Rockets rookie conquers Knox Mountain

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It was his first real introduction to one of Kelowna’s best-known landmarks, and a pretty good way to introduce himself to his new teammates.

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“I think I found a second gear, got a little runner’s high,” Braunshausen said with a chuckle. “I mean, it was tough. I was sucking wind for sure.”

Braunshausen may have been hurting at the finish, but the result showed the work he put in during the summer.

The Minnesota-raised forward spent much of his offseason training with Ted Johnson, founder of Performance Athletix, a Minnesota-based athletic performance program that works with elite athletes. Johnson also has a connection to Braunshausen’s former school, St. Thomas Academy.

Braunshausen focused on cardio, strength and performance work throughout the summer.

“A lot of my training this summer in Minnesota,” Braunshausen told RocketFAN. “We do a lot of kind of cardio and then strength and performance stuff, which I think really translates over to the hockey aspect.”

That training appeared to pay off on Knox Mountain.

For someone who had only recently arrived in Kelowna, it was quite an introduction.

Born in Ohio and raised in Minnesota, Braunshausen is beginning his first WHL season with the Rockets after playing high school hockey at St. Thomas Academy.

He is also one of the more unusual rookies on the team.

At 19, Braunshausen is considerably older than most players entering their first WHL season.

“It definitely is,” he said. “A lot of these guys are like 15, 16-year-old rookies, and then I’m kind of sitting in the same camp as them as kind of being an older guy.”

But Braunshausen isn’t worried about being the older rookie.

He’s simply excited to finally get the chance to play in the WHL.

“When you get an opportunity like this, it’s tough to turn it down for sure,” he said.

The decision to leave Minnesota wasn’t made lightly. Braunshausen said his family and the people around him back home helped him weigh the move to Kelowna.

But once he arrived, he quickly realized why so many people had encouraged him to make the trip over the border.

“I didn’t know much,” he said about the city of Kelowna. “I knew it was a beautiful spot. Everyone I talked to is like, ‘Oh my gosh, you gotta see the landscape, you gotta see the scenery.’”

The hockey side of the move was just as important.

“The hockey pieces are unbelievable, so win-win.”

Braunshausen brings a style of game that should fit well with a Rockets team looking for players who can contribute at both ends of the ice.

He describes himself as a 200-foot player who isn’t afraid to do the dirty work.

“I could put the puck in the back of the net, but also love to block shots and the PK and kind of get in the dirty areas,” he said. “I can play really anywhere.”

That work ethic was developed through years of Minnesota hockey.

Braunshausen grew up playing with many of the same players before attending St. Thomas Academy, where he finished his high school career.

He believes staying in Minnesota for high school helped shape him both as a player and a person.

“It was some of the best moments of my life,” he said.

Now he’s looking to build a few more memories in Kelowna.

Braunshausen hopes to eventually play college hockey and earn a degree, but he also wants to keep playing for as long as possible.

“In five years I want to still be playing hockey. Ten years I want to still be playing hockey,” he said.

For now, his focus is on making an impact with the Rockets.

He’ll have some help from fellow Minnesota product Ryan Oothoudt, whom he knew from playing against him on summer teams. The two became closer this summer, and Braunshausen is looking forward to finally sharing the same dressing room.

But before the games begin, Braunshausen has already given the Rockets a glimpse of what he brings.

He came to Kelowna as a 19-year-old rookie, still learning his way around a new city.

Then he ran up Knox Mountain faster than anyone else.

The Rockets may find out soon enough that Braunshausen has another gear on the ice, too.