It’s going to be a busy week for the Huffnagle family, but they wouldn’t have it any other way.
The Ohio AAA Blue Jackets junior program has sent three teams to USA Hockey Nationals, and there are Huffnagles on two of them. The family’s eldest son, Drew, is on the boys 18U team that is in Pittsburgh to battle the best teams in the country, while their younger son, Luke, is on the 13O team that has headed to Plymouth, Mich., to do the same.
They’re both about three-hour car rides from Columbus but in opposite directions, so father Mark and mother Laurie will have to split up. But when it comes down to it, considering how much time and effort are put into the game by any hockey family, figuring out how to get to nationals is a pretty good problem to have.
“It’s fantastic,” Mark said. “I was lucky enough to have parents who were willing to do the same thing for me and allowed me to play, so I knew early on getting my kids into hockey what I was getting into. What I didn’t expect was to have two kids in the AAA program, and certainly that’s been an honor. They’ve both done very well in the program, and it’s been exciting for me to see how much they’ve excelled.
“It’s been very exciting, it’s been very rewarding, and the best benefit has been what it has taught both of them — hard work and perseverance.”
That’s especially true this season, as both Huffnagle brothers have had to deal with their share of injuries. Unfortunately, Luke suffered a broken ankle and is unable to play with the 13O team this week, but the defenseman is still attending to support his teammates in their journey.
Drew, meanwhile, has dealt with an injury throughout this season, but the forward is back on the ice and has saved the best for last. When the 18U team was at Mid-Am regionals in early March, Drew posted two goals – none bigger than the third-period winner in a 3-2 victory vs. Pens Elite – and an assist as the AAA Blue Jackets won all four games to advance.
“Everyone on this team has had some sacrifice or some adversity they’ve had to go through throughout the course of the year,” 18U head coach Nate Handrahan said. “Drew has had a particularly challenging one. To have him back is awesome. I think there was an opportunity for some players to grow in his absence, and we didn’t hang our heads. Drew is a terrific player, but our guys were like, ‘We’re playing,’ and then Drew did a great job of integrating himself into the group as he came back.
“He plays the game at a really high level, and we’re happy to have him back.”
While the two Huffnagles play different positions, Drew said it’s been fun to watch his little brother follow in his footsteps.
“I make him work,” Drew said with a laugh. “I try to teach him a few things out in the driveway here and there. We’re very competitive, too. We play street hockey out in the driveway and stuff like that. We shoot together, work on our shot. I love watching my little brother.”
That driveway has seen plenty of action over the past few years, as the Huffnagles were neighbors with former Blue Jackets director of pro scouting and assistant coach Josef Boumedienne. Two of Boumedienne’s sons – Sascha, who currently plays at Boston University and is eligible for the 2025 draft, and Wilson, who is 14 years old and has a bright future ahead of him – are high-level hockey players as well, making the average neighborhood game a little more competitive than usual.
“To have those guys next door for a couple of years, it just accelerated the love and the competition hockey-wise,” Mark said about his two sons. “There were tons of driveway hockey, tons of Lee Harris skates, and they definitely developed a passion for it and they love the game.”
It’s something shared by the entire family, and it goes back to Mark’s mother, who was a speedskater during his childhood in the Cleveland area. Mark and his three siblings spent plenty of time in ice arenas as a result and picked up the bug for skating and for hockey, something he passed on to his kids.
Now, the Huffnagles are an integral part of the Columbus hockey family, and Mark said their experience with the AAA Blue Jackets has been a key part of what makes the sport so special both on and off the ice.
“We have two hockey families with both of our teams,” Mark said. “The coaching the boys get has been nothing short of excellent. There couldn’t have been a better program for us. It’s been great to watch them. I sit back and watch and I marvel at the level of play both of them are playing at. I shake my head and have to pinch myself periodically to say, ‘Wow, they really are playing a great game of hockey.’”
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