If the dirt under your nails or the sand in your eyes that you can never get rid of could magically turn into a professional hockey player, the back of it’s jersey would read: KUPER, 8.
The Aces resident pest, B.J. Kuper is the James Bond of agitators in the newly-formed EPHL.
Make no mistake about it, just like Bond’s license to love, Kuper has one of his own as well.
To annoy.
“I’m a grinder, but my job first and foremost is to be a pest,” he said. “To be the first guy in the corners and to hassle defenders and draw penalties. It’s also my job to make the game as uncomfortable as I can for the opposition.”
However, despite his prowess as a pest, Kuper, like a double agent, has no problem masquerading as someone else. With two assists in three games this season, the 23-year-old looks like a first liner on the team’s grind-line with Mike Thomson and Chad Wilcox.
Attributing his early success to his linemates and his new teammates, Kuper believes he’ll have plenty of opportunities to continue producing.
“Every guy on this team has talent,” Kuper said. “We have a lot of offensive talent on this team and even though it’s only a few games in, I think everyone is going to have an opportunity to get some goals and points. Working with C.J. Tozzo, I even get chances when we’re shorthanded. We have plenty of other guys that can put the puck on my tape too. It’s my job to bury them.”
An endless ball of energy on the ice, Kuper draws inspiration from a player many New York hockey fans will recognize.
“When I was little guy, I loved Pavel Bure,” said Kuper. “He was a little guy that flew all over the ice. He’s got better hands and speed than me, that pretty much goes without saying, but I always loved watching him. I really enjoy watching those guys that show up ready to play every day, don’t take a shift off and put their bodies on the line. It’s hard to model, but I feel like I’m getting more experience everyday at this level. I love it. I couldn’t ask for more right now.”
A top player at Roxbury High School in New Jersey a few years ago, Kuper eventually crossed paths with Aces coach Chris Firriolo, who coached him while he was on the NJ-Native Elite team. It’s obvious he liked what he saw then and once he started putting the pieces together with the Aces this season, one of the first people he brought in was Kuper.
Out of professional hockey for a few years, after spending time in Junior-A and battling personal problems, Kuper is making the most of the opportunity his old mentor has given him, effectively irritating everyone on the ice that isn’t wearing red, white and blue in the process.
“He gave me a shot,” he said. “I hope I’m living up to it.”
Photo by Ron Hatcher.
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