Back in 2014, I co-founded a hockey scouting service with Guillaume Gervias and along with my successful Youtube channel I had the opportunity to interview a few yet to be drafted, future professional hockey players. This would be one of them that I conducted in 2014. Chase DeLeo is a Californian born hockey player from La Mirada and at the time was playing for the dominate Portland Winterhawks team, since then DeLeo has been drafted to the NHL by Winnipeg and has been traded to Anaheim where he plays for the clubs minor team in San Diego. So let's get to the interview.
We’re here with Portland Winterhawks star forward Chase DeLeo. Chase a 2014 draft-eligible prospect has 19 goals and 33 points in 32 games so far this season. With the likes of Ty Rattie, Nic Petan, Derek Pouliot the Winterhawks are fresh off a Memorial Cup run and are poised to make a strong run this season as well. As for Chase a native of La Mirada, he credits his success to his roots. One of his good friends Mitch Callahan is a Detroit Redwings prospect and they both frequent Rise Above Fitness in Huntington Beach, CA where they are trained by Brandon Schieppati. While California has grown the state isn’t what one would consider a traditional hockey market yet DeLeo’s path to the game is something one would expect to find in someone from more Northern Climates.
"My neighbors at the time were good friends with Bob Hartley the coach of the Avalanche at the time. They gave me a VHS Movie of the Stanley Cup series when they won in 2001.
I probably watched that video at least once a day, and just got attached. That’s when I started playing ice hockey but also still played roller."
While watching the likes of Peter Forsberg, Adam Foote, and Joe Sakic the later influenced the young DeLeo’s life more than he could’ve ever known while watching those Stanley Cup wins on rerun.
"Well I started off playing roller hockey when I was 3, I started out a goalie. Joe Sakic was immediately my favorite player so I decided to switch from goalie to forward. Obviously, it’s a more skill/laidback kind of game but I feel like roller hockey helps your hands a lot and your skill in tight around the net."
With the King's recent Cup win, DeLeo isn’t alone in his success. The rise of Californian born hockey players has become a recent topic of conversation. In a wave-like fashion, all the kids who watched Gretzky play for the Kings have become old enough to have the chance to play in the NHL themselves.
"Great to see familiar faces get selected in the draft and people you grew up watching and playing with all the time and seeing them every day around the rinks back home. Great to see California being represented so well. Obviously with the Kings winning the cup that helped out a bit. But I think there are a lot of great coaches and programs because of all of the old retired Pros come back to California and retire there. So that helps"
While DeLeo has gone much further than some would have thought with his small frame (listed at 5”10, 175lbs) he understands that making it to the WHL, and then drafted by an NHL club will only be just the beginning of his hard work and there’s plenty to go.
"I have always trained very hard. I feel as a smaller sized guy I have to be stronger,quicker and faster then everyone else and work that much harder. Speed is probably one of the most important things in the game. Worked on explosiveness and quickness and power"
With his 3rd season with Portland about halfway done DeLeo has found himself to be more of a leader this time around with a team that has younger talent coming up.
"I love it. Obviously more comfortable and experienced with going to the Mem cup last year and deep into playoffs past few years. We have another awesome group of guys this year and we are a super tight group. Its awesome in Portland, great city, amazing fans, and such a professional organization here. Practicing and working out with such talented guys such as Seth Jones and Rattie and Bartschi Johan and Nino and those types of guys since ive been here is obviously pretty lucky and special. At the end of the day my dream is to play in the NHL, and in my opinion, after getting drafted to Portland and seeing all of the players get drafted to the NHL and move on from here and turn their dreams into reality I knew this was the right place for me."
Here at Elite Scouting we hope De Leo realizes his goal sooner than later, and wish him the best of luck with the upcoming draft, and his hockey career.
Since this interview Chase's path to the NHL hasn't been as direct as I'm sure he would've liked but he hasn't stopped for his ultimate goal. DeLeo ended up being drafted 99th overall by Winnipeg in the 4th round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. Since then he has played 4 NHL games with a total of 0 points. For the most part Chase has played in the AHL for Winnipeg's affiliate AHL team Manitoba, then eventually signing in his hometown of Anaheim and playing for their AHL team the San Diego Gulls. Playing for the Gulls DeLeo had 55 points last season in 66 games, and in the 2019/2020 season has put up 13 points in 30 games for the Gulls.
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