There was a time when any and all top end junior hockey talent in the State of Texas was pretty much guaranteed to make their way north, signing on with teams in Minnesota and New England to pursue their development, or more often than not, crossing into the bastion of hockey opportunities that is Canada.
Times have changed - and Pierson Sobush, for one, is just fine with that.
The twenty-year old long-time SMHA (Sudbury Minor Hockey Association) product who played two season with the Greater Sudbury Cubs (107 points in 103 games) has parlayed an equally strong campaign last year with the Corpus Christi Ice Rays (NAHL - 41 pts in 55 GP) into an NCAA scholarship beginning in 2025.
"I was honestly a little surprised to think that I would go that far away just to play hockey," said Sobush, the leading scorer for the Ice Rays in 2023-2024. "You don't think Texas and hockey when you live in Canada."
"I was a little bit nervous, with my first time away from home being that far away," added the rugged and skilled forward who was joined in Corpus Christi by former Sudbury teammate Billy Biedermann.
"It was a big move, but I had no complaints. It was a great time there."
Committed to the Lake Superior State Lakers for next fall, Sobush plans to return for a second year with the team situated directly on the Gulf of Mexico, with year round golf availability and a post-practice trek to the beach a virtual must.
Sobush, however, was ultra-focused on the hockey, leaning towards the same mindset that helped the undrafted (OHL) talent become the Cubs leading scorer in 2022-2023.
"When I first got there (Corpus Christi), I wasn't sure whether I would be a top six or bottom six guy," he said. "Either way, I knew that I would go in the lineup and play every game hard and work my way up."
Limited to just one assist in his first three games, Sobush soon began to get his bearings, offensively speaking.
"It was a definite adjustment to the league," he suggested. "You really don't get a night off - but you ask questions and get to know the league, get to know how to play."
"It was more of a grind there so I kept my head down and knew if I kept working, it would come over time."
Thankfully, much of his game translated nicely, including his ability to play much bigger than his size given the fact that the South Division of the North American Hockey League is often considered the most physical of the four brackets.
"I didn't change my game very much at all," said Sobush, who amassed 201 minutes in penalties to lead his team in that department as well. "I've always been small so I've kind of learned how to play against the big guys a lot."
Helping him acclimatize, to a certain degree, was the presence of Biedermann as his centre, the two having often lined up together during their time with the Cubs. "We played together about three quarters of the time," said Sobush.
"If we weren't producing, they might switch it up but then we would kind of come back to each other after a few games."
For as much as friends and family might envy the weather the young hockey talent enjoyed in the Lone Star State, truth is that the favourite road trip for Pierson Sobush last year might well have been the flight to face the Colorado Grit in Greely (CO).
"It was the first time I saw snow since leaving home, so that was nice," smiled Sobush. "It was a bit chillier which was a nice three day break from the heat."
That said, he is not about to complain of his summer back home, one in which he has joined NHLers Nick and Marcus Foligno for early morning skates at both Countryside Arena and Northern Hockey Academy.
"Just watching the little things that they do helps a lot, picking up those things and putting them into my game."
Not that he wants to tinker too much.
Sobush has arguably been the local poster-child for the case to be made that success in any sport comes from the ability to get a little bit better with each and every passing year.
As he looks to being a lot closer to home next September in his rookie season with the Lakers, Sobush will tap into what worked so very well in both Sudbury and Corpus Christi.
"I know that my first year at Lake State, I will not be a top six forward," he said. "Probably not even my second year. My plan is to be the best that I can at whatever role they put me in and work my way up to the other roles."
"I always try to take pride in my role and be the best player on the ice that role. If you do that, you will always get rewarded."
Spending the winter playing hockey in Texas? That's a reward many players would take.