Mel
6-05-05, 11:10 AM
By Dave Molinari, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Martha Rial, Post-Gazette
Dave Hanson, general manager at the Robert Morris University Island Sports Center, was one of the goons in the movie "Slap Shot." His son, Christian, is a top prospect for the NHL.
TORONTO -- People who watch Christian Hanson play hockey can't help but be aware of his size. He stands 6 feet 31/2 and weighs 196 pounds, even though he hasn't begun to fill out.
And it would be pretty tough to overlook his skating and vision and playmaking and hockey sense.
But, even though the young man clearly has some high-quality hockey genes, he does almost nothing on the ice that gives any hint of his bloodlines.
Hanson is the son of Dave Hanson, general manager of the Robert Morris University Island Sports Center on Neville Island, but probably a bit better known for what he did during his playing career.
He was known as Dave "Killer" Hanson back then. Piled up 311 penalty minutes during his first pro season. Joined with Jeff and Steve Carlson to portray "The Hanson Brothers" in "Slap Shot," one of the most-celebrated sports movies of all time.
Yeah, that Dave Hanson.
Christian Hanson knows all about his father's acting history -- he correctly labeled "Slap Shot" a "cult classic" and acknowledged that he has watched it during countless bus trips with hockey teams -- and has a pretty good feel for his playing style, too, even though he was born after his dad retired in the mid-1980s.
"He has a few tapes I've gotten to watch," Christian Hanson said. "They're all pretty short, because most of them are him one-punching a guy."
Chances are no one has footage of Christian Hanson doing anything like that. He had two fights in two seasons with Tri City in the United States Hockey League and piled up all of 23 penalty minutes during the 2004-05 season. That's roughly what his dad could produce during an active shift.
"My game was built off my physical play," Dave Hanson said. "His is built off his ability to play the game."
And Christian Hanson, who left Peter Township High School before his senior year to play in the USHL, does that well enough to be rated No. 52 among North American forwards and defensemen in NHL Central Scouting's mid-season rankings of prospects for the 2005 draft. That means he likely projects as a mid-round pick.
"The kid has good overall skills," Penguins head scout Greg Malone said. "He's a good skater, handles the puck well."
It should be noted that Dave Hanson's penchant for spending quality time in the penalty box tended to overshadow his versatility. He broke into the North American Hockey League with Johnstown as a defenseman in 1974, but played much of his career as a forward and filled in on the blue line when needed.
"I was smart enough to not be put in goal," he said.
The ability to play more than one position effectively is one trait he did pass along to his son, who is comfortable at center or on either wing, and professes to have no preference for where he will be used when he attends Notre Dame.
"It really doesn't matter," he said.
Dave Hanson, though, believes his son is best-suited to play center, because it takes full advantage of his greatest assets.
"He has the ability to see the ice a lot," Dave Hanson said. "Being at center, it gives him the freedom to move around the ice more and utilize hockey sense and peripheral vision."
Christian Hanson had solid numbers during his final season with Tri City -- 19 goals and 33 assists in 60 games -- and some of his finest qualities aren't necessarily recorded on the stat sheet.
He interviewed with numerous teams, including the Penguins, at the NHL draft combine the past few days and several asked him to evaluate himself as a player. That scouting report, Christian Hanson said, should read something like this:
"A strong two-way forward who takes care of the defensive zone first, is a strong playmaker and knows how to play well away from the puck."
Scouts from the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles -- Marc-Andre Fleury's junior team -- noticed those qualities several years ago and tried to lure Hanson to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. He ultimately declined, but realized his development could be stunted if he remained in Western Pennsylvania.
"I thought I'd accomplished all I could playing in Pittsburgh," he said. "I knew that if I wanted to play professional hockey, I'd have to move away from home."
It's far too early to predict whether Hanson will make it to the pros. He has to get stronger -- hardly unusual for a player who's just a few months past his 19th birthday -- and must continue to upgrade every facet of his game to have a chance.
"Certainly, he has the drive and focus to do it," Dave Hanson said. "And he's very mature for his age."
Which means there might well be a pro contract in Christian Hanson's future.
