Will finds way in three sports

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This article was published 21/05/2025 (351 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In the age of the 12-month hockey player, Tristan Will prefers to avoid specialization.

The 14-year-old forward from Woodbury, Minn., who the Brandon Wheat Kings took in the 11th round of the Western Hockey League draft with the 245th scheduled pick, still plays football and baseball as well.

“With me playing all three sports, there’s never really a break of any of the sports, whether it’s training for other sports or summer hockey or whatever is,” Will said. “I have a passion for all three sports and there being no break is not a problem for me. I still love to do all three.”

Woodbury is a city of 75,000 just east of St. Paul in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. The Minnesota Wild play at the Xcel Energy Center, which is a short drive from Woodbury. As a result, Will attends a couple of NHL games every season and also watches them on TV.

The youngster started to skate at age three and began to play a couple of years later.

He’s been a forward for his entire career, except for taking his turn in net in the youngest age groups.

“I just feel like I can help on defence and also play the offensive zone and create chances and help my team win,” Will said.

His father Adam grew up in nearby White Bear Lake, and he and his brothers all played in high school, with Adam and one of Tristan’s cousins continuing on to college hockey.

Will said he has learned a lot from his father and mother Sara, in a family that also includes 10-year-old twin sisters Siena and Kira.

“They’ve sacrificed a lot for me,” Will said. “They’ve given their time, effort, money, they’ve always looked out for me in whatever I’m doing and making sure what I’m doing will be best for me. They’ve never really been parents to go out and force things on me, they’ve allowed me to take charge of my own path in whatever sport it is.

“They’re big believers that hard work is what it takes to get to the places you want to be. That’s probably the biggest impact they’ve had on me, installing hard work in my mind and telling me that if I want something, I need to work hard for it.”

That advice has trickled into his game, which he said is based on his physicality and willingness to do what it takes to get the puck.

“I would say I have a pretty big frame and I like to utilize my size and my speed,” Will said. “I’m more of a grinder down low. I like to get into the corners and win battles, back check and forecheck, but I also feel that when I get the puck on my stick, I’m able to create chances all over the ice and put the puck in the net when I get a chance.”

Like all self-aware players, he said lots can be improved.

“I’m definitely working on making my game more smooth and making those decisions quicker because I know as I continue to move on to different levels, the game is only going to get quicker and those decisions are going to need to get quicker as well,” Will said.

Last season, the six-foot, 174-pound forward had 12 goals, eight assists and six penalty minutes in 16 games with Minnesota Moose 14U.

“This year was my first year of bantam so I was a younger guy on the team but I felt like I was able to perform well for the opportunities I was given,” said Will, who turns 15 on Dec. 18. “I felt like I kind of took on a leadership role, which I liked, and ultimately I was able to make the players around me better and help out in any way that I could.”

It was a young team overall after they graduated many of their veterans, but they lost in overtime in the game that would have propelled them into the state finals.

“It was a really fun season,” Will said. “We had a lot of wins and we also learned a lot along the way.”

He is hoping to play for Hill-Murray varsity hockey team next winter, as players on both sides of the border continue to wrap their heads around the new possibilities in the game.

The hockey landscape fundamentally changed last November when the NCAA changed its eligibility rules to allow major junior players for the first time in more than four decades.

That’s altered the thought process for many American players, who can now play in the WHL without impacting their college eligibility.

“That rule change definitely raises the interest in it,” Will said. “Why would you not want to play junior? Now that you can go and play college, that’s a big positive.”

He said there was talk in Minnesota hockey circles that the WHL draft was coming up, although he added he didn’t know a lot about it.

“I didn’t know how much of a chance there was that I would get drafted or what that really looked like because obviously I’ve never been through a process like this,” Will said. “It was definitely on my radar.”

After the Wheat Kings grabbed him, Brandon’s American scout Kori Pearson called to let Will and his parents know he had been picked.

“It was an honour to be taken by them and to possibly continue my career there,” Will said.

Wheat Kings director of hockey operations Chris Moulton said Will brings a lot.

“He seems to have some skill, he has some vision, he has the ability to create,” Moulton said. “Getting to know the bits and pieces I know and using the wisdom from my American contacts and my scouts, they thought getting him as a late addition was a huge get for us.”

Will knows a number of Minnesota players who were also selected around the league, including Brandon’s second-round pick in the U.S. priority draft, Ayven Hontvet.

However, a final decision hasn’t been made yet about whether he will attend Brandon’s camp starting in late August.

“My family has to do a little research into it and see what the best thing for me would be,” Will said. “I’m not quite sure about that yet.”

» The Brandon Sun is profiling every member of Brandon’s draft class of 2025. See Friday’s Sun to read about Saskatchewan forward Taren Anderson.

» pbergson@brandonsun.com