Seeking out hockey from Georgia to Michigan, Logan Stein packs his calm demeanor with him

Since 1972, only two NHL teams have had the chance to call the state of Georgia home. 

Neither of them are still there today. The Atlanta Flames were eventually sent up to the homeland of hockey to become the Calgary Flames and the Atlanta Thrashers soon joined the Flames in Canada, rebranding to the Winnipeg Jets. 

But before that, for almost 40 years, the southern state of Georgia fostered an environment for hockey to flourish. Through the Flames and the Thrashers, the community of Atlanta and its surrounding areas could sit in the stands and admire the sport. 

That’s where Logan Stein got his itch for hockey: sitting in the stands of a Thrashers game with his dad, marveling at the sight. He asked for skates one year for Christmas, trading in his seat in the stands for a spot on the ice. But he still wanted to consume the sport even more. Even if he wasn’t the one practicing, he would sit in those stands once again watching the teams at his local rink.

And Stein never stopped watching, eventually taking the best view of the ice — from the net. 

***

When he first started with hockey, Logan played as a defenseman, a position with attributes that differ from the calm persona people know him to have. But after switching to goaltender during his early playing days, his mother, Tami Stein, described it as a “light switch.” Once he found his position, his days watching from the stands became even more important. 

Logan grew up just 15 minutes away from his home rink in Suwanee, Georgia. Despite the easy access to the ice, the sport dwindled in Georgia when the Thrashers pulled out of the area in 2011. It was no longer possible for kids to grow up watching their local team and develop a desire to play. By the time Logan was in high school, only a handful of kids at his school played hockey. 

At the age of 16, Logan and his family went through a process many young, devoted players from his area dealt with. It became time to decide whether or not he would take the plunge and move up north to play at a higher level. 

In states like Minnesota and Michigan, there are more eager players than available teams, a stark contrast from the southern regions. With the vast amount of talent in those northern areas, the competition level in youth hockey reaches new heights, ones that are simply not the same as Stein faced back home. 

And that opportunity to face better competition sent him on his first journey to Michigan. 

Starting with the Oakland Junior Grizzlies, Logan had to adjust to the change in culture in a state like Michigan that was riddled with hockey players. Compared to his experience in Georgia, Logan now faced elite competitors on a regular basis, including his own teammates in practice. Rather than succumbing to the pressure, Logan stood out because of his calm demeanor among the chaotic environment.

“There was never something you couldn’t ask him to do,” Grizzlies coach Dan Riedel, told The Michigan Daily. “I think what’s unique about (that attitude) versus some of the busy hockey markets like Michigan, Minnesota or Toronto. Michigan’s turned into a rat race where kids are changing teams every year and want to be told how good they are. … The best way I could describe it was that it was a breath of fresh air.”

Even before joining the Grizzlies, Logan’s father, Dean, wasn’t asking Riedel about the amount of playing time for Logan. He wanted to know the simple and important things: if his son would get better and if he would be taken care of. Logan, like his father, embodied that attitude on the ice, focusing on his own game while keeping true to the lessons he learned playing in the south. 

To Dean’s sentiment, Logan did get better. After his first few practices with the Grizzlies, Logan was exhausted. While he was tall and had good length for a 16-year-old, the work took a toll on his body. He quickly realized he needed to build up strength in all facets of the game to keep up with the quality of players around him. Through the 2017-2018 season, his competitiveness and attention to detail grew to match his teammates, becoming stronger in every realm of his game. But even while improving, he was challenged at each step.

One game that year, Logan and his teammates were playing against the Chicago Mission, a team with five future NHL signees. Logan gave up three goals in the first six shots of the game, which normally would lead to the goaltender being pulled — but Riedel thought differently. 

“He didn’t really say anything to me, but he had this demeanor of ‘Don’t you dare take me out of this game,’” Riedel said. “I don’t know if he’ll really remember that but we came back. That game in Chicago specifically was where I thought he turned the corner from being somebody with potential to, ‘This kid is legit.’” 

