One of five brothers, Hobey Baker semi-finalist Cam Atkinson is no stranger to competition and he's channeled that desire to succeed into his hockey career.
His father, Tom, is a Vancouver native and learned to play hockey growing up and his five boys - Scott - 15, Brett - 18, Cam - 21, Tommy - 23 and Steve - 24 - were going to do the same. So, when Cam was two he learned to skate and he hasn't looked back.
Always on the smaller side of the spectrum (5-8, 175), he's had to battle to play against guys who were bigger and stronger and usually older. So, he decided to focus most of his energies on the things he could improve on like his skills and, most importantly, his speed.
His blazing wheels are indeed his trademark and what makes him so dangerous on the ice.
"I obviously like to shoot the puck, but I feel like I’m playing my best when I’m moving my feet and driving hard to the net and stopping in front for rebounds," he explained.
The Greenwich, CT native attended Avon Old Farms - one of the most notable prep schools in New England - and had his eyes on a college scholarship to play hockey, but a week before tryouts of his freshman year he was playing in a tournament in Massachusetts when he was forced to consider life without hockey.
"it was a bad play," he said. "it was actually my brother (Tommy) who passed me the puck, and I was in the corner and got tangled up, fell, and I knew right then and there that something was wrong. It hurt pretty good."
Atkinson broke both his tibia and fibula in his right leg and when the doctor came in to deliver the bad news, he jokingly said 'Looks like there goes your hockey career.'
"That was the first time I actually started crying," said Atkinson. "I was pretty upset. I mean, there goes your dreams and your passion. My dad immediately kicked the doctor out. All he did was he give me the cast and we took off to go to my local doctor. They ended up putting a titanium rod in my leg with two pins screwed in, but luckily my family doctor took good care of me. He was a former trainer for the Jets, so he used his A-team to work on me so I could skate again."
He was in a hard cast for two months and wore a soft cast for another month or so before he could start physical therapy, but as soon as they gave him the green light he was doing anything and everything to strengthen his leg so he could walk again and, eventually, skate again.
"I went 2-3 times a day just to get a little stronger each day," Atkinson said. "I found a way to make it happen. I wanted to be back on the ice."
He returned to hockey six months after the incident and started turning heads his sophomore year garnering the attention of several college programs and USA Hockey.
"The NHL wasn’t really in the back of my head at all," he explained. "I just loved playing the game and I think it started hitting me when I was a sophomore in high school that I could be really successful in hockey. I had a pretty good year and I guess it sparked some interest from the pros, but it wasn't even my draft year and at that time I was looking to commit to a college and go to school and get an education."
As college coaches started taking interest, there was one school that was always at the top of his list.
"When I made team USA U-18 and we went overseas for the Ivan Hlinka Tournamnet, I was actually with future teammates Jimmy Hayes and Tommy Cross and we had a great time in the tournament. We lost in the finals to Canada, but that same night we went back to the hotel and Jimmy Hayes made a comment saying “BC is really interested in you. They’re going to make you an offer” but I kind of brushed it off; obviously BC was a school I wanted to go to but I could never listen to my teammate because h e's kind of a jokester, but he was right," Atkinson explained.
"The next day, we flew home and I got a phone call from BC asking me to come up and talk with them. So, we drove up to BC and when I got there Coach York met us and we walked around for 10-15 minutes, showed us the campus and he made his offer and I committed on the spot. I didn't need to consider other schools. I knew I wanted to be an Eagle."
Bonus Video: Atkinson's Draft Experience
After winning three New England Division I Prep school titles, Cam and his brother Tommy, who has spent a year playing junior hockey, went to the Heights together planning to achieve yet another level of success, but what they got was a bit of a roller coaster ride.
The Eagles were coming off a National Championship and experiencing a bit of a hangover as they struggled with consistency and playing up to their abilities as they failed to make the NCAA Tournament.
"It was a different year for us because we were so used to winning [in high school],"Atkinson said. "So, coming in and winning, losing, losing, winning…it was kind of different and we didn’t know what to expect the next year. But, we knew that BC was a winning tradition, that people came to BC to win games and win trophies and win the national championship. So, we just turned it around. We had great leadership my sophomore year with Matty Price, Benny Smith and Matt Lombardi and they showed us the way. They took all the young guys under their wing and it was just great, but it all started with the leadership."
Last season the Eagles were one of the most dominant teams in the country and leading them to the Frozen Four in Detroit was Atkinson with his 30 goals and 23 assists for 53 points in 42 games. He finished the season leading the country in goals scored, was tied for third in points and helped Boston College collect a few trophies along the way: the Beanpot, the Hockey East Championship and the National Championship.
This year, they were again one of the best teams in the country with a shot at repeating as National Champions. Although they fell short of their goal losing to Colorado College in the NCAA tournament this past weekend, Atkinson was once again leading the way with 31 goals and 21 assists for 52 points in 39 games and helped the Eagles out a few more trophies on their wall: another Beanpot, the Hockey East regular season title and another Hockey East Championship. All of that success has put him in contention for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, given to the best college hockey player each season and awarded this year on April 8th at the Xcel Energy Center in St Paul, MN.
Best is defined by strength of character both on and off the ice, outstanding skill and sportsmanship, with some consideration given to scholastic achievement and community involvement.
"Definitely just being mentioned in the category for Hobey Baker is an honor," said Atkinson. "But its hard work day in and day out. Its really all about the team, really the players like Brian Gibbons and Joey Whitney. They give me that opportunity to be mentioned. They should really be the ones being mentioned. They’re doing all the hard work and I’m just banging all the pucks home, but it’s nice obviously to be mentioned in the category.
"it’s hard winning games in this league especially in Hockey East," he continued. "I’ve mentioned in other interviews that I think Hockey East is the best league in college hockey. So, you could be in first place or last, but every single night it’s up for grabs, and it all starts in the weight room and practice. You have to show your A game in practice every day and if you practice hard it’s going to lead to good play in the games."
Drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 6th round of the 2008 draft, he will take that work ethic with him to Springfield of the AHL and eventually Columbus as Atkinson decided to forego his senior season at BC and signed a three year entry-level contract soon after the Eagles ended their season.
Atkinson knows he's got work to do in order to prove himself at the next level and he's starting on the other end of the ice.
"I want to focus on my defensive zone coverage because that’s what wins games," he explained. "Being good in the defensive zone - whether being on the PK or regular 5 on 5 - blocking more shots, getting in lanes, taking away lanes and just being better in the defensive zone.
"Obviously there’s going to be critics out there critiquing everything they can," Atkinson continued. "But I love it. I take that as motivation I just try and work harder and harder and now you see these younger guys and smaller guys making it to the higher level and it’s just nice to see that. It gives us smaller guys a chance."
And that's all Atkinson needs. His coaches, teammates and especially opponents have all said,"If you give Cam an inch, he'll take a yard." It's that drive and desire that has made him successful at every level of hockey. All he needs is to get his foot in the door. He'll take care of the rest.
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