Appleton Slips Under U.S. Radar, But is Breaking Out For Spartans

by Tim Rappleye/Special to CHN

Michigan State opened the college hockey season versus Maine up in Portland at the Ice Breaker tournament. With the Spartans' season season barely an hour old, an NHL scout and a TV producer huddled in the corner of the Cross Insurance Arena, pointing at the MSU line chart.

No. 27, a 6-foot-2 freshman forward, was running the power play for the Spartans like a game of shinny, keeping the puck on his blade for swaths of several seconds as he skated loops across the top of the zone, head up before firing passes onto teammates tape.

A teenager in his first NCAA game, playing against amped up undergrads several years older, had found a way to slow the game down and masterfully distribute the disc. The two men circled their sheets, and the producer waited for the post game to ask MSU mentor Tom Anastos if he had the kid running his power play from the start of the season?

“Sure,” said Anastos with a laugh. “All four days we’ve been able to work on it.”

And thus began the Mason Appleton era at Michigan State. It has not been a winning era to date, but one in which he has played in every zone, in every situation. He came into the Great Lakes Invitational as the Spartans' leading scorer with three goals and 12 helpers, and was also leading in shots on goal, despite being a pass-first quarterback on the power play.

The Green Bay native has played all three forward positions, kills penalties and takes big faceoffs. With the World Juniors going on simultaneously, it begs the question, how has this NCAA power play stud been ignored by USA Hockey?

“I think he’s an awfully talented player, but he’s still emerging,” said Anastos from Joe Louis Arena. “Some kids emerge earlier and some kids emerge later.”

It seemed counterintuitive that a 6-2 guy who skates that well, who is a natural playmaker, all ideal elements for the international game, could be off the World Junior radar. But back on November 8, USA Hockey’s personnel man, Ben Smith, was queried about Appleton up in the stands while scouting a Boston College game. Smith wasn't aware of Appleton. Five days later, Appleton had the best game of his young career in that same building, as the Spartans battled back from a three- goal deficit in the third period to the highly-ranked Eagles before falling 6-4. Appleton had a goal and an assist in the comeback.

“We found ourselves down,” Appleton said. "But there was no give up in our team and we came back and battled back.”

Smith, who scouted 35 games this fall, was in another rink that night and missed Appleton’s gutty performance. How this kind of hockey asset escaped the eyes of our national governing body seems incomprehensible in this era of instant information. Appleton has a theory.

“I started high school at 5-[foot-]3,” Appleton said, after the Spartans fell out of the GLI with yet another frustrating loss. “I grew almost a foot in high school. I still had the skill and the brain and that stuff when I was 14, 15, 16, but I guess I wasn’t physically there. Growing up, even at the development camps, I didn’t make those first three years and I remember in tears on my porch talking to my high school coach ‘Look, what do I gotta do?’ And then I just bit the bullet and said ‘Whatever, I’m going to outwork all these kids.’”

Being ignored by his national governing body did not keep him from reaching his potential as a player. He transferred to Green Bay’s Notre Dame prep for his sophomore year and scored the state championship goal in double overtime. He gained weight, moved to center and became a dominant prep player. Last year was a whirlwind one for Mason: being drafted third overall by the USHL’s Tri-City storm; getting a scholarship to Michigan State; and then heading down to Florida with his family and coach to the NHL draft, where he went to the Winnipeg Jets in the 6th round.

“I didn’t know when my name was going to get called,” Appleton told the Green Bay Post-Gazette on that magic day. “Now that if finally did, it’s almost breathtaking, you really can’t even put it into words how awesome it feels.”

This teenager now just goes about the manly business of Division I hockey, playing through injuries while taking on the burden of righting a Spartan ship that is taking on water. He has embraced the challenge of mastering Division I hockey as he tries to ignore the emotional slights from being ignored by USA Hockey. But sometimes is it is unavoidable.

In December, his Spartans were playing at Northeastern while the USA world junior camp was being held a few stops away on the Boston transit Green Line. They played games simultaneously that Saturday night: USA at UMass, and Michigan State at Northeastern. Appleton can’t block out the knowledge that this is his final year of World Junior eligibility.

“I watch them on TV and think maybe I could be there and maybe I couldn’t but I guess I don’t let it get to me," Appleton said. "I can’t call USA Hockey and say ‘I should be on that team,’ you know what I mean?”

He is now back in Michigan, watching a fellow 19-year old, Zach Werenski of the dreaded Wolverines, run the Team USA power play. He will get his shot at Werenski and Michigan back at Joe Louis Arena on Feb. 5. Until then, he soldiers on for a struggling squad.

“I’m just going to stay focused, finish this season strong, turn it around and have the best year I can.”