He and his teammates are currently competing for the Clark Cup Championship in the USHL — the only USA Hockey Tier One Junior League — against the Western Conference champion Waterloo Black Hawks. The best of five series is currently knotted at one game each after Indiana’s overtime victory in Waterloo last weekend, and the Ice have the opportunity to clinch the championship at home this weekend.
After Kurker’s stellar four-year career at St. John’s Prep in Danvers, he committed to play collegiate hockey at Boston University. He was also a second round draft pick of the St. Louis Blues.
The right-winger had also been selected to participate in a USA Hockey Select 17 Camp several years ago, and represented the USA at the U-18 2011 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, playing in Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
“It was eye-opening,” recounted Kurker. “I had never been outside of the country, and hockey-wise I had never played with foreign opponents. It was amazing how good the hockey was. It showed me how hard you have to work to make it. The speed and their passing were quick and smooth. They were smooth skaters, and great passers.”
After Kurker’s 2012-13 freshman year, in which he played 35 games for the Terriers, he was presented with a challenge during the middle of his sophomore season, when his name was added to the roster of the USHL Indiana Ice.
While it is not an uncommon practice for a USHL team to add a highly regarded prospect to their roster — BU teammate Brendan Collier had also been added to a USHL roster — the move, at first, surprised Kurker.
“Originally, I did not [know], but in the end I’m happy I was added,” said Kurker. “I wasn’t planning on leaving BU at the start of the season. I was committed to BU, and become a better player there, and hopefully win a national championship. I just decided halfway through it that [the USHL] was the best path for me.”
The move to Indiana has provided Kurker the chance to manage the challenges associated with moving from one opportunity to another.
“I felt like I wasn’t playing my best hockey. My confidence was down. Coming here [to Indiana], I’ve gained confidence back during the season. That is exactly why I wanted to come here. There’s always ups and downs in hockey and in life, you just have to attack them and keep your head up,” said Kurker.
Kurker played 24 regular season games for the Ice, and has played in nine playoff games to date. He has been a contributor in Indiana’s quest for the Clark Cup, tallying three goals and three assists in the playoff run. One of his goals was a game-winner, and he is sitting at a plus four.
“Right now, the path looks like I will probably play USHL again,” Kurker said. “The Ice is not participating next year, and there is a dispersal draft. I will see where I end up in the USHL, and will make a decision again, and hopefully have a good year next year in the USHL.”
While Kurker faces the ebbs and flows of a hockey career, he knows there has been one constant.
“I think I am lucky to have such a supporting and loving family, great parents and brother and sister. Without that, I definitely wouldn’t be able to do [any of this],” he said.
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