Whether it will come with a movie deal remains to be seen.
http://www.post-gazette.com/images3/20050605mrhanson_230.jpg
http://eteamz.active.com/ChiefsPeeWeeA/images/The_Hanson_Brothers.gif.gif
Martha Rial, Post-Gazette
Dave Hanson, general manager at the Robert Morris University Island Sports Center, was one of the goons in the movie "Slap Shot." His son, Christian, is a top prospect for the NHL.
TORONTO -- People who watch Christian Hanson play hockey can't help but be aware of his size. He stands 6 feet 31/2 and weighs 196 pounds, even though he hasn't begun to fill out.
And it would be pretty tough to overlook his skating and vision and playmaking and hockey sense.
But, even though the young man clearly has some high-quality hockey genes, he does almost nothing on the ice that gives any hint of his bloodlines.
Hanson is the son of Dave Hanson, general manager of the Robert Morris University Island Sports Center on Neville Island, but probably a bit better known for what he did during his playing career.
He was known as Dave "Killer" Hanson back then. Piled up 311 penalty minutes during his first pro season. Joined with Jeff and Steve Carlson to portray "The Hanson Brothers" in "Slap Shot," one of the most-celebrated sports movies of all time.
Yeah, that Dave Hanson.
Christian Hanson knows all about his father's acting history -- he correctly labeled "Slap Shot" a "cult classic" and acknowledged that he has watched it during countless bus trips with hockey teams -- and has a pretty good feel for his playing style, too, even though he was born after his dad retired in the mid-1980s.
"He has a few tapes I've gotten to watch," Christian Hanson said. "They're all pretty short, because most of them are him one-punching a guy."
Chances are no one has footage of Christian Hanson doing anything like that. He had two fights in two seasons with Tri City in the United States Hockey League and piled up all of 23 penalty minutes during the 2004-05 season. That's roughly what his dad could produce during an active shift.
"My game was built off my physical play," Dave Hanson said. "His is built off his ability to play the game."
And Christian Hanson, who left Peter Township High School before his senior year to play in the USHL, does that well enough to be rated No. 52 among North American forwards and defensemen in NHL Central Scouting's mid-season rankings of prospects for the 2005 draft. That means he likely projects as a mid-round pick.
"The kid has good overall skills," Penguins head scout Greg Malone said. "He's a good skater, handles the puck well."
It should be noted that Dave Hanson's penchant for spending quality time in the penalty box tended to overshadow his versatility. He broke into the North American Hockey League with Johnstown as a defenseman in 1974, but played much of his career as a forward and filled in on the blue line when needed.
"I was smart enough to not be put in goal," he said.
The ability to play more than one position effectively is one trait he did pass along to his son, who is comfortable at center or on either wing, and professes to have no preference for where he will be used when he attends Notre Dame.
"It really doesn't matter," he said.
Dave Hanson, though, believes his son is best-suited to play center, because it takes full advantage of his greatest assets.
"He has the ability to see the ice a lot," Dave Hanson said. "Being at center, it gives him the freedom to move around the ice more and utilize hockey sense and peripheral vision."
Christian Hanson had solid numbers during his final season with Tri City -- 19 goals and 33 assists in 60 games -- and some of his finest qualities aren't necessarily recorded on the stat sheet.
He interviewed with numerous teams, including the Penguins, at the NHL draft combine the past few days and several asked him to evaluate himself as a player. That scouting report, Christian Hanson said, should read something like this:
"A strong two-way forward who takes care of the defensive zone first, is a strong playmaker and knows how to play well away from the puck."
Scouts from the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles -- Marc-Andre Fleury's junior team -- noticed those qualities several years ago and tried to lure Hanson to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. He ultimately declined, but realized his development could be stunted if he remained in Western Pennsylvania.
"I thought I'd accomplished all I could playing in Pittsburgh," he said. "I knew that if I wanted to play professional hockey, I'd have to move away from home."
It's far too early to predict whether Hanson will make it to the pros. He has to get stronger -- hardly unusual for a player who's just a few months past his 19th birthday -- and must continue to upgrade every facet of his game to have a chance.
"Certainly, he has the drive and focus to do it," Dave Hanson said. "And he's very mature for his age."
Which means there might well be a pro contract in Christian Hanson's future.
Whether it will come with a movie deal remains to be seen.
http://www.post-gazette.com/images3/20050605mrhanson_230.jpg
http://eteamz.active.com/ChiefsPeeWeeA/images/The_Hanson_Brothers.gif.gif