From high school hockey, to college and the NHL’s Wild, Minnesota is truly a hockey hockey-mad state.  Home to legendary hockey players such as Phil Housley, Neal Broten, and Zach Parise to name a few, hockey is just a part of Minnesota’s DNA.  For Utah Grizzlies forward, Caleb Herbert hockey has always been ingrained in his lifestyle.

“Growing up in Minnesota, hockey and skating just came naturally. I was on skates at 3 years old. I played on my first team at age 7. I’d always used to skate in the backyard or down at the park with my buddies. Hockey is just a huge part of Minnesota.”

Born and raised in Bloomington, Minnesota, 27-year-old Caleb Herbert has played hockey at many different levels of hockey all across North America. As memorable as every stop along the way has been, his time at Bloomington Jefferson High still holds a special place in his heart.

“In Minnesota, high school hockey is taken pretty seriously. It’s in its own bubble and I don’t think people outside of the state realize how special it is to play for your hometown every weekend. It was honestly unforgettable.”

With Bloomington Jefferson High, Herbert racked up 59 goals and 114 points across three seasons and 58 games played in the Minnesota high school circuit.

Prior to his junior year of high school, Caleb had announced his commitment to the University of Minnesota-Duluth fulfilling one of his dreams. “At the time it was my ultimate goal,” Herbert explained. “I grew up wanting to play D1 college hockey in Minnesota. It was the perfect fit for me. Once I knew I was good enough to play in college it really opened the door for me.”

In the fall before his senior 2009-10 season of high school, Herbert was selected for Team Southeast of the Upper Midwest Highschool Elite League. After a spectacular 42 point campaign with Team Southeast, Herbert was starting to generate some real buzz with scouts entering the 2010 NHL Draft.

“Going into my draft year I met with a handful of teams. My senior season of hockey generated some interest for sure. Of the teams I met with I remember Washington showing a lot of interest.”

When draft day rolled around in the June of 2010, the Capitals would end up taking Herbert in the fifth round 142^nd overall. “Draft day was a weird day for me,” Caleb recalls. “At the time I was working part-time for the city of Bloomington. I was at work and was watching the draft on my phone and getting updates from the internet. I wasn’t expecting to go so getting the phone call was a bit of a surprise.”

Herbert spent the whole 2010-11 season playing junior hockey in the in the USHL with the Sioux Muskateers where he lined up every night against some of America’s finest junior players such as Johnny Gaudreau, Blake Coleman and Will Butcher. After making his mark and scoring 50 points in 51 games against the best junior players in America, Herbert was ready to head off to college.

“The transition to Duluth was pretty smooth. It was a perfect fit for me. The school was awesome and I was excited to play because there was an opportunity to be a player to be relied on. Everything about Duluth, from the brand-new facilities to Scott Sandelin and the amazing coaching staff, was the best. Sandelin just brings a winning culture and recruits high character guys.”

Through three seasons with the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs, Herbert would go on to score 32 goals and 89 games in 112 games. While Caleb all three seasons with the Bulldogs were memorable, his freshman season stands out as one of his favourites. The 2011-12 Bulldogs team had a lengthy playoff run to the regional finals and were one win away from qualifying for the Frozen Four.

“Through my three years, some of my most lasting memories were from my freshman season. Everything was so new and exciting. Going to the rink every day was amazing. We had an amazing group of guys, upperclassmen especially. Guys like JT Brown—he’s in the NHL now—and Jack Connolly won the Hobey Baker that year. It was a talented team full of great guys. It was a blast.”

In the spring of 2014, in what would be his third and final season at Duluth, Herbert signed a two-year entry level contact with the Washington Capitals. At the conclusion of the college season Herbert joined the Washington’s AHL affiliate in Hershey.

“I went to Hershey which was an amazing experience. They had an older, veteran team that year. I was one of the youngest guys. In my first couple of games I was pretty anxious. It went well. I played 7 games in total in that stint. Scored in my first game on my first shot. That first stint made it a lot easier to step into my first full pro season the next year.”

The jump from college hockey to the professional levels is a daunting transition for many hockey players. Herbert found that the biggest difference was in the pace of the game at the pro level.

“College hockey differs from pro because I find it is less structured. At the pro level guys play smarter and are in control. At the college level it can turn into a lot of running around with guys out of position which led to more collisions. I felt that once I turned pro I had more time and more space to make decisions and make plays whereas college can get kind of hectic.”

One of the perks of being a prospect in Washington’s system in the 2010’s is the chance to brush shoulders with some of biggest names in hockey. While attending the Capitals camps early in his career, Herbert took the whole experience in stride and did what he could to learn from the best.

