From NWI Times
By Wes Lukoshus
Brandon Prodoehl is not the star of his nationally-ranked Purdue University Northwest hockey team — just a guy who has come to understand his role of helping make his team better.
The 22-year-old Munster native has competed in the PNW hockey program since its emergence in 2019. During his four intercollegiate seasons on the ice, he has played for three head coaches.
Prodoehl also has been part of the Pride’s transition from Division II of the American College Hockey Association (ACHA) to this season’s leap to D-I, in which PNW has made an unexpected performance statement, asserting itself at No. 22 in national rankings with a 12-5-1 record.
Though arguably not one of the elite players on a team filled with skilled and tested former junior hockey competitors, Prodoehl nonetheless brings plenty to the rink, tangibly and otherwise. In 86 career games with PNW, the 6-foot, 175-pound forward has tallied 35 goals with 37 assists, including seven and six, respectively, this season, and 14 and 17 during 2021-22.
“He’s someone who shows up every day, goes to work and doesn’t complain,” first year PNW head coach Carl Trosien said. “He understands the game; my first two weeks here, I kept asking myself, ‘Where does this kid fit in?’ Before long, it became apparent.”
Continuing, Trosien, who came to PNW this fall after four seasons at ACHA D-I conference rival Grand Valley State (MI), said, “(Brandon’s) not the fastest or purest skater, and he’s not flashy, but mechanically, he’s pretty good, and he has a ton of offensive upside; he has scored some big goals for us.”
Case in point: his game-tying tally Dec. 2 against nationally No. 2-ranked, Great Lakes College Hockey League foe Adrian (MI) College in a contest PNW eventually lost, 4-3.
“I got a penalty three minutes into the game,” Prodoehl recalled. “It was a bad penalty, and I didn’t play the rest of the (first) period. But when I got back on the ice in the second period, I scored the tying goal. Finding a way to help my team after my first period mistake is what I needed to do.”
Asked what he brings to the rink, Prodoehl said, “I would describe myself as a utility player. There’s nothing I’m great at, but there’s also nothing I can’t be put in position to do. I don’t need to be a star. I just try to embrace what is necessary to help our team.”
Added Trosien, “Brandan’s hockey IQ is high; he has a knack for knowing where the puck is going to go and then getting where he needs to be. He makes his teammates better. He’s what I call ‘sneaky good.’”
Despite being an accomplished scorer at the high school level, tallying 19 goals in 43 games his senior year, Prodoehl had not planned to pursue college hockey until his first PNW coach, Kevin Cole, informed him of PNW’s plan to introduce its program in 2019.
“I was planning to go to college close to home,” Prodoehl said. “So when (Cole) invited me to come out for the new team at PNW, I decided to give it a try. I was excited to play, but I had no aspirations of what to expect. Now, over four seasons we’ve gotten better and better each year. It’s been a fun ride.”
Prodoehl credits PNW’s steady growth and development to the program’s ability to attract ever-more talented student-athletes. Though a more competitive roster has reduced his on-ice minutes, Prodoehl, who typically alternates between the second and third lines, says that’s not a problem for him.
“Wherever I’m needed is fine with me; I know what I have to offer,” he said. “I came here as a scorer; now, I have more of a role making sure we don’t get scored on, as well as putting a couple in the net when the opportunity is there.
“As a freshman, I spent time trying to figure out my role. But as we have brought in better players each year and moved up to D-I this year, I’m OK doing whatever’s best for our team.”
Prodoehl admits PNW’s step up this season from D-II to D-I has been enlightening.
“There’s more speed and size in D-I,” he said. “We don’t have all the speed and size of some opponents, but we make up for it by playing smart and learning from our mistakes. Earlier this season, we played Adrian back-to-back. The first night they took it to us, 10-1. We learned a lot that night and knew we had to adjust. The next day we played them tough, losing by a goal.”
“In D-I, every player is good, so positioning—being in the right spot—and moving the puck is important.”
As one of just two seniors on a team comprised primarily of freshmen, Prodoehl also is a welcome voice of reason to his younger PNW teammates, according to his coach.
“He’s really, really well liked — a great locker room guy,” Trosien, last season’s Great Lakes Collegiate Hockey League Coach-of-the-Year, said. “He has a way of calming things down; he takes care of the younger guys and explains to them how things are done here at PNW both on the ice and academically. He’s not one of our team captains, but he absolutely is a leader. He’s quiet, but when he talks, what he says is worth hearing.”
Prodoehl’s veteran knowledge and experience may prove especially beneficial during the latter half of a marathon ACHA D-I season that began in late September and continues through mid-March with postseason play.
According to Trosien, his surprising squad, now enjoying a much-welcome break until Jan. 20, is quietly positioning itself for a possible national tournament berth. Twenty teams qualify.
“It’s going to be interesting where we finish,” he said. “Second-ranked Adrian is the team to beat for our conference championship and an automatic tournament bid. But if we can get up to 17th or 18th in the (national) rankings, we would have a chance to qualify, too.
“I’m impressed with what the PNW athletic department has done to put such a competitive D-I team on the ice. If someone had asked me If I thought we would be in the position we are in during our first D-I season, I would have said, ‘No way,’ because at this level it takes time.”
As for Prodoehl, though he has another season of hockey eligibility if he chooses to use it, the business administration major also is on schedule to graduate next December. So while he considers his options, he looks forward to enjoying what remains of his PNW student-athletic career.
“I’ve had a great experience,” he said. “The friendships I’ve made, just hanging with the guys, all the people I’ve met, and the PNW athletic-academic support program has been helpful. I’m happy I got the chance to come here to school and play hockey. It’s not something I expected.”
Said coach Trosien, “When it’s all said and done, I hope Brandon will be proud of what he has achieved here. He’s watched this thing (program) grow. Over four years, he’s approaching a hundred points in his career. Playing four years of college hockey with (nearly) 100 points scored is a good run.”
(Originally published at https://www.nwitimes.com/sports/college/purdue-northwest/brandon-prodoehls-time-on-region-rinks-culminates-in-leading-pnw-to-national-relevance/article_c76d74eb-75a7-58bd-8014-612070b09626.html)
