In his first year with the Steinbach Pistons, Cullen Ingebritson has made quite the impression both on the ice and off the ice, and the popular 18-year-old has loved every minute of his time in the blue and white.
Coming to Steinbach, Ingebritson had a pretty good idea that when he arrived, there was already a nickname waiting for him. “I have heard about the backstory,” he says with a laugh. “Jim Ingebrigtsen, was he a reporter? Yeah. Paul (Dyck), right away, he just locked into it, and he was calling my brother that when he was here. Now, I get to live that moniker, too. First day I walked in, it was ‘Jimbo’ right away. I kind of knew it was coming, but I like it. It’s a good touch.”
First impressions
Having his older brother part of the organization years before, the younger ‘Jim’ knew what Steinbach was about, and he wanted to be a part of it, without question. “The city’s awesome. I came up here two years ago for my older brother, and ever since, like playing even when they played in La Broquerie, I had always kept an eye on the team. I saw that rink and fell in love with it right away. Being up here, playing my time, being in Stein, the new rink, it’s been awesome ever since. Boys are great, people are great, it’s just been a perfect fit for me.”
Wise words from dad
When it comes to what style Ingebritson brings, he says he learned from his dad at an early age to make a statement right away. “I like to play physical, but I’m a playmaker, like to get down low, like to go to the corner, but play with speed, bring impact, be an energy guy every night. If you’re not fine in your game, do something to find a way to get into the game, hit a guy. My dad always said, either get hit or go be hit, and it’s always how I’ve lived my first shift of the game.”
Getting his nose dirty
In a game earlier this year, Ingebritson took a puck to the face, resulting in a pretty gruesome injury, but he laughed it off, and is all good now. “We went to Winnipeg, we were playing the Monarchs. I went through the middle of the ice and was looking at Z (Zhenya Miles), and just so happened to take a puck right to the nose. No, didn’t mean to do it on purpose, I mean, accidents happen. You’re wearing a visor, but yeah, I had to take a couple of games off for that. Played with the bubble on, but got my nose all fixed now. I can breathe. I’m good.”
He adds that his family kind of had an idea that something like that would happen, eventually. “I mean, I had the bubble already, the bubble’s mine from back home. We all kind of knew it was coming. I have a history of just getting hurt, doing stupid stuff, and getting stitches. I’ve had hundreds of stitches by now. Something they knew was coming at some point. I know my mom may want me to keep it, but I’ll be going to a half-shield again soon. I’m counting the days.”
Team first guy
Since arriving, Ingebritson has earned the reputation of being all about the team, something he takes a lot of pride in. “I’ve always been a team guy, family-first type thing. You play for the logo on the front, not for the name on the back, and I’ve always preached that. I’ve always lived by that. I don’t know, I walked in first day, loved all the boys ever since, and play for them, and good things are going to happen if you play for your team. We’ve got a really good mix of guys. We’ve got a lot of guys that keep it serious, like Noady (Sam Noad), he’s a really good captain, he keeps it serious, he’s a hockey guy, loves hockey, he sticks to it. Then we’ve got guys like Kais (Brett Kaiser), he is a guy that just loves to be here, loves the game, he’s a jokester, just keeps the room light. We have a great mix of older guys, that’s, I don’t know, it’s a day-to-day, guys joke around, guys give each other a hard time, it’s a typical locker room, it’s a great vibe so far.”
Giving back to Steinbach
Being a community guy is something that comes naturally to Ingebritson, who says he loves to volunteer his time. “I volunteer at the school Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I’m actually with my billet sister. I’m with her 6th-grade class, and then on Wednesday nights, me and my roommate, Liam Doyle, we coach U9 practice, and that’s with my other billet brothers, so we’re with them a lot. It’s a lot of fun, get with the community, be around, be a friendly face; it’s been a lot of fun.”
Feeling more Canadian
Coming from Minnesota, Ingebritson says he and a couple of the other American players have started to become a bit more Canadian, saying ‘sorry’ at random times, but he’s glad he’s not the only USA product on the team. “I’ve got good buddies with the Americans. Charlie Velner, is a good buddy to try and learn all the Canadian experiences with. The voices,” he says with a laugh, “everyone says different voices here. We call every service the ice;, everyone says flooding, so we get crap all the time in the locker room, but it’s been awesome.”
World Juniors/Olympics
It’s a big year in hockey, and being an American in Canada, Ingebritson is looking forward to cheering for his country at the big events. “I got a couple buddies on the U. S. World Junior team, so I’m rooting for them. Well, yeah, I mean, that’s of course. You gotta hope they do well or else you’ll never hear the end of it. The Olympics, though, Canada’s a good team, but the USA hockey program, I mean, it’s been crazy. Growing up, everyone’s always like Canada hockey, Canada hockey, but then, I don’t know, ever since that, I’ve always been a Patrick Kane fan, and I feel like ever since he got in the league, he’s changed USA hockey ever since, big time.”
