The Dallas Stars had a very successful NHL Draft. On Friday, during Round One, they managed to grab the top defenseman with the #3 pick, a 17-year old from Finland named Miro Heiskanen. Then, they traded up to the #26 spot to nab the top goalie in the draft, American-born Jake Oettinger.
Then in Round Two on Saturday, with the #39 pick they grabbed another American player, a kid they had projected to go in the first round - Jason Robertson, a left wing who scored 42 goals in the Ontario Hockey League last season.
Jason's unique story has been getting a lot of attention.
Jason is of Filipino heritage (his mother was born in the Philippines) and grew up in Los Angeles. Inspired by his father and grandfather who were LA Kings season ticket holders, Jason and his two brothers started playing hockey. In fact the three boys were very competitive. It seemed the brothers' youth league schedules, coupled with SoCal traffic issues forced the family to find a very unique solution.
They purchased an RV.
The recreational vehicle served as a mobile command center that not only took the kids to practice, but also served as a classroom, and a locker room on wheels.
Jason said “We had a big RV, the rink in Los Angeles, with traffic, was probably an hour and a half away. My little brother and older brother play hockey so their practices would be at 3 and mine would be at 6. We’d all go at 3 o’clock and wait for my practice at 6." The brothers would hang out in the RV, watch TV, eat meals, do homework. It was their home away from home and allowed these "hockey parents" to provided some family stability.