Jackson Street Hockey Club harnesses power of sport, community

JACKSON, Mo. (KBSI) – What happens when a group of students with the same passion cross paths? Well, you get something like the Jackson Street Hockey Club.

Brock Compton and Jonathan Rosenquist may only be juniors in high school, but they have already turned their passion for hockey into a club that Compton said is as inclusive as the sport it promotes. 

“Hockey is for everyone,” Compton said. “The NHL says it, and we absolutely agree with it.” 

Rosenquist said hockey has a certain effect on him and others who play it. 

“It’s a detox. It helps you relax,” he said. “You always get to see your friends. It’s always something to go back to. It’s always something that’s going to be there.” 

The idea for this club sprang up shortly after the St. Louis Blues won the Stanley Cup, when Compton, Rosenquist and a few others started playing in the street. 

Now, almost every Sunday, some 15 to 20 people, some several years apart in age, meet at Jackson Middle School for three hours to play the sport they love. 

“People are passionate, and they’re super generous with their time, and I just think it’s another option if you’re not wanting to do school organized sports and you’re not wanting to get super committed always, but you can have a lot of fun here,” Compton said.

And have fun they do. 

“It’s a super tight knit group, so I think the relationships formed here, that’s my very favorite part,” Compton said. “It always gives me a smile.” 

And when they graduate, Compton and Rosenquist hope to pass the torch. 

“That’s the goal right now, to find people that can take the mantle of responsibility,” Compton said.

“I hope that’s what happens, that we get enough people interested in the younger grades that it keeps going and it keeps growing to where it stays here,” Rosenquist said. “Like it’d be cool to come back and visit my family and be like, ‘woah, it’s still here,’ you know.”