Meet the CC freshmen: Cody Bradley, Hunter Fejes
October 2, 2012 2 Comments
Cody Bradley, the program’s first Florida native. knows a lot of hard work is ahead of him during his college career.
“The biggest adjustment is getting used to the tempo of college hockey,” he said. “As a freshman you just keep your head down and work hard and contribute however you can.”
His father, former NHL standout Brian Bradley, who played 14 years before retiring in 1998 with 503 career points (182 goals, 321 assists), two All-Star selections and seven assists for Canada in the 1988 Winter Olympic Games, and Cody knew he needed to move on to ready for NCAA hockey.
“Youth hockey in Florida is good up to a point then you need to leave for the north and play juniors,” said the 5-foot-10, center who picked up some valuable experience this summer at the Tampa Bay prospects camp.
Rookie Hunter Fejes, a sixth round draft pick of the Phoenix Coyotes, did his best to make sure he would be ready to contribute as a freshman this season.
He spent the summer working out with fellow Anchorage natives Joey Crabb, Scott Gomez and Tim Wallace, all NHL regulars.
“Crabb showed me the ropes and told me what to expect and look out for,” Fejes said. “He was a great help.”
The center will likely be one of the freshmen getting the chance to contribute right away. He was identified by NHL bloggers as the top Coyotes’ NCAA prospect to watch this season.
The former Shattuck St. Mary’s leading scorer (38 goals) was second in points (78) in 55 games en route to leading the Sabres to their second USA Hockey Tier I Under-18 national championship in a row. They went 50-5-2 in 2011-12. The Sabres also won the national title his junior year.
“I will just work hard and work to earn everything,” he said. “I won’t get anything without earning it first. Hopefully I can contribute right away.”