October 30, 2009

By Becky Olsen
Special to USAHockey.com

Robbie Russo’s room is the proud home to a puck autographed by defenseman Bobby Orr. Orr, who spent 12 years in the NHL and was inducted in Hockey Hall of Fame in 1979, is considered one of greatest hockey players of all time. Russo, a defenseman for the National Team Development Program’s Under-17 team, once stopped at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto to get a closer look at Orr’s accomplishments.

He hopes the karma accompanies him to the NTDP.

Robbie Russo is among the team leaders with four assists so far this season.

Growing up, no one in Russo’s family played hockey, so the learning experience was completely new to him and his family. Although Russo does admit that he would like to try playing competitive basketball some day.

“I learned to skate when I was 3. I started off on the little kid roller skates, the ones that you strap on your shoes. I went on the ice and could skate right away,” Russo said. “My parents were my role models. They were always leading me the right direction. They never pushed me to play hockey, so it was always fun. That made it easier.”

Russo has made believers out of his family and his love for hockey, including his 6-year-old cousin, Joey.

“My cousin Joey wants to be like me and play hockey,” Russo smiled.

It is a good thing that Russo decided that hockey was his sport. He arrived in Ann Arbor, Mich., after spending the 2008-09 season with the Chicago Mission Midget Major team. He registered 30 points on 10 goals and 20 assists last year.

To date, he has played in all 12 games this season and ranks among the team leaders with four assists for Team USA.

“Robbie is somebody with high-end ability and great potential on defense,” U-17 head coach Ron Rolston said. “He has the tools but he just needs to fine-tune them. With each game, he is gaining more confidence. It should be fun to watch him the next few games.”

Russo, who is a big fan of Detroit’s Nicklas Lidstrom, knows a few things that he must do on the ice in order to be a good player.

“I need to keep it simple and keep the puck moving up the ice,” Russo said. “And of course, do well on the power play.”

But, at the same time, he knows that to improve and reach his goals, he needs to keep working.

“I like it here. It is tough every day, especially skating and going right to a lift. I’m getting stronger and better,” said Russo, who has made a verbal commitment to attend the University of Notre Dame and play hockey. “Getting stronger and faster is going to be important, especially moving to the college level.”

Learning how to become more physical is something that Russo understands he needs to do, especially in the area of off-ice conditioning.

“Last year, we did do off-ice conditioning, but here it is a different level. As you go up in hockey, the off-ice gets harder. Here, it is as hard as it has been during the season,” Russo said. “The cross training is very intense and very detailed. You have to be on top of your game every second; otherwise, there is a punishment.”

Roltson likes what he has seen so far from Russo.

“Robbie is getting more experience and spending time in the zone,” Rolston said of Russo’s development. “He has learned how to play better away from the puck, clearing rebounds and boxing out. He can be in a good position but lose the physical battles. As he gets more experience defending, he will learn how to create offensive opportunities.”

It is all worth it to Russo, and the USA jersey is a great reminder for him that his opportunity is one to cherish.

“It is great and a reminder that you have to play hard every shift,” Russo said. “There is a spotlight on you and you have to definitely play hard. The first international tournament should be pretty awesome. There is more on the line.”

When the U-17s head to Slovakia next week for the Under-17 Four Nations Tournament, Russo knows that the team’s preparation, including the USHL season, will be a great benefit for Team USA.

“The USHL schedule does help you get better quicker. If you are not playing intense and at that team’s level, you will be swamped,” Russo said. “The USHL will help us in international competition. If we play with that same intensity, we should have better results.”

For Russo, he understands that hard work and dedication will take him far in hockey. Who knows? Maybe some day, a kid will ask him to sign a puck and that kid will be able to look back and reflect on the lessons that Russo has learned.

Story courtesy of Red Line Editorial, Inc.