Most Seattle Prep students have likely at least heard of the NHL or Seattle Kraken, but has anyone ever wondered what it is really like to play hockey? This may come as a surprise, but we actually have a few hockey players in our midst. Prep students Evan Dubicki ’25 and Matty Bombino ’25 eagerly shared their stories, chiming in on their experiences as hockey players.
In 2021 Seattle welcomed its newest professional sports team, the Seattle Kraken. The long-awaited arrival of an NHL team has since caused the city’s hockey interest to skyrocket. Now, more than ever, the hockey scene is expanding, and familiarity with the sport is growing. But since many people are just beginning to get to know the sport, Dubicki and Bombino provided a deeper look into the lives of hockey players.
Junior Evan Dubicki currently plays for the Sno-King Jr. Thunderbirds 18u team while Matty Bombino plays for the Jr. Kraken 16u team. For Dubicki, hockey has played a key role in his life from a very young age. “[My family] started skating me when I was like three years old and so I learned how to skate by the time I was four.” Bombino noted a similar upbringing: “I started skating when I was like one…and started playing hockey when I was four.”
Both Dubicki and Bombino thanked their families for such an early introduction to the sport. “I mainly started because my family has a big history with hockey. My family is from Toronto so like everybody in my family played – my brother, my sister, and my dad [who] still plays right now,” Dubicki said. Bombino is a similar story: “My dad is from Canada…[hockey] has been a part of his life for as long as he can remember [so] he introduced it to me when I was really young.”
Like the majority of club sports seasons, the hockey season lasts almost year-round. As for his weekly schedule, Dubicki says, “We practice three to four times a week and [have] two games on weekends, or three. Since hockey is not super big here in Seattle, we’ve had to travel a lot.” Bombino is just as busy, saying he is “on the ice five to six times a week on average,” whether it be for his three weekly practices or load of weekend games.
As for the hockey offseason, Dubicki harped on the importance of individual work: “[I do] a lot of skating on my own and drills…we have to prepare ourselves for the season.” Staying active and in shape is of utmost importance for these guys. Bombino mentioned how during the summer he is “always on the ice…never taking a break [or] taking a big chunk of time off.” Even though both players are avid skaters they each prefer to skate often, looking to perfect their craft and never lose their touch.
For hockey players, proper conditioning is vital. “Being in hockey shape means a lot of conditioning,” Dubicki said. He specifically emphasized the importance of training his legs: “Your legs get tired before your body gets tired, and once they get tired, you can’t really skate, so you have to do a lot of leg workouts in the offseason to prepare them.” Hockey shape is a whole different level of athleticism; having to constantly skate while also maintaining a good handle of the stick and being physical with opponents is no light task. “It’s kind of a complete fitness,” Bombino said. “You need to have good endurance and cardio fitness, but you also need to have a lot of strength and power.”
Unfortunately, unlike most sports, hockey is not offered as a high school sport at Seattle schools. For Dubicki and Bombino hockey season is centered completely around their club teams’ play in the NAPHL (North American Prospects Hockey League). The NAPHL offers weekend league games and, for Seattle players, involves a ton of traveling. Since hockey isn’t big in the area, both players noted the need to travel rather frequently, often taking trips outside the state to places like Minnesota, Nevada, and New Mexico.
While travel can be an exciting part of sports, Bombino wishes Seattle high schools would jump on the hockey train: “I think they should try to start hockey teams because there is going to be a lot more kids playing hockey around here and I feel like it would be a nice addition to the school [and] overall community of hockey in Seattle.”
Like Bombino, Prep Athletic Director Sam Reed recognizes the potential benefits of adding hockey as a high school sport. “A winter sport like hockey would fit into our sports calendar well and not negatively impact the other sports in that season,” he said. The growth of hockey in the Seattle area is undeniable, but Reed knows adding a new sport is not that simple. He cites a “lack of facilities and [the] costs [of] the ice time and the equipment” as major roadblocks left for high schools to manage. Combine those problems with the issue of finding enough interest from other local high schools, and the chances don’t look too promising. While he does not rule out the possibility, Reed believes “it is probably a while” before Seattle high school hockey is a reality.
Regardless of where they play or who they play for, Dubicki and Bombino will, without a doubt, continue to pursue their passion for hockey. It is simply just fun. Bombino calls it his “escape”, saying “once I get to the rink, it’s like my happy place. I can go and just have fun and forget about everything going on around me and I can just play hockey.” From the moment Dubicki got on the ice, he “fell in love with it.”
Don’t sleep on hockey, folks. Want to see why Dubicki and Bombino speak so highly of their sport? Take advantage of this hockey season and go check out the hype. Tune in to the next Kraken game or even go check these guys out this winter as they compete in the NAPHL for their respective clubs. Not only is the sport crazily impressive, but it is guaranteed to entertain you.
