2015 | Pennsylvania | BOYS

Sun Valley Hockey | | BOYS

As the Varsity Head Coach of the Sun Valley Ice Hockey Club, I am pleased to nominate Darren Sereikis for consideration of the Hobey Baker award.  Darren has been a positive influence on the players from on the ice, to the locker room, and in the school itself by setting the example of what leadership looks like.  Although he did not wear a letter his senior year, I regard him as one of the leaders of the team.  Even in the final year of his high school career, while the varsity team didn’t manage to grasp a victory, he still led well and always kept not only his chin up, but also his teammates’.   When I had a conversation with him in the middle of the season to inform him that he wouldn’t be an assistant captain, I expected him to take a step down from being a leader on the team; thankfully, I was wrong about him.  In fact, in the middle of a losing season and after being told that he wouldn’t be formally made a leader, his leadership actually improved.  He paid more attention to the needs of his teammates and spoke with an even louder voice of encouragement.
Like any player, he wanted to be on the top line with the top scorers, but rarely was he given the opportunity to be on the starting line.  Instead, I usually had him on the weaker lines so that he could help develop them into stronger hockey players.  Although he would have rather been on the starting line, he took my decision and made the best out of it.  Darren always seemed willing to put forth his full efforts on the ice.  If we were on the penalty kill, I knew that Darren would be able to deter the efforts of the opposition by moving his feet with more drive than any other player on the ice.  He was my go-to player when we needed to pick up the speed of a game.
Even as a senior, he always pushed forward and looked for ways to improve, both as a player and as a leader.  He would always accept critique about his decisions on the ice as a playmaker and as a leader.  He took in all of the coaches’ advice and allowed himself to be molded by us into a better person.  Even off the ice, he has set the example by being heavily involved in the community through the Boy Scouts of America program, showing the other players that hockey is not everything, but rather it is being a good person and leader that matters.  It has ben a pleasure coaching Darren and watching him grow as a player and leader.