September 5, 2015 at 9:38 a.m.
Arno to play junior hockey
Former Hodag goalie signs on with Arizona Hawks
Arno to play junior hockey
He has been signed by the Arizona Hawks, a Tier II junior hockey program in Peoria, Arizona where he will continue his playing career this fall.
"You know your last home high school game, and you're kind of in tears and (wondering if) you have the chance of playing next year. That's reassurance and then when you actually make the team you're saying, 'Wow, I'm actually on the team. I can play another year of hockey,'" Arno said in an interview with the River News. "That's obviously something you've got to look forward to."
Unlike many sports where players looking to extend their careers typically jump from high school straight to college, junior hockey is a common stepping stone for players looking to eventually latch on with an NCAA Division I or Division III program.
M.J. Laggis, Arno's high school coach the last four years, was proud to see one of his players continue his playing career.
"I'm pumped for Jake," Laggis said. "He's been trying all summer and he's been persistent, staying with it, trying to find a home. That's one of the biggest things in trying to make a junior team - you actually have talent, but you've got to be persistent enough to keep working and trying. I'm just stoked for him. I hope it works out really well and he deserves this opportunity. I hope he makes the most of it."
Arno agreed with Laggis' point about persistence. He said he attended several tryouts this summer before eventually signing with the Hawks.
"I started off just doing a whole bunch of tryouts for several Tier II and Tier III teams and, overall, that went pretty well," he said. "They saw how I played. They liked how I played and I ended up getting a couple of good looks by other teams that I tried out for. In the end, though, this team from Arizona picked me up and it just went on from there. They really liked how I played in their tryout camp and they talked to me afterward so I just kind of sealed the deal, signing a contract and off I was."
The Hawks held their tryout camp Aug. 24-28 in Peoria. Arno said several goalies were vying for a spot on the team.
"There actually was an overwhelming amount of goalies compared to skaters," he said. "So we did a lot of just practice drills, like you typically see in practices. They were strictly more goalie-based. A lot of your movements, you could see where we were going, what our technical kind of advantages were. That was nice to get back on the ice and right away get back in the routine of the technical strategy, the technical movements in the net. Otherwise we scrimmaged the youth program there, their U18 team. That's nice just to get on the ice and actually have like a game format."
Arno is not the first Rhinelander player in to go the junior hockey route over the last few years. He said he looked to some of those players for advice.
"There were a couple of people, like Bryan Kronberger," Arno said. "I was talking to him on how the process works and everything. And Jayson and Brandyn Dahlquist, they really liked it. They had fun. That's what I'm here for, having fun and I'm also having fun trying to exceed my boundaries, trying to exceed to the next level. I've been talking to them and they definitely like it. Junior hockey is one of the most fun things they every did in their lives and they said to stick to it and hopefully you can get scouted to go to a bigger school."
Arno emerged his junior and seniors seasons as the Hodags produced back-to-back 10-win campaigns. In those two seasons Arno amassed a 19-27-3 record with a 3.60 goals against average and a .879 save percentage. He picked up his game in the postseason, with a .928 save percentage in his junior and senior years, that included a shutout against Mosinee in 2014.
"He's a guy that has just lived (hockey) and breathed it and loved it his whole life," Laggis said. "He just took a lion's share of the minutes throughout his whole career and really, there was no one there to really push him or to take that job from him. He deserved it, he earned it and now he's getting some payoff and he's going on and furthering his career."
Arno credited his parents, Eric and Mercy, Laggis and several others for helping him reach this point in his career.
"My parents, obviously they've been my No. 1 feed for financial needs," he said. "Coach Laggis, all my coaches through high school, all my coaches through the youth program, it's always reassuring to see them come back and see what you've done. You know they can bank on them having your back. You played for them and they give you a lot of pointers. Even if it's not advice on the ice, it's advice on becoming a man, advice to be a better person."
The Hawks will play a 48-game schedule from early October to early March in the Western States Hockey League. Arno said he expect this year to be a learning experience.
"I want to hopefully benefit myself because, in the long run, if I do get picked up for another team, they want to see that (success)," Arno said. "They want to see a high save percentage, the low goals against. That's what I want to do. I want to benefit myself the most and, obviously, if I have a big night my team's going to have a big night."
Eventually, Arno said, the goal is to advance to the collegiate level.
"D-I would be crazy, but D-III would definitely be an awesome experience, like I said, playing another four years of hockey," he said. "I'd love to extend my career in playing hockey. That's just something I love to do."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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