SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — When the Stampede brought junior hockey to Sioux Falls in 1999, it seemed a certainty that the USHL franchise would not be drawing its players from within the state.
Few states in the nation have had a lesser hockey presence or tradition over the years than South Dakota, which has no sanctioned hockey teams at the high school or college level.
As expected, the Stampede have collected the majority of its players from hockey hotbeds in Minnesota, Michigan and Massachusetts, without any local players getting anything more than a brief sniff at playing in the Tier I USHL.
Pierre's Matt Farris changed that in 2008, playing two years with the Stampede and earning a scholarship to play Division I college hockey at Princeton.
Farris was the first South Dakota native to play a truly significant role for the Herd, and it's possible that was just the beginning.
The Stampede recently selected Aberdeen native Andrew Blumer in the USHL futures draft, and there is a realistic possibility that the team will take Sioux Falls native Zeb Knutson with the No. 1 overall pick in the league's entry draft May 22.
Knutson was part of the Sioux Falls Flyers program until age 15, at which point he went to Kansas City to play Triple-A Midget hockey for the Russell Stover Stars. This past year, he tallied 70 points (33 goals, 37 assists) in 41 games.
Whether or not Knutson, 18, ends up being the Stampede's choice with the top pick, it's hard to overstate the significance of the fact that he's even in the discussion.
A first-round draft pick in the USHL signifies being one of the best high school players in the nation, a virtual lock to play Division I college hockey and a bona fide pro prospect.
Recent No. 1 picks for the Stampede include NHL players Ryan Thang and Brad Malone and college standouts Alex Kangas and Jack Connolly, this year's Hobey Baker Award winner.
Other players throughout the state, such as Mitchell scoring phenoms Spencer Lawrence, Austin Loes and Karl Hellstrom, are showing signs of being able to spread their wings beyond South Dakota.
With Brookings now hosting a North American Hockey League team (one rung below the USHL), there could be more and more South Dakota hockey players continuing their careers beyond the high school club level.
"We've always been a little behind the curve in South Dakota, but you have to start somewhere," says Farris, who will be a junior at Princeton in 2012-13.
"There are players building that reputation higher and higher, and hopefully they'll create a window where instead of one or two guys from South Dakota playing college hockey, there are five, and then maybe that becomes 15 down the road. But I know if kids from South Dakota prove they can play at a high level, scouts will take us more seriously."
While the Stampede are reluctant to comment on Knutson — or any other prospect — prior to the draft, team officials don't deny that he's on their radar and getting a long look.
Former coach Kevin Hartzell was asked about Knutson prior to the last weekend of the regular season, and he confirmed that the 5-foot-11, 180-pound forward is "absolutely legit."
Knutson's coach in Kansas City is Tom Rudrud, who previously served as head coach of the USHL's Tri-City Storm. While Rudrud offered no predictions about where Knutson might be taken in the draft, he insists the team that takes him will get an impact player.
"He will definitely play at that level," Rudrud said. "He's a smart, skilled player who sees the ice well and makes good decisions with the puck. He's still maturing as a hockey player, but he's worked very hard to become much more well-rounded. Based on conversations I've had with USHL scouts, he's going to be a highly touted individual."
Despite his unique path, Knutson doesn't sound fazed by the hype being heaped on him. He seems confident and anxious to prove himself at the junior level after tearing up the Midget ranks.
"I was kind of feeling this would be a big year for me," said Knutson, who played for the late TJ Reinsch in Sioux Falls. "It took me a while to figure things out and get comfortable with a new way of living (away from home), but as I progressively got more comfortable and concentrated more on hockey, I started to realize that I could be successful."
Mitchell's Lawrence has already had one brief stint with a Midget club in Omaha, and his coach, John Lord, says his pupil has been in talks recently with Aberdeen's NAHL franchise (there are three junior teams in South Dakota, plus the Rapid City Rush of the professional Central Hockey League).
"He's a phenomenal player," Lord said of Lawrence, who scored a whopping 56 goals in just 21 games this year while helping to lead the Marlins to the state championship.
