Corpus Christi, Texas – Once a scorer, always a scorer. Being a total package is the difference maker.
Since coming on the scene, Corpus Christi IceRays forward Pierson Sobush has been that total package.
Sobush has scored goals, but his competitiveness and character on and off the ice is what helped solidify his spot in Corpus Christi.
“We didn’t have anybody last year that had any pushback or compete at a high level and we wanted to make sure our group had more of that this season,” IceRays head coach Sylvain Cloutier said. “He was one of the guys we targeted really early in the season last year. He’s not just an easy-going, good person off the ice, he’s a great character kid to have on our team.
With character, results have followed for Sobush.
In his first season with the IceRays, Sobush, a 5-foot-9, 170-pound forward out of Sudbury, Ontario, leads the IceRays with 14 points on six goals and eight assists.
Sobush closed out the 3-1 victory against the New Mexico Ice Wolves October 21 in Albuquerque, New Mexico and has scored two goals and collected four assists in his last five games. He has four goals and four assists in his last seven games, five goals and five assists in 10 games, and six goals and seven assists in 11 games.
“He can be the total package,” Cloutier said of Sobush. “He can score goals, he can play physical, and he competes.”
His numbers show the consistency he has possessed since lacing up the skates at the age of 3-years old and playing on a team since the age of 4.
“I played competitive two years after starting on a team and just kept playing,” Sobush said.
Sobush came to the IceRays after spending the past two seasons in his hometown with the Greater Sudbury Cubs of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL) alongside current IceRays teammate Billy Biedermann.
With the Cubs, Sobush netted a career-high 44 goals and posted 26 assists for 70 points in 57 games in 2022-23 and added four goals and three assists in 10 games during the playoffs.
His 70 points were tied for sixth in the league, and his 44 goals were second.
“I caught the attention of the IceRays last year and was drafted over hear and made my way over to Texas,” Sobush said.
In the 2021-22 season, Sobush scored 21 goals and had 16 assists in 46 games and then added three goals and three assists in six playoff games.
In all, Sobush is in his seventh season after starting with Nickel City Sons U14 AAA team in 2017-18, where he didn’t play.
With Nickel City Sons U15 AAA in the 2018-19 season, Sobush netted four goals and added an assist in 24 games and then posted three goals and an assist in seven playoff games.
In 2022, Sobush, along with Biedermann, was part of the Ontario championship team at the National Indigenous Hockey tournament where they took home the gold medal in the boys’ final, beating Saskatchewan 3-2 in overtime in the championship game.
“My best memory so far was being able to represent Team Ontario,” Sobush said. “we ended up taking home gold, so it’s probably my proudest moment there.”
Sobush found his love for the game of hockey with the help of his father, Shawn Sobush, who played in the USHL with the Thunder Bay Flyers during the 1994-95 season and briefly with the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL in 1995-96.
“I come from a big hockey family. My dad played growing up and he played in the OHL, and then he kind of brought the idea to my mind and gave me the drive,” Sobush said. “The rest of my family, aunts and uncles, they all played and love the game, and being from Canada, it’s our game so it’s brought to you pretty early there.”
With the IceRays, Sobush is focused on learning, getting better and helping his team.
“We’re starting to buy in as a team,” Sobush said. “Last year they had a tough season so we’re trying to change the losing mindset and it’s been a work in progress. We’re in every game and it’s starting to look like it’s coming together.”
Sobush admits the process of getting better is a lot easier in his current environment.
“The weather for me is a huge change being in Corpus Christi,” Sobush said. “It’s a beautiful place and just for me, it’s crazy being able to play junior hockey and go to the beach after practice. So I like the atmosphere in Corpus.”
The IceRays will return home for four straight games beginning with two against the Lone Star Brahmas, Friday, October 27 and Saturday, October 28 at 7:05 at the American Bank Center
You can watch this Saturday’s game on NAHLTV.com and can also catch it on Brewster Street Radio.
For more info on the IceRays visit goicerays.com.
