as the No. 1 seed, having beaten Jaden’s team twice during the regular season. The Rushmore Thunder were able to get the win that counted, however, as they defeated Brookings 3-2 to win the title.  

Winning a state title is a great feeling for anyone, regardless of the sport, but Jaden expressed more personal reasons for why he loves to play hockey.

“I like playing hockey because of all the memories it has given me,” he said. “There is nothing like the feeling of scoring a goal or making a good play. It makes you work harder to have that feeling again, it builds your confidence knowing that not everybody can skate or shoot well enough to score, and I like helping my team win games.”

Not only has his participation in the sport given him great memories of playing the game, but it has also provided benefits that go far beyond the obvious.

“My dad has been my coach and practice partner since I started playing hockey, and we spend a lot of time together practicing and playing,” Jaden said. “We are closer because of all of the time we spend together driving to practice, talking about games and practices, and working on hockey skills either on the ice or in our garage to get better.”

As a freshman, Jaden is far from achieving all his goals regarding hockey, and has a plan going forward to continue to enjoy the sport he loves.

“I achieved my first goal of our team winning the South Dakota state championship, and my next goal is to try out and play on a varsity or junior varsity high school hockey team for the next few years,” Jaden explained. “After that I would like to play for the Bottineau, North Dakota, Lumberjack college hockey team like my dad and some of my cousins have done.”

According to Scott, the game plan for next season is for Jaden to try out for a varsity squad in Gillette next October. 

Given that hockey is not a widely played sport in this part of the country, Jaden wanted to share his passion with those who might want to give it a shot.

“I would like people to know that if you want to play hockey badly enough it is possible to learn how to do it, even if your town does not have a hockey team or a hockey rink,” he said. “It takes time, effort, and a desire to improve, but it is worth it because it is a fun sport, and you can play it your whole life.”