"Our guys don't get scouted much by junior teams — we have to get out to combines and tryout camps — but they can play, and they don't take a lot of pushing. They're motivated."
Farris refuses to take credit for opening doors for South Dakota players, insisting that if Knutson is attracting this kind of pre-draft attention, he's clearly earned it himself.
That's probably true, but Knutson may be a special exception. Had Farris fallen on his face in his stint with the Stampede, it could have narrowed the doorways for in-state hockey players to move up.
"I never meant to create a path for anyone, and I don't know if that's what I've done," says Farris, who scored 17 goals for the Herd in 2009-10. "I just wanted to pursue my dream of playing college hockey, and it was an honor to play for Sioux Falls.
"At the very beginning there were some thoughts of, 'Am I a sideshow — do the Stampede have an agenda for putting me on the team?' But my advice to any kid in that situation would be to never let anyone tell you you're not there for a reason — because that team thinks you have a chance to be a great hockey player."
Blumer, a 6-foot-6 sophomore defenseman for Fargo South High School, hasn't lived in South Dakota since he was in grade school. But he was aware of the Stampede's presence even then, and he seems excited about getting a chance to return to South Dakota when his time comes.
"I've always wanted to play in the USHL," says Blumer, whose coach, Wade Storey, says he's already heard from NHL scouts intrigued by Blumer's frame. "I think it'd be great to show kids that you can make it. Anything can happen, no matter where you're from."
Farris made the jump straight from Pierre to the Stampede, and he admits that route might be a risky one for kids looking to follow in his footsteps. The first time Farris tried out for the Stampede and was cut, he was advised to move elsewhere to play Midget hockey.
"I was told if I was going to be a USHL player, I'd need to face better competition by going the Midget route," Farris says. "We elected not to do that, mostly for personal reasons. My parents felt I had some growing up to do, and they wanted to be in charge of that instead of host parents 800 miles away.
"We were still prepared for them to tell me to play Midget hockey again the next year, and we talked to some NAHL teams, but then Coach Hartzell told me I had made the (Stampede). I was fortunate."
Knutson, on the other hand, made the leap away from home. He admits it was a somewhat scary decision, but he has no regrets and feels it will be necessary for most South Dakota players in the future.
"It was something I realized had to be done if I was going to pursue my dream of playing college hockey," Knutson says. "It was a tough decision, but it was a good decision. I just kind of knew it wouldn't work out if I stayed in Sioux Falls. There had to be better competition if I was going to make it."
Gary Weckwerth, one of the Stampede's minority owners and its CEO until about a week ago, insists the team will not draft Knutson merely to have a local product to help them sell tickets.
But he admitted that improving the local hockey culture and inspiring youth hockey players is an important goal of the franchise. The rise of players like Knutson, Farris and others can benefit the state's junior hockey and youth programs simultaneously.
"We see kids every year that aspire to play for the Stampede," Weckwerth said. "That gives them something to shoot for. They come to our games and get to see first-hand what our guys go through and what the lifestyle is like and the skill level it takes. And we hope that helps youth hockey in this area advance and get better."
The presence of NAHL teams in Aberdeen and Brookings helps, too, as it's a slightly more attainable level. Lord says the presence of in-state junior teams — plus the attention players like Farris, Knutson and Blumer have garnered — should just add to the momentum of South Dakota's hockey programs.
"It exposes (junior) coaches to our players, and it pushes our players to try to reach the next level," says Lord, who has been coaching in Mitchell for seven years. "We have teams from South Dakota going into Minnesota and playing in 'A' tournaments and competing. We have more and more kids showing they can play at the junior level. It's come a long way in the last few years."
For Knutson and others, that's a point of pride.
"It's probably going to take more than just a couple of kids," Knutson says. "It'll take some time. But we're taking steps toward that process. I think there's gradually going to be more kids playing hockey and seeing the level they can reach."
Information from: Argus Leader, http://www.argusleader.com