Tony Follmer leads by example. He has impressed his coaches with his work on and off the ice.

Follmer, a sophomore, plays hockey for the elite AAA U16 St. Louis Blues. He plays defense and is a captain. He has played hockey since he was 4 years old.

“Tony is one of our leaders on and off the ice,” Coach Bill Mermis said. “He is very focused, hard working, and physical player. His style brings consistency to our team’s performance.”

Follmer got into hockey because his older brothers played it. What he enjoys most about hockey is the “the physical part of the game, also how it’s a fast paced game and things can change in an instant.” He also says he enjoys scoring goals and being watched during big games.

Follmer’s team is ranked top 20 nationally and he has traveled as far as Quebec City, Canada where he got to play in front 10,000 people. He was selected to be one of the best players in the Midwest and was on the verge of making it to nationals camp.

“I hope to play junior hockey in the next two years,” Follmer said.

Hockey is a rough game and you can easily be injured. Follmer has broken his left arm twice in the same spot. He broke it both times by being hit from behind during a game.

One of the best experiences for him in hockey was while in Canada eating poutine for the first time, going to the Quebec winter carnival, and staying with a billet family for a month. Billet families offer room and board to junior hockey players who leave home to join elite teams.

While Follmer isn’t at a game or at practice or doing school work he is usually working out or hanging out with his friends. Tony’s best friend on the team is Van Kraemer.

“He is the jokester on the team and is just a fun guy to be around.”

“Because of his work ethic he has made great strides in his development as an ‘unknown’ player to a player who has teams looking at him as a prospect for the next level,” Mermis said.