Springfield's Tanner George travels far and wide to hone his hockey game

Springfield is “on the map” for several reasons: Honest Abe’s longtime residence, the horseshoe sandwich, being the state capital. And, hockey?

Yeah, not so much.

Tanner George may change that a bit. The 16-year-old city native, who just finished up his sophomore year at Chatham Glenwood , is headed to Rochester, New York, this fall to play for the Bishop Kearney Selects , a prep school with a strong hockey tradition. If all goes well this coming season, George hopes to play for a United States Hockey League junior team next season and then for a college team. From there? The NHL is the dream, but George isn’t thinking that far ahead.

“Right now, I’m just excited to go to Rochester and play there,” said George, a 5-foot-9, 160-pound defenseman. “It’s going to be a big change, but I’m ready for it.”

To say there has been sacrifice and dedication from George’s parents to help get their son this far in the hockey world would be akin to saying cows help a little bit in milk and cheese production.

How’s this for dedication: For the last four years, George’s parents, Shannon and Sara, have taken turns driving him to St. Louis — and back the same night — four days a week during the school year. St. Louis is where George has played competitive hockey in that time, most recently for the AAA St. Louis Blues .

George has taken regular classes at Chatham Glenwood, then hopped in a car for games and practices in St. Louis four nights a week for the last four years. His father, Shannon, says he can “make that drive in my sleep by now.”

“He would often do his homework in the car,” Shannon George said. “There’s not a lot of hockey here, so we had to do what was necessary to give Tanner the most competitive (league) he could get.”

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Tanner George started playing hockey in Springfield at age 4. He would go on to win two Blue Note Cups with the Springfield Kings before migrating to the St. Louis Sting, where he won another Blue Note Cup. Then, on to Tier 1 AAA Carshield in St. Louis, where another Blue Note Cup was won. This past season with the Tier 1 AAA St. Louis Blues, George missed half the season with a broken leg but came back to help them go unbeaten in the regular season.

What kind of game does George play?

“I try to be a two-way defenseman who can skate with the puck and produce offensively,” he said. “I need to get stronger and harder in the corners. And I’m going to work hard at that.”

While his game has been honed in St. Louis the last four years, George credits a couple of his early coaches with the Springfield Kings, including Ike Heimlich and Bill Shink, for his development.

“I wouldn’t be where I am today without their help,” George said.

George’s coach at Carshield, Joel Herr, remembers a player who “was never afraid to ask questions.”

“I think he’ll go far,” Herr said. “He’s got high-end offensive skills, and with how the game is trending, that’s what teams are looking for more from the back end. He was an assistant captain with us and helped us win. He’s got a great attitude and works really hard. And you know what? More kids are starting to come out of Springfield. The nearest place for (Tier 1, AAA) hockey is St. Louis, so they have to travel a lot. But maybe that will change in the future?”

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In the halls of Chatham Glenwood, where football, basketball, wrestling and baseball/softball are king, George admits he didn’t have many friends with whom he can talk hockey. That will change at Bishop Kearney in Rochester, where he will live in dormitory-style housing with his other hockey teammates.

“It’s going to be tough on mom and dad not to see him every day, but I’m sure we’ll get there as often as we can,” Shannon George said. “The bottom line is: this is what’s best for him in his development as a hockey player, and we’re very happy he’s able to do this. Am I going to miss that round-trip drive to St. Louis anymore?”

(A beat or two here).

“No.”

Adrian Dater is a freelance writer for The State Journal-Register. He can be reached through the sports department at sports@sj-r.com.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Springfield's Tanner George travels far and wide to hone his hockey game