Jeremy Bost’s stellar play for the Wolfpack club hockey team has not just been a revelation for the many fans who go to the RecZone to cheer on the State hockey team. His play has drawn attention from college and pro scouts, leading them to offer Bost good reason to finish his first year at State a semester early.
Bost, of Cary, NC, grew up cheering for N.C. State and hoping to attend the University. This fall, Bost enrolled, fulfilling a dream of his. However, it seems Bost’s other love, hockey, will be causing him to leave the place he loves.
Bost will finish his semester at N.C. State in December, then move to Atlanta in January to play Junior Hockey. Bost said he plans to play at that level until he is offered an opportunity to play D-I hockey. Most freshmen hockey players at the D-I level are 21 or older, and begin collegiate play after at least a year or two at the junior hockey level, Bost said.
North Carolina has long been a hot bed of baseball and basketball talent, but it has not exactly been known for its youth hockey. But for Bost, his love affair with the sport began when the struggling Hartford Whalers decided they needed a new stadium and a new market.
“I was a young kid when the Carolina Hurricanes moved here, and I just fell in love with them,” Bost said. “I just remember going to Canes games and falling in love with the sport. I just knew from the first game I saw that I loved the sport.”
Bost participated in numerous youth hockey programs, but it was one particular Junior A tournament in Atlanta that got scouts talking. Junior A is considered the highest level of youth hockey in which participants can maintain their amateur status, and is a hotbed for hockey talent.
“It basically all started in Atlanta last year,” Bost said. “I played well and a few D1 schools started talking to me, showing interest, you know. But I just was set on coming to N.C. State. I came to State because I love it here, and I just wanted the education you can get here.”
The stereotype of club sports often brings to mind images of stands filled with half interested girlfriends and parents, as half-coached athletes toil for the love of the game. This image does not apply to many club programs, and it’s especially inappropriate for the Wolfpack’s club hockey program. The club team plays in front of crowds that rival and often beat the fan turnout of many varsity sports. With many of the games taking place late on Friday and Saturday nights at an arena that serves beer, as far as club sports go, the crowds at ice hockey games are as loud as they get.
If the point of college is to help young adults realize their passions and to equip them with the tools to chase them, then N.C. State accomplished this goal in record time with Bost.
“I started playing with the club team after enrolling, and the team is a real great group of guys, and playing with them showed me how much I care for the sport,” Bost said. “It all showed me how I had to pursue the sport.”
New coach Mike Gazillo played a large role in Bost’s decision to pursue the sport to its higher levels as well.
“Coach has that D1 mind and that D1 background, and it just shows in his knowledge of the game and the mentality he brings to preparation and practice,” Bost said. “Playing for him has helped me appreciate the sport even more.”
Bost looks to move on to junior college with a strong hockey team for his sophomore year, before attempting to transfer to a Division I program. The one aspect of playing in major college hockey that Bost will likely have little trouble getting accustomed to is the large fan bases as top programs.
“NC State’s club hockey fans are the best, and its so much fun seeing so many people at our games,” Bost said. “They are just really great, and I’m looking forward to playing for a program with that kind of support.”
Fans of club hockey can still take the chance to watch Bost and the rest of the club hockey team this season as its regular season continues through February.
