Four games into this 2024-24 Illinois West season, the Warriors were only a .500 team with wins over Lincoln-Way and Neuqua Valley, and losses to Plainfield and Lyons Township.

 

The defending state championship of the combined division were, it seemed, struggling as a newly merged team, a mix of Waubonsie Valley and Wheaton West.

 

The Warriors have since won five consecutive league games, outscoring those five foes 23-8, which included a 4-0 win over Hinsdale Central.

 

“I think we will have a good year. We are a deep team with a solid group of seniors and a ton of past varsity experience, which is always good and will take us a long way,” said senior center Kyle Van Rossum, who played for Wheaton West last year. “We started a little slow this year but have really started playing well (of late), which has been a lot of fun.

 

“I think we have the team to (repeat as state champions). We just need to keep working hard every day, staying motivated throughout the whole year. One important thing is, coming together as one team through the merge and every day we play together we get more chemistry and feel more comfortable together, which has shown in recent games.”

 

Van Rossum, 18, who lives in Wheaton, formerly skated for the Glen Ellyn Admirals. He has won multiple academic honors and was a JV all-star as a freshman and sophomore. He also was the rookie of the year award-winner as a freshman.

 

“My style is a lot of different things, but always giving it all on every shift,” Van Rossum said. “I am not afraid to grind it out in the corners when needed. I think one of my strengths is playmaking and finding the open man; I also feel comfortable shooting the puck and finishing in tight.

 

“I can play many different roles and love doing what I am asked and what’s best for the team.”

 

Van Rossum has two goals and two assists in his first nine league games this season.

 

“One goal for me (this season) is to be a good leader and make sure we come together as a team, and make the new guys feel confident; that is very important for our success,” Van Rossum said. “Another goal is to score more goals than I did last year. I don’t have a goal (total) in mind, but just the overall goal of increasing my point production from last year.”

 

Van Rossum was a four-year golfer at Wheaton West, including all-conference accolades this year, and he plays baseball, too.

 

“I started playing golf at a young age because of my dad. I always enjoyed playing with my friends but never played competitively. Freshman year, I decided to try it, knowing it would be busy with hockey. I had a lot of friends on the team which made it a lot of fun,” he said. “It was a lot of long days on the course followed by late nights at the rink, but it was worth it. I am very proud of my golf career and I’m happy I played all four years.”

 

He is a baseball pitcher.

 

“Sports have been a huge part of my life and have taught me a lot of lessons. Plus, I have made lifelong friends from all these sports,” Van Rossum said. “Hockey has helped me in baseball a lot because of the quick decision-making. Both sports require a lot of quick thinking. By playing both sports, it has helped with my decision making in both hockey, baseball and in life.

 

“Playing all three sports has taught me a lot. Being around all these teams has taught me how to be a leader and how to make an impact on people. It has also taught me how to always stay positive. All these sports, especially baseball, have long seasons and they have long days in the middle of season or tough stretches of games. I have learned in the middle of those times you need to stay positive.

 

“Playing three sports has taught me a lot of valuable lessons that I will use this year to finish my career and in my life in the future.”

 

 

Slapshots With … Warriors Center Kyle Van Rossum

Hobbies: Hanging out with friends, watching sports and playing video games.

College Plans: “Go to a big school and study business or finance and maybe play club hockey.”

Long-term Goal: Run a successful business.

It’s A Fact: Played goalie through peewees.

Influential: “The biggest influence in my hockey career has been Coach Keith Fahrforth. He started coaching me at the end of my sophomore year and has been my coach ever since. He brought a lot of life to our team sophomore year after going through a tough time. Every day he comes to the rink with a ton of energy; it is contagious. Everyone buys into the culture he creates, and it makes everyone a better player and a person. You can tell how much he cares about each player and how much he loves coaching us; thus, everyone wants to play for him and come to practice every day wanting to work hard and get better.”

Favorite NHL Team: Chicago Blackhawks 

Favorite NHL Player: Patrick Kane

Favorite Sports-themed Movie: Miracle

Favorite TV Show:Suits

Favorite Pre-game Meal: Pasta

Favorite app: Instagram

Celebrity You’d Like To Meet: Connor Bedard

Best Hockey Tip: “Make sure when you go out there you always have fun; hockey is supposed to be fun. But it’s a lot more fun when you are scoring goals and winning games.” – Keith Fahrforth

Best High School Uniform (other than the Warriors): Chicago North