Jeff Bartel started his hockey career in Steinbach, Manitoba and as he's getting to end what's been a fantastic run at Waldorf University in Forest City, Iowa, Bartel shares his story by looking back and looking forward to what's next. 

Like many Canadians, Bartel started out on skates relatively early. "When I got started, I was a (Steinbach) Miller" Bartel explains. "I was about 4 or 5 years old and it was actually my mom who taught me how to skate. She was a figure skating coach and I think the very first time I was on skates was closer to 3."

Jeff Bartel as a member of the Steinbach Millers (Photo credit: Karen Bartel)Bartel remembers the years of Atom and Peewee being the big years for him. "The Atom year, I remember playing the Provincial semi-finals in Steinbach, we were up against The Pas and it was double overtime and I remember there was a junior game on after us and the rink was absolutely packed. I remember winning that game in double overtime. That was something cool."

As he kept moving up, Bartel would play Peewee C, followed by Peewee AA, then a stop in with Bantam C and Bantam AA. One year of Midget for the City selects and then two years of Midget A in Steinbach.

The first year with the Eastman Selects came in 2009-2010, Bartel played in 6 games, registering a goal, an assist and sixteen penalty minutes. 

After the Eastman Selects is where Bartels hockey journey really begins. 

In 2011-12 Bartel started in Kindersley, Sask of the SJHL. "I was with Kindersley until about December," Bartel explained. "Then I moved to Creston Valley, British Columbia where I played literally a weekend, three games in three nights. Then I was traded to Vancouver Island and played the rest of the year from out there."

From Manitoba to Saskatchewan, to British Columbia, Bartel recalls what he and his family went through during it all. "It was interesting that's for sure, but I was used to travelling. My dad's a truck driver and I would go with him during the summers. I was used to going to new places and meeting new people. It was really a lot of fun."

When asked if his parents were okay with him leaving the province, he laughed and replied,  "oh yeah, my dad helped me pack! (Laughs) He helped me pack and drove out with me to Vancouver Island for the first time, it was really cool."

It was a short-lived experience on the Island as Bartel was soon back on his way to Saskatchewan. "The scout from Kindersley got a call from a head scout in Estevan. After they talked, I got a call from the scout in Estevan wondering if I'd like to come and try-out for the Bruins (of the SJHL). Obviously, I said yes and I ended up playing there until December where I got traded to the MJHL's Swan Valley Stampeders."

If you're getting the sense that December might be a hated month for Bartel, it's not... anymore. "It's fine now but for those few years, December 1st was not good to me. I didn't like it at all."

At 25 years old now, Bartel looks back at the business of the game a little differently then he did at the time. "They will ship you anywhere and everywhere. (Laughs) But, the first weekend I played for Swan, we actually played Selkirk, the Winnipeg Saints and then in Steinbach. It was my first time back in  Steinbach in almost 3 years."

It might have been weird for Bartel to be standing on the away blueline but he made sure to take in just how special the moment was. "It was different in the dressing room, that's for sure. IT was great to have my grandma and grandpa come watch, that was a real highlight that's for sure. I was nervous in warmups but as soon as I heard the anthem, I settled down and just played hockey."

Again, almost a year passes and Jeff Bartel was on the move again. "I ended up getting traded out of Swan Valley but I didn't like where I was headed. So, I asked for them to release me and I ended up playing for the (MMJHL) Twisters down in Pembina Valley for a year and a half."

Team photo of the Pembina Valley Twisters (Photo credit: Karen Bartel)

It was with the Twisters that Bartel really began to take off as a hockey player. In 65 games over a season and a half, Bartel had 5 goals and 32 assists for 37 points as a defenceman. He also managed 8 points in 26 playoff games over that span as well.

Playing for Pembina Valley took a bit of adjusting from Bartel. "You go from practising every day and playing three times a week, you go down to two games a weekend and practice once a week. The guys that I was there with were an amazing group of guys. The first part of the year before I got there was a little rough but around mid-December, everything started to click for us. I think we lost four or five games from mid-December to start of playoffs. We got really, really hot and went into playoffs firing on all cylinders."

