If things don’t work out for Jeff Heuerman at Dove Valley for the Broncos, the 6-foot-5, 255-pound tight end from Ohio State could become a power forward for the NHL team that practices less than a mile away.
“Go Avalanche,” Heuerman said Saturday after being introduced by John Elway at team headquarters. “Always been my favorite team.”
He was joking. Heuerman has allegiance to the Detroit Red Wings and Florida Panthers. He grew up playing hockey in Florida and Michigan, switching to football in the ninth grade because his triple-A hockey commitment proved too costly to his family life.
“Hockey is a different world, especially in Naples, Fla.,” said Heuerman, who was selected by the Broncos in Friday’s third round of the NFL draft. “You can only get to a certain point before you have to move away to keep going. I got to that point.”
Heuerman played for Florida’s first triple-A hockey program before moving to Michigan in eighth grade and playing for one of the country’s triple-A heavyweights, Detroit Compuware. His two younger brothers stayed in Naples as Heuerman thought about advancing to the Ontario Hockey League, part of Canada’s major-junior system.
“They were going to grow up without me if I did that,” Heuerman said. “So I chose to go home and be with them … And tried out for football. It all worked out.”
Heuerman excelled in high-school football in Naples and helped Ohio State win the national championship last year. He started 14 of 15 games as a senior, catching 17 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns. He can bench press 225 pounds 26 times and run the 40-yard dash in 4.8-seconds. He’s a similarly strong skater, but is focused on football.
“I honestly stay away from hockey as much as I can,” Heuerman said. “I grew up playing it for so long. It’s like an ex-girlfriend, when you break up with her, you don’t keep talking to her and hanging out with her. But I do miss it.”
Hockey laid the groundwork for Heuerman’s work ethic and discipline. He said some hockey practices began as early as 4 a.m. because of the lack of ice arenas and the growing popularity of the sport.
“Hockey teaches you a lot,” Heuerman said. “It teaches you hard work, dedication, what it takes to succeed. It teaches you toughness and I’ve taken a lot of things from the game of hockey and brought it over to the game of football. Definitely helped in my success.”
Elway is glad to have him. “We really believe he’s got tremendous amount of upside, brings in the right mentality, tough, and is a great competitor,” Elway said.
Mike Chambers: mchambers@denverpost.com or Twitter: @MikeChambers.
