Karl Blevins '23 Recruiting Profile

I have had my sights set on playing college hockey since my first hockey camp at Notre Dame University. The tour of the campus and seeing what playing collegiate hockey would be like was very inspiring to me. Since then, my drive and work ethic on and off the ice has been geared to playing college hockey. My love for hockey is something I want to continue as I pursue a degree in Engineering. I have been living 1100 miles from home this year and have grown physically and mentally. I'm responsible for myself, school, hockey, and to my billet family. The flexibility I have had to learn during this COVID crisis has made me a better person, hockey player, and teammate. In order to help achieve my goal of college hockey, I am preparing to play Juniors hockey in 2021 and 2022.

I feel that playing AAA/ Tier 1 hockey during  the 2020-2021 season has prepared for juniors through the balancing the workload of academics with practice, games, and travel while living away from home. I have maintained a 3.5 GPA through Georgia Connections (online), where I have been take honors classes as a freshman in high school. It is because of this rigorous schedule that I have excellent time management and organizational skills. My work ethic, team, and leadership skills are characteristics my teachers and coaches have often commented on.

What makes me different from others is my desire to see everyone play their best and love the game. It's important to win games, but there are times you encounter a faster, better, stronger team and a loss to a team like this is always an opportunity to learn. The lesson is if you played your best, leave it all on the ice, played as a team and are proud of your attitude during the game then you have nothing to be upset about. Positivity and respect are two things you should always give your coaches. I feel if you're interested in college hockey, you have skills that you'll always want to be developing; however your attitude and your respect toward your teammates and coaches are two things that should be consistent and present at all times.

I was given a great opportunity this year to play Tier 1/AAA hockey in New Hampshire. This has been nothing short of the greatest personal and hockey growth of my career. I've also been fortunate to have been on a team that came in second in the Southern Youth Travel Hockey Association (SYTHL) in 2017 and did well in the Eastern Junior Elite Prospect League (EJEPL) in 2018-2019 even though we didn’t qualify for the playoffs. These experiences have been the highlights of my time and effort on the ice. Having been on the ice of a NCAA Division 1 school for camps and a tournament, I can only imagine the feeling of stepping onto the ice as a collegiate hockey player where the stands are full and the energy is contagious. I hope to experience that feeling in the fall of 2023 surrounded by my teammates, coaches, and fans.

This year my team won the Lakes Region Midget Challenge Championship in New Hampshire. Last year my team won the 2020 Presidential Power Play Midget Minor Championship in Ft. Myers, Florida.  I have also attended AA tournaments in  Chicago, Washington DC, Detroit, Tampa, Fort Meyers, Charlotte, Charleston, and others. We finishing second in three of these and win in Detroit. In 2019 my team came in third in the state of Georgia for U14’s.

I was selected by Norte Dame University to attend their first ever elite hockey camp in the summer of 2017. In addition to this camp, I have attended four camps hosted by the St. Louis Blues, two other camps hosted by Notre Dame, and the Prince Elite camp hosted by Shane Prince of the NHL. I have been putting into practice the advice I was given at these camps, and am committed to growing in strength, speed, and skill over the course of this season.