On one of Chris Bergeron's first recruiting trips in 2019 after becoming the Miami Hockey head coach, he met a young man named John Waldron.
 
(And the rest is history?)
 
"I was in Buffalo, N.Y. and this skinny young guy walked up to me," Bergeron remembered. "I'd never met Johnny before, and he made a point of coming and introducing himself and saying hello.
 
"In that conversation, he made it very clear that he wanted to be a part of making Miami Hockey relevant again. And as a Miami person myself, that went a long way with me."
 
Waldron had committed to the RedHawks' program under the previous coaching staff, but never wavered in his desire to play for Miami and make an impact wearing the Red and White.
 
Fast forward to the present, and Waldron is doing just that. The Batavia, Ill. native is one of nine Miami freshmen on this season's roster, and each member of that group has played a key role in the 2022-23 campaign. The class of first-year players has produced 18 goals and 24 assists through the first two dozen games for a Miami team that matched its win total from a season ago by late December and is working to climb toward the top of the NCHC.
 
The potential of the class as a whole and Waldron in particular was on full display in the RedHawks' most recent conference home series against St. Cloud State, currently the top-ranked team in the nation. Waldron netted three goals in a single period on Dec. 9, matching the program record and producing the first hat trick by a Miami player since Conor Lemirande in 2016.
 
The next night, all nine freshmen were in the lineup together for the first time, and the results were spectacular: The RedHawks blanked the then-No. 4 Huskies 5-0 and posted their first win over a top-five team since March 2018. Waldron, who chipped in a goal and an assist in the victory, was named the NCHC Rookie of the Week and later collected Rookie of the Month honors from the conference.
 
"There are obviously really good teams in this league, but I think we've proven that when we're at our best we can compete with anyone," Waldron said.
 
For Waldron, the key to having early success in his college career could be summed up in a single word: confidence. The winger admittedly struggled as a young player adjusting to the level of competition in junior hockey, but the transition from the USHL's Waterloo Black Hawks to the NCHC's RedHawks has been much smoother.
 
"I just came in here wanting to be confident and not wanting to change my game," Waldron explained. "In juniors, when I came in, I tried to change my game a lot, which I don't think was good for me. In college, I've stuck to my game and came in with a confidence right away, and I haven't lost that.
 
"Once I realized [at Waterloo] that I could have success at that level, I kept building off that and never looked back."
 
Waldron grew up in a 'sporty' family in Illinois and has been on the ice for nearly as long as he can remember. His father, John, played hockey for the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point, while his mother, Jillien, was an all-conference pitcher for North Central College's softball team.
 
"My dad got me into the game when I was really young, and I always loved it," Waldron said. "I was always kind of destined to play sports."
 
He toured the Miami campus at age 15 and was blown away by his recruiting visit. "I loved it here," Waldron said simply. "I loved the campus, the facilities – basically everything about it." Choosing a Sport Leadership and Management major came naturally for an athlete who hopes to play professionally after Miami and plans to stay involved in the game in one way or another for his entire life.
 
"I've leaned toward sports my whole life…I don't see myself doing anything else," said Waldron.
 
The rookie prospect and Howard Hensley Scholarship recipient is off to a good start in his attempt to build a hockey career as a player first and foremost. Waldron scored his first collegiate goal on Parents' Weekend vs. defending national champion Denver (with his entire family in attendance!) and currently ranks second on the RedHawks with eight goals this season. He put up seven points in the month of December alone after tallying 45 for Waterloo in 2021-22.
 
"His offensive instincts are top-level," said Bergeron. "Johnny's a guy that score and pass almost equally as well…
 
"The way he shoots the puck, the way he passes the puck: His offensive skills make him stand out."
 
Although the freshman class (including forwards Frankie Carogioiello, Max Dukovac, William Hallén, Blake Mesenburg, Artur Turansky and defensemen Zane Demsey, Michael Feenstra and Axel Kumlin) has demonstrated that the future is bright for Miami Hockey, Waldron still thinks his group is only scratching the surface of how special it can be.
 
"We all just want to get better every day…I think we have a lot of guys who haven't even begun to show what they can do at this level," Waldron said. "We have guys who haven't really hit their stride yet, but are going to be really key parts of our team in the future."
 
Bergeron agreed. "This is a confident group that believes in themselves and believes in what's going on here, and they also believe that they're going to be a huge part of this thing in the future…which they are!" Bergeron said.

 
Focused on the present.
 
Building toward the future.
 
Through it all, Waldron said he is doing his best to live in the moment and simply work as hard as he can every day to improve. Meanwhile, Bergeron and his staff keep preaching the same daily message to each of the 30 RedHawks in the dressing room.

"Don't lose faith. Trust. Trust us that what we're talking about, we've been through before," said Bergeron, who built Bowling Green from a 10-win team to five straight 20-win seasons and an NCAA Tournament appearance in his previous stop.
 
"This is going to turn around, and it's going to turn around with what your help. That's been the consistent message, and it's not going to change."
 
It's one that Waldron and his teammates have bought into. "I want to bring Miami Hockey back to what it should be, because we're a top-notch organization," Waldron said. "We should be competing in the NCAA Tournament every year, and we should be competing in the NCHC every year.
 
"I think we're on the right track, and I think we have a lot of young guys that are on the same page with that."
 
Waldron and the RedHawks return to action this weekend when North Dakota comes to Steve "Coach" Cady Arena. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday on CBS Sports Network and 7:05 p.m. Saturday on NCHC.tv. Get your tickets now and support Miami Hockey!
 
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