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Belvidere's Caleb Hoffman just returned from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, where he was the leading defenseman who helped lift Team USA to second place in the 2025 World Deaf Ice Hockey Championships.
Hoffman played defender as well as forward throughout the tournament, posting more minutes and points than any other defenseman on Team USA. He scored three goals and had seven assists in the nine-day, six-game tournament played at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, and Team USA fell one win shy of winning it all. They fell 6-2 to Finland in the tournament finals on Saturday, May 17.
More on Caleb Hoffman: Belvidere hockey star Caleb Hoffman needs help getting to Vancouver for World Deaf Games
"It was a little tough to make it all the way there and then to lose it," Hoffman said. "But man, what an experience."
The 17-year-old, left-handed defenseman played nearly as many minutes as possible in every game, and he sparked the U.S. to a 4-2 tourney record. Team USA eliminated Canada 4-2 in the semis, and even led 2-1 in the championship game, but Finland poured it on late to steal the gold. Canada finished with the bronze.
"The competition was pretty solid across the board," Hoffman said of the five-team tourney that included USA, Canada, Finland, the Czech Republic and Hungary. "And we were one of the youngest teams there, so this was really a good starting point for us. We'll get better."
Hoffman, who is about 60% deaf in both ears, started off his career with the Rockford Hockey Club, then played with the Milwaukee Jr. Admirals. He spent last season with the Madison Capitals.
He's been skating on the Team USA U18 Deaf Team ever since he turned 16, and he also plays in the AHIHA Stan Mikita Hockey School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
Last year he skated in the Jeff Sauer International Deaf Hockey Series in Amherst, N.Y., which showcases the top deaf/hard of hearing hockey players in the world, and he scored the game-winning goal in a semifinal victory over Finland. But in this latest tournament he was unable to score against Finland.
He did have at least one assist in every game of the tourney, though. And, he grew as a person and as a player.
"Just being around the same group of guys for this long, with all of you working toward the same goal, that was big," Hoffman said. "And the whole experience was just really, really cool. I learned a ton."
Now Hoffman returns to action with Team Illinois this summer, and he's aiming to make it into the juniors (USA Hockey's junior program) next year, or earn his spot back on the U18 Team USA squad.
Jay Taft is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at [email protected] and sign up for the Rockford High School Sports Newsletter here at rrstar.com. Jay has covered a variety of sports, from the Chicago Bears and Blackhawks to local youth sports, since the turn of the century at the Register Star.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Belvidere hockey star Caleb Hoffman leads Team USA to silver medal
Continue reading...
Hoffman played defender as well as forward throughout the tournament, posting more minutes and points than any other defenseman on Team USA. He scored three goals and had seven assists in the nine-day, six-game tournament played at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, and Team USA fell one win shy of winning it all. They fell 6-2 to Finland in the tournament finals on Saturday, May 17.
More on Caleb Hoffman: Belvidere hockey star Caleb Hoffman needs help getting to Vancouver for World Deaf Games
"It was a little tough to make it all the way there and then to lose it," Hoffman said. "But man, what an experience."
The 17-year-old, left-handed defenseman played nearly as many minutes as possible in every game, and he sparked the U.S. to a 4-2 tourney record. Team USA eliminated Canada 4-2 in the semis, and even led 2-1 in the championship game, but Finland poured it on late to steal the gold. Canada finished with the bronze.
"The competition was pretty solid across the board," Hoffman said of the five-team tourney that included USA, Canada, Finland, the Czech Republic and Hungary. "And we were one of the youngest teams there, so this was really a good starting point for us. We'll get better."
Hoffman, who is about 60% deaf in both ears, started off his career with the Rockford Hockey Club, then played with the Milwaukee Jr. Admirals. He spent last season with the Madison Capitals.
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He's been skating on the Team USA U18 Deaf Team ever since he turned 16, and he also plays in the AHIHA Stan Mikita Hockey School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
Last year he skated in the Jeff Sauer International Deaf Hockey Series in Amherst, N.Y., which showcases the top deaf/hard of hearing hockey players in the world, and he scored the game-winning goal in a semifinal victory over Finland. But in this latest tournament he was unable to score against Finland.
He did have at least one assist in every game of the tourney, though. And, he grew as a person and as a player.
"Just being around the same group of guys for this long, with all of you working toward the same goal, that was big," Hoffman said. "And the whole experience was just really, really cool. I learned a ton."
Now Hoffman returns to action with Team Illinois this summer, and he's aiming to make it into the juniors (USA Hockey's junior program) next year, or earn his spot back on the U18 Team USA squad.
Jay Taft is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at [email protected] and sign up for the Rockford High School Sports Newsletter here at rrstar.com. Jay has covered a variety of sports, from the Chicago Bears and Blackhawks to local youth sports, since the turn of the century at the Register Star.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Belvidere hockey star Caleb Hoffman leads Team USA to silver medal
Continue reading...
