Cole Helm, a forward for the Razorback hockey club, is spending his last year on the ice with the Razorbacks.
Helm was born in Rogers, Arkansas, where he grew up playing street hockey with his brother. At seven years old, he was playing on a team in Northwest Arkansas, traveling to different events and joining competitive leagues.
His family left Arkansas for Dallas, but he continued to play in house leagues. House leagues are designed for starters with the goal of having fun while focusing on developing skills.
Around the age of 12, he started playing AA hockey, where he worked with future Arkansas player Wilder Outman. Helm’s time playing AA hockey felt less serious.
Eventually, Helm made his way into AAA hockey where he played with other future Ice Hog players such as Brendan Coon, Bryson Andregg and Ayden Frolik.
At 16, he began considering whether hockey was something he wanted to play long-term. He said he began feeling like he was not as skilled as other players. Instead of focusing on comparing himself to teammates, Helm spent more time practicing in the gym.
“One of the ways I found that I could add value playing was being more physical,” Helm said. “You know in hockey there’s the top six forwards [the first two lines of the team that are known for offense], those are the guys that are looked at to score.”
Helm decided to become a more powerful forward.
He played for the Dallas Stars 18U AAA team as an 18-year-old. After graduating high school, he did not have any offers to play in a junior league or play for a college.
Helm attended a Top Notch Hockey showcase where he was scouted by the Corpus Christi Ice Rays junior team. He signed a tender deal for a year with them, making him an exclusive player for that team and ineligible for the draft. While in Corpus Christi, he played 36 games, scoring three goals and eight assists.
The eligibility for juniors is lost after a player turns 20 years old, but they have the choice to play for a college team, which is what Helm chose to do. He was scouted by Arizona State University, where he played for two years and a total of nine games.
Many international players choose to play hockey in America because of the better opportunities, he said, and because his teammates were more experienced, Helm was not getting the playing time he felt he needed. Ultimately, he decided to transfer.
After leaving Arizona State, Helm decided to transfer to Arkansas. Playing for the Ice Hogs has given Helm the opportunity to play with many childhood teammates, including his best friend and teammate, senior center David “Mac” Markovich.
Markovich has been the most influential part of his journey to Arkansas, Helm said.
“You know, he’s [Markovich] been with me the whole process, he was one of the first guys I told that I committed to ASU and he was there to support me whenever I was struggling,” Helm said.
Now in last year of collegiate hockey, Helm has decided Arkansas is where he hangs his cleats. When his time in Fayetteville is over, he plans on moving back to east Texas to work in commercial real estate. This full-circle moment has allowed Helm to spend every moment of this season having fun and enjoying every moment.
“This is the end of the road, this year,” he said. “Aside from everything else I just really want to soak it in and enjoy it.”