The Grizzlies managed to eventually build up a 5-4 lead. A Chicago player snatched the breakaway looking to clinch one last goal for the win. But Logan made the final save and won them that game — the Grizzlies’ 20th win in a row. Even after letting a few goals in, it wasn’t enough to shake him. Rather, it motivated him. 

After only one season with the Grizzlies, Logan relocated to Iowa with another opportunity to play. Compared to his days in Georgia, teams to play for and high-level competition were now readily available rather than scarce.

***

After his lone season at Oakland, Logan played for two years with the Waterloo Black Hawks before returning once more to the state of Michigan to start his collegiate career at Ferris State. While playing for the Bulldogs, Logan often struggled behind a stumbling defense and looked for a new start.

After four seasons at Ferris State, Logan transferred to Michigan to spend his graduate season as a Wolverine. From a deserted hockey community in Suwanee to a historically acclaimed program is quite the leap, and it’s one that Logan cherishes. 

“Growing up in Suwanee, Georgia, I was at a disadvantage,” Logan told The Daily. “I don’t think you see a lot of people from my area make it to this level. For me, it was being pretty resilient to try and figure out the best way forward and putting my all into it.”

And his welcome season to Ann Arbor has been nothing short of memorable. The Wolverines, by the end of the season, will have faced 18 ranked opponents, with Logan seeing stars in filled arenas across the country, from Boston to Arizona. Almost seven years after his first move, Logan has found the high level competition he searched for when he first came to Michigan.

Though a little different than the usual goaltender situation, Logan and freshman goaltender Cameron Kopri have split all the series until Michigan State. As Logan often started the first game of the series and Korpi followed for the second night, a competitive but supportive environment was born between them. 

“There’s a healthy competition,” Korpi told The Daily. “I’m always so up for him when he wins and he feels the same way when I do well. It’s honestly great.”  

Despite both fighting for the coveted spot, the duo has bonded over being new to Michigan and the pressure that comes with defending the net — especially for Korpi, who has Logan at his disposal with years of collegiate hockey knowledge. 

In spite of splitting his time on the ice, Logan still manages to make use of each and every minute he earns. On the first road trip of the season against Arizona State, Logan snatched 35 saves to aid the Wolverines in their first road win. Most people who meet Logan define him as a secure presence in the net, but to him, the moments that stick out are competing against the rowdy away crowds. Even as a barn roars around him, Logan doesn’t lose his composure.

“Dean has a very even-keel personality and I think Logan has inherited that as well,” Tami told The Daily. “ … If a puck goes in the net, he just walks it off.” 

In the first series against the Spartans, Logan earned both starts of the weekend for the first time this season. His performance on the first night played a vital role, with 35 saves in an upset win against the then-top ranked Michigan State. 

Over the course of the season, his stability in the net has become a fixture for Michigan. Logan has trained to take shots over and over, so when one gets by or even more, there isn’t panic. In his start during the first game of the series against the Spartans, Logan let in an early goal in the first few minutes of the game. But that goal wasn’t the end of the game and he showed he’s comfortable grinding out a win from behind.

“It’s just another day at the office,” Logan said Oct. 11. “Keeping my composure, if the goalie is composed (the guys) are going to have no panic either and it’s going to make it easier for them to make the plays.”

From Oakland to Ferris State now to Ann Arbor, Logan has made an impact at each spot on the way as he navigated the challenging environment of hockey in Michigan. Growing up in Georgia, Logan had to pave his own path to continue playing hockey when the environment around him didn’t suit his interests any longer. His determination to play and his focus on his performance turned him into a reliable presence in the net.

And even though Logan doesn’t spend much time in the stands anymore, he’s made himself and teammates comfortable from his spot in the net. Now, as he sits calmly in the net, kids can become inspired by him, just like all those years ago at a Thrashers game.

The post Seeking out hockey from Georgia to Michigan, Logan Stein packs his calm demeanor with him appeared first on The Michigan Daily.