It’s another step in the journey for Prince Albert’s Stryker Zablocki as she announced her commitment to Northeastern University, an NCAA Division 1 program in Boston, Massachusetts. She was also named to team Saskatchewan for the Female U18 National Championships in Dawson Creek, BC this coming November.
Zablocki says Northeastern felt like a natural fit to her and she is excited about the commitment.
“First, the great coaches were a big attraction for me and the school in itself. Everything was great about it. I think that’s just why I made that decision, because everything felt so right about it.”
Zablocki was recruited heavily and had been contacted by over a dozen schools since she was allowed to be contacted by NCAA programs on June 15 earlier this year.
Looking back on the recruiting process, Zablocki says she enjoyed the opportunity to speak with many different programs but said the process wasn’t without any stress.
“It was super busy, but it was also really fun. Getting to know different schools and coaches was super fun. I think that for me, the best part of it was just experiencing a different thing that I hadn’t experienced before, and that’s just talking to everybody. Then at the end of the process, when it came down to the decision, there were some super hard decisions that I had to make that were super stressful. Once I got through it, it was relieving and now it’s just excitement.”
Zablocki isn’t the first hockey player from Prince Albert to commit to the Northeastern Huskies program. Brooke Hobson played parts of five seasons for the program and was drafted by New York in the PWHL draft.
Now that the recruiting program has come to a close, Zablocki says she is excited to have a plan to play hockey following her graduation from high school.
“It’s super relieving and to know that I have a plan after high school hockey to go right to Northeastern is super nice for me and I really like that.”
Her commitment to Northeastern is not the only major news for Zablocki. She was also named to Team Saskatchewan for the upcoming U18 Women’s National Championship in Dawson Creek, BC from Nov. 5-11.
Zablocki says she is looking forward to representing her province on the national stage and to play alongside girls she normally plays against during the regular season.
“It’s another team that I’m super grateful and lucky to play on and I love all the girls on the team and it’s going to be a fun experience because we get to play with each other. I get to play with girls I don’t get to play with on my club team and I have super good friends that I don’t get to see very often, that I get to spend a whole week with in Dawson Creek.”
“It’s cool being able to play on each other’s lines and get chemistry going with other girls that you don’t normally play with. It’s also really fun, the experience is super amazing.”
Zablocki has only suited up in one regular season game with the Regina Rebels in the Saskatchewan Female Under-18 AAA Hockey League (SFU18AAAHL) so far, but she posted five goals in the Rebels 6-1 victory over the Swift Current Wildcats on Wednesday night.
