Zachary Vallee has experienced some changes in his life of late. Vallee enrolled at The Hun School as a junior this past fall and is making a big impact for the Raiders on the ice.
In eight APAC games, he’s scored eight goals and added two assists; his 10 points tied him for the conference lead in scoring. His contributions have helped his team to a 13-12 overall record; its best since Hun School joined the APAC for the 2021-22 season.
The Raiders will face St. Joseph’s Prep in a Founders Cup playoff semifinal Wednesday afternoon at Ice Line (3:30 start).
Hun School coach N.G. Welsh has rotated Vallee through the lineup.
“I think he’s adaptable,” Welsh said. We’ve had him on lines with probably six or seven guys this year. We haven’t had him out there with the same two all year.
“He’s very adaptable to whoever he plays with. He picks up off those guys and he works with them well and then I think he’s just been a good fit for the team. He’s got a great work ethic and He wants to win just as bad as anybody else, which are two things we always look for.
Vallee says the formula to this season’s success has revolved around he and his teammates doing the little things well.
“We’re doing the little things that we work in practice,” he said. “Working the little things out makes the team win.”
A native of Pont-Rouge, Quebec, a town of roughly 10,000 located some 25 miles southwest of Quebec City, Vallee learned about Hun School via a hockey showcase.
“I got recruited through a showcase in Montreal,” he said. “I already had some interest in going to a prep school. {Hun School} reached out to me and I just decided to go there.”
Once he arrived on the Hun School campus, Vallee adapted to the English-speaking/American culture with little difficulty.
“It took me about two weeks to really switch up in English and everything,” he said. That was my only concern. Making friends has always been easy for me so it was just language-wise.”
This year’s Hun School roster includes five players from Quebec. Welsh says the school provides support to help them with their transition.
“We’ve got two or three kids every year that come down,” he said, “and it’s a lot on them that first semester. We try to help them out as much as we can that first semester even though we’re not in hockey season to get them set up for success, learn how the school works.”
Welsh points out that Vallee had to adjust to doing his academic work in English.
“He’s got to put extra time into it, just because English is not his first language,” he said, “and its challenging to do homework in your second language.
“And so, time management is important for all of those {players from Quebec}, it takes them a little bit longer to do the work than the standard player here.”
Vallee makes it a point to hit the books whenever time allows.
“When we go to away, games, I usually study on the bus back and forth,” he said. “Trying to find time to study when you go away, after practices. During free blocks, we go to the library and study.”
Hockey Happenings 