The Fergus Falls Hockey Association (FFHA) is committed to providing youth athletes with programs to learn and enjoy the sport of hockey. We promote and support a fun and fair hockey environment that encourages athletes to respect themselves and others, become a better teammate, build self-confidence, and develop leadership skills. We work toward a common goal of developing each athlete’s physical, social, and emotional health and personal values that enable life-long success.

2024 FFHA SUMMER HOCKEY CAMP
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In the first part of a five part series on getting to know your counselors, let's meet Andrew Johnson, our Camp Coordinator:

Andrew, a proud Otter Hockey alumnus, is deeply dedicated to player development and the future of Otter Hockey. Currently studying Kinesiology Pre-Therapy at the University of Northwestern in St. Paul while also playing baseball, Andrew's passion for the game runs deep. Coming from a family of eight, all with ties to hockey or figure skating, he practically grew up on the rink.

During his four years as a defenseman under Coach Donaghue, Andrew competed in two section final games and earned accolades including Section 6A 1st team, Central Lakes Conference honorable mention selections, and the Lee Franklin Memorial Scholarship. With a focus on mentorship and coaching, Andrew aims to inspire young Otters and foster a culture of teamwork and growth.

Next up on our counselor introductions: Sophie Rausch! If her name looks familiar, it might be because you've seen it many times on our record-holders display (most goals, assists, and points for both single season and career).

More about Sophie: Sophie is an Otter alumnus who is very excited to return to her youth program to help develop the next generation of hockey players.

She graduated from Fergus Falls High School in 2019 and is proud to have been named an MVP her last three years of hockey as well as being named to the All-State team her senior year, the All-Conference team her sophomore, junior, and senior years, and the All-Conference Academic team sophomore, junior, and senior years. In her time as an Otter, she rewrote the record books for most goals, assists, and points for both single season and career.

In college, she started at Hamline University and ended at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire where she played hockey at both. She graduated this May with her degree in Kinesiology-Exercise Science. At UWEC, Sophie rewrote more records for the most goals and points in a season her junior year. Her senior year she improved her own record for points. She has been named a 3-time First Team All-American from both the AHCA and USCHO. She has also been named a Player of the Year for both the MIAC and the WIAC in consecutive seasons. She finished with 172 career points (100 goals, 72 assists) in 110 games. She was also named the team MVP for her junior and senior seasons at UWEC.

Sophie helped coach the summer hockey program in Eau Claire, WI last summer at Valley Sports Academy and she is excited to share her hockey knowledge with the next generation of Otters. She hopes she can pass on her passion for hockey to the youth players of Fergus Falls.

Next up on the Fergus Falls Summer Hockey Camp Counselor Spotlight: Leighton Buckmeier!

As a second-generation Otter Hockey player, Leighton grew up in a hockey household and has been skating since he could walk. He loves the game of hockey and wants to pass on that passion to the next generation of players.

Leighton finished up his Otter Hockey career this past season as a three-year letter winner and two-year Team Captain. As a Defensemen for the Otters, Leighton played in the Section Championship two out of three years earning Section Honorable Mention (Jr), Conference Honorable Mention (Sr) and Section 2nd Team (Sr). Leighton was also awarded the Hobey Baker Character Award from the MN High School League his Senior Year.

Leighton plans to continue playing hockey next year at the Junior level.

In addition to hockey, Leighton played summer and school baseball through high school as a two-year letter winner and is consistently on the Academic Honor roll. Outside of sports, Leighton is a Wyldlife (Younglife) Leader working with and mentoring 6th-8th grade students. He was also a referee for FFHA this past season. This will be Leighton’s fourth year working at our summer hockey camp and 3rd year running the off-ice portion. When he is not training our athletes in the summer, you can usually find Leighton working on improving his own game in the Strength & Performance Center or hanging out at the lake.

Leighton has really enjoyed the relationships he has built with the younger players over the last three years and is looking forward to continuing to watch them grow and develop as hockey players and people.

Our next counselor spotlight: former Otter, current Roughrider, and future Beaver Isaac Johnson!

Isaac is a proud Otter Hockey alumnus that brings two years of summer coaching with him, and he has a deep passion for developing young Otter Hockey players.

Isaac is playing for the Cedar Rapids Roughriders in the United States Hockey League where he led the team in even strength goals this past season.

He's committed to playing Division I hockey for the Bemidji State Beavers.

He previously played for Fergus Falls High School where in his three years he amassed 114 points, was selected to 2x Central Lakes Conference 1st team, section 6A 1st team, section 6A 2nd team, 3x CLC all-academic team, and was selected as the Anderson Lake Most Valuable Player two times.

Isaac has an unmatched love for the game and wishes to inspire the same in young otters and promote a culture of hard work and development.

Our final Fergus Falls Hockey Camp Counselor Spotlight: Kellen Stenstrom!

Kellen is a Fergus Falls Class of 2024 graduate and a four-year varsity hockey letter winner. Kellen ended his Otter hockey career as the 4th all-time leading scorer in Otter hockey history with 147 total points tallied and holds records for the fastest goal scored in a period and most goals scored in a single game. Kellen was a senior co-captain and a Central Lakes Conference Scholar Athlete. He has twice received section 6A all-section first team and CLC all-conference first-team honors, as well as an all-section honorable mention during his sophomore season. Kellen was twice named the Anderson Lake Most Valuable Player and was the grateful recipient of the Lee Franklin Memorial Scholarship. Kellen was selected to represent section 6 at the CCM High Performance Ted Brill Great 8 Festival in 2023 and 2024.

After high school, Kellen plans to continue his hockey career at the junior hockey level and will pursue a career in finance. Kellen looks forward to giving back to the Fergus Falls Hockey Association this summer by helping to create a culture of passion and hard work while pushing young Otters to have a winning mentality on and off the ice.