Nowadays, Tate Singleton can be seen scoring goals as a forward with the Central Illinois Flying Aces.
But long before the 20-year-old started denting the scoresheet in the United States Hockey League, where, as of Feb. 20, he was third on the Flying Aces in scoring with 30 points (18-12-30) in 42 games this season, he was a kid tending net on his family’s backyard rink in West Lebanon, N.H.
“My dad was a goalie growing up,” Singleton said of his father, Jonathan, who played for Hanover High School in New Hampshire. “He wanted to have a hockey player and I wanted to be a goalie, so when I was a kid he told me to suit up in the backyard, where he ripped pucks at me.”
The bad news is Tate didn’t enjoy facing shots. The good news is he still loved the game, and he played it — as a player taking the shots — in the street and on the rink behind their house with their neighbors.
Singleton’s passion for it continued to burn as he got older, and he soon joined the Lebanon Lightning, which later became the Upper Valley Storm, with whom he played his Squirt season and won the championship. He then suited up for the Hanover Wild and later the Seacoast Spartans.
During that time, he followed the Boston Bruins and heard stories about his dad’s favorite player, Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Eddie Shore. He also studied Bruins left wing Brad Marchand, whom he tries to emulate.
“Marchand’s gritty, skilled and has finish to his game,” said Singleton, who like Marchand has a left-handed shot. “And he’s not afraid to get into the pile, that’s for sure.”
Also during his preteen years was a major moment that almost saw him abandon the sport.
“I was a Squirt or a Pee Wee and was invited to try out for the East Coast Selects,” Singleton recounted. “At that point, I thought I was a big-time prospect in New Hampshire, so I thought I had a good shot of making the team. My dad and I drove to Vermont, and I ended up not making the team. I cried the whole way home, cried when I got home. I even thought about quitting hockey.
“My dad and my mom (Monique) were unbelievable. They supported me and helped me out. I couldn’t have done it without them and my brother, Tanner. That was the turning point for me for when I really wanted to be a hockey player.”
Down but undeterred, Singleton trekked forward and at age 16 headed for Proctor Academy, where he played three seasons.
“One of my really good buddies from home, Hunter Luhmann, went to Proctor, and I saw how successful he was in school and on the ice,” he remembered. “I wanted to get away from everything, get away from home and better my education and my skills on and off the ice. Proctor was the best fit for me.”
Leaving the comfortable confines of home was initially a challenge for Singleton, but he overcame it and looks back on his time at Proctor fondly.
“Being away from home, you learn how to deal with other individuals,” he said. “You don’t have your parents there — you have faculty — so you don’t really have anyone to go to if you have problems. So you go and make friends and better relationships where you can talk to people in different ways and really get to know them. It was hard in the beginning, but everyone is there for the same reason you are. It’s nice to have close friends and I still FaceTime them once a week. I also still have conversations with the faculty at Proctor. They’re first class and made the transition extremely easy.”
Following his time at prep school, which included a stint with Boch Militia during the 2016-17 season, Singleton went south for the 2017-18 campaign and played for the North American Hockey League’s New Jersey Titans.
The 5-foot-8, 180-pounder, who finished tied for first on the Titans in scoring with 47 points (20-27-47) in 56 regular-season games, admitted he didn’t think he was going to play junior hockey. In the end, though, it provided him with a tremendous learning experience.
“I’d heard from a few friends that it’s really hard on your body, so I didn’t initially think it was the right path for me,” explained Singleton, who also had a goal and an assist in five playoff contests with the Titans. “But I’m happy I chose it. Going to New Jersey was an awesome experience. The coaching staff — (head coach) Craig Doremus and (assistant coach) Bobby DiRico — was first class and I would tell anyone to play for them. Before I went, I didn’t know how to play hockey, per se, and they taught me how to play it, how to play in the ‘D’ zone. They taught me how to be a man and have some grit to my game. At the beginning it was challenging because I was playing against older guys who, in some cases, had been in the league for four, five years, while I’m this kid from prep school. But my teammates were awesome and it was a great experience. A lot of people think the NAHL is looked down upon, but man, you learn how to be a hockey player.”
What stood out most about the NAHL for Singleton — especially after he moved on and joined the Flying Aces this season — was the physicality of the league.
“Both the NAHL and USHL are really good for development and teaching you how to become a better player,” he said. “The NAHL is grittier, there’s more hitting and the players are older. They are looking to get that college commitment and everyone goes so hard, so there’s more spunk in their game. It’s more defensive, definitely harder to score and there’s more structure in the game. The USHL is younger and the players have more pizzazz in their game. Coming from the NAHL, I didn’t know how I was going to fit in, but I played the same game that I played in that league and the coaches ended up liking that.”
Since leaving Proctor, Singleton feels his most-improved skills are his work without the puck and his defensive zone play.
“If you don’t play well in the ‘D’ zone, you’re not going to play,” he stated. “That hangs over me. I don’t want to be in the scratch house; I want to play every game. Getting the puck out of the ‘D’ zone, chipping it and making the simple play is something I struggled with because that wasn’t much of a thing in prep school. The coaches here and in the NAHL hound on it.”
Next season, Singleton will take his talents to Ohio State, which left an immediate impression on him during his first trip to the university.
“I went right after Ohio State football had beaten Michigan,” he recalled, “and it was crazy. I was walking around with (assistant) coach JB Bittner and every ‘M’ on campus was crossed out in red. It was so cool.”
Of course, its hockey program and the education it will provide also captured his attention.
“The coaching staff was unbelievable,” Singleton said. “(Head) coach Steve Rohlik and I had an awesome conversation about me and what he sees. He connected a few dots and said, ‘Coming to a school like this, you have to prove everyone wrong. All you need is a chance and I’m going to give you that chance.’ That stuck with me. All people need is one chance, and if you do what you’ve got to do and do it properly, good things will happen.”
He chuckled and added, “Also, Ohio State has awesome academics, which my parents have harped on me about my whole life. That’s definitely a positive, too.”
Singleton will be joined at Ohio State by Flying Aces goaltender Ryan Snowden.
“I sat next to him in the locker room,” Singleton said, “and he always tapped me and said, ‘Hey, Ohio, is that the place?’ It’s funny how it all worked out.”
