When freshmen hockey players step onto the Madison campus and the Kohl Center ice, quite a bit gets thrown at them all at once. This transition can have an effect on a player’s confidence, causing many freshmen to produce less than they are capable of early in their college hockey careers. For Wisconsin’s Max Zimmer, his freshman journey has embodied just that.
It took some time for Zimmer to develop his confidence at the college level, but once he did, he became an integral part of the Badgers’ offense. Even though Zimmer’s impact has been evident since the midway point of the year, he often flew under the radar at the beginning of the season.
This is not to say that he wasn’t playing well, but the transition to Division I hockey is not an easy step to make, especially for a player who only previously played one year in the juniors (a usual post-high school step).
“I’ve just been getting used to the speed and getting used to playing against bigger guys,” Zimmer said. “You’re playing against guys who are five, six years older than you, so I think that was the biggest thing, just getting used to the speed and the physicality.”
Even after getting to skate with the rest of the team during the summer, the first couple weeks were a difficult transition for the young winger.
“You didn't know a lot of the guys,” Zimmer said. “I knew a couple guys coming in, a couple guys I played in Chicago with, a couple guys I went to highschool with–(Matthew) Freytag–so knowing a couple of guys made it a lot easier, but I think definitely there is a kind of uncomfort for the first couple of days.”
This transition from playing juniors in the United States Hockey League to playing DI college hockey is not something, however, that is exclusive to Zimmer. Almost all players that transition to playing at the college level struggle to play confidently and fail to play their best hockey in the opening weeks of their college career, including junior forward Cameron Hughes.
“Yeah absolutely as a freshman you come in and you’re kind of just thrown into it and your head’s spinning and you’re in classes and it’s a new city and it’s a lot thrown at you,” Hughes said. “And obviously it’s higher-paced hockey, so it takes a couple of games to get into it.”
Even head coach Tony Granato, who is often impressed with the skill and talent of Zimmer, recognizes how hard it is for even a high-caliber talent like Zimmer to make an impact right off the bat.
“Well, I don’t know if it’s necessarily a slow start, but I think the jump from USHL to college is a big one. He’s not a kid that played an extra year of juniors, he’s basically right from high school, so he didn’t have an advantage like a lot of players who come in who play one1 or two2 extra years of USHL or juniors,” Granato said. “They physically are just stronger and more ready for it. I think that’s just the process of respect when you come in as a freshman.”
With the change of pace, classes and a new environment to adapt to, it’s no wonder that it took Zimmer some time to find the score sheet. In fact, it took him nine games to score his first goal. Since then, however, Zimmer has been much more dominant, and has continued to improve his game each time he steps on the ice.
“I think right now my confidence is a bit higher than when I started the season,” Zimmer said. “It was nice to get my first goal and a couple points out of the way. I was off to a slow start, but once you start finding the net it’s easy to play with a little more confidence.”
Not only is Zimmer playing more confidently in his own abilities, but also his teammates, including his occasional linemate Grant Besse, are also realizing the type of impact that he can have on the game.
“He’s gotten a lot better. Confidence is a huge thing and I think getting the first half of his freshman year out of the way, I think he’s really come on this second half expecting to make all the plays that he’s capable of making,” Besse said. “He’s quick, he’s got an unbelievable shot, he’s a big guy. He works his tail off out there so he’s got a lot of attributes that are pretty easy to play with.”
Even though Zimmer is still only 10thtenth on the team in total points with eight, Granato has already seen the impact that he is producing on the ice, even if it is not directly translating to goals and assists.
“I just think he’s an elite talent. Elite, Elite, Elite,” Granato said. “He’s going to be a great pro, and he’s also, right now, a really, really solid college player. He’s starting to feel more comfortable and confident in himself and in his ability and in his impact to our team.”
To his coaches and his teammates, Zimmer’s development this season has been obvious. But more importantly, Zimmer has recognized his own growth, and that is now allowing him to play with the confidence to impact the game in the way his coaches and teammates know that he can. If Zimmer continues to grow and develop at the pace he is now, he will, as Granato imagines, be a dominant player at any level.
“I was just trying to be an impact player as soon as possible. I was also trying to play the way the coaches wanted us to play. I think obviously it took a couple games to transition, but I think as of now, there’s no such thing as being like a freshman,” Zimmer said. “I don’t think there’s a difference between my game and someone else's who's been here for a couple of years.”
