Kari Gibb/MDN Niklas Ketonen (13) moves the puck up the ice while Joel Lehtinen (24) moves into attack position on his flank. Both players are from Finland and play for the Minot Minotauros.

Zdravo.

Halla.

Terve.

Bon matin.

These are just some of the ways to say hello in the Minotauros’ locker room.

Slovak (zdravo), Swedish (halla), Finish (terve) and Canadian French (bon matin) are among the languages players use to communicate with each other this season. With players from four countries besides the United States and eight states, finding the right words for saying “hello” is tricky enough, let alone any slang or colloquialisms.

“It is very interesting trying to communicate simple day to day things, let alone complex game planning and skills drills when international players first arrive,” chuckled Minotauros’ head coach Cody Campbell. “It is an ongoing process and requires work to communicate with teammates and coaches. They get better over the course of the season for sure.”

Canada is represented well in Minot with five players calling the neighbor to the north home. The good news is that there is a common language for most Canadians and those south of the Canucks- unless you are from the part of Canada that speaks French.

“Finding the best players available, no matter where they come from, is part of our focus,” said Campbell. “We have always been committed to being thorough in our recruiting process and know that good hockey players come from all over the world.”

One of the two goalies for the Minotauros is from Sweden (Lucas Swedin). The tallest player at six-foot, seven-inches is from Slovakia (Pavol Funtek). Two of the players are from Finland (Joel Lehtinen, Niklas Ketonen). Minnesota has five players on the team. Illinois has three while Texas and Michigan have two players. New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida and even Iowa each have a player on the team.

“It is very cool to see them (international players) get comfortable with the game and their teammates,’ said Campbell. “The experience is very good for both those coming from around the world as well as those that are more local – giving everyone a broader world view.”

A major difference for the players coming from Europe compared to those from the United States and Canada is the type and size of ice rinks used. European ice rinks are made to Olympic standards at 100-feet by 200-feet while rinks in the states are based on NHL standards at 85-feet by 200-feet. This is a very real difference that players from Europe need time to adjust to.

“We are used to more space for passing and seeing then reacting to what is happening on the ice,” said Niklas Ketonen, a Finnish athlete playing forward for the Minotauros. “There is more ‘starting and stopping’ in this style of play than what I am used to in Finland. It takes some time getting used to it.”

There is one thing that each member of the team has in common. The players are all honorary members of the Minot community. The way junior hockey functions, the players stay with host families that volunteer their homes to take in a player for the season.

“Our billets play a huge part of the process for these young athletes,” said Campbell. “The Minot community has taken the hospitality and care of these players to heart and the experience will change not only the players’ life, but the host family as well. They (the host family) become a second family to the player for sure.”

The term ‘to billet’ has a long history of referring to individuals or families caring for those away from home. The Oxford Language dictionary defines the term ‘to billet’ as providing “a place, usually a civilian’s house or other nonmilitary facility, where soldiers are lodged temporarily.”

The athletes, usually between 15-20 years old, stay with the host or billet family for months. Arriving in August, a player may stay through to the next May, depending on the team making the playoffs. The NAHL requires that the host family be screened with a background check, and the players are required to be respectful of local and family rules while they are guests.

“I do like the new foods I am being introduced to,” said Ketonen, a forward on the team. “I like what my billet family eats very much – especially homemade mexican type food. But I do miss my mothers cooking for sure.”

Ketonen has played organized club hockey from a very young age, but this experience is his first in the United States. The nature of the junior hockey business is short term and transitory. Players usually do not have multiple seasons with a team. Athletes do move on to play in college or return home to their club teams or possible professional opportunities, but the memories made and relationships built at the junior hockey level last much longer.

“Just this year, we had the first player we recruited from Sweden come for a visit,” said Campbell. “He went to see his billet family. He went on from here to play D1 hockey. His billet family was at his wedding here in the states. He has a kid and is now coaching hockey in the states. The hospitality of Minot is very commendable and makes a lifelong impact on the players.”

The Minotauros play their last regular season home game of the year on Saturday, April 12, at the Maysa Arena before the playoffs begin the following weekend.