A-K Valley Senior Spotlight: Deer Lakes’ Jake Bradley

By: Ted Sarneso
Monday, December 2, 2024 | 2:04 PM

One of the first things new Deer Lakes hockey coach Ty Ulanowicz noticed when he took over this season was one of the players being all business when he was on the ice.

“Time and time again, I saw this player being the first one ready for the next drill,” Ulanowicz said. “Whenever other kids were sort of messing around, he was at the boards ready to learn and to listen. He was there to play the game of hockey.”

That player was senior defenseman Jake Bradley, and his businesslike demeanor toward hockey is why Ulanowicz gave Bradley the “C” to wear on his sweater as captain.

“He provides the energy to get the team going, provides them with motivation,” Ulanowicz said. “He’s always trying to keep everyone in line and focused on the game at hand. He’s always keeping a positive mindset, which speaks volumes because people feed off that.”

Said Bradley: “Coming up through my sophomore and junior years, AJ Shaft and Noah Long were the captains and they taught me to step up and be a leader. It really meant a lot when coach picked me. I’m very thankful for the opportunity.”

Like his leadership, Bradley’s contributions on the ice will not always show up on the score sheet. He only has two assists through his team’s first eight games. He is a physical, shutdown defenseman who prides himself on laying a hit on the opposition.

“I wouldn’t say I’m always trying to look to lay a hit, but sometimes it does end up where I need to pick one guy and stay on him the entire game,” Bradley said.

His ability to be that shutdown guy for the Lancers has taken years for Bradley to master. He even admitted to being a little undisciplined early on and credits the coaches on his travel team for helping better his play.

“I would always gap up too close to the opposition when I was younger, and I always fell short of hitting them or staying with them whenever they entered the zone,” Bradley said. “But my travel coaches, Spencer Svoboda and Sean Riffle, taught me to rein in my physicality when I’m out there and help my teammates by playing a little cleaner, choosing better options when I’m out there.”

Bradley took some time for a Senior Spotlight Q&A:

Through eight games, the team is at .500 (4-4). What’s it going to take to play winning hockey the rest of the way?

A lot of shots on net, like our last game against Gateway, where we outshot them 63-25. A lot of physicality, and we need to cut down on our penalties. We also need to focus. Most of the time we know what to do. We just need to concentrate on the game.

How amped up does your physicality get the team?

They get pretty fired up, and it’s nice when it happens, but at the same time, we still need goals and I’m not really a big point-getter. Ryan Grunden is a great goal scorer. He and Trevor Keenan are great playmakers. I’d say they get the team more fired up with what they do.

What part of your game were you looking to improve on this season?

Scoring. That was a big part. Last year, fellow defensemen Eliot Belli and Hank Szenyeri were a big part of our team, and they always skated up the puck and got a few goals. Whenever they were up top on the blue line, they weren’t afraid to shoot the puck. They showed me that I can help out the team more by shooting.

Do you take being captain as seriously as you do everything else about hockey?

Yes, I hope to do a good job being a captain. I want to be a great leader and someone the other players sort of look up to, someone they can come to if they need anything, both on and off the ice. I’m also thankful for my assistant captains, Ryan Grunden and Trevor Keenan and fellow seniors Ryan Bogacz and Carter Catalano.

What are your post high school plans?

I really want to go to Chatham University and major in environmental studies. I do want to play hockey there as well.

What drew you to that field?

Freshman year at Deer Lakes, I took a class called Pathways and most of the homework I got was for environmental studies. I looked into it, and I liked it the more I researched.

What’s a fun fact people may not know about you?

Nature is my therapy. I like to be out in nature.

What’s one piece of advice you’d want to leave your teammates?

To never give up. Also, I would want them to remember to concentrate on the game while you’re playing it. Remain focused on the task at hand.

Tags: Deer Lakes