Kyle Ahlschlager celebrated with his teammates after becoming the first Bluejay to net 100 career goals during an 8-0 victory against Redwood Valley Jan. 24. From left: Karson Lindsay, Jackson Tesch, Gave George, Eli Wetzel, Solomon Wilson, Griffin Krautkremer, Brayden Hoof, Keaton Roeker, Lucas Groll, Brayden Hesch-Priem, Preston Miller, Hunter Anderson, Armando Balderas, and Charles Cariveau.
Ahlschlager nets milestone
Thu, 02/16/2023 - 5:35pm
Kyle Ahlschlager recently cemented his place in Waseca boys’ hockey history becoming the all-time points leader and first Bluejay to net 100 career goals. He reached the century mark Tuesday Jan. 24 against Redwood Valley. The second title came a week later against Fairmont.
“Hitting 100 goals was something I always wanted to do,” Ahlschlager said. “It wasn’t like a big sigh or relief or anything when I did it. I was just glad it happened. It’s a cool thing to do something that’s never been done in our town before.”
Ahlschlager began his hockey career earlier than most even consider trying sports. He’s been skating around and shooting pucks since he was three, and officially started his career as a hockey player as a member of St. Peter’s “mite” team.
At the time, he attended elementary school in the neighboring town of Cleveland, where he also played for the football team. “Cleveland had a co-op with St. Peter for hockey,” he elaborated.
In third grade, Ahlschlager and his family moved to Waseca, and his love for hockey grew. He often played alongside his brother Jarrett, who was also on the hockey team before graduating last year.
Ahlschlager’s choice to be a hockey player was well considered. “My dad was in basketball, and he encouraged me and my brother to try every sport and then play what we liked,” he explained. “I played both basketball and hockey to start. Within a couple years, I decided to drop basketball. I had more friends in hockey, and it was just more fun out there on the ice.”
Since then, he’s grown as a player and as a person. He joined the Waseca varsity hockey team during the 2019-20 season; he was the only freshman on the team.
“I didn’t feel intimidated at all,” Ahlschlager said. “That team had a great group of juniors and seniors that did well. They pushed me to do well my freshman year.”
He added that they didn’t give him advice. They showed it. “Their actions spoke to me more than their words,” he said. “They were really good at pulling guys up when they’re down. They made sure everyone knew they were good to be whoever they wanted to be around the team. They were always approachable.”
When he wasn’t representing Waseca as a Bluejay, Ahlschlager played in many summer leagues in the Twin Cities as a member of teams like Blue Army and Minnesota High Performance. He even joined a junior league team in Des Moines, IA for some experience there.
Out of his whole career — other than becoming Waseca’s all-time points leader and getting 100 goals, of course — Ahlschlager’s favorite memories are winning the district playoffs as a member of Waseca’s “Squirt B” team (comprised of players ages nine and ten) and his first year as a varsity member of the Waseca boys’ hockey team.
He’s had a few players by his side, including forward Griffin Krautkremer and goalie Eli Wetzel. “They were a great group of guys to hang around with,” he said. “Griffin was one of the first people I talked to when I got on the ice here. There were a few seniors who quit this year who were good guys, too, such as Max Neaves.”
Ahlschlager even has a connection with senior Karson Lindsay of Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton, who decided to try out for the varsity team for the first and only time this season. “Karson and I were best friends from kindergarten to second grade when I was in Cleveland,” he reminisced. “It was nice getting to play on the same team to end our high school career.”
As the end to his high school hockey career nears, Ahlschlager shared some advice he’d give to any hockey player–from current varsity members to those just starting in the sport. “Hard work prevails. It’s something they can’t take away from you. Hunter Anderson, a current player on our team right now, dedicated himself to hockey this year. He’s the most improved person on the team.”
Despite his fantastic career in hockey, Ahlschlager is torn about what sport to play in college. “I’m not sure what I want to do yet,” he admitted. “I might run in track, play football, or commit to hockey.”
Whatever happens, he’ll put 110 percent into it and go into it believing in himself. “If you work hard, you will see improvement no matter what in hockey, or any sport,” he concluded. “If you put hard work and confidence together, you’ll be just fine.”