Rhett Gardner powers his way to the net against Notre Dame this season.

For Rhett Gardner, going to the University of North Dakota was a no-brainer.  The Moose Jaw Generals captain committed to the NCAA school last week eschewing a chance to play in the Western Hockey League.

Playing at the school south of the border has been the 16-year-old forward's dream for quite some time.  “It's just been a dream for me since I was a little kid,” Gardner told DiscoverMooseJaw.com on Wednesday.  “I went down there to watch some games and went for a couple of hockey camps and for it to actually happen it was surreal.”

UND wasn't Gardner's only option as other schools like Cornell, Bemidji State and Minnesota-Duluth also showed interest.  He was drafted in the second round, 41st overall, of the 2011 WHL Bantam Draft by the Spokane Chiefs, but never signed with the team.  His rights were traded to Brandon at this year's WHL trade deadline on January 10th, but Gardner informed the Wheat Kings that he wouldn't be coming there either.

“I just think it's a better fit for me as player and as a person,” explained Gardner.  “I just like how everything is handled down there as far as your education.  I think I need a few more years for development and I think (UND) will give me those couple years.”

Gardner added that he never really considered the WHL option that much, “Going to a place like (UND), there's no way you can say no to that place... Just the way they handle themselves, their coaching staff, their history – their always a good team – everything about it was just appealing.

“I was on board right away and it was just up to me to prove myself and I think I did just that, so I was happy that they wanted to make the commitment.”

Gardner has more than proved himself this year with the Generals as he leads the team with 21 goals and 40 points in just 25 games.  He also represented Team West at the 2013 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

Gardner is a grade 11 student at Vanier Collegiate, so he won't be heading down to Grand Forks for a couple more years.  He says that gives him time to get ready for the jump up to college hockey, “I just need to be physically bigger and stronger because it's older guys up there, so you have to be able to out muscle them.  Just away from the rink working on getting stronger and then keep working on skating.”

The 6-foot-2 forward also has his eyes on the bigger goal of one day playing professional hockey and feels his best bet to get there is through UND as they have a strong tradition of producing NHL players with over 250 alumni moving on to professional hockey including current NHLers like Jonathan Toews, TJ Oshie and Zach Parise.

“I think what they can offer down there developmentally and just getting those few extra years of development and just playing until you're a little older, it's a great situation.”

Gardner will be on the ice on Thursday night at Mosaic Place when the Generals take on the Saskatoon Contacts in a battle for second place in the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League.  Puck drops at 7:00pm.

For Rhett Gardner, going to the University of North Dakota was a no-brainer. The Moose Jaw Generals captain committed to the NCAA school last week eschewing a chance to play in the Western Hockey League.

 

Playing at the school south of the border has been the 16-year-old forward's dream for quite some time. “It's just been a dream for me since I was a little kid,” Gardner told DiscoverMooseJaw.com on Wednesday. “I went down there to watch some games and went for a couple of hockey camps and for it to actually happen it was surreal.”

 

UND wasn't Gardner's only option as other schools like Cornell, Bemidji State and Minnesota-Duluth also showed interest. He was drafted in the second round, 41st overall, of the 2011 WHL Bantam Draft by the Spokane Chiefs, but never signed with the team. His rights were traded to Brandon at this year's WHL trade deadline on January 10th, but Gardner informed the Wheat Kings that he wouldn't be coming there either.

 

“I just think it's a better fit for me as player and as a person,” explained Gardner. “I just like how everything is handled down there as far as your education. I think I need a few more years for development and I think (UND) will give me those couple years.”

 

Gardner added that he never really considered the WHL option that much, “Going to a place like (UND), there's no way you can say no to that place... Just the way they handle themselves, their coaching staff, their history – their always a good team – everything about it was just appealing.

 

“I was on board right away and it was just up to me to prove myself and I think I did just that, so I was happy that they wanted to make the commitment.”

 

Gardner has more than proved himself this year with the Generals as he leads the team with 21 goals and 40 points in just 25 games. He also represented Team West at the 2013 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

 

Gardner is a grade 11 student at Vanier Collegiate, so he won't be heading down to Grand Forks for a couple more years. He says that gives him time to get ready for the jump up to college hockey, “I just need to be physically bigger and stronger because it's older guys up there, so you have to be able to out muscle them. Just away from the rink working on getting stronger and then keep working on skating.”

 

The 6-foot-2 forward also has his eyes on the bigger goal of one day playing professional hockey and feels his best bet to get there is through UND as they have a strong tradition of producing NHL players with over 250 alumni moving on to professional hockey including current NHLers like Jonathan Toews, TJ Oshie and Zach Parise.

 

“I think what they can offer down there developmentally and just getting those few extra years of development and just playing until you're a little older, it's a great situation.”