April 14--Sean Dhooghe's mind will sometimes wander and place him at the United Center in June of 2017.
It's where all his hockey dreams could intersect. Even if he wasn't thinking about it, his teammates frequently remind him he's NHL draft eligible next year, next year's draft will be held in Chicago, and the Blackhawks could very well select another local product.
"It's pretty interesting, it's fun," said Dhooghe, 17, who is from Aurora. "Actually, the team, the boys chirp me a little bit about it, saying I'll be the hometown pick, which obviously somebody can't be too upset about that."
Dhooghe won't be coming home just yet, though. Like most Chicago-area hockey players with elite talent and pro aspirations, Dhooghe had to follow a hockey trail out of state. He left his friends at Oswego East High School behind and moved away from his family after being invited to join the U.S. National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, Mich.
He was one of 22 players in the country chosen to play for the U.S. 17-and-under team.
As difficult as leaving his family, friends and a normal teenage life was, Dhooghe knew it was an opportunity he couldn't decline.
"It's a dream for a lot of kids once they develop and learn about it," Dhooghe said. "Once you get the call you're on the team, there's no question about it.
"It's definitely a sacrifice I was aware of. Obviously I miss a lot of my friends back home and everything. And not being able to be so involved with the high school, you miss out on a lot. The high school, they didn't have any recognition for what you do outside school, which is kind of sad a little bit. It's a sacrifice that I'm willing to pay."
Dhooghe had his share of doubters who never thought he'd get this far. What he's had to prove at every level since joining the Chicago Mission AAA Youth Hockey Club as a 10-year-old is that his size doesn't matter. Even now, at 5-foot-2 and 136 pounds, he remains to be the smallest player every time he steps on the ice.
Dhooghe has heard the whispers in the crowd about his size. The only way he knows how to quiet them is by playing his game. He skates by opponents, steals pucks and scores goals. It's how he excelled for the Mission, earned an invitation to the U.S. program and earned a scholarship to Ohio State.
"As I was getting older and even starting right at Mission when I was 10, there were parents on our team or even other teams, 'Wow, that kid's small,'" said Dhooghe, whose older brother Jason plays for the USHL's Green Bay Gamblers. "At that point, it's cool, but as you get older they start saying he's not going to make it. He won't get a college scholarship. He's not going to make it to junior hockey.
"Each level there's just more and more people keep saying you won't get to that next one. I've proved people wrong in the past and I hope I can continue to do that in the future."
Anders Sorensen was one of Dhooghe's coaches at the Mission and now is also a player development coach for the Blackhawks. Sorensen said Dhooghe could skate on his edges and maneuver in tight spaces as well as any player he's coached. He acknowledged Dhooghe probably had more people to prove wrong, but he's also believed he was capable.
"I think when you're that size it's something you're always going to battle," Sorensen said. "Similar to [Martin] St. Louis and Johnny Gaudreau, they have that certain ability you can't teach. Those guys I think are going to find ways to be an impact at every level they get to.
"I like to think he'll get drafted because of the way the game is played today. There's less clutching, more of a speed game. I think guys like him can be successful. I think his size will scare some teams off. The biggest thing is he's going to have to stay healthy the next year or so.."
Dhooghe is already on NHL radars with him playing in the development program. Next season's draft will determine just how much interest those NHL teams have. He has 20 goals and 10 assists in 54 games this season.
Ryan Hartman of West Dundee was drafted by the Blackhawks in the first round (30th overall) in 2013. He doesn't know Dhooghe, but he will be rooting for him and every other Chicago-area player eligible to be drafted in Chicago in 2016.
"It's obviously a dream come true, just the whole experience, especially for them having the draft in Chicago now," said Hartman, who is playing for Rockford of the AHL. "They'll be at the United Center waiting for their name to be called. No matter what team you're getting picked by -- you're wanted by whichever team -- it's just really cool to be in that building for that."
Dhooghe is already there, at least in his mind.
Scott Powers is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
