Iowa Proves the Turning Point
Huff was a standout D-man at the vaunted high school level in Minnesota, where his family had moved for work reasons. His play earned him a roster spot with USHL Sioux City. But it was a rocky transition for Huff, who then benefited from the good– no make that, great – fortune to be traded to Cedar Rapids, where he was mentored by head coach Mark Carlson, the winningest coach in league history. Kraken prospect Zacharya Wisdom (2022 seventh round) also prospered under Carlson.
For starters, coach and player were on the same wavelength. Plus, Huff saw the situation as a fresh chance, about which he knows plenty.
“We’re pretty similar,” said Huff about Carlson, who is duly praised by Kraken amateur scout Eddie Olczyk. “I like the way he coaches. I got there hoping to play a little bit more than I did in Sioux Falls … I just kept working and doing everything he said. He’s super good at developing players. He’ll tell you straight-up how it is. He told me straight-up how it was.”
Huff listened, absorbed and made adjustments to a game in which he is now a feared opponent along defensive-zone walls and the net front, along with a reputation as a defender who powers through checks to get an offensive transition started.
“A big thing for [Carlson] was little details,” said Huff. “If you can follow little details, he says he’ll love you. I learned that in the first couple days, the first week … You do exactly what he says, because he’s saying it for a reason. Work on those little details, whether it’s stick positioning, body positioning.,Do what he says. Then you go into the games, and it’ll make you a better player. He’ll trust you more.”
At any level – and Huff’s next step will be playing at NCAA Division I St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN – earning a coach’s trust allows players to be confident that one mistake won’t translate to fewer minutes on ice.
“You’ve got to gain the coach’s trust and make a lot of good plays,” said Huff. “But there’s gonna be bad plays. He would review video with our defensive group. He said, ‘I know you’re gonna make mistakes, it’s gonna happen. Let’s just try to keep them minimal and try to keep them small.’”
For Huff, tending to the many details and skills of his game while reducing mistakes that hurt his team has paid off. Some 10 years after leaving the state, he was back on Washington ice holding his own and then some in Thursday’s scrimmage finale. Consider the round-trip ticket punched.