The New Ulm Boys Hockey team last year made a serious run at the state tournament. They were led by 7 seniors. The loss of those 7 seniors led to a serious void to be filled. They were looking for some new leaders.
They turned to their 14 seniors this year.
Of those 14, three stood out this past summer, running practices and stepping into the role. Coach Ryan Neuman appointed these three seniors as captions to continue to lead the team. Brody Wenner, Ian Brudelie, and Brecken Neuman are captions of the 2024-2025 team.
Brody Wenner
How long have you been playing hockey?
I have been playing hockey since I was 3 years old, I got my first pair of skates when I was 2.
What do you enjoy most about playing hockey?
It’s a unique game, it’s very fast-paced, and it’s unlike any other game. It’s super exciting; the games are close because it’s more difficult to get points than any other game.
What will the outlook of your season this year be?
We have a big group of seniors to lead the younger guys. We also have some younger talent moving up which is good for us. Our goal is to go back to the state tournament. We have a couple of good teams in our section, like Mankato West, Marshall, and Luverne; hopefully, we can take care of them and go back to the state.
How do you feel about the underclassman joining high school this year?
Being that there is no Bantam team this year, there are quite a few freshmen moving up. One freshman, Treven, stood out and is playing varsity defense this year. We also have some 8th graders on jv with those freshmen. I think they will get a lot of high school experience to help them out and develop them pretty quickly. We have some good sophomores like Hunter Larson and Carson Uecker, who hopefully will put some big points up for us. The 8th and freshmen should help the future team out by learning the ways of high school hockey from the older ones.
Do you plan on playing hockey after high school?
After high school I don’t really have any set plans to go play hockey anywhere. I’m kinda focused on going to college and getting my civil engineering degree. I definitely will probably play a league for fun nothing with a huge commitment.
Ian Brudelie
How long have you been playing hockey?
I have been playing hockey since I was 2.
What do you enjoy most about playing hockey?
What I enjoy most is getting to hang out with fellas.
What will the outlook of your season this year be?
I think we will win a lot of our games but the end of our season will be tough.
How do you feel about the underclassmen joining high school this year?
I think with the underclassmen joining us they will definitely help us. We have the numbers now and if we need people where ever we have them. They will be really good in the future because those younger boys are getting a lot of experience now that they are up in high school.
Do you plan on playing hockey after high school?
I’m not sure yet, maybe if I get a better offer than an NA3 team.
