All Access: Trevor Gorsuch

Photo by: USHL

Last week, the Chicago Steel acquired goaltender Trevor Gorsuch in a trade with the Waterloo Black Hawks. In his first weekend with the Steel, Gorsuch allowed just two goals as he guided the Steel to two victories. His 21-save performance against Omaha last Friday was followed up with a USHL career-high 41 saves in Sunday’s 2-1 win against Dubuque. Prior to joining the Black Hawks this season, the St. Charles, Missouri native played in the North American Hockey League for three seasons where he was a standout goaltender for the Michigan Warriors. Gorsuch made 13 starts for Waterloo this season, including one shutout before making the move to Chicago. The Steel netminder is excited for his future in Chicago and looks forward to continued success with his new team. 

Q: You allowed just two goals last weekend on your way to two wins in net for the Steel. Can you talk about the weekend as a whole and how you were able to make an immediate impact?

A: Yeah it was a great weekend for our team. Me personally, it was just a chance to get back in net and feel comfortable. I had a good weekend, but not only is it my success, it’s the team’s success. The team played really well defensively and it was my job to make the saves if the defense had a breakdown. And they bailed me out a couple of times on some rebound chances. Overall though, it was cool to be a part of such a great weekend, especially since it was my first weekend with the team.

Q: You hadn’t played in close to two months. Was it difficult to get back into it last week or were you ready to go?

A: I’ve been ready to go since the last time I played. I try to handle every practice and every warm-up as a game, and get myself ready just in case anything happens. It is a different mindset when you haven’t played in a while to get back in there. I’ve been faced with this before where you don’t play for a while and then you have to get in there. You just have to remember to breathe, take it shot by shot and not try to get the win before the puck drops.

Q: What was your immediate reaction when you heard you had been traded to the Chicago Steel?

A: I was a bit shell-shocked at first. I wasn’t expecting it at all. I had heard that a couple guys had been traded but I didn’t expect it to happen to me. But at the same time, I was looking forward to a fresh start. Being my final junior year, I was excited for a new adventure and I am going to make the best of it.

Q: You were one of three guys the Steel acquired last week. All three of you made an immediate impact and contributed in three big wins. Have you had a chance to talk to Carson [Vance] or J.D. [Dudek] about the transition to Chicago?

A: It was definitely nice to have a couple other new faces on the team. It would have been a little awkward if I was the only new guy. The three of us haven’t really sat down and talked about it. We are all “professionals” here, we understand that we are here to win and that we are here to make this team better. I think all three of us can do that. Carson had a great weekend with four assists and J.D. had the game-winning goal last Saturday. I think we have all stepped up to the plate and shown the guys that we are here to help and we’re not just going to pack it in for next year.

Q: You grew up in Missouri. When did you start playing hockey and what is the youth hockey scene like in St. Louis?

A: I started skating when I was about three years old and started playing when I was four. The youth hockey around St Louis has always been very underrated, up until recent years. Now, it is starting to get more notice because there have been some really good hockey players from St Louis. There is only one AAA hockey program, so making that team is a lot harder whereas Detroit or Chicago has five or six AAA teams. It is definitely more of a challenge to make the team but in that sense, I think it made my competitive drive even stronger to push me to be the best.

Q: Did you play any other positions growing up or did you always play goaltender?

A: When I was younger and first started playing, I played everything. Up until I was seven years old, I played mostly defenseman and forward, but then I made the decision that I wanted to play goaltender. I started going from there and I have loved every minute of it and have never looked back.

Q: Did you have to make any adjustments transitioning from the NAHL to the USHL?

A: I wouldn’t say there was much of an adjustment. As a goalie, my job is just to stop the puck. The only difference is the speed. Here, the game is played at a higher tempo but for the most part, players still shoot and pass the same. Maybe stuff is a little crisper and a little more accurate here in the USHL, but at the end of the day it is still my job to stop the puck whether it comes a little harder or softer.

Q: Three big home games this weekend against Muskegon, Team USA U-18 and Madison. What are your thoughts going into the weekend?

A: They are definitely going to be huge games for us. Friday night against Muskegon is a must-win. We played really good hockey last weekend, and I feel like if we take that into this weekend, especially on Friday, then we can come out with a ‘W’. That is going to be a four-point swing either way with Muskegon ahead of us in the standings. Then USA-18 on Saturday is going to be a big challenge. But I feel like if we play our game and don’t try to match what they do, and play with just enough body and grit then we can wear them down, get some goals and have a chance to win. And Madison on Sunday, every game against a team like them can really go either way. So we just need to continue to play our game and not get off our systems. Hopefully, we will come out on top.