Getting to know your Maulers
Player #20 Erik Hartzell

Get to know your Maulers

Players #20: Erik Hartzell

(Credit to Missoula Maulers)

Welcome back to another Meet your Maulers! Today you will be introduced to forward #9 Erik Hartzell. Due to a conflicting article in the Missoulian and the Thanksgiving break on which I was visiting family, this Meet your Maulers is being put out a little later than I would have liked but that is okay! Erik is 5 ft 11 in, 185 lbs, is from Missoula, MT, USA, and is a '94. Last season he played for the Missoula Bruins youth high school team but I couldn't find any stats for this so instead I will use his current stats. Up until now, Hartzell has 0 goals in 8 games played, 0 assists, 0 TPs, and 32 PIMs. Even though Erik hasn't recorded the most points on the team, he is a hard worker that prides himself on being there for the boys whenever they need him. He is a very physical player that isn't afraid to do anything that might help the team out. Hartzell is definitely one of those players that puts the team first. Not necessarily a goon yet because he really isn't a fighter but he is, in my opinion, a gritty player. He has great determination to move the puck and to get things done in order to score. Erik's skates are quick and his hockey IQ is vastly improving. This is his first full year of juniors so far and he seems to be learning the ropes quickly. Erik seemed to step things up during the Spartans series so hopefully we will see more points coming from his stick later on in the season. I talked with Erik a couple of weeks ago and here is what he had to say!

1. Why did you decide to join the Maulers this year?

EH: Because the coaches called me and asked me

2. What skills on and off the ice do expect to bring to the team this year?

EH: To work hard and be a good team mate

3. Favorite pregame meal?

EH: Pizza and Coke

4. Favorite NHL team and player?

EH: Wild and Jeff Skinner

5. What do you enjoy to do when you are not playing?

EH: Sleep, eat, play drums, ping pong, golf, and make music

6. What do enjoy most about Missoula?

EH: The people and location

7. Greatest chirp you have ever said or been told?

EH: Haha don't really have one

8. Best hockey memory?

EH: Scoring the game-winning goal in a tournament in Tri-Cities

9. Worst travel experiences?

EH: When a teammate I was traveling with got sick and puked all over me

10. Best dressed?

EH: Connor McNally

11. Worst rink you have ever played in?

EH: Salmon, Idaho. The rink is out side. Instead of glass there is fence and the boards don't move when you get hit into them. Also the refs are terrible

12. Where do you see yourself in hockey in the next 5 years?

EH: Beer League

13. Best travel partner?

EH: Max

14. Xavier LaFlamme, Hanson Brothers, or Jack O'Callahan?

EH: Hanson Brothers

15. Which NHL player would you like to go 1 on 1 with?

EH: None of them haha. Well I would like to go against Crosby just to make me look bad (?)

16. What player on the team best embodies the junior lifestyle?

EH: Schafer

17. Is there anything you would like to tell the fans?

EH: Go Maulers, oh and let's hit 2,000 fans at every game

18. If you had to be stranded on a desert island with anyone in the world and anyone on the team who would it be?

EH: Selena Gomez and Henrik

It was great to talk with Erik and I think we will see a lot more of him out on the ice as the season continues. Hopefully his gritty game and determination will lead to some very good plays and a higher level of aggression. Thanks for talking with me Erik and good luck with the Maulers this year!