BEMIDJI 鈥� Jackson Jutting shares similar interests with the dozens of college hockey players who spend their summers in Minnesota.
The Bemidji State senior forward will go home to the Prior Lake area in May once school is out. He enjoys his time on the lake and often finds himself on a golf course. He has a few vacations planned for this summer, including an annual golf outing with his dad.
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Jutting鈥檚 summers are also spent at the Dakotah! Sport and Fitness Center. And while he dedicates time to improving his game, he鈥檚 also set aside time for the betterment of youth players in each of the last three summers.
Three years ago, Jutting teamed up with University of Minnesota defenseman Mike Koster to start Jutting Koster Hockey Camp.
鈥淏oth Mike and I worked at summer camps,鈥� Jutting said. 鈥淚t was 2021 in the fall when we kind of said, 鈥榃e should start our own.鈥� We鈥檇 worked enough and knew the landscape and knew people who could help us get it going. We did some research, and we just decided that it was a good idea.鈥�
The camp was originally held for squirt, peewee and bantam players in Prior Lake. After they got the camp off the ground, Jutting and Koster decided to shift toward a younger demographic of players.
The hockey seminar is now geared toward mites, squirts and peewees who want to develop their skills on and off the ice.
鈥淎fter the first year, it鈥檚 just kind of got bigger and bigger,鈥� Jutting said. 鈥淪ometimes with the mites, it can get a little crazy out there. We find that those are the most rewarding, too. Working with mites, showing them how to stop correctly, or teaching them how to shoot the puck, it鈥檚 just so much fun for us.鈥�
Jutting and Koster have begun expanding their camp outside of Prior Lake. They held practices in Marshall last summer and plan to return to southwestern Minnesota again in June.
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But before Jutting returns to the Metro area, he wanted to bring his camp up north.
With the help of BSU teammates Mattias Sholl, Jere Vaisanen, Kirklan Irey, Tony Follmer and Alexander Lundman, Jutting and Koster held a three-day camp at the Bemidji Community Arena April 26-28.
鈥淭he passion we have for this camp and the community, it was an easy decision to do it here,鈥� Jutting said. 鈥淎 lot of these kids come to our games. I think it鈥檚 cool for them to interact with the guys on our team. We know they support us when we play; now we get to support them with this cool opportunity.鈥�
Jutting announced he was bringing his camp to Bemidji on From there, it took off with the local youth players. Each group held 25 skaters, giving them 75-minute on-ice practices coupled with three off-ice training sessions.
For Jutting and his teammates, the hockey camp was a chance to further connect the Beavers to the youth players and their parents in the community.
鈥淚鈥檝e met a couple of the kids through Skate with the Beavers after our games,鈥� Jutting said. 鈥淚 met some of the head people in the youth organizations. This year, we didn鈥檛 really do a whole lot with (youth practices). I want to do more. It鈥檚 fun to interact with them. I always think about how when I was young if a college player came to our skate, it was the coolest thing ever, no matter who it was.鈥�
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Diving in head-first
Jutting understands how formative an experience is for a young player to share the ice with a college athlete.
鈥淚t鈥檚 always fun to get involved in your community,鈥� Jutting said. 鈥淎t Prior Lake, we had that growing up. When we talked about starting this camp, we talked about doing it right and paying that side of it forward, giving kids an opportunity to experience something they haven鈥檛 before.
鈥淲e鈥檙e Division I athletes, and the whole coaching staff this weekend are Division I athletes. That鈥檚 not something a kid will get every time they step on the ice.鈥�
Getting the Jutting Koster Hockey Camp rolling took some elbow grease with a little bit of faith. When it first started, they were fish out of water trying to get over the licensing and insurance hurdles that come with starting a camp.
Even after the red tape aspects were completed, they had concerns about attendance.
鈥淛ust getting the word out was tough at the start,鈥� Jutting said. 鈥淲e had a spreadsheet of youth coaches in the Twin Cities area and just started cold calling them to let them know about the camp. 鈥� We were panicking, thinking we would have to refund all of these people because we didn鈥檛 have enough kids.鈥�
Jutting and Koster no longer worry about local families being interested in their camp. Their Bemidji sessions were 90% filled within the first week of registration being open. Knowing that he鈥檇 get a chance to make a difference in the community that gives him an opportunity to play college hockey was a fulfilling realization for Jutting.
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鈥淚f you鈥檙e a kid that has a positive experience this weekend with us, you鈥檒l want to go out and watch Tony Follmer next year,鈥� Jutting said. 鈥淵ou鈥檒l want to go see Mattias Sholl play goalie next year. It leaves a good impact on the kids. We want to interact with the kids and leave those good impressions on them and give them those positive experiences.鈥�
When Jutting transferred from Colorado College after his sophomore season in 2022, he aimed to find a community that would embrace the little things like a three-day hockey camp. He told head coach Tom Serratore that he wanted to play all five years of college hockey.
Jutting told the Pioneer his worst-kept secret: He was exercising his fifth year of eligibility and will play for the Beavers in 2024-25.
鈥淲hen I was in the transfer portal, that鈥檚 when I knew I was (using) that fifth year,鈥� Jutting said. 鈥淚t was a three-year plan, and that鈥檚 perfect for me. I鈥檒l take five years of college hockey because I鈥檓 never going to get these years back. I鈥檓 looking forward to the fifth year, and I think we鈥檙e going to do another camp like this in the fall.鈥�
Jutting and Koster haven鈥檛 announced dates for a potential fall camp at the BCA yet. They intend to run it back on a weekend that works for youth and college players alike, giving more chances to intertwine a thriving hockey town.
鈥淗earing it from the parents afterward, that鈥檚 the best part,鈥� Jutting said. 鈥淭he kids appreciate it, but they鈥檙e kids. You see that they鈥檙e excited and having fun, but to have the parents come up to you and thank you for putting on a camp for their kids, that鈥檚 really rewarding.鈥�
The Trust Project
