Teammates Forced Positional Changes For Sullivan Stark
By Ross Forman
Sullivan Stark, a junior at Palatine High School skating in his second season for the Chicago Reapers, has had his play this season impacted by his teammates. More so, by former teammates.
The 2009 U16 Reapers lost three defensemen to the USHL, thus lineups changed regularly. Departing the Reapers were:
• Caleb Deanovich, who made Waterloo out of their training camp;
• Emery Ipsen was added to Lincoln’s roster in January; and
• Trevor Shorter was added to the Chicago Steel’s roster in January.
“It’s fun to watch how many players, especially defensemen, we our moving on,” said Brett Lebda, the Reapers general manager and midget director and head coach for the club’s U15 and U16 teams.
Stark’s U16 team was forced to adopt a new system, Lebda said: “we’re playing three sets of five players since all we have is 15 skaters and we’re playing four forwards and one defenseman on each set. We do have a forward that is playing everywhere as well and we can drop him to defense if needed late in a game or on the penalty kill; he’s our Swiss Army knife.”
Stark, 16, who lives in Palatine, has played center and defense. He shoots left-handed and has seen significant ice time this season with Lorenzo Digate and Jonathan Cygan. Stark formerly skated for the Northwest Chargers and Chicago Blues.
His hockey career has included skating for a national championship which he said was, “one of my biggest accomplishments,” along with being selected to go to the U.S. National Development Camp.
Stark brings effort, grit, coachability and strength to the ice.
“We have to find ways to adapt to the changes going around us, not everything’s gonna work,” Stark said. “It’s great for the players to move on to the next level; the team is happy for them, (yet) it’s definitely a big change for the (rest of the) team, but we have confidence that we can make the changes work.
“The movement (of players off the team) has made practices and games more challenging for sure. Moving to play defense as well as offense has helped me understand the game more than I did just playing forward, making me more reliable on the ice.”
Lebda tagged Stark as, “one helluva kid.”
Chris Michael, associate head coach for the U16 Reapers and the Reapers Hockey director of player advancement, added: “He’s a leader on and off the ice through his work ethic, passion and his burning desire to have his team win. We’ve been fortunate to have him help drive the Reapers’ culture of excellence every day in everything we do. From academics to weekday practices, off-ice workouts, extra video sessions, mental health development, etc. Sully has utilized all the tools provided and is proof that loving the process can produce massive results in development.”
Slapshots With … Chicago Reapers Forward Sullivan Stark
The Quote: “Every team needs a leader. That doesn’t always mean wearing a letter on your jersey. It means bringing a positive attitude to his teammates every day. A leader keeps the team motivated.”
The Quote, round 2: “I love to mess around with kids off the ice while also keeping them locked in; it gets the team laughing and gets the team closer as a family.”
Off The Ice: Works out several days per week and shoots pucks in the family’s garage.”
It Helps: “During the winter, I get to skate on my grandparents’ pond with my siblings.”
It Also Helps: “I shoot pucks and work on my stick handling in my driveway.”
Hockey Goal: Wants to play at the NCAA Division I level.
Jersey Number: 63
Favorite NHL Team: Chicago Blackhawks
Favorite NHL Player: Connor Bedard
Favorite Sports-Themed Movie: Miracle
Favorite Pre-Game Meal: Spaghetti and meatballs
Favorite app: Instagram