Liam Fleet has always been a hockey player that strives to improve using ability and effort.

That was evident earlier this year when the Denver native cracked the lineup of the NAHL’s Shreveport Mudbugs, a team located in Louisiana.

“I gained the amazing opportunity to play for Shreveport through attending their training camp as a free agent and making the most of it through hard work,” said Fleet. “It was by far the best decision I ever made. The culture there is unmatched. From the first day in Shreveport, it was obvious that not just the team, but the whole community was a giant family who wanted nothing more than to win.”

Living away from home has also been something Fleet has become immersed with this season.

“It’s been an amazing experience,” Fleet said. “The billets who I’ve lived with have been nothing short of amazing and welcoming. It was definitely a culture shock when I first moved down to Louisiana, but the amazing people here made the move very easy. I was able to learn a couple new traditions and try new foods as well, which were all amazing.

“The coaches and staff have also been amazing in making me into a better hockey player and person. I couldn’t ask for a better environment.”

During his youth, hockey became second nature for Fleet.

“Growing up in Denver, my family and I went to many DU hockey games,” explained Fleet. “Those games, along with my uncle signing me and my cousins up for skating lessons, definitely piqued my interest and love for the game. I was enamored that there was no other sport like it, which made it all the cooler to play.”

As he got into hockey, Fleet wound up playing for the Krivo School of Hockey Elite and the Rocky Mountain RoughRiders, as well as attending TPH Academy Denver.

“Both Krivo and the RoughRiders helped prepare me very well in terms of skill and understanding the game of hockey,” Fleet said. “I also attended TPH for my last two years of high school, and it helped prepare me in hockey and school. For that, I’d have to thank my coaches Andrei Krivokrasov, Leeor Shtrom, Greg Vanover, Doug Smail, and Jordan Pietrus. Thanks to these coaches, I was able to push myself to be the best player I could be. They motivated me and taught me hockey and life lessons along the way.

“The connections and friends I made while playing in Colorado are something I will take with me for the rest of my life. In hockey, you can create really strong bonds with teammates that will never break, and I still talk to many who are now playing hockey in other states.”

Moving forward, Fleet said he has “a lot of goals and dreams.”

“A short-term goal would definitely be winning the Robertson Cup this year with Shreveport,” said Fleet. “Long term, I definitely want to play NCAA Division I hockey and proceed to play professional hockey. I want to get a good college education, which I hope to receive while playing hockey, so I will be well set up for success in life as well.”

Photo/Shreveport Mudbugs

— Matt Mackinder

(November 12, 2023)