Michael Dhamer wants to improve his game this season, his second on the Lake Forest varsity – and some of the credit might just go to a local mite team.

Dhamer, 17, a senior right-handed shooting defenseman, also is the assistant coach for the Lake Forest Winter Club mite white team, with Scout head coach Steve Sarauer also serving as the mite head coach.

“Coaching hockey helps my game by giving me more ice time as well as relearning basic hockey skills and knowledge that I may have forgotten or that I don’t do as well as I should,” said Dhamer, driven for playing success this season by the team’s, well, subpar season a year ago in the Scholastic Hockey League, finishing 6-21 in the team’s first SHL campaign.

The Scouts lost 11 of their final 12 games last season.

“Last season did not go as anyone planned. The SHL is a competitive league and our chemistry wasn’t strong,” Dhamer said. “We knew the jump to the SHL was going to be tough and we trained really hard, but, at the end of the day, we couldn’t win.”

The Scouts haven’t forgotten the heartache of a year ago.

“Everyone is itching for wins. Our passing has improved, our goaltending is very strong and we will be relying on them all season,” Dhamer said, “We have some skilled offensive players who can light the lamp. We need to stay out of the box unless it’s for hitting someone too hard.

“Our goal is simple: Win games and get to the United Center.  We need to play for each other and for the name on the front of the jersey, not the back.”

The Scouts opened the season 1-3 with a win over Stevenson, but losses to New Trier Green, Saint Ignatius and Loyola Gold (overtime).

Lake Forest opens October action with league games against Saint Viator at home on Wednesday, October 4, then on the road Saturday, October 7 in a rematch against Saint Ignatius, and then a home battle on Sunday, October 8, against Glenbrook South.

“Last year, I prioritized blocking shots and getting the puck out of our defensive zone,” Dhamer said. “My goal this season is to play more physically and secure some goals and assists.”

Dhamer will wear the “C” on his No. 19 jersey this season. “He is focused and always works hard,” Sarauer said. “He’s a quiet leader with great skill. Plus, he is very passionate about winning.”

Case in point, his favorite high school hockey moment: a simple chip off the glass to Jack Carabine against Carmel. “I was happy to contribute to a big win in front of Scout Nation,” Dhamer said.

“My career highlight so far has been scoring a hat trick playing (for) the Winter Club against the Renegades.  The first hockey game I played was against the Skokie Flyers. I remember being terrified, and not educated on the offsides rule.”

He certainly knows the rule now – and of course that helps educating the mites.

“My style of the game is looking down the ice. I play passively, but also am willing to try and tread the needle down the ice with a sauce,” he said. “Although I like to skate the puck up, a chip off the glass has a high percent chance of getting the puck on our forwards’ stick or at least out of the defensive zone. I also tend to take multiple shots a game from the point.”

Dhamer said the biggest influence and motivation on his career is teammate and best friend Murphy Moorhead. “I grew up playing a lot of hockey with him and he pushes me to be better. Our competitive nature is very recognizable,” Dhamer said. 

Dhamer is undecided on his college plans, though he wants to join a fraternity and keep skating in an adult league or at the club level.

“This summer, I’ve been going to the gym to build upper body strength. This includes simple exercises like pushups and bench press. Hopefully this brings more physicality to my game. I’ve also watched film (from) last season’s games to try and fix my bad habits and mistakes.”

Optimism is high this season for Dhamer – for the Scouts and his mite team.