NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- The dream of every young hockey fan is to play for his favorite team. One Chesapeake native is seeing his childhood dream become a reality.
Brandon Osmundson began ice skating when he was four years old and found a hockey stick in his hand a short time later. He would see his love for hockey grow watching the Norfolk Admirals play at the Scope as a kid.
"My parents were season ticket holders growing up," he recalled. "When I was five, six years old, that was kind of the way I got put into hockey, coming to these games every Friday and Saturday night."
Osmundson would watch the Admirals' players hit the ice, thinking that one day he might wear that sweater as well.
"That was definitely my dream, for sure, was coming here and being able to play a game here at Scope."
The forward's entire career prior to college at Utica University was spent in Chesapeake. He would play his junior hockey with the Hampton Roads Whalers, where he excelled to the point of national recognition. Current Admirals' owner Patrick Cavanagh oversaw his junior hockey program.
"His first year of junior he struggled a bit," Cavanagh remembered. "From the second year on, he really excelled and dominated the nation and that's when you started to really see potential at a bigger level."
Fast forward and Osmundson is living his childhood dream. After starting his first full professional season in Huntsville, Alabama, he signed with the Admirals earlier this month and made his Norfolk debut last Wednesday at Trois Rivieres.
"I was definitely in awe a little bit, just being on the flip side of things, being on the ice," he said. "It was definitely cool, but definitely trying to stay in the moment. I'm here for a reason."
"You're always next line, next shift, next everything in your head," added Admirals' head coach Jeff Carr. "After pregame skate I really took a step back and said 'man, this is a massive moment for Brandon.'"
The homegrown product is not your typical hockey player. He'll tell you that his size might be his biggest obstacle (he's listed at 5'10" on the team's roster), but his play is much bigger than that.
"He's always been a little guy," smiled Cavanagh. "He's still a little guy out here today, but that doesn't take away from the size of his heart. His heart is bigger than almost any person you'll meet."
"I think that's what's helped me progress so far is just know that, not behind the eight-ball, but I have to prove myself every day and I can't take a day off," Osmundson added. "That's where you learn that chip on your shoulder and you've just got to bring it every single day."
Now that he's here and is settling in, Osmundson is focused on establishing himself with that Admirals' logo on his chest.
"He's been playing seven or eight minutes a night," Carr pointed out. "He's earning an extra 30 seconds, he's earning an extra minute. I don't think he's trying to score two or three goals or doing anything but staying here right now."
"I've learned, especially just watching other players," the forward added. "That's kind of the cool thing. Maybe I'm not playing as much in the beginning, but I'm able to watch other players and see how they approach the game. I can take a different element from each guy and kind of put it in my toolbox."
The 2023-2024 season sees Osmundson with a new goal. He wants to help his hometown team to a title, like he's seen them win before from the other side of the glass.
"That's the end goal is bring a championship here," he said. "I've watched it from the stands and now I want to be on the ice to bring one here and that would be really special."
Entering Wednesday, Norfolk is in second place in the ECHL's North Division, just one point behind Adirondack for the top spot. The Admirals are 14-7-1-1 and will open a three game series against Reading at the Scope on Wednesday night at 7:05. If Osmundson sees the ice, it will mark his home debut at the arena.
