Hockey player of the year: Trevor Shott, Fountain Valley

When Trevor Shott and his parents were looking for top-quality prep schools across the country last year, they landed on Fountain Valley.

Shott’s mother, Shelley, travels a great deal in her role at Intel, and Colorado Springs and Fountain Valley ended up being an appealing choice for the family. That proved fortuitous for the Danes and hockey coach Mike Payne, as Shott made an immediate impact on arrival from Oregon.

The junior helped Fountain Valley cope with a rash of injuries by netting 20 goals and tallying 24 assists. His 44 points put him second in the state behind Regis’ Marshall Conrad and propelled the Danes (14-6) to a state tournament berth.

Even though Fountain Valley fell 4-3 to Chatfield in the first round, Shott and his teammates deemed the season a success.

“We were a little disappointed because, when we came in at the beginning of the year, we all knew that we had a really strong team,” said Shott, who was born in Arizona. “It was a bummer to have the injuries that happened happen, and we were expecting to go really far. Of course, we were happy we made it to the playoffs, but we wished we’d have gotten a little further than that.”

Natural ability and an even-keel attitude, Payne says, are two of the attributes that make Shott a great player.

“Trevor has a great deal of patience and steady perseverance,” Payne said. “He doesn’t get very frustrated if things don’t go his way early in a game. Although he’s not the fastest guy on the ice, he has an uncanny ability to create his own space through good puck protection and vision.

“In terms of players I’ve coached for CHSAA teams, he’s definitely one of the top three or so in terms of natural ability.”

Shott had two hat tricks, including an eight-point night against Pine Creek  in which he had five assists.

“It’s been awesome,” Shott said of the season. “I think it’s really cool to be able to go out there and contribute as much as I can and show that I could. I think our strength this year was having so many balanced people throughout the lines, and everything seemed to just flow.”

Shott will play on a team this spring to stay sharp and would like to play hockey in college after graduating next year. He said he’ll target a school that  blends high academic standards with a successful hockey program.

In Fountain Valley, Shott has been able to find just that in high school.

“It was really fun,” Shott said of his first year at the school. “I think it got me to be a little more outgoing, because you’re meeting new people and have to be more social. I think it was really good for me.”

There’s no doubt it was great for the Danes.

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