Blake Fiddler, the pride of Frisco

As we ready ourselves for eleven days of thrilling action at this year’s U18 in Texas, no one is happier to be here than Blake Fiddler, truly a local boy and a product of the success of the Dallas Stars organization. By way of Edmonton and Nashville, Fiddler was raised in Frisco and is as familiar with Comerica Center as he is with his own living room. 

His story starts with Edmonton because that’s where his father, Vern Fiddler, was born. Vern is a name that should be recognizable to hockey fans. He skated in 877 games over a 14-year NHL career, including stops with the Predators and Stars. Blake was born during his dad’s Nashville years but spent his formative years in Frisco after Vern signed with the Stars as a free agent in 2011. Of course, Blake didn’t just grow up in Frisco; he skated with Stars players after practise and, as he got older, worked out with them in the team’s gym. 

“Being in Dallas and going skating with my dad after practise, those are some of my most vivid memories from a young age, being around the guys,” Blake recalled. “I moved here when I was pretty young. I remember playing for the McKinney North Stars, and then I finally got to play for the Dallas Stars elite, and those are kind of my core memories being in Frisco and Dallas. I’ve spent so much of my life in Valley Ranch and Frisco, doing morning skates before school. I’ve played a lot in Comerica and all these rinks.”

When you grow up playing dad’s sport with his friends, who happen to be the best in the world at what they do, it gives a kid dreams, dreams that motivate, dreams that inspire.

“It was always my goal to play in the NHL one day,” Blake continued. “I always have had the belief in myself, and I always believed I would. I think when I was around 13 or 14 and the WHL draft was happening and I was growing, that’s when I thought maybe I really do have a chance to take the next step, which for me was the WHL, and then play in the NHL one day.”

Blake’s teen years have been special and unique. He has dual citizenship and has used both passports in a hockey context to good effect. As he plotted his biggest pre-pro step, he had to decide between junior hockey in Canada or the U.S. National Team Development Program in Plymouth, Michigan. He chose junior, and that meant playing in the WHL with Edmonton. 

During this time he played internationally for both countries. First, he played for the U.S. and a year later he…