Connecting the unconnected: former WHLer Brian King skates into the world of SpaceX
The world seems like a giant puzzle Brian King is constantly trying to solve.
You can almost picture his brain whirring as he sizes up how to beat a goaltender, or how to turn a gutted internal combustion engine car into a hybrid.
It’s just how he’s used to doing things.
“My life went through a lot of transitions very quick,” King, a former Everett Silvertip, said.
He’s not kidding.
When King was drafted by Everett back in 2014, his whole family made the decision to move to Washington from Colorado to support him through his hockey career.
“I was like, ‘Well, I can go to the WHL, I can put 100% of my focus on hockey, and then if I make that decision to pursue my academics, I can shift and put my focus there’, which I honestly don’t think I’d be at SpaceX today, I wouldn’t be the person I am today if I didn’t have that opportunity,” King added.
During long bus trips in the WHL, he was easy to pick out, a furrowed brow lit up by the bright light of a laptop on a dark bus, plugging away at homework when he’d rather be playing cards with his teammates or sneaking in a nap.
The Exeter, New Hampshire product would tally eight goals and 19 assists over two seasons, while also earning 2017 WHL Scholastic Player of the Year honours and being named Everett High School Valedictorian.
At the same time, the internal wrestling match between his hockey and academic dreams was coming to a head.
King opted to retire from the WHL in 2017 and accept a prestigious Presidential Scholar’s Award from the University of Alabama to pursue a double major in Mechanical Engineering and German.
“I went from hockey, being on buses every other night, three games in three nights to going to college in Alabama down south- where some people don’t even know what hockey is- then quickly having to learn an entire new language,” King recalled. “I learned German in two years and then flew over to Germany and spent a semester studying and then a semester working at Mercedes Benz there.”
King used his WHL Scholarship to complete his mechanical engineering courses at the Esslingen University of Applied Sciences, which were taught in German, and earned an internship at the Mercedes-Benz plant, analyzing how to improve aluminum spot welding on new vehicles, before COVID-19 cut the practicum short.
“Playing hockey developed me into the person I am today, you know, traveling there having to figure things out, having to speak a new language, it really, really helped me and push my limits and push me out of my comfort zone, which I think is always an important thing to do in life and to improve yourself as a person,” King added.
So where in the world is Brian King now?
These days, the 24-year-old splits his time between Texas and Los Angeles, where he recently completed an accelerated master’s program and started a full-time job with astronautics company SpaceX.
He’s not just reaching for the stars; he’s working to bridge the connectivity gap on Earth through his work with satellite user terminals.
“Basically, you buy a terminal from SpaceX, and that allows you to access the internet anywhere in the world. It’s what I’m working on right now and I think it’s one of my favorite projects,” King said. “A third of the world essentially still doesn’t have internet and I think anyone who goes out hiking or anything knows as soon as you leave a populated area you lose any access to internet very quickly. I had friends in rural Alabama who at their house could not even access the internet.
I think it’s exciting and will change the world for the better.”
Fair to say the most difficult decision of his life, to leave hockey early and see where his academic path could lead, paid off.
The 2023-24 campaign serves as the 31st year of the WHL Scholarship program. Established on a League-wide basis in 1993-94, nearly 8,000 WHL Scholarships have been accessed, representing an investment of over $35 million by WHL Clubs. This season, WHL Clubs will contribute in excess of $2.5 million to the 350 WHL graduates utilizing the WHL Scholarship.
Administered by the WHL Office, WHL Scholarships are solely funded by the ownership of the WHL member Clubs. Every player who plays in the WHL is eligible to receive the WHL Scholarship. For every season played in the WHL, players receive a guaranteed, full year of WHL Scholarship including tuition, textbooks, and compulsory fees to a post-secondary institution of their choice. The WHL Scholarship is a fully guaranteed academic scholarship with no requirement to play university hockey to qualify. The WHL graduate can apply the funding to any post-secondary or career-enhancing program of his choice, including trades schools or professional career training programs.
In addition to the WHL Scholarship players receive upon graduation from the WHL, all current WHL players are encouraged to enroll in post-secondary courses and these courses are also fully funded by WHL Clubs. On average, 150 current WHL players take post-secondary courses while playing in the WHL. The financial assistance received for post-secondary studies while playing does not impact on the WHL Scholarship benefits a player is entitled to upon graduating from the League. The WHL and Athabasca University have partnered to offer, through an online distance education platform, full-accredited university courses to any WHL player interested in further pursuing post-secondary studies while playing in the WHL.
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