For our second look at Seminole this week, we visit the up and coming star from Osceola Fundamental High School, Aidan Besedic. He wears number 98 for the Sharks and goalies know him best because of his left-handed P92 Curve Vapor 1x-Lite. He came into his own throughout the season and managed 5 goals in his last six games including playoffs. Aidan has been playing hockey for about ten years now. He started with rec and joined the Brandon Junior Bulls at age 8 before moving to the Scorpions two years later. This season he privileged not only the Seminole Sharks with his contributions to the team, but also the Clearwater Ice Storm. I asked him if he grew up a fan of hockey and he said that’s where he got his number, “I wear number 98 because when I was a little kid my dad bought me a custom Lightning jersey that had number 99. I changed it to 98 because that was Gretszky’s number. I have been number 98 ever since I could remember. It’s just something that has stuck with me.”
Aidan is a killer-instinct type player. He loves being a leader in the locker room and being the pressure that drives the team back against a daunting scenario, “For example, if we are down 3-0 I will
be persistent. I will work harder than others to guarantee motivation for my team.
My mindset is based on how I respond to the situations, rather than giving up on them.” When he’s not practicing his mamba mentality on the ice, he enjoys relaxing with friends and going out boating with his team, “This makes me have a strong bond with them, and in general makes them feel like family.” Becoming a true member of the team is always an important step for Freshmen joining a new organization. Aidan only had praise for the positivity and fun variations of skill on Seminole, “My team ranges from rec to AAA players. The locker room is a positive environment and has a lot of role models for me. The coaching staff on the Sharks is accountable and always pushes me to be the best player I can be.” In terms of what it was like playing against the other teams in the LHSHL Aidan also had thoughts, “The league itself has been a great experience for me. I like seeing the diversity in the league. It helps me adjust and improve on making an unconscious change easily.”
Someday Aidan wishes to become a chiropractor for an NHL team. He has some goals to get him there, “My goal in four years from now is to graduate high school and to go as far as I can in hockey. From playing for a prep school all the way up to playing for a school like Wisconsin University. I want hockey to take me to college on a full ride scholarship. This means a lot to me because it would help my family substantially. My goals for freshman year inside of school was to be the best student I can be while multi-tasking hockey. I like to challenge myself in school and by doing that I am taking AP Gov as a freshman. Whereas on the ice I wanted to win the Lightning Cup. My team ended up beating George Jenkins 7-4 in the finals, making us champions. I felt like a real NHL player the way the league arranged the championship game and for that I thank the LHSHL and the Tampa Bay Lightning for everything they did.” Aidan’s goals were laid out in front of him, so I asked him what he wants to see of himself three years from now when high school was all said and done, “Looking back on this article four years from now, I hope that I am fulfilling my hockey dreams. I want to be at the start of my freshman year of college studying sports medicine. I hope to have accomplished winning more championships with Seminole and furthering my travel hockey career. I hope that I will be a role model for the upcoming high schoolers over the next few years. I also plan to cherish all the moments I’ve had outside and inside of the game.” Knowing he wished to be a role model I wanted to know what advice he would give to incoming Freshmen this next season, “To incoming freshmen, don’t stress out. Just play your game and show what you are worth.”
Seminole has a positive and healthy locker room secured for the next three seasons thanks to a certain Aidan Besedic, and I look forward to what impact he has on the league as a whole, his teammates, and the scoresheet each and every game.
