CATCHING UP WITH: Gaber attending Bruins development camp

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This article was published 11/07/2022 (1324 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Riese Gaber is a step closer to his ultimate goal of playing in the National Hockey League one day.

The Gilbert Plains product and North Dakota Fighting Hawks forward is currently at the Boston Bruins development camp, which got underway Monday and runs through Friday.

“It’s definitely pretty cool to have this opportunity,” Gaber said. “I’ve always dreamed of being in the NHL and I’m going to do everything I can to make this a reality.

“Obviously my main focus right now is the upcoming season at North Dakota, but my eventual play is to sign a pro contract. I’m just trying to go into Boston’s camp and enjoy the experience. I’m confident that if I can keep things going in the right direction … I’ll achieve my goal.”

The 22-year-old forward was not picked in the NHL Draft — he was eligible in 2018 and 2019 — but has gotten on the radar of clubs as of late.

Following two strong seasons in the United States Hockey League with the Dubuque Fighting Saints, which included a league-high 34 goals in the 2019-20 campaign, Gaber has recorded 58 points in 63 games so far in the NCAA with the Fighting Hawks.

“I’ve made a lot of strides with my game since I came to Grand Forks,” Gaber said. “I’ve been working on a lot of things, especially with my skating and my shot, and I think that when you combine that with the things that people say are my strengths (work ethic and character) that’s allowed me to be successful at this level.

“Since I’ve come here, I’ve started to become an offensive leader on the team and I’ve been given some big roles on the power play. I’ve gained confidence along with getting some more opportunities and I’ve taken advantage of it.”

A lot of the work that Gaber puts into improving his game takes place during the summer, as he stays in Grand Forks and works out with his teammates at the Fighting Hawks’ training facilities at the Ralph Englestad Arena.

“I think us being together during the off-season is something that helps out the entire team,” Gaber said. “It allows us to know each other a little more and we’re all getting by having access to the ice and the gym.

“To be honest, a lot of what I’m working on is a lot of the same things that I’ve been trying to improve on for the last couple of years. Everyone’s doing their own things but I’m always trying to get better at my skating and my explosiveness. Those two parts of my game are extremely important, especially as I’m a smaller guy.”

Gaber, who stands five-foot-eight and weighs 165 pounds, was sixth in team scoring during this freshman campaign with 21 points – 11 goals and 10 assists – in 29 games.

He followed that up by leading the Fighting Hawks on offence in the 2021-22 season with 37 points – 15 goals and 22 assists – in 34 contests.

“We had lost a lot of firepower to graduation and the pro ranks from the previous year, so I knew going into last season that I would be heavily relied upon,” Gaber said.

“One of my goals was to be the top guy on offence and I was really happy that I was able to help out the team that way. Now I want to take another step forward in the right direction this year.”

Another highlight of the year for Gaber was the fact it was a much more normal season for the Fighting Hawks program, who compete in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference.

“All the rinks were again at full capacity so you’d have sold-out crowds pretty much every weekend and we were also back to having full in-person classes again, so it felt like what I thought it would be like on campus,” said Gaber, who is majoring in kinesiology.

“Just being in Grand Forks is an unbelievable experience. When I try to explain it to people, I tell them it’s pretty similar to a NHL atmosphere. I’ve talked to buddies who are now in the pros and they tell me not to take this for granted.”

The only drawback to Gaber’s tenure thus far with the Fighting Hawks is that the team has been knocked out of the Frozen Four tournaments earlier than expected.

They were the top overall seed in 2021 but lost a five-overtime quarterfinal thriller to the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs and then dropped an overtime decision to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish this past spring.

“Everyone who comes to North Dakota wants to win a national title,” Gaber said. “I think those losses were good learning experiences for us. We know what we need to do to improve on our showings at the tournament and that’s definitely lit a fire under all of us as we get ready for October.

“I’m really excited about the group we have coming here this fall. We had a ton of new faces on the team last year … now we’ve got some more chemistry together along with some really talented freshmen and good transfers joining us. We’re going to have a really good year.”

In addition to being a catalyst on offence for the team this fall, Gaber is also moving into more of a leadership role in the Fighting Hawks locker room as he’s now one of the veterans for the program.

“It’s definitely been pretty special to grow into that role,” Gaber said. “When I came to Grand Forks, it was very important to lean on those older guys as I got used to things and I’m excited about doing the same things for our new players as we help show them what it takes to be successful.

“We had a big senior class when I first joined the team, but one of the guys that really stood out was (current Ottawa Senators forward) Shane Pinto. We were only separated by a year but I learned so much from playing with and watching him on a daily basis. It’s easy to see why he’s going to be an everyday NHLer and it’s pretty cool to gain those insights from guys like him.”