“At main camp the NHL talent would leave you a little star struck. Obviously, there was Ovechkin, Backstrom, Holtby, and Carlson. Ovechkin was the biggest guy to me since he and Crosby have been the face of the league for such a long time. Skating alongside him was interesting.”

“But honestly the best part of the NHL camps was seeing how the veterans handle themselves and translating it into your own game and using it as a model for how to act on and off of the ice. Once you’re in the locker room it’s like any other team. The older guys were pretty down to earth and took us under their wing.”

It has been five years since Herbert left Duluth to pursue professional hockey. Between the ECHL and American Hockey League levels Caleb has played for ten different teams. Along the way some of Caleb’s favourite seasons were in his first couple of years in Washington’s system when he played for the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays.

“When I was with the Stingrays we had a fantastic group of players. Very talented but also just a great group of guys to be around. I made a lot of lasting friendships from my rookie season. We went to the ECHL Kelly Cup Finals where we lost in seven games.”

While not a traditional hockey market, Charleston, South Carolina quickly became a comfortable home for Caleb.

“That whole year in Charleston was spectacular,” Herbert recalls. “I quickly fell in love with the city. There’s plenty to do, lots of great people and the weather is beautiful. I didn’t have to deal with the brutal Duluth winters. I could golf and get out on the water. It was just an awesome spot to live.”

Away from the ice Herbert and his girlfriend, Carly Reed, have put in a tremendous amount of work creating and building their athlete-centered clothing brand On The Line. It is described as an exclusive athletic brand geared towards helping high-level athletes transition to living a healthy lifestyle once their career is over.

“On The Line was started by Carly. She played Division 1 lacrosse at the University of North Carolina and ended up winning a National Championship there. With her different experiences at school, the ups and downs really catapulted her to start her own business.”

“We were living together in Minnesota when she had the idea to start up the company. We’ve done a lot of work together to build the business and grow the brand. She wanted to create a brand for athletes. We wanted to tap into a market where athletes may be done playing at a high level and but don’t want to close the door on sports altogether. When you spend so much time and energy your entire life to be labelled an athlete, it can be a struggle when it’s over. The main goal is to provide a community and a brand for elite athletes.”

On The Line has gotten some great exposure in the professional sports landscape. Carly’s network of North Carolina alumni has expanded the brand. Most notably Chicago Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky has worn On The Line Club apparel during some of his press conferences.

Through Herbert’s connections, the brand is gaining traction in the hockey community. AHL and ECHL players also get a discount through the Professional Hockey Players’ Association (PHPA) which has built brand popularity across the leagues.

On The Line also benefitted from Herbert’s time in the Washington’s system. During the Capitals Stanley Cup playoff run the On The Line brand could be seen front and center being worn by the like of Chandler Stephenson, Madison Bowey, Nathan Walker and Jacob Vrana.

“It’s exciting to see where the brand is going. I still have a lot in the tank in terms of hockey, but sometimes you have to think about life after hockey.”

This past summer Herbert signed a contract with the Colorado Eagles for the 2018-19 season. Over his career Caleb has split his career with 123 career ECHL games and 105 career AHL games. To constantly move around between different levels, cities and teams can take a toll on a player.

“In my first couple of years, bouncing around so much was tough to handle. Just the unknown. In a given week I didn’t know if I would be called up or sent down. In my first few years, going up and down between the ECHL and AHL was tough. As the years have gone on I feel that I’ve reached a level of maturity where I force myself to live in the moment and just enjoy where I am. Not many people have this opportunity to play hockey and travel around North America for a living.”

Herbert clearly has a knack for scoring. In 123 career ECHL games has had scored 73 goals and 130 points. While scoring is a talent that Caleb appreciates, he puts in a conscious effort to bring a more complete dynamic to the game.

“I possess a level of excitement and energy to my game. My goal is to make an impact on every shift of every game. I’ve played first line, fourth line, powerplay, penalty kill. I bring energy, speed and some offensive upside to whatever role I’m in.”

Early this season Herbert has gotten off to a hot start in Utah and currently leads the ECHL with 17 goals and 30 points. His incredible play got him a two-game look in the AHL with the Colorado Eagles. While he may be back with the Grizzlies right now, he ultimately wants to prove that he belongs in the AHL.

“As a personal goal this year signing with Colorado, I was told when I signed that there was a tonne of opportunity to prove myself and stick. I want get back there and play a lot of games. But at the end of the day it doesn’t matter where I play, I’ll give it everything I can and enjoy the ride”