New Trier senior Brent Segvich is a hard-working scorer in the mold of a certain Chicago Blackhawk.
“He’s a big, strong, fast player and he plays two ways, up and down the ice, like Marian Hossa,” New Trier Green coach Chad Bidwell said. “He can put the puck in the net, skate up and down the ice, and put a body on guys. He’s got a lot of skill.”
Segvich is in his third season as a varsity player for New Trier Green, which has won the last two Illinois state titles and 12 overall in program history.
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Segvich’s evolution as a scorer started his sophomore year, playing on a team with then-senior scorers Brian Enriquez, Kyle Melton and Jesse Arnold.
“My role as a sophomore was to just hit kids, screen the goalie, and do the small things,” Segvich said. “But I learned from watching those guys. They knew how to score goals.
“I took note of how they moved and what they did. When they graduated, my teammates and coaches looked upon me and our other returners to score goals. So I kept working at it in the offseason to make sure I was prepared.”
Segvich scored 38 goals as a junior and was named all-state by the Amateur Hockey Association Illinois. His goal for his senior season was clear.
“After last year I didn’t want to have a slump. I wanted to get better,” he said. “If you watch players like [Blackhawks] Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, they never stop working and they’re always producing. I tried to emulate them and keep doing the small things that make you better.”
Segvich has 22 points, including 16 goals for a Trevians team that led the Scholastic Hockey League with a 13-1 record through Monday.
“He has come a long way,” Bidwell said. “As a sophomore you’re kind of overwhelmed playing with juniors and seniors on such a high-level team. But he scored some big goals as a sophomore and a lot of goals last year.
“This year, he’s the guy you put on the ice if you want the puck in the net.”
Segvich has a bigger goal than scoring. He and his teammates are working to become the first New Trier Green team to win three consecutive state titles since the program did it between 2000 and 2002.
That’s no easy task when quality teams are lined up throughout the Chicago area.
“We’re the big dog, so every team we play plays their hardest against us,” Segvich said. “They want to make a statement, that they can beat New Trier. So we’ve got our work cut out for us.”