By Dave Pollard – a guelphstorm.com exclusive

Leaving home to chase the hockey dream in the Ontario Hockey League is tough enough for most teenagers.

The vast majority are no more than a couple of hours drive away from reuniting with family and friends, getting back to their comfort zone. But that doesn’t mean it’s an easy adjustment for these young men.

Now imagine having to travel more than 6,000 kilometres from home, learn a new language and adapt to a different culture while attempting to make the transition to a style of hockey that is very different from what you grew up playing.

In other words, welcome to Denis Hollenstein’s world.

After being selected in the first round of the 2007 Canadian Hockey League import draft, the Zurich-born winger quickly decided to leave the Swiss Alps behind to try his luck with the Storm — new language (which he had already begun to learn thanks to the forward-thinking Swiss school system), foreign culture and unfamiliar surroundings be damned.

“It was an easy decision for me, no doubt about it,” Hollenstein said. “It was my dream my whole career to come over and play in Canada. I thought it was going to be tough but not that tough. I’ve really had to work on my game and the coaching staff has really helped a lot.”

Even though Hollenstein was nearly 18 when he came over for his first Storm training camp, two years older than many of his first-year counterparts around the league, he still experienced some serious culture shock on the ice. He was limited to 37 games as a rookie in 2007-07 due to injuries and ineffectiveness, and accounted for just five goals and four assists.

Hollenstein’s struggles continued early this season, mostly because he came back to Guelph with a shoulder that required surgery over the summer, but he settled in during the second half and showed he could play in the league.

In 56 regular-season games he had 12 goals and 12 assists. In the playoff opener against the Saginaw Spirit, Hollenstein may have had his best game in a Storm uniform, scoring once and assisting on another in a 6-5 double-overtime loss.

“His game has improved tremendously this year,” Storm assistant general manager and head coach Jason Brooks said. “He possesses the ability to be an impact player but consistency is his nemesis. It takes time for these (European) kids.”

Former coach and GM Dave Barr and Brooks scouted Hollenstein, who played junior with Kloten of the Swiss league, during the 2007 world under-18 championships in Finland. He had two goals and two assists in six games, and the Storm braintrust really liked the way he played.

They did expect Hollenstein, whose father Felix is a hockey legend in Switzerland, to be able to quickly make the jump to major junior. But it took significantly longer than anyone might have expected.

“Maybe it took him a year to figure it out,” Brooks said. “Whether you’re a rookie at 16 or 18, you have to learn. This year, unfortunately, he came back with an injury. If he comes back healthy, who knows where he’d be right now. By the time Christmas rolled around he was just starting to get to the point where he was feeling more comfortable.”

Hollenstein missed training camp and the first six games of the regular season while rehabbing the surgically-repaired shoulder. He didn’t make his season debut until Oct. 5 in Ottawa and had just one point, a goal, in the first 10 games he played. By the end of November the 6-foot, 170-pounder had just four points.

But a December stretch where he scored five goals in six games signaled that things might finally be turning around for Hollenstein. Down the stretch he played some very good hockey, racking up seven points in the Storm’s final eight games.

“I had a slow start, struggled with my game,” Hollenstein said. “Since Christmas I’ve really stepped it up. When you’re healthy it’s a lot easier to play. There was a lot of frustration. I wanted to play (well) so much but I couldn’t get going because I couldn’t play the whole summer.”

If nothing else, Hollenstein has kept his name in the mix for next year by playing better.

“Is he a potential overage option? Yes,” said Brooks. “Am I going to say he’s back for sure? No. There are areas you’d like to see him improve but off the ice, there are no issues with Denis.”

Although Hollenstein says he loves playing in Guelph and has become very comfortable living in the city, which he’s quick to admit isn’t quite as cosmopolitan as his native Zurich, he has no idea what his hockey future might hold. He is well aware that very few import players suit up as overagers in the OHL because teams are limited to two of the former and three of the latter.

“I can’t tell you,” he said with a shrug. “I know they expect a lot from European players. I would love to come back as an overage player. It’s up to them if they want to use a European who is an overage for in the same spot.”

Dave Pollard is Senior Sports Editor with www.canoe.ca

Throughout the 2008/09 season, articles written by Dave Pollard will be published exclusively on GuelphStorm.com.