Josh Berry '12 Recruiting Profile

I'm a 5-11, 174-pound forward -- I play both wings and center -- for Grand Rapids Catholic Central High School, which won the Michigan High School Athletic Association State Championship last season. Several of my teammates from last year's team are playing juniors this year, ranging from the USHL to the OJHL and NOJHL. I recorded 12 goals and 32 assists last year in 30 games and I pride myself in doing whatever it takes to help my team win and playing both ends of the ice. My strengths are my speed, hands, gritty & edgy style and the never-ending desire to improve myself and my game. My goals are to play College hockey, starting down that path with Junior A  next season. Although I'm capable of scoring plenty of goals, I was on the same line with a teammate that had 45 goals and have always strove to do what my coaches need me to do.

I've played AAA from Squirt until Bantams and up until my freshman year, when I made the GR Catholic varsity team as a freshman. I've played for Team Michigan during the Spring/Summer season the past four years and currently play for Team West Michigan in the Michigan Developmental Hockey League in Detroit, which pits the top high school players in the state against each other every weekend leading up to the start of the high school season. Red Wings Coach Mike Babcock's son plays against me as well as the other best players in Michigan; there were over 100 players trying out for each of the 6 teams so it's a very high level of competition.

Our high school team is on the ice 2-3 times a week and we also work out twice a week in addition to what I do myself. Our head coach is Mike Slobodnik, who was the USA Hockey National Coach of the Year two years ago and is heavily involved in the USA Hockey Selects program, coaching many of those teams. He is an incredible coach; I've been blessed to have played for Don McSween, former Michigan State All-America defenseman and NHL player, and Tim Hyrenewich, a former Pittsburgh Penguin, as well as Mike. They've taught me how to play hockey the way it's supposed to be played and also taught me a lot of important life lessons.