Posted on Jul 23, 2008

The Granite City Lumberjacks have only been in the Minnesota Junior Hockey League for a season, but they’ve wasted little time sending a player directly to the USHL. Sean Kenny, who joined the Lumberjacks after Christmas, has found himself on the expansion Fargo Force’s 25-man protected list after a strong showing at the team’s main camp earlier this month. For Kenny, a Reno, Nev., native who played Midget AAA hockey in Las Vegas the first half of last season, the past 12 months have exceeded all expectations. “From where I came from, this wasn’t an option a year ago,” said Kenny, who turned 19 earlier this month. “It seemed like the AAA path wasn’t working, so I decided to go that (the MJHL) route instead.” After being picked up by the Lumberjacks, with whom he scored an impressive 15 goals and 12 assists in only 18 games, the gifted offensive forward was afforded the competition and exposure to now compete in the top junior league in the U.S. “The pace of play is quicker, and everyone’s a little more mature, physically,” Kenny said of his MJHL experience. “And the mentality of each game… it almost feels like you’re getting paid to play and that’s your job. “The coaches… they’re not really volunteers anymore; they’re there to win and they’re going to do to whatever it takes to put the best players out in front of them to make that happen. It’s a lot more serious, everyone just wants to win that much more.” Lumberjacks coach Cale Finseth credits Kenny’s skills and character for helping jumpstart his team after the holiday break. “He’s a coach’s dream,” said Finseth. “He comes to practices ready to work, he knows what it takes to move on and is dedicated to doing whatever it takes to win.” Not sure where he stood in the eyes of Force coach-GM Dean Blais, Kenny put all is cards on the table at the team’s tryout camp and it paid off. “I didn’t know what to expect going up there,” said Kenny, who was also tended by the NAHL’s Alexandria Blizzard. “I figured obviously the talent would be exceptional, but I didn’t know exactly what I had in store for myself. “I just got out there and said, ‘You know what? I have nothing to lose, go out there and have fun.’ So I did and obviously it got me where I wanted to go.” And Finseth believes the hockey world is hearing just the beginning from Kenny. “Sean will be very successful in the USHL and will be a future player to watch,” he said. “I want to congratulate him on reaching his goal. He represented the Lumberjacks well with good character, leadership and hard work.” Reprinted from www.mnjhl.com