By Joshua Boyd / USPHLPremier.com
When Framingham State University in eastern Massachusetts went looking for their Man of Steele, they looked no further than two-year Steele County Blades forward Brady Rossbach.
Rossbach is moving on to the Rams for his NCAA hockey career after posting 70 points in 85 career regular season games. His 40 goals the last two years put him second all-time in the Blades’ USPHL Premier goal-scoring leaderboard, giving the Rams a proven goal-scorer out of a very tough division, the Premier’s Midwest West Division.
“I first started talking about a commitment at Framingham a few weeks ago,” said Rossbach, a five-year junior veteran from New Berlin, Wis. “Coach [Mike] Bailey, the head coach at Framingham, expressed how he really liked that I have a knack for the puck and it seems like the puck is always on my stick or coming from it.
“He had said the biggest thing he liked about me is my all-out consistent effort. No matter where I am on the ice, I’m going hard. He said that’s what sets you apart, even the most skilled players don’t do that,” Rossbach added. “He said that not only do I hold my own in the corners but with my size and strength I have the ability to be a threat.”
Rossbach will be one of eight USPHL Premier players from the 2022-23 season alone moving on to the Rams program, with players coming from all over the country to join a program that has seen two year-over-year wins improvements under Bailey during his four seasons as head coach.
“I love what Framingham State has to offer both academically and athletically. The campus is located in a great area. The school has a larger school feel, yet still has the personal connection when it comes to the professor-to-student relationships. I’m really excited to be a part of the hockey team because every coach I’ve talked to said Framingham has a great hockey program that is advancing every season. Framingham will be a great fit for me as a hockey player,” Rossbach added.
“I was unable to visit FSU in person before making my commitment. Yet, by doing a virtual walk-through of the campus and listening to what past and current players had to say about the school I had seen and heard everything I needed to hear,” he added. “I loved the campus, what the school has to offer and was more than excited to commit.”
Of course, this being college hockey, he knows he’ll have a lot more on his mind than just X’s, O’s and faceoffs.
“From an academic view, I have heard great things from past students of FSU. The university also has the majors and minors I’m interested in to further advance my education,” he added. “Right now I am set to major in business and informational technology. I also have a strong interest in economics or finance and plan to minor in one of these fields as well.”
Rossbach greatly enjoyed his 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons spent with the Jr. Blades, and gave them a ton of credit for pushing him to be an NCAA hockey prospect.
“The Steele County Blades organization is a great place to play and a perfect place to develop as a man and player. The Blades are a wonderful organization that is supported by a generous owner,” said Rossbach. “The personnel the Blades have on their staff are truly top notch. We were treated like pros, not only by our coaching staff but by the community surrounding our organization. The Blades also do a great job of maturing their athletes for the world around hockey. The coaching staff provided many opportunities for me to be highlighted in interviews and news articles during my time as a Blade. This gave me experience on how to communicate with the media and fans. I could not have asked for a better family in and outside of the locker room.”
In 2021, Rossbach made a big decision to jump from a three-year career in the NA3HL to play for the Blades, and he certainly looks back on that as a key moment in his career.
“The USPHL does a great job of exposing their players to college hockey teams and advancing them to play in college. This is a big reason I made the switch from the NA3HL to the USPHL because of how many exposure opportunities there are in the USPHL. They give you opportunities for multiple showcases in a year,” Rossbach said. “Each showcase gives the players the opportunity to present your skill and personality to the countless college and junior scouts in the building. The USPHL is a great league for junior players to get exposed to the next level. Along with great exposure, the USPHL prepared me for the attention a collegiate athlete receives by being interviewed by the league’s media and other outsource media.”
Rossbach also took the time to break down just exactly how the Blades, under the watchful eye of Head Coach/GM Nick Adamek, works on details with players to make them the best they can become. It helped Rossbach to remain incredibly consistent, posting 34 and 36 points in each of his two years in Owatonna, Minn.
“The Blades were outstanding in development. Coach Adamek and Coach Wilson [Anderle] brought out the very best of me as a player and athlete. Immediately upon my arrival in Owatonna, they showed their commitment and confidence in me as a player and as a leader; which helped me get to a next level mindset. Coach Adamek and Coach Wilson have always been extremely transparent and direct. Their coaching and commitment to me would drive me to be my best,” he said.
“If I was told I’m doing something that needed correcting, it was told to me in a way that I can specifically work and improve that skill or strategy. Coach Adamek and Coach Wilson took one-on-one time with me regularly going over film and past games,” Rossbach added. “Their way of coaching kept trust and confidence in the relationship between players and the coaches. As players, we were able to access ice early and our coaching staff gave us the opportunity to work on individualized specific skills. We were also given ice time after practice to work on our own.
“Along with this, we were blessed with the fact that we had access to our facilities at all times. Which meant we were able to improve on our own on top of our on and off ice team training,” he said. “My words don’t even begin to describe how great of a job Coach Adamek and Coach Wilson do growing and developing players.”
He’s more on his own now, after his time with the Blades ended in March, and he’ll put his time in during the off-season to be ready to show up to practice No. 1 with Coach Bailey ready to contribute to the Rams’ cause every moment, every day.
“I have always been in shape for the season. As a matter of fact, my goal is to be in the best shape at every training camp. But this off-season is different. My plan is to set records for the most in shape player as an incoming freshman. I plan to set the bar for our season from Day 1,” he said. “I have already started to work with my training staff and will continue to do so until I depart for Framingham. My main focus for off-ice training will be to build even more speed and be more explosive. On the ice, I will be working on refining my skills to be extremely fluid with my movements and to advance my deception.”
The USPHL congratulates Brady Rossbach, his family, the Steele County Blades and Framingham State University for his commitment.
