Some hockey players like to do their talking on the ice with their mouth, but ASU defensemen Adam Blossey prefers to let his play on the ice do the talking for him.
And Blossey's play has given people plenty to talk about.
The senior from White Bear Lake, Minn., was recently one of 22 players selected to represent the U.S. in the 2005 World University Games in Innsbruck, Austria, from Jan. 12-22.
For Blossey, it is the chance of a lifetime.
"It's a real honor to go represent your country," he said. "I'm proud to have made the team. It's a great opportunity to go play probably the best competition I'll see all year."
Blossey earned his spot on the team after competing with 71 other college players during the Winter World University Games Summer Select Camp, Aug. 6-8. The camp was held at the National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minn., an hour and a half north of Blossey's home.
Blossey said that the tryouts for the squad were rough, but he enjoyed the experience.
"Going into tryouts you had to be in shape," he said. "It was intense. You had to just go play your best and not try to do too much."
Blossey was one of eight defenders selected to the team. The team also includes two goaltenders and 12 forwards.
As a member of the U.S. squad, Blossey will have a difficult challenge: shut down some of the world's best collegiate offensive talent.
And even though he isn't the biggest player on the ice -- at 5 foot 10 inches and 175 pounds, he is considered relatively small for a defender -- Blossey said he looked forward to the trials ahead of him at the games and wanted to help the team in whatever way he possibly could.
"The previous years (the U.S. team) hasn't won a game," he said. "I want to go help contribute to get a win."
Team USA's gain is the Sun Devil Hockey club's loss however, because Blossey will miss a key five-game road trip while he is competing in Austria.
ASU will play Drexel, Lehigh, West Chester and two games against Iowa State during Blossey's absence.
ASU head coach Mike De Angelis said that Blossey's selection was a great feat and that even though the team wouldn't be able to replace him while he was gone, it would be able to survive without its leader on the ice.
"It's a great opportunity for him, especially as a senior," he said. "He will be missed, but we're deep enough at his position that I'm confident in the guys that will fill in for him."
Blossey's selection to the team was not his first hockey achievement, although it might be his finest. Some of his accomplishments on the ice include being a 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 American Collegiate Hockey Association Honorable Mention All-American.
Last season Blossey also served as the ASU team captain and led the Sun Devils to a No. 10 national ranking at the end of the year and an appearance in the ACHA national tournament.
In addition, Blossey has been selected as the Sun Devils' most valuable player the past two seasons. He was rookie of the year for the team as a freshman.
But Blossey doesn't only lead in the rink. He is a leader in the classroom as well. The finance major's 3.4 GPA was good enough to help him be named to the Academic All-American team last season.
ASU defenseman Chris Mullett has played with Blossey for four years. He said Blossey is a great leader for the club.
"He brings a quiet leadership to the team," Mullett said. "He doesn't prove who he is by talking, he proves it by doing and by playing as hard as he can all the time.
"He's got that Midwestern genuine heart. He helps people out all the time. He's not only a leader on the ice, but off the ice as well."
Last season Blossey scored 26 points for the Sun Devils -- six goals and 20 assists. He also had a plus/minus ratio of positive 11, good enough to tie for first on the team.
Blossey said that he just wanted to have a positive influence on his teammates' game and on each teammates' life.
"I try to bring a sense of leadership to the team," he said. "Basically to set an example by not doing stupid stuff, by keeping a cool head."
A good reflection of keeping that cool head on the ice was Blossey's ability to avoid logging penalty minutes last year. In fact, Blossey only tallied two minutes in the penalty box last season, even though he played in every one of the club's 35 games.
De Angelis said that Blossey played a very sound, consistent game that helped the team out tremendously.
"He's rock solid defensively," he said. "He brings the puck up the ice real well. He is an excellent skater and plays a good, solid, simple game that is required at our level."
While Blossey acknowledged that he did well defensively on the ice, he said he could always improve his offensive game and help his teammates more.
"I think I take care of the defensive zone," he said. "I do a good job of keeping the puck out of the net and getting it going in the other direction, but I need to make the right offensive decisions with the puck. I need to make more scoring opportunities for the other guys."
Even though Blossey's college career has been filled with awards and recognition, he said they didn't mean much. He said he just wanted to have fun and improve as much as he could.
"It takes practice and hard work to become a decent player and even more to become one of the best," he said. "I like being with the guys and winning. You get to be with your buddies and have a good time."
Blossey and the Sun Devil Hockey club open their regular season with two games against Robert Morris College, Thursday and Friday, at Oceanside Arena in Tempe at 7:15 p.m.
Reach the reporter at jeremy.a.cluff@asu.edu.
