Heidelberg. What’s that?
That’s the one word Ty Eigner, BGSU’s head hockey coach, used to describe his fourth-highest scorer, forward Brody Waters.
Waters, 21, from Heidelberg, Ontario, Canada, started his career on the BGSU hockey team following his three-season stint in the BCHL [British Columbia Hockey League].
As Eigner said, Heidelberg is a small town in the heart of Ontario that is ‘pretty, with not a lot going on, but the people there are good people.’
This close-knit feel led Waters to have fond memories of his upbringing.
“It’s a super small town. Everyone knows everyone, so it’s pretty cool,” he said. “And just growing up with my friends, you know… to play with them was awesome.”
While he played for years in his hometown, and later years in surrounding bigger cities, Waters decided to play at BGSU for his continued hockey career.
Waters said the BCHL and the collegiate leagues have a lot in common, with only a few small differences.
“I think our schedule in British Columbia was pretty similar to here, except for classes. We’d be at the rink early, working out and skating,” he said. “ It was the same thing coming here, just more intense in everything.”
Waters prepped for the newfound intensity of his collegiate career and took on the challenge.
“Brody knew the transition to college hockey was going to be hard,” Eigner said. “He really worked this summer to try to put himself into the best position possible to be ready.”
On and off the ice, Waters brings his hometown’s positive reputation of ‘being full of good people’ to Bowling Green.
Eigner credits assistant coach, Stavros Paskaris, with highlighting Waters.
“He saw a kid that was a really good human being and then he saw a kid that worked,” Eigner said.
“He comes to the rink every day with a smile on his face, he’s a hard worker and he’s a great teammate.’”
Waters’ great attitude is just one of the attributes he brings to the team. He also possesses a competitive spirit, one that Eigner mentioned several times while talking about the freshman forward.
“He’s a competitive kid, which we value,” Eigner said. “He’s a strong kid, he’s got good size, and his stick skills are really good for a guy his age.”
What in the H-E-double hockey sticks are stick skills?
“When we talk about stick skills, some guys shoot the puck hard, some guys are great passers, and some guys stick-handle the puck well,” Eigner said.
In Waters’ case, he can make plays in a pinch. Eigner said he is ‘one of these guys that stick handles very well tight in the call’ – some might call it a stick-y situation.
Waters’ abilities to handle the puck under pressure has earned him double-digit points on the season so far, totaling six goals and seven assists.
When comparing Waters’ skills to past pro players, one came to Eigner’s mind – former Philadelphia Flyer Tim Kerr.
After some thought, Eigner said he was ‘thinking of a big, tall, right-handed guy that’s good in the offensive zone and who scores a bunch of goals.’
Eigner said while Waters is an exemplary player, he has not reached his ceiling, and that his skating skills have some ways to go. Because of this, he’s been spending some extra time perfecting the skill.
To help prepare for the long weekends of games, Waters has some pre-game rituals that help get him into the mindset.
“For pre-game, I have to put every single thing [gear] on my left leg first, or the left side of my body,” Waters said. “Then, spray water on myself five times before every game.”
Skating and superstitions take up Waters’ time on the rink, but off the ice, he levels up his video game skills.
“Right now, my house [the hockey house] is really big into Fortnite,” he said. “There are scheduled times every night.”
While Waters and his housemates will play video games this week, they’ll also carve out some time to battle St. Thomas this Friday and Saturday in Minnesota.
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