As immigrants from Eastern Poland where hockey virtually did not exist, senior Adam Polecki’s parents were reluctant to let him take a gap year to play hockey instead of taking the traditional path to a two-year or four-year college. However, after playing into his father’s love of the Blackhawks and his mother’s dream to watch her son succeed, Polecki was able to convince his parents to let him play for the Louisiana Drillers in the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) for the 2026-27 season in hopes to turn his passion for the ice into a career in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Polecki has been playing hockey since he was 8 years old, but he did not become serious about the game until he was a freshman in high school playing for the High Performance Hockey League, a premiere AAA youth hockey league in the Midwest, he explained. Now, Polecki plays for the West Dundee Leafs in the Central States Developmental Hockey League, a premiere AA (Tier II) youth hockey league in the Midwest.
“Since I was 15, I really started to take hockey more seriously and go on a route to play in college,” Polecki said. “Since then, I have been really dedicated to hockey and I have been spending most of my time every day playing.”
Polecki’s performance with the Drillers in the NA3HL will determine his recruitment into the NCAA, as Division 1 teams primarily focus on recruitment during ages 17 to 19, Polecki explained. Although playing for a Division 1 team is Polecki’s collegiate goal, playing for a Division 3 team in the NCAA will still provide him with the opportunity to play professionally in the NHL.
“I believe that I can put in the right amount of work to get to where I want to be,” Polecki said. “There is nothing that I feel I cannot accomplish. Going somewhere where I can make my own decisions and practice hockey as much as I want is the perfect environment for me to get to the next level.”
Similar to Polecki, after playing for the Boys’ Varsity Hockey team for four seasons, senior Asher Vander Ploeg decided he was not ready to leave behind a life on the ice. During Vander Ploeg’s junior year, he faced the reality that he had to cover the hefty finances of college. Though a fear of student debt was present, it was Vander Ploeg’s passion for the game that ultimately led him to take a gap year to play hockey, he explained.
“Hockey has helped me build connections and face adversity,” Vander Ploeg said. “I love the game with all my heart. It has been there for me since I was young and is the one thing I know I can rely on for consistency.”
Vander Ploeg feels deeply supported by his family in his decision to play for the West Bend Power in the NA3HL, in West Bend, Wisconsin next year. Vander Ploeg’s father grew up playing hockey and eventually played for a junior league hockey team in college, which encouraged Vander Ploeg to pursue the same unconventional path, he said. With just a two-year timespan of eligibility to be recruited to play in the NCAA, Vander Ploeg seized his opportunity to play for the NA3HL, a major stepping stone on his path to play professionally.
“College will always be there, but an opportunity like this I have to jump on,” Vander Ploeg said. “If you reach success in the end then it does not matter how you got there, all that matters is you were successful in the decision you made.”
In choosing the uncertainty of playing hockey in the NA3HL over the predictability of college, Polecki and Vander Ploeg are betting on themselves as well as the sport that has shaped them over the years, Polecki said. As they step onto the ice for the next chapter of their careers, they carry with them the mutual understanding that sometimes the road less traveled is the one worth taking, Polecki said.
“Do not listen to anyone telling you that you cannot do it,” Polecki said. “Make your own decisions, stay firm in your beliefs, and believe in yourself.”