Perhaps the best part of his career in Pembina Valley was that he finally could spend some time at home. "I got to move back home and spend more time with family. It was 3 years since I really got to spend significant time at home."

His last year of hockey with the Twisters, Bartel began to balance the hockey and schooling lifestyle. I may have got the better of him, at least early on. "That first year of school... well, it kicked my butt, basically. It was thought to get back into the swing of going to class every day. The first semester was rough and then in the second semester, I tried taking online classes but that didn't work for me. So I did my last two classes and just worked."

At 22, Bartel found his way to Waldorf College and it all kind of happened pretty quickly according to Bartel. "The GM of the Twisters was part of a player placement group and I guess he ended up talking to the coach at Waldorf. Then one afternoon I get a text from the GM asking me what I want to do in school. I was thinking business, maybe sport management, something like that. He said give me 20 minutes. I think 15 minutes later I got a call from a number in Iowa. I thought 'what the heck is this?'. But, I answered it and it was the coach at Waldorf. We talked and he ended up asking if I wanted to go play hockey there."

As quick as it all happened, Bartel was quick to answer. "Yes," Bartel says with a laugh. "I agreed to go after that one phone call."

The reason it was such an easy decision was because, in Bartels mind, it was something he was already ready for. "I had been looking to go to school in the States anyway. There were a few places I looked at but they were so expensive. When I got the call to go to Waldorf, I looked at the website as I was talking to him and it just made sense. I talked it over with my parents and that was that."

Heading to a whole new country, a how new situation and a new locker room, Bartel admits that it took a little getting used to, especially early on. "At first, there's always the adjustment period. But, it didn't take long. The year I came in, there was a big influx of freshmen. There were a lot of new faces. It wasn't like a couple new guys trying to fit in with a big group of guys that have been there for a while. It made it easier. Now, it feels like home."

Jeff Bartel as a player at Waldorf (Photo credit: Karen Bartel)Having a career that took him to different provinces and programs, Bartel became a leader to guys who were dealing with a new situation for maybe the first time in their lives. "A few guys leaned on me because I had moved so much. One guy from Minneapolis had played his entire life there, turned out I was his first roommate. He and I did a lot of talking about stuff like that. Most of the guys that had been recruited though, had been somewhat suitcases. There are guys that play on three or four different junior teams and had to move quite a bit to play. There are lots of junior stories and they still haven't stopped."

While playing at Waldorf, Bartel's number took a steady incline and he thinks there are a few different reasons why. "There's a mixture in my mind for sure. Coming down here from junior, I got to see more opportunities. I think part of that is that coaches thought I was a defensive defenceman. My first year here, we had a couple of injuries so I got a chance to step into a bigger role on both sides of the puck. Each year since then, the rolls have gotten bigger. This past year, we had major injury troubles on the back end. We went into the conference tournament as well as regionals with only 4 d-men. I played big, big minutes. That helped too, getting to play in all major situations."

It was quite the culture change for the young man who grew up in Steinbach, Manitoba, Canada to now hanging his helmet in Iowa, USA. "Huge, huge difference," Bartel says again with a laugh. "The first couple games, I played really reserved because I didn't know what was going to happen. Throughout the year, I started testing the waters just to see what I was going to get away with. The biggest change was going from wearing a visor for 4 years to a full cage. The style of play too, there's more finesse work here and less rockem' sockem' like there is back home."

It's already the final year for Jeff Bartel, it's gone by quickly but he's going to make sure that he enjoys every moment. "I stayed here for the summer. I hit the gym hard every day. I worked hard this summer and I want to make sure I got out in my final year with a bang."

While he's taking time to enjoy this year, he also has an eye on what's coming up next. "I think it's my final year of really competitive hockey. I've accepted that. If I do end up looking home, I'd like to play for a team around there but it's time to move on and do something new. 20 plus years in hockey, it's done me well."

At only 25, it can be hard to look back and truly appreciate how far you've come as an individual but for Bartel, looking back at the 7 years that eventually brought him to where he is today, he wouldn't do anything different.