Michael Tauskela '24 Recruiting Profile

My name is Michael Tauskela and I am from Georgetown, Ontario.  I have played many sports in my life starting with hockey and lacrosse at the age of three. I have played soccer, baseball, lacrosse and ball hockey.  I feel all of these sports have helped me in the main sport that I love and cherish, hockey.  As of right now, I play hockey all seasons and golf in the summer.  I have been taught the basics of Taekwondo by my parents which has given me more resistance toward injuries.  I rarely get injured due to how active I am and eating healthy.  If I do end up pulling a muscle the recovery time is quick because I stretch my whole body out every day.

I have always played hockey at the highest level. In our area it is called AAA.  I currently play on the U16 Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs in the SCTA league of the Ontario Minor Hockey Association.  I play defense and shoot left-handed.  I have been told by my other coaches that I am considered to be a coachable player.  I am currently tied for the lead in assists on my team this year.  I also lead the defense with ten assists and one goal in 17 games.

My family's history has always been about competing, in martial arts or other sports.  Both of my parents came from families that were not very wealthy.  Both of their parents came from outside of Canada, competing for a better life.  Competing has always been in my family, so when I step out onto that freshly flooded ice, I leave it all out there, giving one hundred and ten percent every time.  On the ice, I am a soldier and a great listener, meaning I will always listen to my coaches.  There are three things that are important to me: feedback from my coaches, my own self-reflection and criticism of my gameplay, and what my teammates think about me and my game.  Practice and learning from coaches is important, so that when I’m on a shift in a game, the right thing to do is instinctive.  Whether it is taking the extra second to make a great pass or rip it as hard as I can on the net for a deflection, I always try to think one step ahead.  On top of that, everything that I do starts in practice.  For example, if the coach says to get on the line for suicides, I am the first one on that line every single time.  Every time I have the puck in practice, I try something new, and it benefits me in games and outside of hockey.

I still enjoy other sports. I golf during the summer, and I shot an 84 twice last summer, which is my personal best.  I also play on the Georgetown Gladiators rep ball hockey team.  Before the pandemic, we went to the finals and lost a close game.  I have been offered a position on that team again this year and I know we can be champions this time.

Education is very important to me and my family.  In grade nine, I had a GPA of 3.88 which made me eligible for the honor roll.  I did well in our first quadmester of grade ten with an average of around 90%.  However, those were not core subjects and we do not have the final marks for core subjects this year yet. I intend to have an even higher GPA in my high school sophomore year than I did in my high school freshmen year.