Woodgrove Senior Luke Haraszkiewicz has spent most of his life playing hockey. Since he was four years old, he has spent his afternoons on the ice and weekend after weekend traveling around the country for games. His hard work has paid off: He was recently named Defenseman of the Year by the Northern Virginia School Hockey League (NVHSL) and earned an All-Season Award for 2023-24 from the Atlantic Hockey Federation for his excellent performance on the ice. Accomplishments like these do not come without literal blood, sweat, and tears.
In addition to playing for the Woodgrove/Loudoun Valley hockey team for the last three years, Haraszkiewicz plays for Ashburn Xtreme. Ashburn Xtreme is one of the best Tier 2 hockey clubs in the country. It has made appearances at the USA National Hockey Championships 42 times and has won 5 titles. Haraszkiewicz has been playing with them since he first started hockey and is now on the highest level team they offer, 18U AA.
Haraszkiewicz also played for the Washington Little Caps, a Tier 1 hockey club, for his 15U and 16U years, meaning he played on teams for 15 and 16 year olds and under. Unfortunately, he was unable to continue due to injuries. He was knocked out of his 15U year after an injury on the ice gave him a severe concussion and caused his shoulder blade to break in half, displacing it an inch and a half. He explained, “That was in late October. I healed from that and probably came back in February, then later that season got another severe concussion that ended up following into the beginning of my 16U year. I healed, played for about two months of my 16U year, and then got another severe concussion that put me out five months.”
This past season with Ashburn Xtreme, he received a stress fracture in his hip and “strained and partially tore both his lower abs and hip muscles,” while also watching his teammates suffer from injuries ranging from a broken jaw to a broken femur. He says that during his hockey career, he has had at least six confirmed concussions.
Despite the brutal nature of hockey and the injuries he has faced, Haraszkiewicz maintains it truly is his sport. “I love it so much,” he stated. “It’s such a fun game. I’ve tried playing other sports that aren’t as physical, aren’t as fast, and I actually struggle with it because I can’t stay focused because they’re so much slower.”
Due to the speed of the game, the work required to stay in shape for hockey can be grueling. Haraszkiewicz estimates he spends at least 15 hours a week at practices and the gym. “With the speed of the game, if anything, gaining weight or losing the muscle mass that you have can be a big issue,” he discussed. If you want to be able to keep up with your teammates on the ice, you need to stay fast. This can be especially difficult when it comes to returning after injuries. He remarked, “With one of my concussions, I was in so bad shape that I wasn’t really able to do anything…By the time I came back, I actually had to take probably about three weeks to a month just to get back into shape and build that muscle mass back up and speed back up so that I would be able to actually compete at the level I was at.”
Despite only spending three years at Woodgrove High School, Haraszkiewicz is graduating in June with the class of 2024. With careful planning and his middle school credits, he has almost completed all the credits he needs to graduate. This is especially impressive considering the impact concussions have had on his ability to focus on school. He said, “The concussions have made school really difficult at times. I miss a lot of school just because there are days I have migraines so bad I can’t do anything but sit in bed with the lights off and blinds shut, with no sound. Nothing.”
After playing his last year at Ashburn Xtreme starting later this year, Haraszkiewicz is planning to move away from competitive hockey. He shared, “The higher level you are, the more likely injuries are. And having the problems I’ve had, anyways, I just don’t want to risk it.” While his original plan was to leave early to play in a Junior hockey league for 16 to 21 year olds, he now has his sights set on going to college and studying cybersecurity. He has decided to stay local for college next year so he can play his final year playing hockey with his Ashburn Xtreme teammates, who Haraszkiewicz is extremely close to. “We do everything together,” he voiced. “It’s just a super tight bond of all the guys. It’s much more like a family of brothers than just teammates.”
Haraszkiewicz recognizes that the competition in youth hockey clubs can be vicious when players reach their teen years, but stresses that simply enjoying yourself is such an important part of hockey. He emphasized, “It’s so miniscule an amount that make it to the professional level—NCAA. So just make the memories. That’s what everyone wants. When you go to tournaments, you’re not remembering exactly how many goals your team scored against another team. You remember going to the games with your team, staying up late, and just talking with your teammates. Just have fun with it.”
