George Grannis grew up playing in the Twin Cities before moving to Duluth, Minn., where he played for Duluth Marshall for two seasons. Over 25 games last year he scored 16 goals and 46 points, and in the same span he potted 29 goals and 52 points this season while captaining the team. Grannis also played for the Elite League in the fall and joined the Bismarck Bobcats of the NAHL in the offseason. The 18-year-old recently committed to Clarkson.
Neutral Zone chatted with Grannis about his youth hockey experience, his success at Duluth Marshall and more.
NZ: How and when did you start playing hockey?
GG: I probably picked up a stick when I was three years old and I’ve skated ever since I could remember. I think I was a better skater than I could run when I was young. Just kind of picked it up, I was in a hockey family so I mean my dad, grandpa, brother, everyone who could play played.
NZ: What was your earliest memory of playing hockey?
GG: I remember when I first went in to skate, you skate with sleds, and I remember being the first kid in my skating group to get rid of the sled and skate on my own.
NZ: What was your youth hockey experience like?
GG: It was good. Youth hockey was a lot of fun. I grew up playing in the [Twin] cities, so you just got to play around your guys. I was fortunate enough to win state in bantams and go to state in peewee, so youth hockey was a blast.
NZ: Why did you end up committing to Clarkson?
GG: Clarkson was pretty genuine with me. They’ve been genuine the whole process, and in the process, it’s kind of easy to tell what schools just want you to be a part of it and what schools want you to come play. Visiting Clarkson and meeting the coaches and seeing the campus, it just felt right. And I know if you ask a hockey player they’re always going to say that it felt right and it was a gut thing, and it hit that gut check for me, so it was easy to make that decision
NZ: What’s your best on-ice skill?
GG: I would say either my skating ability or my vision.
NZ: What area of your game has improved the most?
GG: Definitely would be either my shot or my consistency as a player, just being able to go out and be more and more consistent every game and keep producing and be at my best every shift.
NZ: What’s been the reason for you success this and last year?
GG: Definitely the people I’m surrounded by up here in Duluth. Coach [Brendan] Flaherty and the teammates I’ve been around … We have a bunch of talent at Marshall. I think one thing for me is I have a lot of individual drive and I push myself off the ice. When I’m on my own and when I’m not doing anything, I’m always working to get better and I think that drive helps me get better a lot. It’s just the want to get better.
NZ: How did you end up with Bismarck at the end of this season?
GG: During Elite League, their assistant coach, Garrett Roth, spoke to me and he talked to me about maybe signing a tender with me come signing day November 1, and I know there are a couple other teams in the North American League that were interested, but after talking to my high school coach, coach Flaherty, and Elite League Grant Clafton and my dad, it just kind of felt like the right place and the right fit. I had a couple talks with head coach Layne Sedevie, and they all went super well, so I was pretty excited and eager to sign with them in November. Obviously, I couldn’t play during the high school season, so as soon as my season ended, I was fortunate enough to hop on and start playing right away.
NZ: What were your impressions of the NAHL from the time you spent there?
GG: Definitely it’s faster than high school. It’s more of a dump and chase, it’s a physical league and you play the body. But it’s something where you kind of have to make decisions a lot quicker and you have to be a lot more responsible in the D zone. I only played there for eight games, but those eight games developed me a lot more than I thought it would and it got me used to a faster pace. I thought honestly it was a blast. I loved the teammates and the coaches.”
NZ: Will you be playing there next year?
GG: My plans are up in the air as of now, but most likely junior hockey.
NZ: How has played high school hockey in Minnesota prepared you for juniors?
GG: You can’t really compare Minnesota high school hockey to anything else, and it’s just kind of the love for the game. There’s different skill sets obviously because you have kids who are kind of these bubble guys playing against guys who are All-Americans. The atmosphere and the importance of hockey in the state of Minnesota is something you don’t come by very often, and being able to know the importance of it and everyone wants to do it. Being able to come to the rink every day with your buddies and then go to school and spend all day with them, it’s kind of different from AAA and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
NZ: What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever seen?
GG: I remember in AAA summer we had a practice at Augsburg Arena down in Minneapolis, and it was a super hot day and Augsburg’s rink, something was broken and you couldn’t see from goal line to blue line because there was so much fog. So we had kind of a fun practice and it was just really weird because you couldn’t even see anything.
NZ: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received in hockey?
GG: I would just say know you belong on the ice when you’re playing. It doesn’t matter if you’re playing against All-American or a Division I commit or the best player in the state, or an NHL draft pick and you’re on the fourth line. You earned that ice time, just as much as the next guy. And never really doubt yourself when you’re playing.”
Photo credit: Hickling Images
