MSU junior captain Jim Slater says this season hasn't been a good year for him.
It's not enough that he leads the MSU hockey team in points, with 48, and ranks as one of the top 10 in the nation.
It's not enough the Lapeer native has registered 15 points in the past 11 games.
And it just might not be enough that a 2004 All-CCHA First Team member was recently named one of 10 finalists for college hockey's most prestigious individual award - the Hobey Baker.
Slater still isn't satisfied with what he's done.
"I went through a drought from November to January," Slater said. "If you want to be known as a great player, you've got to be consistent throughout the whole year. I feel like I didn't have that good of a year - I can get better every year from here on out."
That attitude is why Slater is captain and leads the Spartans to their first trip to the NCAA Tournament after a nine-year postseason streak was snapped in 2003.
MSU plays Minnesota-Duluth at 3:30 p.m. tomorrow in Grand Rapids.
Slater is what one would call a media gem - friendly, respectful and eager to answer even redundant questions as if they were never asked before. It's a role Slater said he enjoys because that's his duty.
"I don't mind it at all," he said. "I'd like to have the stick on my shoulders than have it on the team - just keep it off the team and blame it on me because I don't mind at all."
But whatever frustrates this 21-year-old takes a backseat for the good of the team. As a sophomore, Slater was an assistant captain. Now, a year later, he represents the Spartans as their leader, a role MSU head coach Rick Comley said Slater has matured into.
"What he's learned is there's a lot of difference between being a leader on minor hockey or high school hockey," Comley said. "In this level, you have to grow into the role of leadership because it's much more complex."
Slater's work ethic doesn't go unnoticed by his teammates, who say he demands a lot from himself, even though he might be the best player on the team.
"He's a high-profiled player, a high-profiled athlete, (but) he's a level-headed guy," junior forward Mike Lalonde said. "He doesn't have the attitude that he's the best. I don't know if people know that. Jim Slater is all about his teammates.
"He'll do whatever it takes for his teammates to succeed. If he doesn't have a point and we win a game, he's more proud than anybody, which is why he's the captain and the player that he is."
For now, Slater's focus isn't whether or not he'll be included in the Hobey Hat Trick- the three finalists to be named March 31 - but that the team will win in the NCAA Tournament.
The winner of the Hobey Baker Award will be announced during the Frozen Four in Boston on April 9.
"I'm just worried about winning Saturday night," Slater said. "It's a great honor if I do receive it, but there's a lot of great players in those 10 finalists." Another one of Slater's kind will be on the ice when the Spartans face the Bulldogs. Minnesota-Duluth senior forward Junior Lessard is also among the 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker. On a team that's already the second-highest offensive team in the nation, Lessard leads the country in points, with 59.
Lessard said he quickly saw the kind of presence Slater had on the ice when the two teams met on Oct. 11.
"I remember it was our first weekend of the year when we played them," Lessard said. "I noticed Slater a lot. If you give (MSU) too much time, they're dangerous."
Dan Marr, director of amateur scouting and player development for the Atlanta Thrashers, is satisfied with Slater's development but challenges the future NHLer to exceed his production for next season. In the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, Slater was picked in the first round, 30th overall, by Atlanta.
"Every year, he's getting better - a true leader," Marr said. "We want him to be one of the best impact players in the country next year. To duplicate that, he can't pick up any bad habits and get comfortable."
Slater has an important decision to make once this season ends. The only certain way Slater will not forego his senior season is if the NHL and the NHL Players' Association do not come to a new collective bargaining agreement by Sept. 15 and a lockout shuts down the season.
Regardless, sophomore forward David Booth wants to see his captain back for his senior season.
"Hopefully, there will be a lockout so he'll have to come back and help us out," Booth said, laughing. "Slater tells me he wants to come back. I just hope he commits to that because we're going to need him next year."
The money and glamour of a professional life could play a factor in his decision, but Slater said that isn't necessarily so.
"That's a tough question," Slater said with a chuckle. "But I came here my freshman year to stay for four years, and that's the way it's looking. It's the best time of your life in college and with the year we had this year and how young we are, we're going to be better next year.
"There's definitely positives about both sides, but staying in college and developing for one more year is a great option."
Another year at MSU is a great option for Slater because of all the fun he's having now, right?
"Yeah," Slater laughs. "Yeah, it's been a lot of fun."
