Gonzalo Hagerman’s path to college hockey is as unique as it gets.
The 19-year-old defenseman from Cuajimalpa, Mexico committed to Bowdoin last fall. Earlier this season he skated with the Mexican National Team in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament and soon he’ll head to Bulgaria with the Mexican National Team for the World Junior Championships (Division 2B).
So how did a kid from just outside of Mexico City begin playing hockey and develop enough to play at the highest level?
Well, it all started in Minnesota.
“When I was two I moved to Minnesota with my family,” Hagerman said. “My parents were studying there. We lived there for maybe four years and then moved back to Mexico.”
In Minnesota, Hagerman began skating but he hadn’t yet caught the hockey bug. That happened back in Mexico, believe it or not.
“When we moved back to Mexico, and I was about seven, I started with one of the teams in Mexico City. There were only three of them at the time. That’s when I started and I fell in love with it right away.”
Hagerman played hockey and soccer until he was 15 years old, and then he moved to the United States to pursue his budding hockey career. He began attending the Coeur d’Alene Hockey Academy, which played in a prep league in western Canada and was based in Idaho.
Coeur d’Alene was the only American school in the league. Most of the road games were played against Canadian prep schools whose rosters were loaded with WHL hopefuls.
“It was an eye-opening experience,” Hagerman said. “I realized right away what it took to become a good player. After my sophomore year there, I didn’t feel as challenged academically, so I was looking to play somewhere else.”
Hagerman had a friend from Mexico who played for the Chicago Mission program. While playing for the Mission, she attended Lake Forest Academy and knew the coach. She convinced Hagerman to go down for a visit and meet the program.
“I learned a lot at LFA,” he said. “When I got there, I was pretty small. I was maybe 5-7 and 130 pounds. We would go to the gym after practices and I started having a meal plan. I wanted to gain a lot of weight and gained about 30 pounds – I got taller, too. In Mexico, I could go coast-to-coast but once I got to the U.S., I had to learn how to play hockey. I needed to learn the systems and stuff that I didn’t learn playing at home.”
Hagerman’s journey has brought him to Twin City in the NCDC this season. After committing to Bowdoin last spring, he was looking for a spot to play a year of junior hockey and had attended camp with Corpus Christi in the NAHL. After that path didn’t come to fruition, he contacted the staff at Bowdoin to ask what they thought was the best step for him in his career.
The staff suggested Twin City, which is only about 20 minutes from Bowdoin’s campus. Hagerman came up for camp and made the team, and he’s been enjoying life in Maine ever since.
“The NAHL is a more physical league and I’m not sure that’s my game,” he said. “Twin City made a lot of sense when I heard about it and I’ve loved it here.
“My billets are amazing and they take great care of me, so do my coaches here. It’s an awesome place. I didn’t know much about the NCDC coming in, but I’ve been really impressed with the hockey. And it’s easy for me to see Bowdoin games because I’m not that far away.”
Hagerman’s family is still in Mexico, but his dad was with him on a recruiting trip to Bowdoin last year. A very good student, Hagerman was looking at NESCAC schools and had also visited Colby and Tufts before choosing Bowdoin.
“I was amazed at Bowdoin and so was my dad,” he said. “We fell in love with it right away. The community is really friendly there.”
His family is able to catch some games on Hockey TV. In February, Twin City has a stretch of 10 straight home games, and his family has plans to fly up and catch some of the action.
Later on this season, Hagerman will also head to Bulgaria with the Mexican team for the World Juniors. After getting relegated two seasons ago, Mexico has a good chance of medaling at the tournament this season.
Hagerman also skated for the men’s national team in Olympic qualifying, but suffered a concussion in the first game and missed the rest of the tournament.
“Representing your country is always a great experience,” he said. “I’ve been playing with these guys for all of my life, either with them or against them, because the hockey scene in Mexico is so small.”
Overall, the scene in Mexico is growing. Hagerman said there were three teams when he was a kid, and now it’s up to about six or seven, depending on the level. There’s also the elite Mexican league, which has four teams and is home to some of the country’s best young talent.
“Hockey is growing, but it’s also expensive,” he said. “Still, it’s cool to see more kids from Mexico learning and loving hockey.”
