Axel Sade, junior at West High knew even from a young age, that hockey would be his passion.

Axel began his hockey career when his parents took him to see the Quad City Mallards for the first time, and his passion grew from there.

Father of Axel, Mark Sade who is an art teacher at West, believes that Axel has had a talent for hockey since he was 7 and started to play.

“He grew up with the Mallards, and he has come to love hockey,” Mr. Sade said.

He started by playing floor hockey and eventually got onto the ice. Axel now plays for the midwest league, the Quad City Blues.

“I consider myself one of the more skilled players but at the end of the day, I can’t do anything without my teammates,” Axel said.

“He’s a really good teammate and really good friend” Mr. Sade said.

His favorite player in the National Hockey League is Niklas Backstrom, who plays for the Washington Capitals.

“I just like his personality on and off the ice and he is skilled in every aspect of the game,” Axel said about Backstrom.

Mr. Sade has great hopes for Axel and his future. Mr. Sade could compare Axel to his favorite player, Niklas Backstrom.

“At times he’s just the best role model or the best person you could follow on and off the ice,” Mr. Sade said.

Five years ago, Axel was given the opportunity to attend a hockey school in Minnesota for three months. The school is called “Northern Educate”, and it is all about hockey. The students would wake up and play hockey, work on school work for 3 hours, eat lunch, then play more hockey. According to Axel’s dad, Axel loved the trip and he caught the eye of coaches and scouts.

”He’s been scouted by more coaches than he thinks he has, and some would say that they want Axel on their team” Mr. Sade said.

Axel hopes to receive a scholarship for hockey and continue to play throughout his life.

“It’s really up to him,” Mr. Sade said about Axel’s future in hockey.

“ His mullet is very obvious, everybody would see it, he is always talking about hockey and he is super funny and is always fun to be around” Grant Becerra, junior at West, had to say about Axel. Grant is a close friend of Axel but does not play hockey himself.

“Hockey is a great way for me to let off some steam, and it’s a great environment for meeting new friends” Axel said.