Pierce Rusenstrom, a 16-year-old defenceman from Bristol, is entering his first year with Okanagan Hockey Ontario (OHO), a prep school in Whitby, Ont., this fall.

Rusenstrom started skating at four years old with the Pontiac Lions, then moved on to play at the BB level in Hull before joining the Bantam AA Outaouais Dragons when he was 12.

Tim Thompson, who coached Rusenstrom with the Dragons and was familiar with his play before, said it’s his work ethic and dedication to the game that stands out.

“Whether it’s skating or shooting or when you realize, ‘I need to work on my foot speed,’ that’s what a coach likes,” he said.

Rusenstrom was recruited to play for the OHO while he was playing for the Dragons. He said his cousin Gavin Rusenstrom, who is entering his third season at Bishop’s College in Lennoxville, Que., advised him to pursue the opportunity.

“He was telling me exactly what it was like [ . . . ] what are good things about it, what are bad things about it, and that there’s more good than bad.”

Prep school programs can give young prospects a leg up in training for college on university hockey programs, while still attending high school classes. OHO plays in the Canadian Sports School Hockey League (CSSHL) with games from coast to coast, which can offer increased exposure for young players.

Pierce considered other schools but chose OHO because of its location close to family. He hopes this will make him “feel a little more at home” through the transition.

When the teen left for Whitby at the end of August, he was in awe of the school’s size – nearly four times the size of Pontiac High School. He said he was a bit nervous for his first day.

“There were a lot of people, and I’m not used to that coming from Shawville,” he joked.

The team has only been together for a short time, but will train five days a week with additional off-ice training to match. He said the teammate bond has been strong so far.

“On the first day, it was like everybody already knew each other for a while,” he said.

Gavin Rusenstrom sets sights on juniors

Bristol native Gavin Rusenstrom, Pierce’s cousin, is entering his third and final year of the hockey program at Bishop’s College, a prep school in Lennoxville, Que.

He played in Shawville minor hockey until his first year of Atom, then moved on to the Hull Olympiques for two years, before joining the Gatineau Intrepide’s AAA squad. Ever since, he’s been at Bishop’s, where he is hoping to get recruited to play at a U.S. college.

“That is my biggest goal in hockey,” he said.

Gavin described his play style as being a 200-foot player – hockey lingo for being good on the offensive and defensive ends.

“I can play both sides of the ice. My defensive read of the game is good, but I can also help produce on the offensive side and can adapt to various playing styles.”

Gavin is the son of Bristol’s Mike Rusenstrom, whose career peaked with three seasons with the Ontario Hockey League’s Oshawa Generals. Gavin said he attributes many skills to the influence of his dad, who coached him in Shawville.

“To be more of a grittier [player], not to let anyone push you around,” he said. “I learned a lot of good lessons from him, and you can always bounce ideas off him because he just has that knowledge.”

Thompson, who also coached Gavin as a young lad with the Lions, said the young man has been a great model for some of the younger kids coming up through the ranks.

“He’s probably one of the most work ethic-driven kids I’ve ever seen. He works so hard all year long [ . . . ] training, off-ice training, conditioning, eating habits, Gavin definitely set the bar for a lot of local kids where you don’t just take the whole summer off doing nothing.”

Gavin said it is a cool opportunity for him and his cousin to follow in the footsteps of a family with so much hockey talent, including his dad, cousin as well as two uncles who played Junior B and Junior A hockey.

“I always said I was going to move away from home at 15 like my dad to go play hockey, and it was just funny how it all aligned and just worked out,” he said.

For this season, Gavin’s goal is to work hard to get noticed by a major junior team. “And then if I were to get cut from here, maybe go play in a high-end junior league somewhere.”

Gavin Rusenstrom of Bristol is entering his third and final year with Bishop’s College hockey program in Lennoxville, Que., and is setting his sights on junior hockey in the future.

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